Throughout history,
Some of the most extraordinary souls have shown us that true freedom begins in the mind.
Let's take,
For example,
Viktor Frankl,
The Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who was imprisoned in several Nazi concentration camps.
Everything was stripped from him,
His freedom,
His possession,
His family,
But while in prison he discovered one simple truth,
Even when every outer freedom is taken away,
We still have the inner freedom to choose our attitude.
And then there was Nelson Mandela,
The first black president of South Africa.
But before that,
He spent 27 years in prison for daring to envision equality and justice for all.
Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment and confined on Robben Island,
Forced to do hard labor while being isolated from others.
Yet even in that environment,
Mandela's spirit remained unbroken.
He later wrote,
And then there was Roger Bannister,
The runner who broke the so-called impossible four-minute mile.
For years,
Experts claimed that the human body could not survive it,
But Bannister refused to believe that limitation.
He trained his mind as much as his body,
And on May 6,
1954,
He ran that mile in 3 minutes and 59.
4 seconds.
All three men had something in common.
They each liberated themselves from the limitation of their mind and stepped into their fullest potential.
Bannister broke a record once thought impossible,
Mandela became the president of the very same nation that imprisoned him,
And Franco transformed his suffering into purpose by writing a book that continues to free millions of minds today.
Each of them turned their pain and doubt or limitation into a doorway of possibility.
I share these stories with you because maybe you too feel that you were meant for more,
Meant to do more,
To become more,
To step fully into your potential,
But perhaps you feel the limitation of your own mind,
Your own inner cage,
Not by physical barriers,
But by your own thoughts and beliefs.
So as we journey together in this practice,
The invitation today is to explore your own mental cage,
Those thoughts and beliefs that quietly limit you from sharing and shining your unique brilliance to the world.
So if you haven't already,
Go ahead and allow the eyes to close or simply lower your gaze.
As we begin to slow down,
Let's take a breath together.
Inhaling softly through your nose,
And exhaling slowly through your mouth.
As we continue to ease into our practice,
Imagine turning down the volume of your outer world,
Allowing the outside world to fade away.
And imagine turning up the volume of your inner world,
Sensing your body in the space you are in.
Feeling your body supported by your chair or your cushion beneath you.
And begin to tune into the rhythm of your breath.
Noticing the air flowing in.
Noticing the air flowing out.
And begin to slow your breath down.
Taking a slow,
Steady breath in.
And taking an even slower and steady breath out.
Continue breathing at a pace that feels good and nourishing for you.
Allowing your breath to fill your chest,
Your belly,
Your lungs.
Allowing your exhale to bring some softness and ease to your body.
Now imagine a version of yourself standing inside a cage.
Feel the ground beneath your feet.
Notice the size of the space around you.
And notice the bars that make up the cage.
As you look through the bars,
You notice that just beyond them lies your inner calling.
That life,
That vision,
That possibility that's been calling you or nudging you for years.
Or maybe something new that's been stirring inside of you lately.
And this cage has become the barrier between you and that calling.
What is this calling?
Maybe the calling is to create that book you've always wanted to write.
That business that marries your passion with your purpose.
That art that's been calling to you to be shared.
Or maybe it's something more emotional.
Maybe the wish to love more deeply,
To be more patient,
More compassionate,
More resilient.
Now as you witness this barrier between you and your calling,
What feelings begin to surface within you?
Perhaps frustration,
Sadness,
Hopelessness.
Or maybe fear or doubt,
Anxiety.
Whatever you feel,
Can you allow it to be here without pushing it away?
Now imagine you're searching for a way to escape out this cage.
And you start to examine each bar.
And as you look closer,
You notice that each bar has something etched into it.
They are your thoughts or beliefs that surface whenever you imagine yourself moving forward.
And what do these bars say?
What are the thoughts or beliefs that come up every time you try to move forward towards your inner calling?
Perhaps all of the bars share the same message,
Or maybe each carries its own message.
Messages like,
I'm too old.
I don't know where to start,
Or perhaps I'm not good enough,
Or I'm not ready.
Just notice them.
Let go of any judgment or criticism.
Just allow yourself to see or witness these thoughts,
These beliefs from a space of compassion.
Now Byron Katie once said,
You are your own jailer.
And you set yourself free the moment you question your thoughts.
So in other words,
Your beliefs are not absolute truths.
So silently ask yourself,
What would shift for me if these beliefs were not true?
Become possible for me.
Maybe it's writing that book.
Creating that website to advertise your services.
Or maybe intentionally showing up more and more as your authentic self.
Every belief is something you've inherited from someone else.
Beliefs from family,
From your culture,
From society,
From your past experiences.
And every belief is simply a story you've been telling yourself over and over again.
But as the late spiritual teacher Wayne Dyer once said,
Beliefs are choices.
So you have the power to choose new ones.
Beliefs that fuel your growth.
That awaken your boldness,
Your creativity,
Your gifts.
Beliefs that remind you that your dreams are not bigger than you because they come from you.
Now imagine placing your hand into one of your pockets.
And there you discover a key.
And this key represents the truth that sets you free.
A deeper knowing and empowering belief.
As you look at this key,
You notice this new empowering belief is inscribed on it.
What does it say?
Maybe a new belief that says I'm ready now.
I am enough exactly as I am.
Or every step moves me forward towards my divine calling.
Now see yourself using this key to unlock your cage door.
As you begin to step forward,
Notice what feelings surface.
Perhaps there's a lightness.
A softness.
Maybe a sense of calm or ease.
Or maybe a sense of freedom,
Liberation.
Can you begin to amplify those feelings?
Letting them spread throughout your chest,
Your shoulders,
Even your breath.
Allowing them to radiate outward touching everything around you.
Even dissolving what remains of your cage.
Before we close,
Take a moment to think about what small step you're inspired to take today or maybe this week from this energy of freedom and liberation.
Just trust whatever arises.
Know that you can always return to this space,
This new empowering belief.
This feeling of freedom at any time.
Whenever you find yourself caught in the limitations of your mind,
Just remember that the same mind that created the cage also holds the key.
And take one more slow and steady breath in.
And exhale completely through your mouth.
Begin to bring some gentle movement back into your body.
Start to notice the sounds around you in your space.
And whenever you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing with me and most importantly for showing up for yourself today.
I would love to hear what came up for you in this practice so drop me a comment below and also share with me what new beliefs you're anchoring into as you step forward towards your calling.
Have a wonderful day and Namaste.
