Fear of Falling
For the past several weeks in my yoga class we have been learning to do handstands. Last night, while attempting a handstand, I fell on my head! I’m okay and I wasn’t hurt and what was even more amazing to me was that I wasn’t afraid. As my arms were giving way and my balance was crumbling, there was no fear about falling. I just fell. Then I got up.
I am often afraid in yoga when our teacher moves us into new poses or more intense versions of a pose. My first thoughts are usually “no way,” or “I won’t be able to do that,” or “you have GOT to be insane to think that I will be able to get my body into that position” or in the case of doing handstands, plain old fear of falling on my head. Most of the time there are more doubts than fears but every time I attempt any of the poses that bring up these feelings, I have been amazed at what I can do. That’s because my body doesn’t know that it’s supposed to be afraid. My body doesn’t know that it has limits. My mind is what imposes the fears and the limits.
One of the beauties of doing yoga is that it is a practice. Continually coming to the yoga mat and moving through the fears, doubts and limits has taught me to think differently about what I can or can’t do. It has helped me to train my mind. Instead of thinking “no way” or “I won’t be able to do that” I am now thinking “I wonder what would happen if I tried that.” If something particularly fearful comes up (like handstands) I recognize the fear and gently say to myself “just try it and see how far you get.” I didn’t get into the full handstand and for the first time I wasn’t afraid to try – more succinctly, I wasn’t afraid to fall. Because I have been coming back to this pose over and over and over again, I have built up a trust and openness and even though I fell, I am not afraid to try again.
This yoga example is also why I offer the 100 Day Challenge every year. It is a chance to do something over and over and over for 100 days. The opportunity to learn about yourself in these 100 days is so valuable. The opportunity to learn about practicing something is priceless. As you show up, day after day, eventually something will shift and you won’t be afraid to fall anymore!
When have you been afraid? What have you done or not done when the fears threaten to shut you down? What have you learned from the 100 Day Challenge or any other practice that has supported you in getting up again?
Joyfully,
Deb
Hi Deb – your blogs and emails have been so encouraging and challenging and inspiring. I did get my first novel into print, even though just one copy done at a local print shop. Just to have it sitting on my table in a completed form is encouraging. I didn’t get the second book finished, but I did organise all my notes and can now work from there. I did not pursue any publishers but I have a waiting list of friends and neighbours who are eager to read the book (men and women). I did start work on a toddler picture book inspired by my two year old grandson. I believe this book will be enjoyed by a large audience as it is all about hockey. Talking about writing to my daughter(who has been gifted in this area for many years)and listening to her journal entries about her children, has propelled her into a highly inspired project of writing children’s books. The first one is in the works and is brilliant. So, in all of this 100 day challenge, I did not feel that taking on the challenge was too much. It’s just that other things around me robbed me of my precious creative time. Life needs to be taken care of, some of it immediately and some of it can wait. It was the latter that I was not more firm in pushing aside.
The good news…there are six days left for me to pursue publishing of at least one if not more of my finished manuscripts. I have purposely freed up my time this week instead of running all over the place.
Thanks again…will check in at the finish line.
Kathryn