Express Yourself

THE ROAD TO FREEDOM AND POWER

Shift what you say to yourself and others, and how you show up creatively, to move out of contraction into expansion in your life.

As I thought about writing this blog on the value of expressing ourselves authentically and creatively in life, it occurred to me that Goddess Saraswati is very present in this teaching. 

Saraswati is the goddess of speech, creative expression, the arts, knowledge, wisdom, and learning. When we use words in speaking to others and ourselves, when we express our creativity, we are forging our path to freedom, a path that is facilitated by the energy and qualities of Saraswati that exist within us.

Authentic communication 

When we are honest and authentic about what we are thinking or feeling, we are in our heart and we transform our conversations. Information is available to us that wouldn’t be otherwise; we learn something new about ourselves in the expression, and about others in the listening when they speak their truth.

As one example, the impact of speaking truth, of expressing what has been suppressed for whatever reason, is evident in the #metoo and Time’s Up movements, where women are using and combining their voices for unprecedented cultural and personal change, combating sexual harassment, and addressing workplace equality. Learn about the self-empowerment programs offered to women in need by Light Legacy Foundation at: www.lightlegacy.org. 

Physical and energetic benefits of being authentic

Let’s take a look at the benefits of this physically and energetically.

What does it feel like when you hold something in, when you suppress what you really want to say but can’t, what you’re afraid to express for whatever reason? Physically your jaw may be clenched, lips pursed, shoulders tense, throat closed, stomach tight.

Then what does it feel like when you finally say what you’ve been holding in? What happens to your body? We move from an unnatural to a natural state, contracted to expanded, closed to open, unstable to balanced, unhealthy to healthy.

Speaking energetically, energy is dynamic; it always wants to move and be free. When we hold it in, block it, it’s uncomfortable because our energy is static; stuck rather than flowing. Movement is our essence, and our full self-expression gives us the opportunity to live as this.

Another energetic advantage of expressing ourselves authentically is that the energetic field of the heart is sixty times greater than that of the brain. When we express from our heart, with others and ourselves, that field of high vibration energy is spread within us, and with others, which is healing and nourishing.

Some examples of authentic expression with others are: 

• Saying “I feel this…” or “My experience is…” rather than “You are doing this to me…” or “Because of you I can’t…”
• Requesting what you want, and creating agreement with the other person based on this request. Take a look at whether you make any requests, or whether you are primarily taking care of everyone else and only offering.
• Asking questions to find out where others are coming from, what they are thinking or feeling – this means asking from your heart to learn more about them, not from your mind so you can use what they say to promote your own ideas or position.

What about the value of authentic communication with others in groups or community?

I recently started a series of webinars with a small group of individuals sharing about their current spiritual practice – what is coming up for them, what is working and not working, what questions they have so they can address obstacles in their path. We began with a series of three webinars every other week, and extended the length of each webinar and duration of the series because of the benefits we experienced.

When we share honestly, we support one another, realize we are not alone, obtain new information we can use, and create new ways of practicing that wouldn’t be possible when alone. We develop new relationships, a bond, that serves our expansion.  When we share an intention or common goals, this magnifies and speeds up our transformation.

What about how you communicate with yourself, and the impact on your power and freedom? 

Often we judge ourselves, think we are unworthy, look outside of ourselves for answers and what we desire. These thoughts or words we say to ourselves with their associated emotions impact our energy, our health, our freedom, our power.

I offer you some questions and a practice:

• What words are you saying to yourself these days? 
• Where are they coming from (head, gut, heart)?
• What is the difference/impact when they come from your heart?

Journaling is a very useful practice for becoming more aware of yourself, freeing yourself by releasing tensions and patterns of thought, and having greater power to express yourself in speaking and acting in your life. Many of us have been experiencing the benefits of journaling throughout the six months of The Power in Your Minds program offered by Sai Maa and Awakened Life.      

Creative expression

When we express ourselves creatively, we are “in the flow”, in movement, in expansion. We are doing something we love and we are filled with joy. We could also be experiencing the arts through someone else, such as listening to music, reading a book, watching a film or dance performance.

In these ways, we are vibrating at a high frequency because of our love, joy, passion, alignment with our truth and essence in the artistic creation or experience. We are activating and benefiting from the Laws of Vibration and Resonance, as we vibrate with the artistic expression coming through us, or we are in resonance with the art created by another.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself and some actions you can take to express yourself more creatively in your life.

• What do I love to do? What are my hobbies? When do I feel most alive? If I could do one thing for the rest of my life, what would it be? What makes me feel like nothing else exists? 
• What have I always dreamed of doing? What is one thing I dreamt about, but never got to do? What did I want to do when I was a kid? Is there something I’ve wanted to do, but was afraid to try, maybe because I thought I’d fail or not be good at it? Is there something that someone I know does that thrills me?
• • Try New Things
    • Create a goal of pursuing at least one new thing. Put it into your calendar. Make a plan for actually doing this as soon as you can.
    • Start talking about what you’re going to do before you do it. In this way, you’re shifting the environment to support you, getting clearer by expressing, and will be less likely to back down if everyone knows about it.
• Explore your artistic side:  Play an instrument. Write. Act. Sing. Dance. Draw, paint, or sculpt. 

Call to action

• I invite you to take five new actions: 
  • Communicate authentically with another person
  • Communicate authentically with yourself (journal)
  • Express yourself creatively
  • Enroll in the 6-month Power in Your Minds Program and commit to your growth over time!  
  • Learn more about our Navaratri Yagyas and how these can be powerful catalysts for connecting you to your higher self. 

Be aware of the impact of these actions on you and in your life. Experiment, play, and discover your inner power and freedom.

• Here is a mantra (combination of sacred Sanskrit syllables) you can recite in order to activate the energy and qualities of Saraswati, serving you to express yourself more freely and creatively, and to access and share your inner knowledge and wisdom: 

OM AIM SARASWATIYAY NAMAHA