The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

by Michael A. Singer

There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind—you are the one who hears it. If

Eventually you will see that the real cause of problems is not life itself. It’s the commotion the mind makes about life that really causes problems.

Reality is just too real for most of us, so we temper it with the mind.

Worldly means that you think the solution to your inner problems is in the world outside.

To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them.

The only permanent solution to your problems is to go inside and let go of the part of you that seems to have so many problems with reality.

Yoga is about the knowledge that will help you out of your predicament, the knowledge that can free you.

It starts to become a serious question: “Who am I?

This is what happens when you get lost in thought. You can be reading, and then suddenly you’re not reading anymore. It happens all the time.

When you contemplate the nature of Self, you are meditating.

It’s been called by many names. In ancient Chinese medicine, it is called Chi. In yoga, it is called Shakti. In the West, it is called Spirit.

Energy doesn’t get old, it doesn’t get tired, and it doesn’t need food. What it needs is openness and receptivity.

The most important thing in life is your inner energy.

Only you can take inner freedom away from yourself, or give it to yourself.

For example, some of the most beautiful poetry and music have come from people who were in turmoil.

The prerequisite to true freedom is to decide that you do not want to suffer anymore.

Thinking is something you watch the mind do.

If life does something that causes a disturbance inside of you, instead of pulling away, let it pass through you like the wind.

Your views, your opinions, your preferences, your concepts, your goals, and your beliefs are all ways of bringing the infinite universe down to the finite where you can feel a sense of control.

When you walk through a beautiful botanical garden, you feel open and light. You feel love. You see beauty. You don’t judge the shape and placement of every leaf. The leaves are of all sizes and shapes and they face every-which-way. That’s what makes them beautiful. What if you felt that way about people? What if they didn’t all have to dress the same, believe the same, or behave the same? What if they were like the flowers, and however they happened to be seemed beautiful to you?