1 simple way to free yourself, once and for all

The joy that comes with being free from attachment is a “felt” sense that cloaks all of who you are, inside and out.

If you choose to look at yourself from the inside, you can gain perspective and agency over how you move through your life.

The practice of freeing yourself begins with bringing awareness to what you are holding onto.

Freeing Yourself – Exercise:
As you try this practice, pay attention to whatever surfaces, trusting that it’s all valuable information (even if it doesn’t seem like it at first). Notice if you can honor what arises, without resisting or judging it. Allow yourself to feel it fully. Take your time as you go through each step, to fully receive the self-knowledge that awaits you.

Maybe what surfaces in response to this question are past events, unresolved issues, grudges, regrets, frustrations toward others (or toward yourself!), or something else. No matter what, you can’t do the exercise “wrong” and whatever transpires, know that you are being shown personal ingredients that make up the recipe of your awareness.

Close your eyes. Take a few conscious breaths in and out through your nose.
Mentally send your awareness to how it feels to breathe into your mind. Now ask yourself: “What thought(s) am I holding onto that no longer serve me?” Breathe and wait to see what arises.
Mentally send your awareness to how it feels to breathe into your body. Now ask yourself: “What am I holding onto in my body that no longer serves me?” Breathe and wait to see what arises.
Mentally send your awareness to how it feels to breathe into your heart center. Now ask yourself: “What feelings am I holding onto in my heart that no longer serve me?” Breathe and wait to see what arises.
Mentally send your awareness to how it feels to breathe into your whole self. Now ask yourself: “What am I holding onto in my spirit or soul that no longer serves me?” Breathe and wait to see what arises.
Notice if there’s a theme that ties all of the information from your mind, your body, your heart and your soul. If not, that’s ok. If so, connect those dots and consider writing it down later.
When you are ready, take one more big breath in and out. Then open your eyes.
Optionally: journal about what showed up. Sometimes the process of writing and recording our experience helps to give us increased perspective and awareness.
___________

So, you want to be free of the past wounds that hold you back (who doesn’t?!). You are holding onto things that don’t support you in moving forward or in experiencing the freedom that you, as a human being, deserve to feel. It’s the holding on that’s not allowing you to fly, open-heartedly, into your dreams. As painful as this realization may be, it’s really ok.

You are human. We all hold on sometimes.

The past can take hold on you, without your realizing it. And then, here you are, months or maybe years later, clutching with mind, body, heart and soul to something you had no idea was even there — having no idea how much it has been weighing you down until right now.

Or maybe…you knew it was there, but it felt empowering to hold onto it. Maybe, in the past, it helped to light a fire in you, to feed you along your journey. It wasn’t unhealthy and didn’t hold you back. But now, you discover that the fire is burning you and it no longer nourishes you along your life journey.

Your power is in your choice to let it go.

It’s so hard to let go when you’ve been holding on so long (even if you didn’t know you were holding on!).

What better way to end your year and start anew than (re)discover the what is holding you down and holding you back? Right now, you get a fresh opportunity to choose to loosen your grasp and make space for something new and beautiful in 2016.

Yes, we all hold on sometimes. You can’t choose to let go until you realize you are holding on. It is this awareness that begins the whole-body process of becoming unstuck…and setting yourself free to be who are really meant to be.

The next step is actually letting go. Sometimes, this is work that is best accomplished with outside support, but it’s possible to do your inner-work solo as well.

What are your preferred ways to work on your inner-self?

A few ways that I like include:

reading self-help books and blogs related to my struggle(s)
meditation (moving or still)
seeking out individual talk therapy
journaling
joining a group with people who are committed to personal growth
my favorite, of course: insight-movment therapy/MindBodyWise therapy. Every therapist needs his/her own therapy and this modality, for me, is by far the most effective way to work through my own internal challenges and grow.

With consciousness, commitment and internal work, you can absolutely, positively fly. Are you ready?!

I wish for each and every one of you that take flight…expand, grow, love, and live with all of who you are.

As always, I feel honored and privileged to be a part of your journey…