Most genuine spiritual paths teach that ultimately we are transcendent beings. This implies that we are different from the material body. Even our language indicates this by the fact that we state we are the possessor of the body; we say, “my body” not “I body”. The “I” then is the possessor of the body or the spirit or essence of our being.
The ancient yoga text Bhagavad Gita begins by stressing that our real identity is as infinitesimal spiritual beings, eternally existing and separate from the body. The predicament we face in our current experience is that we are in essence also pleasure-seeking entities and this desire to enjoy is played out through the medium of the material body. Unfortunately we do not find actual fulfillment in this plane. An example is given of an animal in the desert that runs after a mirage thinking it will find the water necessary to quench its thirst but ultimately ends up dying. In a similar way no matter how hard we try to find satisfaction through the medium of the material energy most of us still find that there is a nagging inner sense of discontentment. The reason for this can be explained by another simple analogy; if we take a fish out of water it will never be satisfied until back in it’s natural environment, no matter what else we try to give it!
Therefore genuine spiritual practices are meant to create an atmosphere that nurtures our inner longing for spiritual fulfillment, or in other words awakens us to our inherent state of consciousness.
Conscious Streaming 