True freedom lives within
Image thanks to Trina Gadsden
I understand that there are a lot of people who, due to this prolonged stage four COVID lockdown in Melbourne, genuinely feel like their civil liberties and right to freedom have been taken from them.
I’d like to acknowledge that this is a perfectly valid response having been denied access to certain aspects of your life: Family and friends, work, education, favoured sports and activities, unlimited access to the outdoors etc. But I challenge you to go deeper than just the response and enquire: what is really driving your frustration and aversion? I can tell you right now, it’s not one guy named Dan.
Walking toward the gate that would lead him to his freedom after 27 years incarcerated, Nelson Mandela apparently said: “I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”
I think this most profound statement says it all. I propose that actually, true freedom is not so much about where you are or what you’re doing, rather it is a feeling that can be cultivated in each moment of your life.
Of course, there are many exceptions to this broad-stroke statement. For example, humans and animals killed or incarcerated against their will, human and animal babies stolen from their mothers, citizens living under the perils of a harsh dictatorship or victims of racial persecution. These most extreme cases are terrible and frankly for me, at times too much to bear.
But for those of us more privledged (and dare I say, white) people living in a Western, developed nation – we’ve got it pretty good, right? Notwithstanding though the 3.24 million Australians current living below the poverty line, including 120,000 indigenous people (source: apo.org.au). I really shouldn’t have to remind you of the civil, social and political rights the majority of Austalians so readily enjoy in our country, and that so many (too many) around the world do not.
So, if we concede for a moment that freedom does come from within, then why is it that we sometimes (mostly always) feel like we’re being held hostage by our own crazy? Well, COVID-19 or not, you can thank the pesky mind that. And, guess what, you had one of those even before this pandemic knocked us all for a whopping six. I will lie in bed at night trying to sleep and could swear I am locked in a room with a hysterical lady screaming at the top of her lungs. Oh wait, that’s just the voice in my head… the struggle is absolutely real, and I am right there with you.
According to the ancient teachings of yoga, true liberation (moksha) only occurs when we have silenced the modifications (vrittis) of the mind (manas). We no longer a slave to it once we have conquered it. It is thanks though to the constant turning of the mind that we often feel constricted, overwhelmed and even hopeless within ourself.
I’ve had the privilege of being able to travel extensively over the years. And I have stood and looked upon the most beautiful vistas, and still felt trapped in the straight jacket of the mind. This leads me to consider that true freedom isn’t necessarily about being able to go wherever you want, whenever you want. True freedom is of the mind.
And we are all desperately seeking freedom, aren’t we? Though, most people believe true liberation begins with attaining financial freedom. But whether you are yet to realise it or not, know that we are also trying to escape the stark underlying fear of our looming and inevitable death, and free ourselves from the self-sabotaging and self-deprecating thoughts that play on loop.
I can’t really help you much with financial freedom, only to say that even if you had an endless bank account, you’d still feel like a prisoner without having done the work to free yourself from the negative bias of the mind and the limitations of the physical body. But as a teacher of the yoga method, I can help you with the other two, mind and its obstacles (kleshas), which includes attachments (ragas).
Whenever I am feeling restricted, attached to the ego, or overwhelmed by my thoughts plagued with attractions and aversions, I will call on the power of Shiva, the Lord of Destructions and new beginnings.
Shiva energy teaches us that not until we overcome these aspects of ourselves and our attachments, can we truly liberate the mind and see clearly. Only then can we be led from what is unreal to what is real and from the darkness of ignorance into the vital light of self-knowledge that sits within the spiritual domain. It is within this place of spacious clarity, where freedom really dwells.
Krishna Das says: “You can’t think yourself out of a prison made of thought.” Nope, you have to practice. You have to do the work from the inside out and you have to wake up. And not rely on other people or money to liberate you.
I’ve found that attaching oneself to life as you used to know it, is what brings us the most suffering.
“Why can’t Melbourne be like it was?” “Why can’t yoga studios open so I can work?” “Why can’t I visit my family and friends?” “Why can’t I travel?” While all completely valid questions, sadly none of these experiences are what open the door to true joy. Sorry, but that’s an inside job.
It’s fair to say that a lot of us feel completely powerless at the moment, and likely also feel that so much is out of our control. My suggestion is to focus on the things you can control and reclaim your power that way. Because freedom is power.
I believe you can create a feeling of freedom within through daily spiritual practice. You can actively:
Free your physical and subtle bodies through mindful and stabilising asana (postures) and mudras (energy-directing hand gestures)
Free the mind and bow out of the drama (read my blog on this) through yantra (activated pranic fields) and mantra meditation
Free your heart by an awareness of this space and cultivating gratitude here
For most of us (note exceptions above), true freedom is not something that can be taken away not by one person, not by anyone. Because we can access that feeling of expansion and power in each moment of our life should we choose to.
It’s already there, waiting for you…truly.
