"The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." --Nelson Mandela
A few years ago, I took my goddaughter and her sister to a pumpkin patch. I had just introduced them to acroyoga and they were in a #stopdropandyoga mode. For those who don't know acro yoga is a blend of yoga, and acrobatics that involves a partner. We met my friends there and because acro yoga is so inviting they joined in. So there we were, a party of 6 in a public space being care free exploring acro yoga. Of course, we drew a bit of attention. Much of our audience watched from afar but there was one woman came over, with curiosity written all in her eyes. She and her son looked like they wanted to join. Acro yoga is pretty infectious. Because it was pretty apparent, I asked if she wanted to try. Her first response, was that she felt she weighed to much. I informed her that I flown men who weighed more than she and I. She then confessed although she was intrigued, she was afraid of the idea of flying. Her son who looked as eager shared the same fear. I informed her acro yoga is an excellent opportunity to conquer fear and build trust. Also, that if she tried it may give her son the confidence to try. After a few inhalations and exhalations, we worked together to explore conquering her fear of falling. We focused on trust. In this case trusting that I would keep her safe in addition to, her trusting herself. She eventually let go and surrendered. It was such a beautiful moment. We witnessed her tap into her inner child. By doing this her actual child was able to release any fears or reservations he had and flew after her. We were able to capture it in the below. Her son in the background.
There were so many lessons in that moment and milestones. A few stick out: We take for granted how conquering our fears inspire others to do the same. We can do more than we believe if we would not let fear stand in the way. I am also reminded of this quote:
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask "What if I fall?"
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?
So I close with this question: How are you conquering your fears and becoming FEAR(LESS)?