Moving through fear to open our hearts

“That which pervades the body is indestructible. No one can destroy this imperishable one.

The body in which this eternal, indestructible and immeasurable one lives must come to an end. Therefore fight, Arjuna.”

-Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita ch. 2 v. 17-18

In the ancient Hindu text of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna guides his friend Arjuna through discussions on the spirit and moving through life in this material body before Arjuna has to face a life altering battle against friends and family. Arjuna expresses that he does not want to fight.

The quote above comes early on in their discussions as Arjuna asks what he should do: fight or retreat. Krishna answers that being a warrior is Arjuna’s duty in life, so he must complete this duty. Besides, Krishna adds, that what truly matters, the self or the soul, cannot ever be destroyed. This body is only temporary, but the true self inside the heart can never be hurt, altered, or destroyed. What lives inside the heart is eternal.

I have been focusing on moving through fear of change or big life transitions lately so that I can keep my heart open to opportunity and giving and receiving love. Transitions are scary because they upset what we consider to be our world. This world that we think of is the external, material world. As one of my teachers likes to say,”we spend our entire lives creating these elaborate castles in the sand and when they get knocked down and are gone, what do we have left?” What’s important for happiness is not what we have created in the material world, but what we already have in our hearts and how we share that with others.

We become so afraid of losing everything, upsetting our carefully crafted worlds, or of someone hurting us that we begin to build high and impenetrable walls around our castles but also around our hearts to protect our true selves. We close ourselves off as a defense mechanism, yet in the process we also close ourselves off to new opportunities for growth, love, and connection.

Over the years I have found that the times I have grown the most, loved the hardest, and connected best with others was when I created small cracks in the grand wall around my heart. Trusting in this idea that nothing and no one can ever destroy what is in my heart, I slowly have begun to tear down the walls to let others in and to try new things.

Don’t get me wrong- boundaries are necessary, but I believe that creating a balance between being open and knowing your own limits is key to finding the magic outside of your comfort zone.

An amazing friend and role model of mine once told me, “the magic lies outside of your comfort zone. If you never take the leap of faith, you’ll never know the beautiful life waiting for you.”

After she told me this I accepted a job in New York City and moved from Atlanta, Georgia to pursue a new life. This was the best decision I’ve made for myself because it’s led me to a deeper path of yoga. I’ve met many like-minded people and my heavy, hardened heart that I moved with has become lighter and softer- allowing for new people and opportunities to fill my heart with giving and receiving love. I have begun to remove the cob webs from my true self within my heart.

If you’re feeling anxious or afraid of an upcoming change, try meditating on the heart chakra or the heart space to invite a sense of openness. Try inhaling, feeling the expansiveness and openness of your heart. Exhale imagine a crack in the wall around your heart is formed. Repeat this visual meditation, inhaling and exhaling, for as many rounds as your heart desires.

Once you feel complete try a heart opening yoga pose. One that is accessible for most is a variation on standing forward fold, Utthanasana. You can do this on a break at work, while waiting for the subway, or in your home. Pretty much anywhere.

Stand in Mountain Pose, imagining all four corners of the bottoms of your feet pressing down into wet sand or mud. You are stable and grounded here. Stand up straight with the crown of the head shining toward the sky.

From here, interlace your fingers behind the small of your back- your sacrum. Inhale imagine your spine growing, extending even more toward the sky and begin to open the heart up. Exhale begin to hinge at the hips to fold over the legs, bringing the arms forward, hands still interlaced. You can keep the knees bent if that feels good for you- resting the chest on the tops of your thighs.

Breathe here- inhale the spine grows long toward the ground and exhale to sink a little deeper, bringing the interlaced hands forward. Focus on the heart space.

An affirmation can be used here:

my heart is open and indestructible. I am worthy of experiencing new opportunities and love.