Fear

This is part 6 in IzzyJi's Yoga off the Mat series. 

Fear. Such a small word, but it packs such a punch, right? According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word “fear” is a noun and means:

an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

I have been struggling a LOT with fear. I mean… a LOT. I can’t stress it enough. I’ve  found myself struggling with the fear of falling. When I was young, my knees would dislocate all the time. And I often fell down. Sometimes it wouldn’t hurt at all, but sometimes I would really hurt myself. I fell down a flight of stairs once. Another time, my knees decided to dislocate while I was at the edge of a stage. I’ve had  corrective surgery and I’m still afraid of falling. I’m still afraid of putting weight on my leg for fear of my knee buckling under me. 

Pain. It’s a difficult thing to work through.

My PT and I were talking about it and he said to me:

“You know, fear can be crippling. Like figuratively, you can be so afraid that you can’t move forward and you cannot progress. You don’t want that, because then you literally will cripple yourself.” 

One of the other clients nearby said, “I’m paraphrasing, but fear is the beginning of wisdom.”

I knew she was paraphrasing scripture. I also knew there are many references to fear in the Bible, mostly saying “do not fear”, or “fear not”. But the scripture she was referring to is from Proverbs 9:10, which says: 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

I thought about this scripture a lot over the weekend. When talking about fear of God, the meaning is more about reverence. Awe. Submission. Author Tara Mohr once spoke about the two different types of fear that she learned from her Rabbi:  Pachad and Yirah.

Pachad, explained Tara, is “the fear of projected or imagined things. It is the over-reactive, irrational fear that stems from worries about what could happen, about the worse case scenario that we imagine.”

Yirah, on the other hand, is “the fear that overcomes us when we suddenly find ourselves in possession of considerably more energy than we are used to, inhabiting a larger space than we are used to inhabiting. It is also the feeling we feel when we are on sacred ground.”

Fear may be crippling at times, but it can also serve to protect us. Think about that intuition, that little voice, that gut feeling. So, even in fear, there is balance. 

2020 has been quite a year, and at the time of this writing, there is so much going on in the world. A pandemic. The election (today-- gasp)! Time just fell back, and the days are colder and shorter. 

Paraphrasing the scripture further: 

Fear is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge is understanding. 

We often fear what we don’t know. The future. People who look different than you. People who think differently than you. You may have some fears today about what things will look like in our communities and the nation tomorrow morning. How can we channel more Yirah fear rather than Pachad fear? 

1. As my PTs always tell me, JUST BREATHE. Pranayam. The Pranic Body is associated with fearlessness. Take time to slow down and breathe. Try the 8 stroke breath for energy and stress release - it does just what it says. 
2. Take breaks. When I get frustrated with my knee, I sit down and do something else.  Come back to it later. Take breaks from the news. Remember we ingest more than food. If the news is stressing you, get away from it for a while. Believe me, it will still be there when you get back.
3. Have an Attitude of Gratitude. Count your blessings. According to Psychology Today, concentrating on gratitude is beneficial for our mental and physical health and helps us to overcome fears. 
4. Movement. We have a number of yoga sets, or kriyas, that are helpful for releasing fear (check out our YouTube Channel). And movement helps to release stress and trauma from the tissues in your body. This one helps you feel grounded, more stable and secure within yourself no matter what is happening around you. 
5. Sound. Specifically mantras. We find Sat Narayan with moving mudra (Celestial Communication) to be both peaceful and uplifting. 

How will you respond to your fears? 

Fear can force us to slow down and move cautiously. It can also  push us to move quickly and out of the way. 

In both cases, recognize and trust that your higher consciousness is looking out for your best good. 

Love, Light and Gratitude,

IzzyJi