¿Do you know what you believe?

I had the good fortune to attend two meditation retreats this past Spring. They were quite different from each other; in one I was alone with my thoughts and mind most of the time while the other one included mostly guided meditations.

Both afforded me an opportunity to do a deep dive into the nature of beliefs and what beliefs I hold, knowingly or unknowingly; consciously or unconsciously.

Did you know that, according to some researchers, we are not even aware of up to 95% of the beliefs we have? In other words, we believe something, and we do not even consciously realize we believe this. That is incredible to me!

Beliefs are a culmination of our life experiences, early teachers/influences, and the general collective soup that we all swim in on a daily basis – over time, all of this slowly and subtly starts to shape how we see the world, and therefore what we believe.

And because we are swimming in this soup, that has both subtle and not so subtle messages coming at us daily, we take in information regularly, which in turn continues to influence us and our beliefs.

As an example, you might have a subconscious belief that doctors are men. You could be completely unaware of this belief at a conscious level, only to see that you believe this when a female doctor walks into the room and you notice a bit of shock or confusion in yourself, thinking that can’t be the doctor. (That is if we are aware enough to notice our internal response).

As I sat in meditation late at night in the first retreat, I held my hands in a classical mudra (hand position) I was contemplating this mudra and what it meant. As I was taught by my yoga teachers, the right hand is under the left, in essence the right hand (masculine energy side in the body) representing ‘wisdom’ is holding the left hand (feminine energy side of the body) representing ‘compassion’.

Wisdom holding compassion.

Masculine holding feminine.

And as I sat there for hours in this position and contemplating, I realized how pervasive the beliefs I held around this simple teaching had impacted me.

That the masculine must be a container for the feminine. That the feminine needs ‘holding’ or containing. That compassion needs to be contained with wisdom. And who knows what other subtle and subconscious thoughts this would give rise to.

These thoughts in and of themselves may have some merit. If we don’t have wisdom informing our lives and decisions, compassion could potentially be misguided.

And yet there is so much more underneath that. That the masculine and all its wisdom is somehow needed for the compassion of the feminine to come through appropriately. That masculine energy is less compassionate. That men (or masculine energy) are wiser than women (or feminine energy). That the feminine is not wise enough on its own? And on and on.

And then all the further out implications and gender strengths and roles that bleed out from this subtle, yet very pervasive set of thoughts and beliefs.

With so much time on my hands I started to ponder other things I might believe, without realizing it, that stemmed from just this one simple mudra and what I had been taught that it meant.

(Interestingly – as I was researching a bit online afterwards – I found several sites that say it is the opposite, that the left hand holds the right hand. So, in truth, the beliefs that stemmed from this teaching could be misinformed and/or at the very least are based on beliefs of those in the lineage of the teachers I was following at the time.)

The following month I was at another retreat, this one a weeklong meditation in which we were strongly encouraged to consider our beliefs and what impact that would have on our bodies and our lives.

We discussed the nature of the energy of our thoughts and beliefs and how that energy influences what takes place in our bodies, down to the cellular level. As someone who works with the human energy field and has seen firsthand, in myself and my clients, the way thoughts can unfold in physical reality over time, I was really struck by how far the ripple effects of this can spread.

In this second retreat, I saw people experience dramatic shifts in their bodies as they released the energy of beliefs that they had held onto for years.

The freedom that comes from letting go of something that we knowingly or unknowingly held tightly is so liberating in our energy field that we can experience huge shifts in our body and 3D reality.

If I believe that it is not safe to speak my truth, I may develop a tightness or clenching in my jaw that could lead to dental problems, neck tension, and more.

If one believes they won’t fit in if they are taller than others, they may hunch over to try and fit in, ultimately causing structural changes in the body and musculature. (I had a yoga student years ago who experienced this exact situation.)

There are countless other examples, each with impacts that may or may not be known to us.

Have you ever examined your beliefs? If so, have you ever considered how that might manifest in your body?

Or conversely, are there any areas of tension or pain points in the body? Have you ever contemplated what the sensation of these areas is connected to energetically or if it is connected to a belief you hold?

It is a fascinating journey of self-discovery if you choose to explore it. Here are some questions for consideration:

• What beliefs do you know you have and what beliefs may you be unaware of that stem from your conscious beliefs?

• If you listen closely, can you tell what your body is telling you through the physical sensations you notice?

• What else did you discover in this exploration?

I would love to hear from you!