We're all actors.

Few become famous for it, but each and every one of us are actors. Sure, we may not be on Broadway – or anywhere other than the stage of life – but, at any given time, we all put on masks, rehearse lines and hide and show emotions that we both feel and also do not feel.
 

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 What if we stopped? Exited stage left, or never put our costume or show face at all? Would life still go on the same, or would it treat us differently? And what about ourselves – have we been acting so long that we don't know the difference between who we are and who we pretend we are? Or is the self even any one thing at all? 

In yoga, as in many other Eastern teachings, there's a belief in the Witness Self – a part of us that is all-seeing and can separate from the physical body and the mind. Getting in touch with the Witness Self requires practice, meditation and yoga, and, once there, everything is clearer and calmer. We can understand the true nature of others and the essence of what cannot be captured by our senses alone – life, love and intuit.

As long as we are constructing an outward self, though – acting – we move away from the inward Witness Self and toward self-satisfaction of others' perceptions of us, as well as the image we hope to project. Perhaps, along with yoga, we can find a little more of the Witness Self by being real and keeping it real a little more often. In other words, wearing one less mask, one less costume and speaking the truth more than a script.

Namaste.