THE THING ABOUT FEAR…

… is that it is a product of time. Fear only exist as a future projection. What’s the thing about projections? They can be wrong.

Fear is always a fantasy. What is a fear? A fear is not a reality. You cannot experience a fear (you can have a fear “come true” but in the actual moment you are not experiencing the fear, you are experiencing what you were fearful of). Per definition, fear is something that may or may not happen in the future.

Truth is that which has no fear. Truth is the presence, and love and acceptance.

Your soul is above time and space. Your soul cannot experience fear, only your mind can. Anytime you connect with your soul, with truth, and with presence, the fear vanishes away.

I am someone who, like most people, have many fears. And I have learned to work with my fears as consciousness teachers over the years (and at the end of this essay I am showing you how).

When I feel fearful, I know that it is just a fantasy that is playing out in my mind. My mind might be very good at convincing me that the fear is rational though. To not create a struggle within my mind, where I use my mind to convince my mind that there is nothing to be afraid of, I have adopted the strategy “just do it scared”.

“Just do it scared”—what does that even mean?

To be very honest: I am afraid at some point almost every single day. Especially when I wake up for Sadhana early in the morning. This moment of the day when the subconscious mind is wide open, and when our fantasy play is in full force. My mind is trying to convince me of all sorts of dangers, both the ones in the future and those lurking in the corners of the room. Sounds familiar? I think if you have a daily Sadhana (or even the occasional Sadhana) practice you can recognize what I’m saying. And maybe not, but then perhaps there is a different situation that you can recall where you felt fearful?

The daily practice is a foundational tool for transforming our fears. The fear we experience around our practice is a metaphor for fear of life in general. It is a safe place to go to, in order to transform our relationship with our fears—and it works.

What about fears in life?

A few months back I shared about a very personal fear on instagram—you can view the post here.

When we hide our fears, they often gain more control of us. When we speak them out loud, they often lose touch, because we bring them into reality, and if they are not true, they will dissolve. This is the law of reality and non reality (a yogic teaching). And our fears are part of that. I was terrified of sharing how I felt about my personal wealth, and how I had been unable to talk about it in public for years. It felt really uncomfortable to share with my followers how the house I had bought, and the car I was driving isn’t actually bought from money that I earned. I felt a gap between what I was portraying to the world, and not being transparent with how I got there. Living daily with this fear of someone “finding out”/using it against me/not liking me because of that, meant that the fear had taken real power over me. It wasn’t until I realized that the power of the fear meant that I was shrinking and hiding myself, with the result being that I wasn’t inviting recognition and prosperity into my life anymore. 

So I did it scared. First I spoke about it in a safe but very vulnerable environment, when me and my co teacher at RA MA, Kirtan Lakshmi hosted a women’s retreat this spring. I felt like an imposter, I felt like I wasn’t allowed to talk about my own fears, when really I was the one who was supposed to hold space for others healing. I still remember thinking “now they will all dislike me, and think I’m shallow and dumb (not being cleaver is another big fear of mine… See the list below—and make your own), and never do another retreat or class with me again”. Looking back it all seem so silly. How a simple thought could have taken so much power over me. But that’s the thing about fear—it’s a total fantasy, a non reality. 

What about the physical response of fear?

I don’t want to neglect the physical response in our body, when we are being scared. Being scared, does create a physical response in the body, and so just like I was saying in my reel yesterday: if you are feeling scared or being afraid because you are in an unsafe environment, where your boundaries are not respected, and where you are being undervalued, then of course, avoid and leave. This is not the time to “do it scared”, although “do it scared” might mean standing up for yourself, finally. I always want to encourage healthy boundaries, and I believe a lot of our personal issues and relationship issues would be radically improved if we became clear about our own boundaries and learned to communicated them. 

We can strengthen our physical response of fear, with (did you guess it? LOL) Kundalini Yoga. That’s one of the main things the practice does: it strengthens your nervous system. Nervous system reliance is key to a life that is worth living. Knowing and trusting our nervous system is one of the true keys to liberation from fear and conditioning. When I first came to kundalini yoga my nervous system was completely fried. There were even certain postures that, while not being physically challenging for me, my nervous system simply couldn’t hold the energy of. I practiced a lot of nervous system overhaul kriya to help that, and now I am even being spontaneously complimented for my nervous system strength (fx when dealing with my child in challenging situations etc.) This kriya is right now available as a practice video here (as the full moon in Cancer suggested practice).

Another thing to keep in mind about fear, which we already talked about: Fear is a projection of the future. When we live in the present moment, fear ceases to exist. What quickly anchors us in the present moment? The breath. You can’t be scared when you breath properly.

And then mindset. Asking ourselves “What is fear? What is it I am being scared of? What’s the worst that can happen?” When we talk ourselves through the “worst case scenario” we can often get to terms with it. Especially if what we want to achieve creates a greater desire within us than the energy needed to overcome the fear. 

I believe that overcoming fear is one of the greatest keys to expanding our experience of life, and that is why I keep talking about it. Why do we overcome fears? Why am I doing it anyways? Because overcoming is the language of the soul. It’s the calling of the soul that make me want to do it anyways.

An exercise

I invite you to make a list of your biggest fears right now. Write them down. Also write down the belief that might be creating the fear.

The ask yourself “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”:

—Write down what it would mean to you, to overcome the fear. 

—What is the best case scenario if you did it anyways? Might you actually be okay? Would you survive? I guarantee you the answer is “yes” (if the answer is actually “no, I would not survive” then please don’t do it though ahaha)

Here’s is some examples from my current list:

—I am afraid of sharing more of my opinions publicly > What is the worst that could happen?: That people will get offended or won’t think I’m all that smart after all > the belief holding me back: Am I smart enough?  > What would happen if I did it anyways? I might actually bring real insight to people.

—I am afraid of not being perfect when teaching > making a mistake and potentially harming someone > I am only of value when I am perfect > My honest effort will bring people the right energy and experience, even if I make a mistake.

—I am afraid of going really big and being bold in life and on instagram > That someone won’t like me if I shine too bright > Playing small means I am safe > My self expression could inspire others to live more in alignment with themself.

—I am afraid that something might happen to my husband and I am left alone > I fall apart on my own > Can’t take care of myself, and make it on my own > If this ever happened it is part of my journey and my soul’s evolution. I trust that I will be fine no matter what. Building my self reliance is important to me.

—I am afraid of not succeeding > That everyone will succeed and “make it” before me > I am not good enough > By going for it, I might get everything I ever dreamed of.

I have to admit making this list felt so liberating! If you want to share yours feel free to hit reply here, or share it in the comments on my IG post.

All of my fears holds an enormous opportunity for soul expansion. This year I am going to transform the limitations I have set for myself into infinite potential and energy. Care to join me? Let’s just go.

Keep asking yourself “What is the worst that could happen?” And “What if I did it anyways?”

Overcoming is the language of the soul

Do it scared. Do it anyways.