EVERYDAY SCARED

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES
Yesterday, my 11 yr. old son quite innocently asked me if the name of my blog was Everyday Scared. It was, of course, Halloween. He's always had impeccable timing. That got me thinking about what it means to be scared, how there are really 3 different somatic responses to fear and how we may need to take a fresh look at what it means to be scared. Is it really so bad, after all?

THE 3 WINDS
Yogic philosophy holds that all creation is woven from a combination of 3 types of energy:Saatva(neutral, centered, Absolute), Rajas(positive, assertive, aggressive) and Tamas(negative, passive, lethargic). These energies are known as the 3 Gunas, the 3 Hands of God and the 3 Winds.

THE POSSUM RESPONSE
Fear is a primative response that zaps the adrenal glands into the fight or flight response. This served our prehistoric ancestors well by giving them a shot of adreneline to act fast and strong. As the work of Dr. Hans Selye, the father of stress research, made famous, there is good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress). One makes us stronger and the other kills us. A yoga practice relieves the bad kind but, it goes further. Longterm, low grade adreneline stimulation has become a way of modern life. This type of stress leads to the Possum Response. You freeze up and shut down. The buttocks, quads, calves, back and shoulders tense and bulk up. The pelvis tucks under(pulling on the already strained hamstrings and lower back), the chest collapses, respiration becomes shallow and digestion slows down. We become Tamasic, unable to respond fast enough or creatively enough to adapt to changing circumstances. Tamasic responses are habitual and do not alleviate the fear. They preserve the fear because they would not exist if fear disappeared.

LOOSE CANONS
Rajastic responses tend to be ungrounded, impulsive and even more dangerous. Road rage is an example. The term 'hot-headed' reveals the firey nature of unchecked rajas. Grounded, centered rajastic aggression is the Samauri warrior. History is loaded with examples of rajastic aggression and righteousness and tamasic denial and knowing when to act. The difference is the presence of Saatva.

ENLIGHTENMENT IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER
What is this illusive 3rd current saatva? It's always present. It makes itself known in our more lucid moments. It's a peak experience, a runner's high, a particularly good meditation, amazing sex when you melt into each other, a revelation, an epiphany... We've all had them. The big headline is THIS IS MINI SATORI and it's a naturally occuring state of consciousness in many people nowadays. Spiritual practices, like yoga, are pathways to grounding this awareness into a platform of consciousness. You are developing the capacity to live more and more from this place. You are developing the ability to flip a switch (an evolutionary sleeper cell) and access this dimension of your consciousness. You'll still get pissed off, depressed and anxious. Emotions are real but the stories around them may not be as solid as you think. You don't get so enmeshed. You're tired of the drama. You're driven by a higher purpose.

SOUNDS GOOD BUT...
Anyone who has ever tried to break a habit knows how hard it is. Habits are held in place tamasically by our breath, our bodies and our unconscious. The Tantric Yogis knew this and they had tricks for jumpstarting us out of our inertia. BOO! A little fear, discomfort, stress and evolutionary tension are ways of applying the heat of Rajas to move us out of the torpor of Tamas. Rajas gets us moving in the direction of our unfolding potential. When you are enlightened you know the truth of your being is Saatva. The face you had before you were born is the One Face. However, your playground is here in the world of duality... Rajas and Tamas. Everyone of us has a chance to unfold something good, true and beautiful. It may involve risk and being scared everyday. It may even result in Everyday Scarred (I couldn't resist).

REIMAGINING FEAR
Maybe we need to define another type of fear...
How about fear that is grounded, clear-headed, accepting of what is and unwilling to be defeated? How about fear that doesn't rob us of our vision and convictions and can coexist with courage and compassion? In this type of fear, we stay in the present, in relationship with the other and ourselves. We are able to feel our feelings and own them as our own without resorting to blame. We are able to respond fully and creatively to injustice, to suffering, to beauty and, of course, to the innocent wisdom of a child. Maybe Everyday Scared is another way of saying Everyday Alive.

Comments

[Donna Davidge]

Elizabeth: I read every one of your posts so far and have only been back from Maine for a week, resuming my teaching and personal practice here, I can feel the tamasic change creeping up simply by being in the energy of the city!! You offer insightful and helpful information.keep up the good work. I can attest to the fact that life around less people and more nature helps us be less stressed in the bad way..as I return to my teaching I see it in private clients and group classes..the toll the city takes and the efforts we must make to stay balanced here!! Have a wonderful yogic day..On Shanti and Namaste Donna Amrita Davidge
Sewall House Yoga Retreat