Fear as Transformation

October is here, and you know what that means: cute little ghosts and goblins will be walking the streets of your neighborhood very soon! Although these little monsters are typically not too frightening, we figured this month would be an appropriate time to talk about a bigger monster who is quite scary: FEAR. And just like our little neighborhood friends, fear takes the guise of many different masks, holding us back from our full potential. Fear comes in the form of procrastination, social insecurity, and lack of confidence (to name a few!). For example, public speaking, starting something new, or even attending a yoga class. The insecurity and procrastination, i.e., fear, can say, “I’ll ask Linda to give the presentation, and I’ll do it next time.” Or, “I know yoga would be good for me, but I’m not flexible and might look silly.” Can you think of examples in your life where fear is showing up in some sneaky way, saying it’s only trying to “protect” you? What mask is fear taking in your life, and how is it keeping you from living your life in a fulfilling way? Not if, but when fear appears under one of its many guises in your life, see if you can get quiet, sit with it, look at it, write about it, and ask it what it needs so it can relax. Fear often appears as we evolve and move into our next stage of personal transformation. Most times, the fear is based on an incident or circumstance that occurred many years ago, and we never fully processed it. We avoided truly experiencing the emotion because the situation or circumstance didn’t allow us to or the pain level was too intense to handle. In yoga, we call this a samskara, an impression held in our mental body based on past experiences. When we recognize this fear resurfacing under present circumstances, this is our opportunity to work with it and ourselves! It is not easy, which is one of the many reasons why yoga is such a powerful and transformational practice. If you are still reading these words now, your invitation to your next level of personal growth has officially been sent! Our TrueForm® Yoga Teacher Training starts back up in January, ask any of us here at the studio for details! Jai Bhagwan, Kristine