Do you choose Freedom?

What will you choose if there is a choice?

Life can be narrow and focused in on our limitations or it can be wide and open allowing for our strengths and courage to shine through.

I, for the most part of my live, have been very focused in and the narrow focus on self- limiting believes created an identity that wasn’t coming from my true values or creativity.

When I was in my twenties, I was lucky enough to come in contact with different cultures and philosophical concepts such as Buddhism. Being brought up with the catholic concept of heaven and hell I was astonished by the responsibility the eastern philosophy places on ones own actions.

There is no need for redemption.

Cause and effect takes into account how we are in this world; literally, what are we putting in is what we are getting out of it.

Simple as this.

But of course our mind is more complex, as it has embodied not only our epigenetic material, but also our socialization, the culture, rules and norms that go with that.

In the Buddhist philosophy there is the believe in Buddha nature. This is the state of being we are all born with, a state of innate goodness and clarity of mind.

Unfortunately our conditioning has overwritten our own wisdom.

For years of my life I felt something missing, things not going well, a frustration of being me, a longing for freedom.

The longing for freedom has brought me back onto the path, the path of trusting myself and my deeper connectedness with the nature of all being.

My search has brought me into many adventures. I started using my creative power to unleash some inner struggle and trying to make sense of it. The healing power of creativity is something I have witnessed not only within myself but also in many people who allow themselves a nonverbal way of expressing their inner truth. It takes courage to show what is otherwise hidden inside.

It allows us to get in contact with our values, the things that are really important.

What if we are connected deeply with everything there is?

When I become a mindfulness teacher, I had already encountered the power our thoughts have over us. As for many, many years my thought patterns would dictate my way of living.

I would be going through every conversation I had and find fault with mostly everything I had said, done or not done. Resulting into a down spiralling of more negative thinking and a general feeling of self-loathing.

When we are not aware of the power and influence our thoughts have on our lives, we are living in a thought made prison.

My inner fight and longing for freedom, that was my birth gift, moved me on and on to look closer and not be afraid to look at fear.

Being it as a mindfulness teacher, an artist or a coach, I have not encountered a single person who hasn’t been influenced by his/her thinking mind.

Do you believe everything you think?

Is it true?

The mind is a mysterious subject, that neither science nor any other discipline can define.

There is knowledge out there that we are thinking about 80.000 thoughts a day. Here you go, nothing wrong with you.

There is of course nothing wrong with thinking and this ability we have is creating wonderful opportunities, but it can also hinder us and if the context is destructive and not moving us towards more joy and ease we need to become more aware.

Yes, we have the right to life from joy.

The powerful knowledge is, that we are not our thoughts; we are far more because of our ability to have awareness. Not only an awareness of the thoughts, but also an awareness of judging ourselves and an awareness that knows that we are thinking and judging.

I always wonder what difference it would have made in my life if someone had told me that when I was a troubled teenager?

It takes a commitment and a real dedication towards the joy and freedom we want in our lives, by understanding that we are more then our thinking mind. By connecting to a much deeper and wider awareness that encompasses all and connects rather then isolates us from each other.

Are you ready to step into your own joy?

The reason meditation is such a powerful tool, is that we create space not only around us but also inside our mind. By slowing down and allowing ourselves to be with what is happening, we can observe our thoughts without judgment. There is most definitely no need to get rid of thoughts. When we sit in silence with ourselves we embrace everything, including our mind, the way it is.

Another helpful Buddhist knowledge is the understanding of impermanence. Like the seasons, nothing stays the same. So if we embrace to stay in the river of what is happening from moment to moment we will be free and not a slave to our pulling away thoughts.

How committed are you to living from your values?

I know in my life I have to make a commitment and have to re-commit again and again to living from my values and living from joy. Stepping back into the river and flowing with it.

We can luckily always start from where we are right now, like Pema Chödron, says

What will be your choice?

Will you choose freedom?