There is a lot of fear around me these days. In Greece the economy is in crisis and everyday I see a new shop closed. The center of Athens is slowly closing down. I have seen this year people sleeping on the streets,searching through garbage cans for food and stealing from others. These things existed before I am sure but it was not so apparent. People are losing their jobs and are scared.
This is to say nothing events that are happening in the rest of the world. Paris,Belgium the terrified refugees pouring into the country on a daily basis.
So,what can we do about it?
Hide,fight,shout,cry,give up? Yes,those are options. Then when you finish with these reactions,what can you do. What will you do.
This is where Yoga comes in. This is where your breath comes in. This is where staying present comes in.
Its a hard place to stay.

But here is the thing. Right now everything is OK. So we can be afraid of what will come. We can live in our heads and in our fears and imagine what might happen. Or not.

Courage is nothing more than waiting for more two breaths after the fear kicks in.

So that’s what we do.

When your mind takes you to some dark and scary place,bring it back to the present. And breathe. This is our practice. Asana is nothing more then this practice. When you are holding a pose and you just can’t hold it anymore….breathe.

Inversions are the same a great way to explore and practice moving through fear. A journey to explore your fear. Trust in yourself,upside down! Watching the fear as you start to go into your headstand,watching the thought process…..and breathing. Allowing yourselves to be afraid. Not letting it run your life,accepting it and breathing through it.

Life will happen.

Hard things and good things will happen. And when these things happen, you deal with them. But why worry about something that you do not even know may happen for sure? This is fear. It will get you nowhere. It will only stop you from living.

So what can you do instead of being afraid?

Well,turn off the T.V for one thing. That thing just breeds fear. Stay informed without the fear factor.

Help people.  This has the befit of taking all of your attention off of yourself. And the added befit of helping people. You have the ability to change someones day,if not their life. A smile,a kind word,a meal or some time. Its not as hard as you think and becomes easier every time.

It takes courage not to be afraid. And breathe.

Two breaths to be exact.

Love and Light,

Jonni-lyn