Reimagining Freedom: A Reflection from the Body

What do you mean by freedom (from a Taoist perspective)? When we hear the word freedom, especially in the West, it often conjures political definitions—rights, autonomy, liberty. And while freedom is political, I believe there’s a deeper, more embodied way to explore it. One that’s rooted not just in theory, but in practice.

Too often, freedom is equated with “doing whatever we want.” But from a Taoist lens, I’d like to gently challenge that notion. Because if freedom means acting on every impulse, how is that different from having no impulse control at all? In many ways, being ruled by urges is the opposite of freedom—it’s being held hostage by them.