I had the pleasure of meeting author Rhona Britton at Kripalu last fall. She writes about fear and is a very funny gal. Her favorite line is, “Fear knows everything you know. It’s invisible, insidious and a trickster! Fear loves you and want to keep you SAFE!” There’s only one catch: fear doesn’t want you to ever be free of it.
The necessity of having to physically distance from one another only compounds the fear of becoming sick. We begin to internalize the collective fear of the society around us through the news we watch and read online. What can we do as Yogis to relieve these overwhelming emotions and enable our nervous system to handle them? We can practice becoming more grounded.
Yoga standing poses are the key to getting back into the “Ground of Being” because they remind us that the earth is reliable, and we can avail ourselves of its support. Standing in Mountain pose offer your weight generously to the earth, being very deliberate in how your feet meet the earth. Let your breath and the earth renew their ancient relationship, and let your body be more receptive to gravity as it connects to the earth with consciousness. Feel the pull of gravity from the waist downward and into the core of the earth, and from the waist up feel the lightness of your torso as it lifts effortlessly towards the sky. On an exhalation, deepen your connection to the earth. On an inhalation, re-establish your connection to the sky. Let your heart fill with appreciation for the earth beneath your feet.
Mountain pose can be a complete practice, or the same method of consciousness can be used to experience other standing poses such as warrior poses, triangle pose and wide-stance forward bend. Rest in the Ground of Being as often as needed. Namaste, Elaine
Editor's Note: Today's guest blogger is Elaine Sears, master yoga teacher and long-time friend of Barbara's. Elaine and Barbara partnered running the Studio in the early years.