Fear as a Catalyst for Transformation

We all experience fear.  Every time we experience fear, we are given an amazing opportunity to make a conscious decision about what to do next.  We can allow ourselves to be consumed by fear, ignore it and shift our attention to positive thoughts, or address the root cause of the fear.  

Embracing Fear

Shifting the focus to positive emotions is a great survival technique, but facing your fears provides a powerful opportunity for healing and freedom.  This is because our fears are likes stains on our hearts.  Ignoring them and simply shifting our attention to positive emotions is just as ineffective as trying to cover a foul odor with perfume.  However, when we address our fears head-on we eliminate the stench of fear so that all that remains is the sweet smell of positive emotions.

As we continue to do the work to clean our heart, we are able to allow our hearts to shine more brightly with divine joy. By looking at your fears, you shine light on your false belief that you are separate from God or separate from anything in this Universe.  As the Buddha taught, our fear is great, but greater yet is the truth of our essential connectedness. As you recognize this truth, you are able to transcend fear and step into more joy and more peace.

Transforming Fear

So, what can you do to address your fears?  I recommend two techniques.  The first is balancing the energy at the base of your spine. The second is doing "The Work" by Byron Katie.

Balancing Energy Along the Spine

The mind and body are connected.  Whenever you have a mental issue, try to bring your awareness to areas in your body that feel tense, disconnected or different than usual.  Likewise, whenever you have a physical injury or illness, it is important to look at your thoughts and emotions.  Over time, you will be able to notice correlations. This correction is the basis for the energy centers along the spine (chakras).  Energy circulates through our body just as blood circulates.  Although energy is not visible to the eye, it is a tangible power that greatly effects the body and mind.  One of the major channels of energy is along the spine.  This is why yoga focuses on the energy centers along the spine.  These energy centers along the spine are connected to specific aspects of your personality.

The energy center at the base of your spine (moolahara chakra) is associated with fear and the feeling of being grounded.  When your energy does not flow through this area of the body properly, you will experience fear.  You can learn more about this energy center and the six other energy centers of the body by reading Chakras for Beginners: A Guide to Balancing Your Chakra Energies (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) or Chakra Clearing (Book & CD). 

These energy centers of chakras can be balanced through yoga postures (asanas) and focused relaxation practices (meditation).  The yoga postures that can help clear fear are arm balancing  poses like handstand (adho mukha vrksasana) and hip opening poses like pigeon (eka pada kapotasana).  The arm balancing poses can cause you to face your fear of falling and once you have faced your fear on a physical level you can use that same courage to face your fears on an emotional level.  The hip opening poses open your hips and allow energy to freely flow at the base of the spine.  As your hips are open, you are also able to relax the spine closer toward the ground in sitting poses and thus, feel more grounded.  Poses that combine the fear of balancing poses with grounding effects of hip-openers like crane pose (bakasana), are especially helpful in clearing fear.  You can even use DVDs such as Kundalini Yoga - A Journey through the Chakras or Chakra Balancing Yoga to help guide you through a yoga practice specifically designed to balance the flow of energy along the spine.

The focus, relaxation and meditation practices that can help balance the energy along the spine are vocal vibrations (chanting) and visualization.  Regardless of which technique is used, you should begin by closing the eyes, taking a deep breath and bringing your awareness to the base of the spine.  With the energy focused on this area, you can begin to visualize the color red and chant the sound "LAM" (pronounced "Lom" as in "Mom")  The color red and the vibrations created by chanting "LAM" help to activate and balance the energy in this energy center.  These meditation practices can be greatly accentuated by meditation CDs such as Tibetan Chakra Meditations and Chakra Suite. 

Byron Katie's "The Work"

In addition to the yoga practices descirbed above, it is important to practice your yoga off the mat and in the real world.  Practical tools like those described in Byron Katie's "The Work" provide a straightforward method for facing your fears head-on.  In this technique, Katie invites you to ask yourself four questions about each of your beliefs or thoughts:

1. Is it true?
2. Can you absolutely know that it's true?
3. How do you react/what happens when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?
   

After you have explored your fear through the four questions above, your are ready to turn the statement around to three opposite statemens and find three genuine, specific examples of how each "turnaruond" is true in your life.  For example, the statement "She doesn't like me" turns around to (1) "She does like me,"  (2) "I don't like me," (3) "I don't like her."  You can learn more about this technique in Byron Katie's book,  Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life

Conclusion

The next time you feel fear, take a little time to give that fear the love and attention it deserves.  Love your fear and learn to use it as a tool for transformation.  When that becomes your journey, there truly is nothing to fear, not even fear itself.