Notes from a recent course I took at the Sivananda Yoga Center on “Living Without Fear” (May 2009):
What is the root of fear?
+ Instinctual fear or natural fear (e.g., see a snake, get scared)
+ Unnatural fear or imagination based (i.e., imagination plays and wreaks havoc)
3 types of Energy
+ Tamas: quality that keeps this together; lens of darkness and depression (e.g., when you are having trouble getting out of bed); Inventing fear based strategies — e.g., avoiding someone
+ Rajas: quality of energy with motion; Imagination focused on being right — I am right; you are wrong; very rigid all or nothing
+ Sattva: quality of purity; enlightened consciousness; cooperative imagination — finding a way to work with others
What lens are we seeing things through?
+ Every action creates your character
+ The predominating actions creates the lens of tamas, rajas, or sattva
+ Brick-by-brick of action we create our character
+ Look at your patterns of fear to begin to understand fear in your life (e.g., predominant reactions to work situations or in relationships)
What determines our lifestyle?
+ There are values that mold our lifestyle — parents/primary caregiver/culture/etc. can mold our values and lifestyle
+ As we get older, we have a chance to ask whether we accept X values — we can choose what value to espouse
What determines values?
+ Desire can take the place of values
+ What do you desire versus what do you need? For example, in relationships how much love and attention do you desire versus what you need.
+ We cannot solve the problems out of the same mind that created the problem ~ sivananda
+ If you are not comfortable or have fear in a certain situation, how can you retrain your reaction
What is the importance of relaxation?
+ Body contracts when in fear
+ Fear immobilizes body, but mind is completely active — the poles of physical versus mental mobility
+ The temperature of fear is cold; the temperature of anxiety is hot
+ Paranoia is rigidity with an idea without checking the assumptions
+ Work with your assumptions
+ What assumptions have I made today? We always assume there is time to clear things up –> clear things right way