Do you feel stuck, weighed down or contracted at times?
Do you hold back saying what you really feel or acting according to your true heart’s desire?
Freedom is defined as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”
Freedom is our inherent nature. From the moment we take our first breath, depending on how we were raised, we are supported to continue to freely express ourselves or we are given a set of rules and beliefs of what is “right” for us and what is “expected” of us. Sometimes these rules and beliefs that we learn are not in alignment with our true self which leads us to feel like we are living in a box.
For example, you may have been taught that people of a different religion or race are not as “good” as you. Racism is a learned behavior. Children are not born racist. We create separation when we adopt these behaviors.
A religious person that falls in love with a person from a different religion may not feel free to express their love due to their learned beliefs, yet their souls may desire to come together.
We have a choice in life, to BE true to our soul’s calling, to be honest with what feels true to us, or to live our lives according to the rules placed by others.
When we ignore our true feelings and restrict acting on what is true for us, we dis-empower ourselves and we actually stress ourselves out and this quite often contributes to dis-ease.
Five ways to experience inner freedom are:
1. Become aware of what feels light and right, then act on it.
The actual experience of heaviness in the body and lightness in the body are great indicators as to what vibes with you and what doesn’t. Ask yourself “what is my true heart’s desire?” Do I want to say yes or no when asked to do something for someone? A “yes” feels light and peaceful in the body. A “no” feels heavy, constricted, and draining. Sense how you feel, become aware of the sensations in your body and they will guide you to your highest good.
Notice how you feel around certain people and situations. Free yourself from guilt, shame and obligation by responding truthfully and honoring how you feel by acting upon what feels right for YOU!
2. Just BE Yourself! Let go of holding back who you are because of fear of what other’s might think.
Of course, everyone wants to feel loved and accepted! But when we give up who you really are to be accepted and loved by people who just plain don’t vibe with you, you are hurting yourself!
Remember like attracts like!  The more you live authentically and true to you, the more you will attract people into your life that are in harmony with your frequency. Some of us will experience a complete shift of relationships, job and even home location from living more authentically.
Can you imagine what might have happened if the greatest inventors would have cared about what other people thought? The first light bulb might have never been invented or the first airplane!
 3. Let go of thoughts and beliefs that weigh you down and hold you back from experiencing your freedom. When you believe anything is possible, you experience freedom.
Take a personal inventory of your thoughts and beliefs throughout your day. Do you have limiting beliefs ? For example, “I will never be able to lose those last 5 pounds”, “it is so hard to find a great job”, “nice men are hard to find”,¬† “it’s so hard for me to climax/orgasm during sex with my partner”, or “I am not good at ______________.” What we believe we receive! Let go of your old limiting beliefs to make room for new possibilities in your life. “I make the impossible possible” is an empowering mantra to help you shift out of old and dis-empowered beliefs.
4. Love yourself without conditions. Self love and self-acceptance = Ultimate Freedom Experience.
Stand in front of a mirror naked and look at ALL of you. See yourself in a state of full acceptance and admiration for your amazing body which is the “temple of your soul”, a sacred vessel to be honored and appreciated.
Let go of all judgements and expectations. If you have been too self-conscious about your body, forgive yourself now. Say “I am sorry self for judging you body, I love you, please forgive me, thank you!” You body is so amazing! It is constantly processing, feeling, thinking, creating, and communicating it’s trillion cells for you to function optimally!
Choose to love yourself more and you will experience a renewed sense of lightness and ease in your body. Judgement and criticism weighs us down and stifles our growth, it literally makes us secrete stress hormone!
Self-acceptance and self-love are so freeing. Sometimes my clients say to me, “Michelle, I really don’t feel I love my body when I say I love my body” or “it makes me feel selfish or weird to say I love you to myself!”¬† These are all just old beliefs and judgements about self-love from what we were conditioned to believe.
Let go of those, they don’t help us to grow and free ourselves! “Fake it till you make it” is what I tell my clients. What you believe you receive, so give yourself the gift of self-love and self-acceptance daily and over time you will feel the benefits! You literally secrete love hormone into all your cells when you choose to focus on love!
REMEMBER: To the degree you love yourself, is to the degree you are able to love another person! If you are seeking that juicy loving relationship, cultivate first and foremost with yourself! I highly recommend lighting candles and pleasuring yourself-with massage, aromatherapy, sexy lingerie, a bubble bath and whatever other creative ways you can think of! Celebrate the whole you NOW.
5. Practice loving others for the pure sake of loving… this is the ultimate freedom.
Choose a person in your life that you need to forgive and accept more. Pick the most difficult! Listen to the guided meditation I created called “Let Go and Love” from the CD Free Yourself, and this will help you to love others more. In the simple act of letting go and forgiving you get to experience a new and profound sense of freedom.
Love others not because of what they will do for you, but for the pure joy of loving them. Love without expectations is one of the highest forms of experiencing freedom. Unconditional love is what God, Jesus, Buddha, Allah and all the Saints teach us. Practice experiencing this highest form of love, and if you practice the previous exercise naked in front of the mirror, it will automatically make you much more skilled at loving and accepting others without conditions. After all, everyone is our reflection! Love within to experience love outside of you, which leads to inner FREEDOM!
Try these 5 exercises daily and let me know how they help you to Free Yourself and FLY HIGH!