Love and Fear

Ultimately there are only two emotions – Love and Fear.

http://www.entelechyjournal.com/robinsonwilson.htm

Fear, the demon of the first chakra is the root of anger, greed, jealousy and hate. It is the emotion that is constantly being explored for the purpose of control. It lodges as energetic blocks in our lower body where our survival instinct and drives reside, often stopping us from pursuing something our gut and our heart tell us we should. It prevents us from exploring new possibilities, opening up doors, stepping into a life of contentment and pure joy.

Fear blockages build up from womb. If the mother experiences fear, this emotion  will imprint itself on the baby. The Human Genome Project has shown this clearly. Fear changes the DNA. As the baby grows and begins to explore the world, fear is projected upon it from the outside. The positive kind of fear which protects it from harm establishes itself firmly. But so do other fears like lack and rejection. The first chakra comes out of balance, either becoming deficient, decreasing energy to avoid the threat or excessive, increasing energy to face it. As experiences perceived through these filters as negative accumulate, the veil through which one sees the world becomes thicker. Flight or Fight reactions flood the body with hormones and the entire being comes out of balance. At the extremes, the world and its inhabitants becomes a hostile place.

The lower body is the repository of the stress associated with this emotion. The flight or fight reflex constantly kicking into action, causes muscles to spasm, nerve impulses to fluctuate dramatically and areas to seize up. In addition the body responds by creating supports for the new issues in the form of spurs and connective tissue. Now there is a lot more to work with in the form of sensation. Energetic blocks resulting from this emotion, before manifesting fully as dis-ease, appear as sensations in the lower body – feet, knees, ankles, buttocks, lower back, the whole foundation is compromised. By bringing attention to these sensations in a willful and focused manner, we direct the flow of energy into them, dissolving, pushing through and releasing “stuff” we are not even aware we were holding. Here we work with the mindset and emotion of fear on a non-mental level.

In our practice, fear often stops us from moving into areas of the body that need the attention. Tight thighs for example will most likely trigger a “can’t go there” from the mind when guided to move into Hero’s pose or beyond. When we quiet the mind and move our attention to sensation we can gently and mindfully approach our edge in an Asana trusting that energy will guide us only as far as we need to go. Knowing we are safe.

On the energetic level we solidify our core as we ground. By engaging it on the exhalation, we contract it, hugging it tightly into our center and widening the base as we push roots into the earth. A strong core not only brings balance to the body but also creates a feeling of solidity, weakening fear’s hold and helping to release the blocks associated with this emotion.

This creates an upward spiral, for as holdings are released, energy flow is restored, pushing out more blocks and eventually establishing a sense of trust in the guiding principle of the Spirit. This feeling of trust is nothing more than a deep sense of knowing that when we let go of the mind we are divinely guided by our Higher Self, our higher mind, our wisdom. We are fully supported by the universe in its unlimited abundance.

And in that space there is no other emotion than Love. As the spiral continues on its journey upwards, there is compassion and a deep understanding that we are all One.

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”