The Sanskrit concept of mental imprints or conditioning; understanding how your lost identity shaped your behavior, values, and emotional patterns.
Samskara refers to the subtle imprints left by past experience—the grooves in the mind and soul that shape how you move through the world. Each version of yourself leaves samskaras: habitual thoughts, emotional reflexes, ways of relating to others. When you grieve who you were before, you are often grieving the loss of the samskaras associated with that identity—both the beautiful ones and the limiting ones. Mirabai's journey involved consciously breaking old samskaras (the role of dutiful wife and court musician) while honoring what they had taught her. The bhakti perspective suggests that you do not need to erase or hate the old imprints; instead, you can examine them with compassion. What beliefs did your former self hold about love, worth, belonging? What reflexive patterns served you then and may no longer? By understanding your samskaras, you see that the self you mourn was never fixed—it was always a collection of imprints you could, with awareness, begin to reshape.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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