From the TAO TE CHING, translation by Stephen Mitchell:

33

Knowing others is intelligence;

Knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Mastering others is strength;

Master yourself is true power.

If you realize that you have enough,

you are truly rich

If you stay in the center

and embrace death with your whole heart,

you will endure forever.

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Contact me with questions, appointment requests, or whatever is on your mind and heart:   [email protected] 

In 2000 the internet was still very new. I was still developing the habit of checking email every morning. As I checked early one morning, I discovered an email from a stranger who later became a delightful teacher and friend in my life. 

Jim Dreaver sent that email to yoga teachers to introduce his book The Way of Harmony. In the introduction, Jim presents the core insight of the book. These few sentences set me on the path of discovering my True Self: 

The core insight involves a subtle shift in the way you see yourself and your life. It is a stepping back, so to speak, and beginning to see that you are not the person you thought you were.

Specifically, you are not your "story." The reality you've created inside your head about who you are - your beliefs, personal history, attitudes, identity, and self-image - is not who you are.  (The Way of Harmony, pages 4-5)

For some of you, this is not new information. For...