March 19, 2020

These are uncertain times, no doubt about it. Uncertainty brings up questions, anxiety, fear and a generalized unease. It also brings up great opportunity for change, transformation and a new worldview. And eventually, inevitably uncertain times shift into a more stable phase, which in turns gives way for uncertainty at some future moment. The yoga tradition says that this rhythm is eternal, always present, inevitable and constant. There are moments of expansion, followed by moments of contraction, followed by moments of expansion in an endless dance. We see this in nature in the ebb and flow of tides which we inherently relate to without any sense that flow is better than ebb or that this rhythm needs to change. It also says that when we tune into this pulsation, we find something which is unchanging and ever-present.

A main teaching of yoga then is the suggestion to first make this pulsation more consciousness, to recognize the phase we are in and move with it. It is our resistance to moving with that incurs suffering. Dukha, the Sanskrit word most often translated as suffering has more nuanced meaning. One layer of meaning is “to move away from” and another is “slightly off kilter” or “slightly out of alignment,” like a bone slightly out of position. This tells us that when we move away from something / push it aside or when we are slightly out of alignment or off the rhythm, we experience greater suffering. The invitation here, then, is to move toward what we are experiencing / feeling, and to whichever phase of the current pulsation we are currently connected.

Unfortunately, contraction rarely feels as good as expansion — perhaps, especially when it feels imposed. I am noticing that under other circumstances, two weeks at home with limited social engagement could be called a vacation, (a stay-cation); it could be the best thing ever. However, when I am told I must, because of a pandemic in the world, my homestay feels uncomfortable, restricted, contracted. My temptation is to push against it, instead of moving with it.

The moments of contraction, and the ensuing discomfort bring up fear. Yogic sages tell us that fear is an inevitable aspect to embodiment. The privilege of having a body brings the gifts of a wide range of felt experiences of which fear is one. It is even a central one as we, on some level, realize fear in the initial moment of separation at birth. We sense our fragility, the uncertainty of this world into which we emerge and that ultimately, at some point, we will die. Recognizing this, acknowledging this fear, moving toward it, can alleviate the suffering created by “moving away from” (remember the above definition). Not pushing fear away, but instead bringing it in close, naming it and opening

Fear and joy have the exact same physiology. The difference is in the interpretation of the felt experience by our mind. So, how we story our felt experience impacts the level of fear we invite. Recognizing our favourite storyline and even playing with the story

(i.e. can I turn this experience into a tragedy, a comedy, a drama) can put fear in perspective.

In my own exploration of fear, I recognize that often present-moment fear is related to imagined future issues. In asking myself if everything right now is okay, often the answer is yes. As a result, there is nothing in this moment to fear. Present-moment fear is set up to generate action. The adrenaline coursing through the body propels us into acting even if the action is not moving a muscles and being completely still / frozen. Without action to use it up, adrenaline feeds the spinning of our mind. This is, unfortunately, a very inefficient way of using up the abundance of “fuel” in our system. We can, however, use the motivation fear encourages efficiently with some consideration of intention.

Intention is a key foundational practice in the yoga tradition. So much so that it will get its own blog post. Until then, consider the purpose underlying your action. Are you moving toward or away from? Is your action useful or not? To what end are you generating action?

Yogic practices are designed to move us toward what we are experiencing, to processing or digesting our emotions and to freeing our energetic pathways so that the energy moves through us in its rhythmic ebb and flow with greater ease. Here are some yogic practices that may be useful at this time:

• chanting / singing - The tradition states that mantra repetition alleviates that primordial fear that comes with our embodiment. Any mantra will work, however, the vibrations of the Sanskrit language may have different resonance in the body than English. At the same time, vocalization through singing can bring forth joy, an antidote to fear.

• breathing - Deeper breathing calms our nervous system and attention to the breath moves us out of the future and into the present moment. It may be helpful to place one hand on the belly and one on the chest and breath into your hands to help invite a deeper breath. Practice inhaling into the belly and then the chest and exhaling from the chest to the belly.

• prayer - Ann Lamott, an American writer, gives a non-traditional summary of the three most necessary prayers:

  • help• thanks (tapping into gratitude by seeing what is abundant, beautiful and

  present in our lives)• wow! (accesses wonder which is tied to moment-to-moment awareness)

• movement - Any kind of movement uses up our adrenaline stores. Consider dancing / free movement to music, yoga postures, walking outside ideally in nature and anything else that moves you, literally!

• rest and relaxation - Relaxing into whatever is happening is a key practice in the tradition. Perhaps this time is an invitation to deeply rest and reconnect to the body’s inherent capacity to relax.

• second - attention - Keep part of your awareness in the heart centre or on a mantra even as you move through daily activities.

• contemplation of death - This is a big one — challenging if you are not used to it and also incredibly freeing. Consider that everything around you is dying, that you are dying and invite living (action) from that place.

• meditation - This classic practice is incredibly useful. However, if you do not have an established meditation practice sitting for several minutes may feel ardrous. Consider adding this practice after movement practices, several moment of deep breathing or when feeling rested and relaxed.

  It feels to me like this time is an invitation to deepen into our centre, to reflect on the intentions and the fears that drive us and to ground ourselves in meaningful and productive practices / actions that nourish us. May this help, may we practice deeply and may we know that which is eternal and present even through the ongoing dance of expansion and contraction.