Fear and Kindness
Dear friends,
A few weeks ago, my teacher asked me to do something. If it had been for her, I would have said yes, of course, anything. But no, this was for me. And I immediately said no. But then I stewed on her words and much to my chagrin, she has never asked me to do anything that did not cause fear and end in personal growth. And everytime she has asked, I have immediately said, no thank you and then went through the process.
Ok, this is minor. But what it brought up was how fear and the anxiety around that fear can cause us to retreat, to shy away, and to get that sick feeling at the pit of our stomachs. And I think in these unknown and untried times, we are all experiencing a fear of sorts on different levels. So we go through the what if’s, and we worry about the unknown outcomes that may or may not happen. And we all do it, it is natural.
Recognizing fear. Where do we feel it? How do we internalize it? How do we name it? Or is it too big and murky to be named? Fear is real; don’t dismiss or discount its importance to you. Others can say it is irrational, but that doesn’t make it less important to you.
Looking inside. As we dig a little deeper, you may find this unease living inside perhaps causing disquiet, sleeplessness and even pain. Consider meeting these feelings with kindness. And if that doesn’t help, be kinder. Nurture, console, and delve more deeply into those feelings. There are many ways you can do this: long walks, meditation or meditative activities, getting out in nature, talking with a friend or, perhaps, a little yin yoga.
Why yin? Yin is deep, dark, centered, rich, earthy and ultimately healing. I have been struck now, more than ever, that this is the practice for these times around us. When the panic sets in, when the unrest and unease are pervasive, how do we find healing. How do we nourish and nurture ourselves so that we can bring a bit more peace to others in a world where people are seeking ease. It is now that we need to slow, we need to feel more fully, we need to spend more time healing from the inside. So that when we emerge from our practice, we are a bit more settled and comforted; a bit more nurtured. Does the pain leave? No, but the suffering is less and is slowly replaced bit by bit with kindness, tenderness and grace.
Please join me on the mat as we face our fears hand in hand, with kindness, comfort and open hearts.
Love,
Molly