The experience I can share; all of the advice and potions that come from the outside of us are aids in triggering the truest and most potent of medicine, our inner essence.
For specific practices for anxiety – can I ask you to read my articles in Yoga Magazine about anxiety again, perhaps over a period of a few weeks and months.
Practice the techniques mentioned in the second article – have you tried this yet?
Have a look at the line, ‘What are my stressful thoughts and feelings’ and make a list. When we begin to question our deepest held patterns, naturally deeper truths reveal themselves to us. What I have found with the help of many different teachers from all walks, is that Sat-Guru within my heart knows already and that my path has been to learn to stop, question and listen. This is where breathing and intention come into play.
When you practice the exhale techniques you will be able to slow down and let off steam. Let go.
When you listen to your inhale as it flows in to your belly you will be present.
This presence is the present which dissolves the untrue.
Please read and practice the breathing methods from the article; as you may be aware the breath holds and can transform patterns, if you allow it to. This requires training and patience.
I was an asthmatic until eight years ago. I always fought it. I was ashamed, embarrassed about it, angry at my dad who ‘gave it to me’ and guilty and sorry and fearful and and and…… I couldn’t own it, accept it, accept reality.
Funny is that the ‘curse’ I believed it to be, turned out to be the exact opposite.
One day I stopped fighting. It just happened because I finally noticed after 35 years that forcing it away never changed anything.
I envisaged living the rest of my days as ‘asthmatic’, allowing people to see me use an inhaler, even though my ego had built up this massive image of a slick kung-fu-yogi-dude that feared nothing!! (Ha ha, what a joke that was J)). I admitted to being weak and scared and impermanent and in doing so, the strength, the courage and permanence began to manifest quite naturally. It’s the law of opposites.
Of course I still have samskaras rearing up at me –in fact I started a practice a few months back that has released a bit of a storm. Yet this doesn’t frighten me, even though I have been experiencing anger and impatience like never before. (Meaning exactly the same as before, it’s just that I conscious of it now!)
Even deeper beliefs that enliven these emotions have risen to the surface and are popping. I have so much energy that my body needs a holiday now because it’s just not used to holding it!! I need to learn once again, as though I’m five years old and my mum is saying “Matthew lie on the floor, breathe out, breathe out again and now…………breathe in to your tummy”.
What I have learned Deirdre, after 43 years and however many lifetimes before, is that ecstasy really is my true name, bliss IS my form. I have been running from this, like us all, for rather a long time. Through focused and persistent breathing techniques alone, one can gain access to the core; physical et al. Once this happens (again, as it’s not exactly new to most of us, rather we’ve forgotten) we are then in a position to choose. If we keep the stories alive…..”I can’t do this because……” and all the old scripts that run in our heads every day, then of course our experience remains the same.
When we choose by maintaining our intention alone, we begin to shear away from the script and see it objectively. This reminds me of some old black and white film, where you see yourself standing on the back of say, two horses and, the horses are separating and you’re starting to do the splits. It’s getting more and more painful yet you stay where you are, suffering the pain tearing through your being……
Then one day you’re in the same dream again, the horses start to move apart and life says, stay on the peaceful horse.
That’s it, the ghost just rides away into the horizon, almost thanking you for setting it free J
Learn to see that the opposite always holds some or even more truth.
“I can’t let people see that I have asthma because then they’ll see I’m weak and have faults” – that was an underlying belief for me. What a load of nonsense and is it any wonder I was suffering!!
Why not try “I can let people see that I have asthma, that I am weak and have faults” and then it becomes so clear this means something more like “look I’m asthmatic. When I have difficulty breathing I use medicine which helps me. Thank God for the medicine!!!! Wow, actually I’ve just realised how unbelievably strong I must really be to have put up such a ridiculously huge fight all this time, yet also, duuuurrrrr, what a clown, I’ve been a bit of a twit, but that’s okay, I can laugh at myself now that I see the truth…….
Oh and thank God I’ve got faults yep – that means I don’t have to walk on eggshells around myself anymore, pretending to the world that I’m like Jesus Christ perfect and everyone else needs crucifying……………………What a relief……………………”
And now I’m taken to that great film ‘Liar Liar’ where Jim Carrey finally yells out “Aaaaaaaaaaaand the Truth shall set you FFFRRRREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” – the relief is like Moses parting the Red Sea and inhaling as you walk through smiling……………….It’s so worth waiting for!!!
Matt Gluck December 2010