Let Freedom Ring..Body, Mind, & Soul

As we prepare to celebrate our Independence Day, we are often reminded of the freedom we enjoy as citizens of our beloved country. Perhaps we can use this holiday as an opportunity to reflect on other ways we can explore freedom in our lives, and how yoga may be a means to help deliver that freedom.

Firstly, let's consider physical freedom. Particularly as we age, we often long for freedom of movement in our bodies. Perhaps that means increasing mobility and decreasing stiffness in our joints. It can mean finding freedom with ease in daily activities by increasing flexibility in our muscles. Many of us seek freedom from achiness or soreness and relief from back and hip discomfort. It could also include being freed from trigger points in our body that cause us pain. Yoga can help us work on all these areas within our physical bodies, through asanas (poses), breathwork, connective tissue work (like yin yoga), passive stretching (like restorative yoga), and fascia release. As a result, we can decrease tension and increase ease of movement in our daily lives.

Next, we can consider what it means to have emotional freedom. Oftentimes we can feel like prisoners of emotions that weigh us down, such as fear, anxiety, grief, anger, resentment, self-doubt, and lack of self-worth. These emotions can feel overwhelming and seem as though they consume our every thought. We wake up feeling this way, and go to bed feeling this way. Perhaps these negative emotions are holding you back and preventing you from achieving your goals, discovering your true desires, realizing your purpose, or simply moving forward. Emotional freedom means releasing blockages and creating space to grow and heal in a balanced way. It means processing trauma and treating our mental health in a way that doesn't consume us, but leads us towards recovery and peace. The mindful movement of poses, breathwork, and meditation, are all tools that yoga provides that can help us achieve emotional regulation and a balanced emotional state.

Lastly, we can discover spiritual freedom, where perhaps we are able to relinquish control to something greater than ourselves. We often try so hard to control every aspect of our lives, which can often lead to anxiety, fear, and the inability to live in the present moment. By surrendering to a greater power, we are able to detach from the outcomes of every decision or situation, and simply allow ourselves to just live with freedom. Yoga encourages the practices of self-discovery and awareness, in which we are able to strengthen our connection to the divine, while also connecting to a deeper sense of self.

This holiday weekend, while celebrating patriotic independence with cookouts and fireworks and big sales, perhaps spend some time reflecting on the ways you can discover freedom in body, mind, and soul. By cultivating self-awareness, mindfulness, and intention, yoga can become a powerful resource for unlocking freedom in all aspects of your life.