A Four-Step Practice for Facing Fear
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river cannot go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
~ Khalil Gibran
Yesterday, like many others, I found myself in a panic over the announcement of a global pandemic.
Panic happens when we don’t get the breath all the way down into the belly, the pelvis, and the colon. Knowing this, I spent about thirty minutes doing diaphragmatic breathing, which is a way of connecting the lower belly with the lungs in a circular, flowing rhythm, much like waves flowing back to the ocean. This kind of breathing energetically realigns us with harmony and is the key to transforming negative emotions.
Afterward, I sat down to a nice dinner with my daughter and then relaxed on the couch with my dogs.
It was a simple process, but that doesn’t mean it was easy. Slowing down and coming fully into awareness of what’s occurring physically, mentally, and emotionally is not always our first response to stress.
But when I remember to breathe and relax, I cause a ripple effect in my home, my community, my world. I have to ask myself how I intend to walk through this process—in my power or overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness?
I find it helpful to recognize that disruption is always evidence that consciousness is transforming. And oftentimes we receive wake-up calls in the form of physical manifestations.
According to healer and author Louise Hay, the lungs represent our ability to take in life, and lung problems are created by a fear of life.
Dr. Charles Moss, author of Power of the Five Elements, says the lung is the conduit for the inspiration from heaven.
So how can we use this challenging time to accept change and perhaps even find inspiration? How can we shift our reactions?
I recommend these four steps:
Acknowledge fears.
My own fears include wanting to keep my daughter safe, a fear of losing my home, and the worry that, if the economy crashes, I may not be safe.
Ask: where is my breath?
I meet these fears by softening into my body and breath. Am I breathing into my belly or does my breath stop in my chest? Can I slow my breath down, make it deeper, smoother, slower?
Move into curiosity.
What am I really afraid of? Is there something beyond these fears? Curiosity has the power to create openings where we once felt trapped, so instead of being stuck in fear, I can ask questions like: I wonder what it would feel like to feel safe and sound? I wonder what the coronavirus is here to teach us?
Focus on the positive.
I am loved. I am healthy. I am safe. I am here to share my light.
Above all, we can remember to breathe and to stay present. As Khalil Gibran wrote, there is no other way. The river cannot go back.
But ahead of us lies the ocean, and it connects us all.
(If you would like to receive healing support during this time, I offer Distance Healing sessions in WhaleBreathing that will re-connect you to the deep well of peace and harmony within you.)