It's the end of the big holiday weekend: the late-evening firecrackers and bottle rockets have nearly disappeared from our neighborhood, we have a refrigerator full of left-overs from the annual family cookout, and thoughts of independence and freedom are still running through our minds.

Freedom means different things to different people. For Americans, it is the guiding principle on which our Nation was founded, and the concept that our brave service men and women strive to protect. For some of the early settlers it meant being able to worship in whatever fashion they wanted. For the founders of our Nation, it meant the ability to govern ourselves instead of answering to a King on the other side of the ocean. For teenagers it may be the ability to make their own decisions, for entrepreneurs it is the opportunity to create financial independence doing something they love. Regardless of race, heritage, gender or politics, however, most of us are seeking freedom from suffering.

There are forms of suffering which are imposed upon us, and about which we can do very little: political or religious persecution, health problems, poverty, hunger, etc. There are other forms of suffering which are endured for a short time for a greater good. Then there are forms of suffering which we choose, either consciously or unconsciously. These are the forms of suffering which we have the power to change and free ourselves from.

At the time I discovered yoga, I was also heavily involved in a 12-Step program. The 12-Step work laid a foundation where I was able to take responsibility for my life and outlined a course of action to follow. Through this work I was able to come to grips with the true nature of the problems which had been plaguing me though much of my adult life. I discovered that the source of many of those problems was a self-centered attitude which colored the way I viewed events. I couldn't get out of my own way, and had become, in my mind, a victim of the circumstances of my life.

When I went to my first yoga class, I saw very clearly how the underlying philosophy supported my 12-Step work. Not only did the physical activity improve my attitude and inspire me to become more healthy, but the encouragement to observe myself and witness the feelings and sensations that arose provided insights on how I reacted when I was challenged (I should just give up!), when I was adjusted (why are they always criticizing me?), when I was asked to quiet my mind (Oh great, now I can't NOT think!), when I was told to do all of this without judgement (Huh?).

Yoga also provided some very practical observances and practices which would provide valuable tools to assist me. Practice being non-harming. Practice being truthful. Practice being content with the things I have. Practice observing myself.

Between the 12-Step work and the yoga practice, I slowly began to shed the actions and the attitudes which had mired me in the morass of self-pity and self-centeredness. The suffering I had accepted for years slipped away, and a new life of freedom began. I was finally able to move forward with my life and become happy and productive.

From time to time something will happen which will nudge me back towards my old ways. I feel overwhelmed and begin to withdraw. When this happens, I am generally quick to recognize the symptoms and embrace my practices more closely (Practice, not perfection!). I am able to formulate a plan of action, and more importantly, I am able to not attach to the results of those actions. This allows me to continue to move forward, rather than allow myself to become stuck in the skipping phonograph of the past. This, for me, is true freedom from suffering.