I have been doing a powerful meditation recently. Instead of asking myself what I want, or what I would like to attain, I ask myself what I can let go of. Can I let go of this old shirt I never wear? Can I let go of the thought “I am not good enough”? Whether old grudges or material things, simply asking yourself the question, “Can I let go of this” is powerful medicine, which gets me to the question of transforming fear.
To transform fear, it is necessary to first understand it and this takes wisdom and experience. First ask your self: Is this fear useful? Oftentimes fear is sharing some necessary information with us and to transform it, we need to first be quiet and listen to the message of our fear. Obviously, fear is often a friend telling us perhaps to slow down: the fear of speed. And this fear is necessary for the survival of the body. But many times we want to achieve something, get outside of comfort zones, and fear arises and we do not push through it to achieve something. Here are some tips on how to work with fear skillfully and with wisdom. Simply meditate on these thoughts and see if they are useful.
1. Simply breathe quietly when fear arises, feel fear in your body, ask your body and your sensation of fear what it has to teach you.
2. Meditate on the idea that the nature of fear is to seem larger than you, when you realize and align with the thought that you are much larger than fear, it often subsides.
3. Practice acting despite your fear. Recently, a mentor of mine died and I wish I had told him I loved and appreciated him. Practice facing your fear of being rejected and act in spite of it.
In Chinese medicine, fear is an essential and necessary part of evolution, it is the resistance to change that allows you to grow. Only when fear becomes chronic do we sense imbalance and ill health. We usually feel feel prior to big and wonderful breakthroughs in our lives, so embrace your fear as an indication that big and beautiful change is coming!
James Whittle is a healer, a practitioner of energy medicine, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine: www.blueridgeclinic.com, a sought after speaker in alternative and complementary medicine, a writer, and the founder of two companies: for the finest organic matcha green tea in the world visit: www.living-qi.com, to learn about losing weight with Chinese medicine and controlling blood sugar and sugar cravings visit: www.tcmnutra.com
©James Whittle, All Rights Reserved, 2011.