Freedom To Be You
A segment of the weekly newsletter is a weekly theme and this blog post is an enhancement to that section. Each weekly theme is an invitation and encouragement meant to help the reader better connect to themselves. Please note that the selected themes can be reflected upon at any time and are not limited to the week the themes are shared and published.
Theme: Freedom To Be You
In a world that often has a lot to say about who to be and how to act, this week’s theme is Freedom to Be You. The invitation is to explore how you define freedom for yourself and how you create opportunities to experience that freedom while out in the world. This week’s theme isn’t about focusing on grand acts of freedom; instead the challenge is to focus in on the small, tangible ways in which freedom can take shape in your life. It’s about the small acts of freedom that help connect you to the essence of who you feel you truly are and who you want to be. In this reflection, it’s about remembering that small acts every day have a great impact later on. For example, a small act of saying “no” today sets the foundation of trusting yourself to know what’s best for you that will empower bigger acts of saying “no” in the future.
Practices for Reflection
Start by taking a five deep breaths to ground yourself. Then, reflect on any or all of the following questions:
What does “freedom” mean to you?
What does “freedom of self” mean to you?
What does the freest version of you look and feel like?
What practices do you have for embodying your freest self?
What is one small act of freedom you can do today?
Personal Reflection
“Freedom To Be You” for me runs on a spectrum of freedom from and freedom to. “Freedom from” examples include freedom from stress, freedom from worry, freedom from financial obligations, freedom from self-doubt, and freedom from comparison. “Freedom to” examples include freedom to surrender, freedom to rest, freedom to be in my joy, freedom to take up space, and freedom to be unapologetic. “Freedom from” are those things I experience as limitations that hold me back from either fully showing up or being open to the magic of life. On the other end of the spectrum, “freedom to” are those things I aspire to experience so that I can more fully enjoy life and trust in the way my life in unfolding. It almost feels like a dance between being held back and wanting to blindly leap forward. Freedom is a both/and concept for me: I can both desire complete freedom and have boundaries to that freedom.
When it comes to the small acts of freedom, my mind immediately goes to movement (let’s thank my Taurus moon for that) as I make it a point to move my body every day. Not only does movement feel good, but movement also offers me an opportunity to reclaim and reconnect to myself. I always say that one of the reasons I love running so much is because I can be me: no one to criticize what I wear and I get to control how far and fast I go on a given run. I have the freedom of choice on the run that inspires me to fight for more moments of freedom off the run. Similarly, my yoga asana practice is a place for curiosity that creates a freedom to explore that gets taken off the mat. The daily practices of running and yoga bring me home to myself and help me embody the possibility of being fully me, flowing through life on the path to freedom.
