Welcome and I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today I want to talk a little bit about dealing with fear.
We all experience fear in one way or another.
But what exactly is fear?
From an article in Psychology Today they said and I quote,
Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger that has been pivotal throughout human history but especially in ancient times when men and women regularly faced life or death.
People can fear such a variety of things like fear of the dark,
Fear of water,
Fear of spiders and snakes and bats and lizards and all kinds of things that we encounter in the world around us.
But then there are people who fear things that are more ethereal,
Fear of failure,
Fear of other people,
Fear of being alone,
Fear of crowds and the like.
Now in the article I just quoted they said that about 60% of people have at least one unreasonable fear.
But to the person that's experienced that fear,
That fear is extremely reasonable.
Fear of heights may seem unreasonable to a high-flying circus performer but to a person who is petrified looking out of a window of a skyscraper that fear is perfectly justified.
When we're afraid our body responds and just some of the things you can feel is shortness of breath,
Dry mouth,
Sweating,
Nausea,
Chest pain,
Chills,
Rapid heartbeat and weakness and essentially a state of fear is like the flight from the flight or fight response.
We breathe faster and our heart rate increases,
Our hands get sweaty and we may feel like we're vibrating.
We just don't want to be where we're at.
I'll give a personal example.
When I was very sick and having strokes when I was in my 30s the doctors bombarded me with tests.
They put dye in my arteries,
They ran catheters into my kidneys,
They put a catheter into my heart and they tagged my blood with radiation.
I was about at the end of my rope and then they said they wanted to run a tube down my throat into my stomach and bowel and at that point I said to them you're gonna have to knock me out and they said okay.
But that night before that test I meditated and at that point I'd been meditating for about nine years and I calmed myself and I got in touch with my breath.
I really got in touch with it and then I began to think about all the tests that I'd already been through and in that moment,
That moment when I was calm and controlled and relaxed and focusing on my breath I knew that I didn't need to be afraid of those tests.
I knew that they couldn't hurt me if I simply got in touch with my breath.
The morning of the test they came in and brought in the drugs to knock me out as I had requested but I told them I didn't want any drugs but then what I did want was to watch the procedure through the auxiliary scope.
We got into the procedure room and I relaxed,
Got in touch with my breath,
Focused inward and focused on being centered,
Focused within myself and I swallowed the scope with no anesthetic and I watched the entire procedure through the auxiliary scope and to date I've had nine of those procedures and I've done each one the same way getting in touch with my breath and turning inward but more importantly is that I learned to conquer my fear by using meditation,
By using my breathing one breath at a time.
It just takes practice and it takes commitment but you can do it too.
That was 44 years ago and I haven't had a problem with fear ever since.
Close your eyes now and let's get in touch with our breath.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Lying down or standing.
The only thing that matters is that you're comfortable.
Take a deep breath and then let it go and then just breathe normally and let's scan our body as we begin to relax.
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck and your shoulders.
Relax your arms and your hands and let go of any tension in your chest or belly.
Feel yourself getting heavier with each breath.
Relax your legs and your feet and as you begin to relax let's start to really focus on our breath.
I've said before that our breath is like a river as it flows in and flows out.
Inhale slowly and gently exhale.
Notice your breath as it flows in.
Notice where you feel it in your body.
A cool sensation as it comes in through your nose or the movement of your chest as it flows in and out.
Just continue to breathe at your normal pace and don't force anything.
Just let your breath move in and out.
Let your breath flow like a river.
Sure and tranquil and calm.
Thoughts are a part of us.
They're a constant part of our world but you needn't concern yourself with them when you meditate.
Just continue to follow your breath and listen to the sound of my voice.
Right now it's just you and your breath moving gently in and gently out.
One breath at a time.
Your breath is the key to calming your mind.
The key to dealing with frustrations and insecurities.
The key to being happier in your own skin.
It's the key to dealing with anxiety and stress and it's the key to conquering your fears.
No matter what they are,
Whether it's spiders or heights or water,
Your breath can help you to get over it.
If you learn anything from me I want it to be the idea that getting in touch with your breath is a powerful way to deal with the problems of your life.
When we create little scenarios in our minds,
Our brain can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not.
And the body reacts like it's a real emergency.
It speeds up our heart rate.
It speeds up our breathing and that releases hormones and natural chemicals throughout the body.
And so our imaginings,
Our fears,
Have a very real effect on our body and it isn't a good effect.
Meditation isn't about ceasing to think,
But about learning to recognize our own patterns and to gently consider our thoughts.
To guide them.
To look at them.
You aren't the talk going on inside your head.
You are the one who recognizes it and what it is.
We need to focus on positive thoughts.
I've said before that words have power.
So focusing on positive thoughts will improve your mental state.
It will help you to conquer your fears.
Visualize your success.
Picture yourself picking up that snake or looking out the window of the skyscraper.
Picture yourself mastering your breath as well.
And whatever else you try,
Thoughts also have great power.
Just remember it takes time and it takes practice.
Focus on each and every breath from beginning to end.
One breath at a time and then do it again and then again and then again.
A person who takes up gymnastics doesn't immediately do somersaults on the four-inch balance beam.
A person who plays basketball doesn't go out and shoot three-pointers from the beginning.
They start off slow and they repeat each move over and over and over thousands of times until they can do a thing correctly most of the time.
Focus on your breath.
Listen to it.
Feel it moving inside you.
Feel it as it comes in through your nose.
Feel it as it moves in through your chest,
Filling you up and then follow it back out.
Now start the whole thing again.
Focus on just breathing one breath at a time.
If you have thoughts just acknowledge them.
They have no importance.
Meditation and mindfulness are some of the best things you can do to conquer anxiety and stress.
One of the best things you can do to conquer your fears.
When you meditate your breathing is slower.
Your heart rate is slower.
Your mind is more tranquil.
So get in touch with your breath as often as you can throughout the day.
Even for just two or three minutes at a time.
If that's all you have,
Focus on your breath.
One breath at a time.
You can do this and I'm here to help.
Now as we come to a close,
Let's take in one long deep breath through our nose and exhale through our mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
You're ready to move back into your day.
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming practice and thank you for spending this time with me.
We can fight fear by utilizing our breath,
By utilizing meditation to focus our thoughts within,
Within a spot where fear has no place.
Till next time.
