Not This, Not That is a classic meditation technique. It follows from the previous exercise, what you actually know. Some time when you find yourself in a reflective state of mind, go through the process of questioning in your deepest self, who you really are. Are you the caregiver? Well…maybe, but you weren’t that a few years ago. Are you a mother? A father? Obviously thesee things have changed throughout your life. Examine each of your roles in life. Brother, sister, spouse, professional, parent…is that who you really are? No answers are necessary, this is an exercise in questioning.
Are you this body which has changed so miraculously over the years? Are you the mind which has worked so well with such incredible complexity over many years? Who are you? This classic exercise has been practiced in the yoga tradition for hundreds of years.
The classic yogi saying is: “I am not this body, this body is not me, I am not this mind, this mind is not mine. I am not these emotions, these emotions are not mine…I am not this intellect…etc, etc.” This is called the “neti neti exercise.”
