The Other Side of Fear: A Guided Meditation to Facing Fears in the New Year (87)

2024 is here , we have entered a new year and often this time of year there's a lot of weight around setting new year's resolutions , going hard , going strong to achieve all of the things in the year ahead , and I don't want to bash that at all and I also want us to lean into some other things and some other energies and ways that we can start the year .

So in episode 33 , we did an amazing episode with Tara Eschenroder , one of my dear teachers and mentors and friends , about setting intentions for the new year and resolution . So if you're looking for a little inspiration , that's a great episode to go back to and listen to for the start of the year .

But today we are going to lean into fear and facing our fears together as we start this new year and we're going to move through a meditation and kind of like a mini workshop to process this together .

So today's meditation and kind of mini workshop experience we're going to go on together is inspired by my dear friend and an incredible teacher , olivia Yohei , from a workshop she taught on the winter solstice , and I think that this is a really powerful way to start the new year because the winter solstice is kind of nature's reset of the year .

It's kind of the reset of the natural world . It's where we've hit the longest night of the year and we're gradually entering in more light , so we're gradually moving into this transition of seasons . So it's a really powerful time to reflect and to set intentions .

So I think weaving this practice that we did together on the solstice is a really great thing to do as we're starting the year and it has us leaning into fear . So there's a timestamp in the show notes of when the meditation begins so that you can download this episode and just come straight back to this meditation anytime you need .

So find a space that feels safe and supported for you and we'll get started . So I would recommend being somewhere where you can welcome stillness , so maybe if you're driving right now , you download this one , save it for later so you can practice in a really nurturing space .

You can practice seated or you can practice lying down , really whatever is going to make you feel best here . And let's just start to land here together . You can begin by noticing where your body makes contact with the earth , and then you can take note of where your breath flows in and out of the body and know that these two things are your anchors .

They are always here to support you . The earth is always here to hold you and , as long as you're living , the breath is here to flow through you . So these are your constants , these are your supports you can turn to if you feel overwhelmed . And I want you to now begin to envision a circle of protection around you .

So , to help you feel really safe here , I want you to imagine sometimes for me , I like to imagine like a circle of light surrounding me . Maybe you have an image of like a circle of candles , or maybe it's like a circle of puppy dogs . Whatever would make you feel loved and safe and supported and held .

Imagine that encompassing you here , holding you in this space . Then allow yourself to be still here . Maybe just take a bird's eye view of your experience in this moment . See yourself sitting here , envisioning that circle of protection around you .

Notice any sounds , any thoughts , any sensations that arise , then allow them to all be here , let them all be a part of this experience and again return to that sensation of support from the earth beneath you . Know that you're held , know that you're safe . And now we're going to take some time to lean into fear .

So for the next few moments , I want you to get familiar with fear . Maybe think of like five things in your mind that you're afraid of . If you want to journal this , if you have some pen and paper nearby , you can do that too Just taking some notes , either mentally or physically , about what you fear . Just let it all out . What scares you the most .

And we're not trying to get rid of anything , we're not trying to solve any fears here . We just want to give it a name , because often when things are in the dark and they don't have a name , when we don't have a light on them , they're a lot scarier . So the first element of working with our fear is becoming aware of what they are .

And now I want you to lean into what fear feels like in your body . So say one of those things on that list of you're afraid of just jumped out at you right now . How does it feel in your body that we're here with you right now ? Beware , in the body is it located ? What does it feel like ? Does it have a temperature , a texture ?

Notice as many qualities about this sensation as you can , and we're not trying to run away from this , we're not trying to push this sensation away .

I actually want you to go deeper into it , really getting to the root of how fear feels here , and I invite you to ask yourself and lean into what helps you be with this fear , what helps you to not run away , not to push it away , but to instead go deeper . Maybe you think of a fear you've overcome in the past . What helped you to be with fear then ?

And can you offer yourself that here , knowing that together we've called in support from the earth , the breath and our circle of protection around us to be with fear here ? What other things help you feel supported ?

And then take a big breath in and a big breath out , and we're just going to take a step back now , maybe give your body a little wiggle if that's what it needs , and we're going to gently scan the body from head to toe just to help us take a step back and to not be stopped by the fear .

So take a moment to notice again where you feel the breath in the body . And as I name various parts of the body now I want you to bring your attention to each point as you hear it named , but refrain from moving any part and just simply try to stay awake and alert by listening to the sound of my voice .

Right hand , left hand , right arm , left arm , right side of the chest , left side of the chest , right hip , left hip , right leg , left leg , lower back , all back , upper back , the entire spine , the whole face , the whole head , the whole body , the whole body .

Just visualize your body being held by the earth beneath you , surrounded by that circle of protection . Take a big breath in and a big breath out . And now I want you to think about something that makes you feel excited . So maybe it's a new puppy , or going on a big trip , or hiking a mountain , Whatever makes you feel giddy and excited inside .

Imagine that thing is here and notice where you feel it in the body . Studies show that fear and excitement have the same sensation in the body , or similar sensation . They're in the same places in the body . The body doesn't know the difference . Our mind creates the different perceptions around them .

So maybe you noticed excitement lived in the same space as fear .

And now take a few moments to reflect and ask yourself what lives on the other side of fear , maybe repeating these things in your mind , or again you can jot it down what lives on the other side of fear ? Let's take a few moments to reflect , breathe and be with that too .

Breathe and be with that too , and just notice how you feel here , notice if it's any different from when you began . I don't want you to get over your fears or shut them away .

I want you to get curious about them , to go deeper into them so that you can see the ways that they're a part of a whole and so that you can step into what lives on the other side . We don't need to resist fear and it doesn't need to stop us . Return to where your body makes contact with the earth .

Know that the earth and your breath are here and that the earth and your breath are here . Know that the earth and your breath are here to hold you always .

And let's take one more breath together , in through the nose and out through the mouth , and return to this sensation of grounding and strength as you return to this space , knowing that with every breath you can step into what lives on the other side of fear .

Thank you so much for stepping into fear with me today , for being willing to go deep and to be with the whole picture , the full scope of fear and what lives on the other side . If this podcast has been impactful in your life , you can help us share this offering with others by joining the dream team .

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