Do you have a soul?

We were approaching the end of our yoga teacher training and ayurveda was one of the last (and most epic) weekends.  As we slowly wandered into the room, our teacher for the weekend walked in, turned off the fan, set up, sat down, and sat in silence creating our sacred space for the weekend. We all immediately stopped talking, sat in a half circle, leaned in, waited, eager to listen. "Do you have a soul?" our teacher asked. I remember nodding and being like yeahh i have a soul. As I looked around everyone for the most part was also nodding and saying ya. "No. You are a soul in a human body". WORLD ROCKED. 

One of the most fascinating parts of teacher training was learning more about Hinduism and the endless similarities between different religions. She went on to explain that we are a guest in this body and our bodies are just a temporary homes for our souls. Ally Hamilton used to always say (and probably still does) something along the lines of... your body is your home.  Be kind and compassionate to it. You only have one... This human body is temporary and I hate to even write this (the truth) we don't have it for very long. This has stuck with me for years and in teacher training it was like I hit a brick wall. It's easy to forget to be compassionate to ourselves. We are so kind to our friends! (well I hope we all are!) We compliment our friends and coworkers. We are people's life cheerleaders. We pick our friends up when they are down. Then when we're alone it's often the complete opposite. "I feel huge... I should have worked out this morning... Why haven't I traveled here... why haven't I accomplished X?" It's a nice reminder to think about how how special our temporary home is! What if we flipped all of those compliments onto ourselves? Be kind to our mind and bodies. Lift ourselves up when we are down. 

Rumi obviously says it best in his poem called The Guest House:

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.