Letting Go of the Ghosts of “Should-Be” You
Ever notice how your brain is basically a never-ending slideshow? One minute you’re scrolling through TikTok, the next you’re remembering you had to buy that thing, then you go back to your twenties’ heartbreaks, your thirties’ ambitions… and somewhere in there you’ve accidentally started comparing yourself to an Instagram version of a “perfect life.” Yep, we’ve all been there.
At 4NT Fit, we like to call this the Knowledge vs. Direct Experience Dilemma.
Knowledge – every article, every image, every “how to meditate like a yogi” post – can pull us out of the present. Direct experience? That’s the stuff that plants us firmly in the now. One lifts you, the other… well, yanks you straight out.
Images Everywhere, All the Time
Every thought = an image. Every image = a reaction in your body. The world is throwing pictures at us faster than we can process: war, peace, luxury, simplicity, yoga, success, spirituality (even your neighbour’s cat). And let’s be honest – we scroll. We label. We judge. Even meditation isn’t safe – we turn it into an image: the perfect posture, the serene face, the “I should feel enlightened by now” expectation.
But here’s the thing: images aren’t evil. They guide us. Google maps, planting guides, sunlight patterns… useful, practical, sometimes life-saving. The trick is learning when to put them down. Otherwise, we carry around mental ghosts: past selves, future selves, versions of us that literally don’t exist anymore.
You’re Not the You You Think You Are
Fun science fact: every seven years, your body completely renews itself. Bones, skin, blood – all fresh. The 21-year-old you? Gone by 28. The 35-year-old you? Bye-bye by 42. Yet our minds cling to old snapshots: “I was fitter then,” “I was happier then,” “I had hair then” (or maybe not). No wonder we feel a little… split in two.
Imagine if we dropped those mental images. What if we let ourselves meet who we actually are right now? Not the ghost of your twenties, not the Instagram version of your future self. Just you. Breathing, laughing, maybe a little wobbling in plank, but alive.
Freedom Lives Beyond the Pictures
Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati said it beautifully:
“The I‑Am principle has no form, no picture, no gender, no age, no colour.”
Beyond the images. Beyond names. Beyond time. That’s where freedom lives.
At 4NT, that’s exactly what we aim for. Whether you’re moving on the mat, the Reformer, or just rolling out a yoga mat in your living room, the goal isn’t perfection, it’s presence.
Laugh at yourself, notice your body, let go of yesterday’s expectations, and maybe stop scrolling for just one glorious moment.
Because the you that’s here right now? That’s the one that matters.