Fearlessness.
My mantra for this new year.
In my yoga teacher training, one of the required readings was Pema Chodron's Comfortable with Uncertainty
108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion.
I didn't read it cover to cover like most books. I wanted to take this one slow and savor it, hence I am still in the process of reading and re-reading it's pages. When I read one of the teachings,in the morning prior to meditation and yoga practice, my intention is to remember it throughout the day. Sometimes my thoughts and ideas that unfold are profound, in that I can actually feel an opening at my heart center. Other times, I feel mundane and explore the magic of it all. This humanness.
My mantra for this new year.
In my yoga teacher training, one of the required readings was Pema Chodron's Comfortable with Uncertainty
108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion.
I didn't read it cover to cover like most books. I wanted to take this one slow and savor it, hence I am still in the process of reading and re-reading it's pages. When I read one of the teachings,in the morning prior to meditation and yoga practice, my intention is to remember it throughout the day. Sometimes my thoughts and ideas that unfold are profound, in that I can actually feel an opening at my heart center. Other times, I feel mundane and explore the magic of it all. This humanness.
When the world we live in seems a scary place, and images of death, destruction, and suffering are all around us,I am reminded in my practice that change starts with me."Though the waves rage fiercely. I know not fear"
(not my words, but not sure who to credit). My faith is in the logic that moves beyond my fears. I remain open to receive good things, and trust the clarity of my heart. The connections I make through the daily exchanges with my fellow humans, will depend on my own reactions. My goal in this fearlessness is to act, not react. It's easy to react because it doesn't require thought, or intention. Reaction comes from the fear we ourselves create. Fear of not being good enough, fear of failing, fear of seeming foolish, fear of losing what we hold dear, and the list persists.
How do we move through it? You have to feel the feelings, good, bad and ugly. Don't gloss over, don't apologize, don't resist, don't stay on the surface of the feelings. Go deep. The deeper and more fully we feel them the less likely they will arise again. They will rise again in this spiral of life, but as we expand our hearts the time between the same lessons becomes greater, and the feelings that come up won't have the same stronghold as they once did if we accept the warrior's journey.
I am no stranger to feelings. I was always friends with sadness, and dark thoughts. It was the happy and joyous feelings that made me uncomfortable. I understand how that came to be, but at the end of the day the why doesn't matter. The why and the illusion of closure is what will have me spiraling in the wrong direction. Because if I am always searching for a why, then I am living in the past. When we stray from the present moment, our attention is wasted. In order to cultivate fearlessness, I am learning that one must be compassionate. I must be willing to first be compassionate with myself. To have a compassionate relationship will all the pieces of me that I feel are not worthy of exisiting. It is in these moments that I acknowledge the feelings that will lead to change.
What brought me to this post?
Teaching #63 of Pema's book Comfortable with Uncertainty. Widening the Circle Further.
"How is there going to be less aggression on the planet rather than more? Bring this question down to a personal level: How do I learn to communicate with somebody who is hurting me or hurting others? How do I communicate so that the space opens up and both of us begin to touch in to some kind of basic intelligence we all share?"
So I start with the coversations I have with all the parts of myself, and carry it over to my exchanges with others. The fears that come and the negative self-talk that follows need to stop. I make the connection between compassion for the self and compassion for others. By opening my heart, through softening, and to feel the moment is fearlessness. My life gives me everything I need to open further, and the only way I can be of benefit to the world.
What about you? Are you willing to go on a warrior's journey?
xo
Stacie
