Orange Lotus YogaYoga for stress relief

I hope you are well and you are enjoying the beautiful summer we have. I was thinking about what to share this month and it came to me that many people see yoga as practice on the mat, whatever the practice is. But for me, yoga is so much more. Life is my practice. And this summer I am working very hard with my fear of water. I learned how to swim when I was 38. It’s still new and I have a lot of negative associations with water, especially deep water because I was drowning three times as a child. For the last few years, I was practising befriending my fear in a deep swimming pool. And it was tough. I had panic attacks each time I couldn’t touch the bottom, but lifeguards were there, so I didn’t worry too much and kept going. And after a few months, my mind got used to it and I felt safe. So I moved to a deeper one. The same process happened. So I dared to swim in the lake. With no one watching. But I had my little buoy with me so each time fear paralysed my body I was resting on it. And I still keep going. The fear is still here, but I think we have an understanding. It knows I won’t give up. I am stubborn, and each time it gets smaller and smaller.

My friend asked me–why am I doing this to myself? The answer is so easy – life is so much bigger than our minds, our fears. Fear is limiting my perception of the world and I want to see life as it is and not what’s comfortable to see. Hence, I face my fear. That’s the only way, safe and small steps, but hopefully one day I will get there. And each time I conquer fear, the feeling of freedom is expanding and I float… I feel weightless… I feel like I come closer to something, closer to life, closer to the truth. Everything in our life is a practice, and how we react to it is up to us.