Free Your Mind

Beautiful flower in Woodstock, NY.

This month at Clear Channel Yoga has been all about cultivating beauty in our lives. One of the main pillars of embodiment and embodied recovery here at CCY is beauty.

The beauty and the mind actually go hand in hand.

When I say, beauty is created in the mind, what does this bring up for you?

Today, you will learn how to free your mind.

This is for everyone, but especially so for anyone who feels scared, or stuck, like there is no way out of whatever circumstances you find yourself within. It is for the people who feel like they have tried everything and just keep coming up against a proverbial brick wall and are starting to feel hopeless, exhausted or both.

Truth be told, our reality is a direct reflection of the state of our thoughts. Our minds act as literal projectors for our thoughts and beliefs. That’s not to say that your specific thoughts are creating harm in the world at large. Rather, it is a collection of thoughts that shape the reality of the collective. That being said,we can each be individually living out very different experiences depending on our mental state.

Within our brains is a processor called the Reticular Activating System, also known as the RAS. What the RAS does, is it filters out sensory information. The brain easily takes in billions of data per second, and the RAS’s job is to filter much of it out so we do not become overwhelmed. Can you imagine?? Omg. Anyways, the RAS is attuned to our beliefs, and actively seek out of evidence of them in the world, to substantiate them, which eventually creating our own identity upon what we believe to be true.

This can be an absolutely beautiful thing, or horrifying.

The good news is, we have a choice what we experience in the world, despite being taught that we don’t.

If we desire to experience beauty in our personal lives and the collectively, beauty starts within the mind, and the thoughts that we think.

Think about it…

Have you ever been in a dire state, going through a breakup maybe, or just failed an exam, and you just so happened to be in the most beautiful place, say a beach, and because of how you felt, you simply could not enjoy the beauty that you were surrounded with?

Yeah, me too.

Now let’s say, you’re with a good friend, and for whatever reason, everything seems to be going wrong on your outing. It’s getting to be ridiculous but you don’t even mind, because you’re just so happy to be with your friend, so you both laugh your whole way through it. You’re happy because of your loving thoughts. And even if things aren't going perfectly, you are still able to see the beauty of it.

How about when you look in the mirror? Do you see yourself and your beautiful traits, or do you begin to pick yourself apart? What are the quality of your thoughts when you are looking in the mirror? Take note of them.

Are they loving? Are they mean?

Are they bringing peace to your Being?

If not, let’s change that.

Back to the RAS.

The way it works is this…

First, we have a thought.

Then, we experience an emotion connected to the thought.

Then, the brain seeks out evidence to support the thought/belief.

Eventually, it becomes our identity if done with repetition.

If you want to change you're reality, you're going to need to examine and shift your thoughts. And then follow that with aligned action.

When we are first changing our beliefs, we must go about it with intention and repetition.

You will most likely notice the old beliefs popping up. That's fine. Witness em and release em.

Eventually, the new belief will become your identity and you will not have to consciously seek evidence and repeat the affirmation/belief in your mind. But to get to a place of effortlessness, you must rewire the neuronal pathways, with consistency.

So, if you have a particular belief that you’re aware of, that you’d like to change, I invite you to create a new, uplifting, counter belief, and go seek out evidence of it to be true. *Hint: we can find evidence for ANY and EVERYTHING to be true.

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Next, let’s talk about triggers. A trigger is an external cue - a person, smell, sound, etc. that causes, for the most part, a negative reaction, often called a knee jerk reaction. It could be something someone says or does, that causes an intense reaction. Oftentimes, we don’t even realize why we are upset, we just know we are, and usually get angry/sad at whatever illicited the reaction.

Triggers are an invitation to look deeper within. They are a signal from our subconscious that we are ready to process something within our shadow. We may not “get it” on the first go around but eventually, hopefully, we do.

The next time you notice yourself getting upset over even a seemingly small thing, I invite you to get curious about why? What is your subconscious trying to communicate with you?

Here is a 5 step process to help you alchemize triggers/beliefs as they come up:

Step 1. Realize - this is when you initially become aware of the trigger. It’s the “ah ha” moment. Take a moment if possible (or later if needed) to determine what about the trigger made you so upset. Loving curiousity is key.

Step 2. Release - thank it, because at the end of the day, this shadow aspect of you was in some way attempting to keep you safe. Next, say goodbye. Literally say goodbye, “I actively release this belief and in doing so free myself”

Step 3. Rewrite - consciously choose to believe something new. Make a mantra out of it.

Step 4. Recognize - actively seek out evidence for this new belief to be true.

Step 5. Repeat - repeat your new belief and seek out evidence every single day until it sticks.

Personal example: One day, as I was putting laundry away, stuff kept falling, and I was getting increasingly annoyed, especially as a sleep deprived young mother at the time. I noticed I said aloud “why does life have to be so hard, all of the time?” And then it hit me, I had been asking that question repeatedly, day in and day out, which was fueling my dissatisfaction with life and kept me in a loop of doom. The first step was recognizing what I had consistently been telling myself ie. Life is hard for me. Then, I chose to release it by first thanking it, even if that was annoying to me at the time. I rewrote it with the new belief that life gets to be easy. I sought out evidence for that to be true. And truth be told, at the time, I was gong through A LOT of shitty stuff. But I still managed to find pockets in my life that were in fact easy, and beautiful. I kept at it, I wrote my belief down, put post its up and repeated it until I never had that limiting thought again. And guess what? Life began to unfold for me in ways that had previously been stuck. It didn’t become perfect, but it sure as heck became a lot more beautiful.

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Once we begin to infuse our mind with beauty, our eyes are sure to follow. Meaning, having loving kindness thoughts. Acknowledging and alchemizing the shadowy bits, while loving on and learning from them.

What we energetically emit, we will experience “out there”. It comes down to energetic resonance, 100% of the time. Cleaning out the shitty programming of the mind is of highest importance.

Aside from the mind…how does beauty want to be physically experienced, once we have the eyes to see it? And how can we incorporate all the other senses as well? Do you feel safe enough to open up to it now?

To me, bringing beauty into my life is a direct defiance from all of the news, media, social or otherwise that try to make me/you/us believe that all of the world is a bad and ugly place. Shit, even my past as an alcoholic, binge drinker has plenty of “proof” that life is very, very hard. But in not just everyday, but in every moment of Being - we get to choose how we relate to our lived experience. Do we choose strife and discord, or do we choose peace and beauty? Can both exist at the same time, of course. For those of you reading this that may feel guilt at feeling happiness or pleasure when so much of the world is suffering. Take heart - the world will not become a more peaceful place by you refusing to allow yourself peace. Quite the opposite. The world becomes more peaceful when more people wake up to, and allow themselves to see and experience the beauty of life, not the other way around.

(This is why nervous system work is so important! To be able to hold the “good” and the “bad” simultaneously is a super power.)

Yes, it is gruesome out there, in some places.

Yes, people are suffering, in many places.

But you choosing to suffer along with them when you don’t have to, is not helping them to relieve their suffering and it’s causing chaos in your own life.

Rather…

There are babies being born every minute, a sign of new life.

People are getting married.

People are starting businesses.

Graduating college.

Creating fantastic works of art.

Having their first kiss.

There are people somewhere off in a yoga class, praying for world peace and for the happiness of your soul right at this very moment, seriously. How beautiful is that?

So I invite you to choose peace.

Bring beauty into your life.

Surround yourself with it.

Perhaps as a new scent.

Perhaps as a beautiful bouquet of flowers that you put together just so.

Perhaps it’s a bit of mirror work, dancing in the mirror with love and adoration.

Perhaps it’s doing something kind, just because, for someone you love.

Perhaps it’s doing something kind, just because, for a complete stranger.

Perhaps it is donating to a cause that is pure of heart.

Perhaps it’s self massage and affirmations.

Perhaps it’s creating something, from deep within you, that is so unique and will go on to touch someone’s life on the other side of the world.

I could go on and on.

I invite you to choose one thing, you will do today, to bring more beauty into your life. Do this everyday, and watch the world around you change.

I’m sending you so much love. Have a beautiful night and weekend ahead,

Thanks for being here.

Much love,

Amy

P.S. I uploaded a 28 minute embodied yoga flow to my YT channel, The Sacred Frequency. It is slow, sensual and grounding. Less about your outer appearance in postures and more about your inner experience + relationship to your Self. You can practice it here.

P.P.S. Release, Restore & Radiate, my free, 3 day mini embodiment program for women in recovery (and sober curious) is LIVE. I made this from my heart to yours. It is for women desiring practices to help them release some *ish, call back their energy, reconnect to their body and both nurture and expand their nervous system. You will find three embodiment practices along with writing prompts and a visualization.

You can find it here 

To learn about Embodied Yoga (and breathwork) Coaching for Recovery click here. I am offering an introductory trial month for $500 for you as well before making a three month commitment. The sessions I provide are much more than a yoga class. They are a holistic experience that integrates the four main bodies: mental (mindset), emotional (mastery), physical (asana + bw) and auric (energetic/ns) through the lens of embodied sobriety + the beauty way. Learn to move slowly, with intention and to embody your most radiant and sensual self, while feeling safe, secure and rooted.

Want to connect and learn more taking the plunge? Book a 30 minute connection call w me here.