Yogic ways to deal with fear

Aug 3

Amidst the confusion and fears of the COVID-19 crisis, I posted on Facebook: Caution is Wise. Fear is Disaster. A friend, Jamie, who I had met at Song of the Morning Retreat in Michigan, wrote the perfect comment: “I agree that fear is ultimately not the best place to be. However, it's important to remember that folks are currently living a very traumatic experience. It's probably best to approach the situation with compassion. Maybe instead of calling out feelings of fear, you, myself, and others can share ways to overcome fear.”

Jaime reminded me about two things that are so important in the spiritual approach to life’s problems: compassion and practicality.

In my effort to dispel fear, I was lacking in compassion and did not share how to overcome fear. This current crisis is unprecedented and so we are experiencing our fears in a new way—at a larger scale and on different levels, simultaneously. Many people feel embarrassed about these feelings and are unsure how to cope. Compassion is so much needed, along with practical methods to counter the fear.

It is said that the great sages and prophets who have tried to free mankind are motivated by love, by truly feeling for others and the desire to alleviate their suffering.

ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśhyati yo ’rjuna
sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ ||

O Arjuna, the best type of yogi is he who feels for others, whether in grief or pleasure, even as he feels for himself.

- Bhagavad-Gita VI:32 (translation by Paramahansa Yogananda)

Yoga is essentially practical, full of methods and “how to’s”. The following are some practical techniques and words of wisdom for dealing with fear, from the one who has guided me through life’s challenges more effectively than any other: Paramahansa Yogananda. This approach may not be for all and I do not present this article as a tool of judgment or comparison. It’s only an offering, from whatever compassion I can muster, to help others battle—and overcome—fear, the viral enemy that attacks us all. Fear.

fear vs. caution - as the yogi sees it

Whichever side of the debate you’re on, whatever your race, color, gender or religion, whether you are rich or poor, whatever your beliefs or perspectives of the issues at hand—you are experiencing varying degrees of fear. Fear spares no one. Fear comes from ignorance. But caution comes from the intuition. Caution is a function of our intuition that acts like a radar to keep us (and those in our care) safe and away from harm. It works on the physical level (“don’t walk on the edge of a cliff” or “don’t eat that poison”), and on a mental level (“that person is dangerous, keep your distance” or “I had better calm down”) and on a spiritual level (“I have a gut feeling that my soul will live eternally” or “I feel far from God, it’s time to reconnect”). Intuition functions in calmness even in a crisis situation. Think of a fireman who is calm, yet very aware, running into a flaming house. Fear, on the other hand, functions in anxiety and leads to either paralysis or recklessness. Fear actually harms us, whereas caution does not.

fear attracts

Here are some words that I’ve gathered by Paramahansa Yogananda about the nature of fear:

Mentally rise above imprisoning thoughts of health and sickness. In the constant fear of sickness, you are concentrating on it and attracting it to you.
Much suffering is due simply to worry. Why suffer now when the malady has not yet come? Since most of our ills come through fear, if you give up fear you will be free at once. The healing will be instant.
If you live in fear, your health will go….While you try to remedy your condition, inwardly be untouched by it. Be strong inside, with full faith in God.
Do your best to remove the causes of illness and then be absolutely unafraid. There are so many germs everywhere that if you began to fear them you would not be able to enjoy life at all.
Fear develops a malignant magnetism by which it draws to itself the objects feared, just as a magnet draws a piece of iron, and thus increases our miseries. Fear intensifies and magnifies our physical pain and mental agonies a hundredfold, and is destructive to the heart, nervous system, and brain.
Fear eclipses the almighty power of the soul. Fear nothing else, but try to fear fear. A mental indulgence in fear will create a subconscious habit of fear, so that when a real cause of fear comes, the subconscious fear will assert itself and will paralyze the conscious mind.

denial doesn’t work

Some people, in the name of spirituality, go the other direction and deny fear or any other negative thought or feeling. They do what is called “spiritual bypass”, which is actually a form of cowardice. We have to feel our emotions and be honest before we can let them go. Analyze them and make the choice to dump the ones that don’t serve our true Self.

Here’s some guidance from Paramahansa Yogananda on that:

While trying to keep the consciousness positive, many people become unreasonably afraid of negative thoughts. It is useless to deny that negative thoughts exist, but neither should you fear them. Use your discernment to analyze negative thoughts; and then dump them.

OK, KNOWING ALL THIS HELPS…BUT WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? YOGA ALWAYS EMPHASIZES PRACTICAL METHODS…

TWO SIMPLE TECHNIQUES TO QUIET YOUR HEART AND FEEL FREE

From Paramahansa Yogananda:
1) Fear comes from the heart. If ever you feel overcome by dread of some illness or accident, you should inhale and exhale deeply, slowly, and rhythmically several times, relaxing with each exhalation. This helps the circulation to become normal. If your heart is truly quiet you cannot feel fear at all.
2) Whenever you feel afraid, put your hand over your heart, next to the skin; rub from left to right, and say, ‘Heavenly Father [or any Name of the Divine], I am free. Tune out this fear from my heart.’ Just as you tune out static on an ordinary radio, so if you continuously rub the heart from left to right, and continuously concentrate on the thought that you want to tune out fear from your heart, it will go; and the joy of God will be perceived.

THAT FEELING OF FEAR AND ANXIETY—IT’S IN YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM

Words of Paramahansa Yogananda:
Even a little bit of fear, such as senseless apprehension of the dark or worrying about things that “might” happen, affects the nerves more than you can imagine. A healthy nervous system is what will maintain in proper order all the bodily organs and feelings. And to keep the nervous system healthy, it is important to remain free from devastating emotions such as fear, anger, greed, jealousy.
The emotions that do most damage to the nerves are fear, worry, and anger. Constant fear affects the heart and may result in palpitation and other heart troubles. Worry and anger affect the brain as well as the rest of the body, and lessen brain power and general efficiency.
Fear and worry are very closely connected. Worry is usually caused by a fear that something we consider undesirable is going to happen, although the thing we fear practically never does happen… A calm analysis of the cause will usually remove it.

TRY THIS YOGIC NERVE DRINK

No, my friends, it’s not a glass of wine. Yogis discourage non-medicinal use of alcohol because it numbs the will, harms the mind and almost always leads to addiction. It usually just covers up what’s really going on inside of you. It’s like spraying air freshener on a dirty floor rather than cleaning it. It’s true that alcohol has some medicinal uses, and for some it can calm the nerves from time to time. But many medicines are also dangerous and have side effects. As we know, alcohol leads many people to do or say things that they will later regret—taking this to the extreme, we see the worldwide statistic that more violent crimes and accidental deaths occur under the influence of alcohol than any other substance. But I know many people prefer this way and I don’t believe in shaming. I’m just telling you what the way of Yoga teaches.

In addition to the following recipe, Yoga and Ayurveda encourage herbal infusions (teas) for relaxation. But this one is very unique and you might want to try it out. I’ve had good results, once I got it right!

The Yogic Nerve Drink by Paramahansa Yogananda

A yogic drink that is very good for the nervous system is made by adding crushed rock candy [or raw granulated sugar] and fresh lime juice to a glass of water. It should be thoroughly mixed and evenly blended so that the taste is equally sweet and sour. It should be slowly sipped. I have recommended this to many people with excellent results.

YOU “FEEL” WHAT YOU EAT

Foods such as meat, which retain the vibrations of pain, fear, and anger of the dying animal, and denatured [processed] foods, which have had their natural properties destroyed, are irritating and disturbing to the equilibrium of the mind and rob it of its birthright: the power to awaken and direct the life energy [prana] to heal any part of the body.
- Paramahansa Yogananda

Yogis have always emphasized health through proper diet—not out of obsession or vanity, but as a responsibility to keep the body fit so that one can effectively live a life of service to others, devotion and happiness. In this way it’s even more relevant to say “you are what you eat”!

THESE ARE IMPORTANT PRACTICES TOO!

Some of these you will see all over the media. They work! And yogis recommend them too…

Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. This helps release the pent up nervous energy and regulates the flow of prana; it stimulates the immune system and allows the body a chance to detoxify.
Get Outside. Social distancing should not keep us from fresh air and sunshine, even if it’s on your patio. Antiviral and full of prana—sunshine and fresh air are essential. This is so important that Paramahansa Yogananda instructed his students to practice his Energization Exercises outdoors; and during extreme weather, indoors but in front of an open window!
Music. It’s best if you yourself can sing and make music; but everyone can at least listen to soothing, uplifting music.
Take more showers. Bathing helps shift the consciousness. Water soothes the nervous system. Everyone feels better after bathing. And it kills germs. So do it more—why not? Try three times a day!
Be creative. Read and write. Draw. Cook. Anything that absorbs your full attention and is creatively productive.
Healthy Diversions. Anything wholesome and harmless that absorbs your mind helps to refocus and relax your being. Sri Yoganandaji even mentions a good 15 minute nap to kick a bad mood–it works wonders!

3 MORE WONDERFUL METHODS

Try to remain for one minute at a time without thinking negatively, fixing the mind on the peace within, especially if worried. Then try to remain for several minutes with a quiet mind. Following that, think of some happy incident; dwell on it and visualize it; mentally go through some pleasant experience over and over again until you have forgotten your worries entirely.
Mentally surround yourself with Spirit and God's cosmic energy. Chant “Aum” three times, or the name of God [in the form that is meaningful to you]. That will shield you. You will feel a wonderful divine protection.
Every night, before you sleep, affirm: “My Heavenly Father/ Divine Mother is with me; I am protected.
-Paramahansa Yogananda

TRY CHANTING AFFIRMATIONS

Following are just a few affirmations by Paramahansa Yogananda, from his powerful little book Scientific Healing Affirmations. They are very helpful and contain a special power of his own blessing and consciousness to reinforce our own. They can be chanted anytime, but as explained above, they’re most effective after deep breathing, meditation, or before sleep. The general instruction is to chant out loud, then softly down to a whisper and then mentally, deeper and deeper into your consciousness.

I laugh at all fears, for my Protector, Father, Mother, Beloved God is especially, attentively awake and present everywhere with the deliberate purpose of protecting me.
God is within me, around me, protecting me—and so I will banish the gloom of fear that shuts out His guiding light.
When trials shriek and worries howl at me, I will drown their noises by loudly chanting ‘God! God! God!’
I am well, for God dwells in my every cell!

YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH!

Words of Paramahansa Yogananda:
Since you are made in God's image, to believe that your tests are more powerful than your ability to overcome them is to believe in an untruth. Remember, no matter what your tests are, you are not too weak to fight. God will not allow you to be tested more than you are able to bear.
You can only grow stronger when you fight with a stronger opponent.
Any time the voice of jealousy, fear, or anger speaks, remember that it is not your voice, and command that it be gone.
Uproot [fear] from within by forceful concentration upon courage, and by shifting your consciousness to the absolute peace of God within.
While you try to remedy your condition, inwardly be untouched by it. Be strong inside, with full faith in God.

BRING GOD IN

Yoga teaches that where God is, there is no fear, no sorrow.
- Paramahansa Yogananda

It’s difficult to feel the Divine Presence when fear clouds the mind. But try to bring in God, call in your Divine Mother-Father as your very own. All the above methods help you reach a state of being wherein you can more easily feel this Presence. Yogis always inwardly repeat their mantra, practicing Jāpa Yoga; or they will concentrate their prāna and mind at the kutastha or anahata chakra, even during activity. Even if you practice this a little bit, it will change you. Chant the Name of your ishta-devata, which is the form or concept of The Divine that is dearest and closet to your heart, regardless of your religion.

Whatever it is that you fear, take your mind away from it and leave it to God. Have faith in Him. Much suffering is due simply to worry. Why suffer now when the malady has not yet come? Since most of our ills come through fear, if you give up fear you will be free at once. The healing will be instant. Every night, before you sleep, affirm: ‘The Heavenly Father is with me; I am protected.’ Mentally surround yourself with Spirit. You will feel His wonderful protection.

WANT TO READ MORE?

Paramahansa Yogananda’s three books of collected talks and essays have many articles about conquering fear, living in health, facing world crises, and more. The titles are, Man’s Eternal Quest, The Divine Romance, Journey to Self-Realization. All are published by Self-Realization Fellowship.

Naren K. Schreiner