We are all born free, yet we imprison ourselves with toxic beliefs.

These beliefs limit our ability to evolve and become better versions of ourselves. Every single one of these toxic beliefs was imposed on our impressionable minds. Over time, they became ingrained into our minds in a way which convinced us that they were true.

How to Identify a Toxic Belief

Identifying a toxic belief is pretty simple. You just need to notice whether you feel stronger, more empowered, and more expansive after that belief becomes relevant in some way.

The caveat in this is that we may mistake our ego’s pride and arrogance for strength and empowerment when in reality, it’s playing into the toxic belief that we are always right. This toxic belief that we are always right is driven by fear…fear of being wrong.

Applied kinesiology is another way you can identify a toxic belief. What this entails is something called “muscle testing” where you can discern between truth and falsehood, yes and not-yes. People such as David Hawkins and Bradley Nelson have written extensively on this subject and have developed methods with which you can, with the help of a friend, est whether your beliefs are toxic.

You will know they are if the results of your muscle testing show the belief statement to be a falsehood, or a not-yes statement of belief. The way this works goes a little something like this:

• You stretch out your hand to the side, palm down, so it is straight and parallel to the ground.
• The person will make a statement and then press down on your wrist with two fingers, lightly.
• When your arm stays firmly in place, the statement is true. When your arm becomes immediately weakened, the statement is a falsehood.

The immediate reaction of your body becoming either weaker or staying firmly within its power is the reaction of consciousness to the statement, bypassing the conscious mind. Your mind will have no input, if this test is done correctly and quickly, to muddle the results.

You don’t have to use your arm, but it makes for an easy test when you use it. Your muscles will become either slightly weaker, very weak, or stay strong, depending on how resonant the statement is with truth or not.

Consciousness responds favorably to Truth because Truth actually exists, no matter what you or I may think about it. Falsehood does not exist, which is why consciousness does not respond to it.

This technique will only work when your friend states a belief which you tell them you want to get calibrated as either a truth or false belief. If you pose your statement as a question, this process will not give you a clear answer. You can have your friend ask something like, “I am a greedy person” and then perform the muscle test. If your arm stays strong throughout the test, it will register as a positive for you being a greedy person. If your arm gets a little weak, it will register as somewhat false, meaning you get greedy sometimes, but most of the time you are not. If your arm gets weak immediately and in a clear way, this will register as a false statement/belief, meaning you are not a greedy person.

As Gangaji says, “Your Self is already inherently liberated. It is the ideas that have been imposed on that Self which must be set free.” You deserve to live a life free of limiting and toxic beliefs. When you practice this technique, you open the door to your continued expansion and evolution.