The Fourth of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Freedom and independence are strong values in the United States. This day represents the start of a country working on developing its own values independent from Britain. Freedom of choice in how one lives is a foundational value in the US, even though it may seem in danger of eroding away currently. 

The focus on independence and freedom tends to be around physical freedoms. As a Yoga for the Mind practitioner, teacher, and coach, there is a deeper definition of freedom and independence I want to talk about – freedom of mind and spirit. True freedom.

TRUE FREEDOM

Swami Satchidananda taught that “freedom is a state of mind, no matter your outside circumstances,” like where you are at or what you are doing (a physical freedom). True freedom is an inside job, not based on external circumstances. A person in prison could be more ‘free’ than a wealthy business person on Wall Street. It’s all a matter of one’s mind state.

All paths of Traditional Yoga have a common goal of moksha or self-realization. Many of these paths have some component of mind reform as part of this process and Raja Yoga is solely focused on the mind.

When we take the term “freedom” to mean an external process and just related to the material world, it misses the deeper, subtler aspects to true freedom. We are all born into our families and situations, which we have no control over.  As children we are taught and conditioned from these circumstances. We take many of these values and beliefs as ‘truth.’ For most of us, it’s not until adolescence that we do some questioning and pushing back.

Yet even going through that time of ‘teenage-hood’, most people end up not too far from those values and beliefs. Those who make major changes tend to make the change related more to the material world. Even with beliefs, they tend to be externally focused.

YOGA’S VIEW ON FREEDOM

For me, even as someone who was a Psychology major in college and received a Master’s in Social Work, both focused on learning about the mind and behavior of humans, I continued to suffer myself. I continued to be a slave to my deep patterns that kept me stuck and a lot of the time, fairly miserable. I may have had freedom (and privilege) to study what I wanted, choose what I believed, and live where I wanted, etc. but my mind was still stuck in limiting patterns.

It wasn’t until I started to study myself more deeply through the lens of Yoga that a shift occurred. The shift was one of perspective from an external focus to an internal one. What does this even mean?

If one is truly ‘free,’ then they are completely their Self. In that ultimate truth, there is no need to compare, compete, judge, or prove. If you are suffering in any way or having an emotional reaction and judgment then you are not ‘free.’ You are not free and independent from the stories and roles that you have taken to be yourself.

It’s kind of like if you were to put on an outfit and you become that outfit. The outfit defines you and your behaviors. You don’t even realize that you have the outfit on and that how you are behaving comes from that outfit.  When the outfit becomes too small or worn out, you still insist on wearing it because it’s “who I am.”

FREEDOM IS ALL IN THE MIND

Now most of us don’t self-identify to that extreme with clothing, yet most likely you have had a lesser attachment to clothing. Like when you put on a new outfit and know you look good so you stand taller and strut around a little more. Or when your absolutely favorite shirt is stretched out, stained and full of holes, yet you still refuse to throw it out. There’s just so many memories attached to it after all! It’s like a security blanket. When you put it on you feel sung and relaxed.

These behaviors keep us prisoner. Our mind is attached and influenced by this material item that will inevitably break down. All the up and down emotions over that outfit’s life shows we are slaves to it. I’m not saying this is bad or good. I am encouraging you to start to look at your behavior and start to see where your emotions, mood and mindset are being influenced by something that isn’t YOU.

Freedom begins when we start to practice self-awareness. When you notice yourself, you can start to consciously decide if you want to continue that pattern or do it differently. This is freedom. It doesn’t rely on anyone or anything else. This is independence.

INDEPENDENCE DOESN’T MEAN DISCONNECTED

Independence doesn’t mean doing everything yourself. We are human and human nature is naturally social. Finding a sense of belonging and connection is part of being human. We can be independent and still have connections.

Understanding that the more you know yourself allows you freedom to move beyond those childhood patterns and conditionings, the more independence you have from stories of ‘who I am’ that aren’t true. This understanding is the key to finding peace of mind, joy, and contentment.

The famous words of the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” can be applied to a ‘birthright’ we have as human beings to self-realize, according to traditional paths of Yoga.

UNDERSTAND YOURSELF

Why are you truly here on this earth? Are you here to make as much money and amass as much as you can and then die? Are you here to work and work until you die? Possibly, you are here to sit and consume as much data until you die? Why do you think you are here?

From the Traditional Yoga lens, the answer is to realize your true nature and evolve past the attachments of this material world. Our world is created in our minds. By this, I mean how we view and perceive the world influences our reactions, perceptions and behaviors. The external work will be what it is but how we meet it comes back to our minds.

Therefore, true freedom comes from becoming independent from the mind as ‘who I am’ and standing firmly in realizing that the True Self is something that never changes. It simply is. The mind moves from controlling you to you using it as a tool. The mind is a tool to be able to experience this world to find your True Self.

MY REALIZATION

One example of this process for me was beginning to notice the story I had around where I was working. I would get upset about certain things that happened or decisions that were made. This started to lead me towards dreading going to work and feeling so exhausted by the end of the day.

As I learned to take responsibility for my part and what I could control, I realized that the story I had about my job was what was creating my misery. As I changed my story, I wasn’t as bothered by things and enjoyed my work more again. Also, I was clear with myself that I wouldn’t be staying long term and took action towards making the change I wanted while staying positive about the job.

I went from the story and state of my mind creating turmoil to owning it and changing the story. I had true freedom even though nothing outside of me had changed.

3 KEYS TO TRUE FREEDOM

In order to do this, you must keep in mind and practice 3 things:

• Be aware of yourself and your reactions.
• Take responsibility for your reactions.
• Do something different.

This is the basic formula to find true freedom in life. No matter where you are, who you are with, or what is happening. Keep coming back to these three practices and you will begin to free yourself.

Namaste.

P.S. Do you desire true freedom, true peace of mind, and truly loving yourself? If you are struggling in the midst of midlife relationship changes and ready to find a different way of being for the next phase of life, consider learning about the Find Calm Formula™ in my free masterclass.