What, you ask, does mindfulness have to do with freedom? My answer: everything.
When we practice mindfulness meditation, we are learning tools for freedom from reactivity, anxiety, and an over-stimulated nervous system. We access our calmness from the stillness in the present moment and release from the loop of lizard brain. We learn to sit with our losses, grief, and sadness, our envy, anger, and resentment, without expectation or denial. We come to understand that fear is simply Forgetting Everything’s All Right. For now. In the moment. This is what mindfulness and meditation are about.
The value of equanimity, which I have been working on for these last few years, has given me a new sense of freedom from the bondage of my own judgments, inner critic, and lack of self-compassion. This is metta or loving-kindness at its roots. We feel peace after meditation because we become present to what is called the here and now. It is freeing to feel safe to relax. That’s why I practice every day: sitting, walking, standing. Even just one conscious breath is all it takes to free ourselves from the grip of mindlessness.
I suggest that in this moment of now as the world’s chaos can overwhelm, it’s really helpful to nurture our inner freedom. To seek the feeling of calm, joy, and peace in the quiet of meditation stillness is
both self-compassion and freedom. It helps us to change what we can and let go of what we can’t.
I picked out some personal favorite freedom songs and quotes. They remind me of a gentler time in my life, of love and peace not just for me but for everyone.
Gratitude and blessings for freedom, love and equanimity on the inside first.
Please listen to a couple of my favorite freedom songs by the original artists more relevant today than ever.