Releasing internal chains, sailing onto new shores of freedom, fulfillment and ease.

Our life is a path of uncovering and discovering. It is a process of expansion. Of how much we are able to bring ourselves into the light.

How much of our talents, abilities and gifts we can translate into reality. How much we are then able to heal and enrich our lives and the lives of the people around us.

Our internal expansion is a process. One that does not have an end point, just like our planet that is in an ever-expanding state.

Throughout our lives we are challenged to embrace the constant change and flux, which we call the unknown. We are asked to find out for ourselves when to let go and move on; how to embrace that natural fear of falling from the old ship of what-we-know-to-be-our-safety and trust the currents of life to bring us onto new shores. Shores of experience, fulfillment, well-being and growth. Shores we may be leaving again to find, once again, more of who we are.

At times, we do not manage to reach those new shores, where well- being and fulfillment awaits us, as we are held by internal ropes, that tie us to internal old structures of suppression, we have created to feel safe in the face of fear. Ways we had to for control ourselves, when we felt unable to deal with our life and the demands around us. Structures we are tied to and hold on today that belong to a time we were feeling dependent and unable and needed to compromise ourselves. Those cords are like a leash that does not give us the freedom to be and do what we want. To move on and discover new in us and in our lives.

From cords that needed to give us connection and belonging they turn into imprisoning chains. Chains that block our true nature, that keeps us feeling internally dependent and distance us from what our hearts need.

Often times we start to feel their harshness and stiffness when the time to expand and let go comes. These are signs we need to become attentive to.

We must learn how to recognize those signs that show us when and how to let go for the sake of our expansion, before those chains wound and sicken us.

When those cords turn into these imprisoning chains, they may cut our spirit with an internal harsh criticism and hate. They may hold us back with the torture of hesitations and fears of failing and falling. They may bound us to numbness or keep us trapped in shame and despair.

Letting go of those chains, moving to new experiences and releasing the old suppressing structures, we first have to accept that those cords turning into chains are part of how we are structured. Of how we develop and expand.

This notion and acceptance can enable us to find peace in the everlasting process of change. We can thrive in revealing more of who we are, as we move through life and the beauty in the unknown it offers us. We can be freed from the debilitating feeling of being the victim of „unfair circumstances“, and devour the beauty in the freedom to be who we truly are (and letting others be who they truly are), even if it means to stand alone at times.

The next step is then to learn to identify those cords/chains. Those chains do give us signs. They do have a “noise” we can learn to identify. A ring that marks the moment they transform from so needed supporting connecting cords, to those imprisoning chains. We can train to identify their rattling noise and know it is not something we have to be bound to and identify with.

If you want to train yourself to hear those rattling chains as early as possible, before the pain of them cutting through your skin will wake you up, I have written down an attention exercise for you.

Try to do this following exercise as part of laying the ground for this shift in your awareness.

You will need to take a 15 min for yourself, without distractions.

Choose a time, in which you can easily carve those 15 min and find a place where you can feel at ease.

Find an object you will be using for this exercise. It is an object that will be used to reveal where you are- it will reflect back at you, your chains.

It literally can be anything.

Sit and close your eyes for a moment so that you can anchor your attention now in this moment, by taking coupes of deep breathes and starting to feel and connect to your body and the space around you.

Give yourself that time to breath, relax and as much as you can ground yourself in this moment. Try to let go of any effort you may be doing out of an unconscious habit. Pay attention to the surface your are sitting on and your feet on the floor.

Try to breathe and feel the air on our skin and the space around you.

Make sure that you are letting of your jaw, eyes and ears.

Try to listen to the space around you, without needing respond to what you hear. Trying to open your ears.

You can also take a moment and put your hands on your ears, blocking the sounds from the outside and the air touching them.

Take 3-4 deep breaths with closed ears, and then slowly, very slowly, move your hands away from your ears. You can do this little exercise 2-3 times, to bring back attention to your ears and create a rage perception with and through them.

Then open your eyes and observe the object you chose to reflect those chains back at you.

When you observe it, try to keep also harness and attention to your physical sensations, presence and breath.

Give yourself time to truly look and connect to that object. Letting it become your companion. The center of your attention.

How do you see this object and what do you see?

Describe it for yourself.

What do you feel about this object? Or what feelings are provoked in you when you look at this object for a while?

Pay attention to the thoughts and stories you have around this object.

Pay attention to the feelings that come up.

What are the judgements you have about it?

What is the beauty you see in it?

Keep on looking and observing and allow that object to „talk” to you.

Let it tell you about life. About your life.

How did this object transform in front of your eyes?

Did it reveal to you something about a decision you need to make? A feeling or a longing you carry with you?

Did it become closer and more intimate?

Did it bring sadness or despair?

Stay with it. Keep on looking at it.

Breathe and allow all the sensations, movements, feelings, thoughts or memory be there.

Stay in this observing and listening state.

You are allowing your true self, the intention of who you are, connect to the unbending clear intention of being of that object /presence. Of life.

Now close your eyes and breathe deeply, filling your chest and belly with air and trying to sense the space you have opened up within you.

Try to listen to that space.

Feel how that object has touched you. How did it touch and reveal your story? What chains did it reveal to you and how did it show you what you need let go of?

What feeling did it encourage you to meet?

What part of you could you meet through this object? What moment in time? A moment that has brought some limiting ideas and beliefs about yourself and life?

Can you let it go?

Can you listen to what this object is "offering" you?

This object is simply a place where your inner vibration, movement and presence is being reflected back at you where the waves of your expansion break and show their form.

It shows you what happens when you meet life around you: where you get stuck, where you become harsh, stiff or „break“. What you hide and what is eager to be seen and expressed.

Know that when you take time to train this, you will be able to integrate this state of „listening“ in your life. In every moment. With every „object“: a person, a situation, a place….

All can reflect back at you and call you out. Out of your chains and into the fulfillment of who you are. When you listen- you feel. When you feel, you have the key to expand. To let go of the imprisoning chains and give into the wonderful currents that the sea of life offers you to ride on and discover those magic shores of new and fulfilling experiences.

All you need to do is to allow the unknown bring those currents.

To listen to the rattling nose of those chains, breathe and give in.

I wish you a wonderful discovery of what awaits you in your life’s journey. I am sure you will expand and bring new beauty into life.

Yours,

Anna

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash