We all fear. We have those fears grounded in life (having enough/making a living to provide for our families) And those less grounded (ax murderer in the woods).
When you are open and trusting these kinds of baseless fears tend to leave you. And when you have a regular practice of mindfulness and stress relief, the realistic stuff holds less sway over the direction of your thoughts.
Our practice this week will be with poses that make us feel off balance and possibly afraid. There is the fear of looking foolish in public, there's the fear of injury. There are other, deep seated fears that can present themselves as physical limitations without being clearly understood consciously. This week try and practice as if you believed all your physical limitations were a result of mental tension. When you soften internally while toning physically, you become capable of feats you never thought possible before. Even if they're only for a moment. If you've ever seen We Bought a Zoo: All you need is 20 seconds of bravery.
One way in which we can combat our tendency to fear is through intelligent energy management. Domes are one of the most resilient structures of the physical world. "Domes maximize volume while minimizing surface area, providing structural integrity with a minimum of energy/material, making them perfectly stable and inert as molecular packages. They are energy efficient as architectural structures - retaining heat, while minimizing solar heat load and they minimize drag and distribute wind/snow loads." There is doming action throughout or bodies. (Arches of feet, diaphragm, palate, skull) these are physical structures used to prevent gravity from overwhelming us. Our energy body can use these same structures to keep our prana flowing in the proper direction. The perineum, diaphragm and the hollow of throat are the areas of the three main bandhas. We will utilize these internal domes to help stabilize us in challenging asana. As we utilize them, so we strengthen our ability to walk tall through the difficulties of our lives. Bandhas prevent us from being overwhelmed by the gravity of our external responsibilities and internal reactions to them.
