Joy

 

Joy takes us spontaneously when we are ready to receive it.  Holding a baby, watching a flock of bird rising up from a field, seeing snow blowing like mist off of a pine tree, we are taken with a sense of awe at the beauty of the world, our hearts filling with joy. 

 

Fear blocks the rush of joy.  While there are many things to fear in the world, much of it comes from habitual thought patterns that triggers fear and overwhelm. Especially if you have experienced trauma, when the body/mind feels even a little apprehensive, the sympathetic (automatic) nervous system can ramp into overdrive in its attempt to protect from danger.  Even a bit of excitement where the heart races can set off a panic as it resembles the body in fear. In the trauma response, the danger feels real no matter the evidence to the contrary. 

 

It is hard for joy to penetrate through fear.  Joy flows through open-heartedness, tenderness, and safety, the opposite of the trauma response.  Yoga can help us prepare the way for this kind of joy and dismantling the fear response.  By calming and strengthening the nervous system, opening up the lungs, massaging the blood vessels and heart, yoga calms the trauma response so we might not be so reactive under stress and duress.   As the nervous system strengthens, we are able to tolerate more feelings of fear without so much overwhelm. We find a relaxation response stepping in, the part of ourselves that can step back from the overwhelm into a more spacious stance of watching the fear without being caught up in it.  

 

Yoga acts like a fear vaccine. Overtime, by allowing us to tolerate more fear, we develop an immunity to the fear response and are able to participate more fully in life as the threats are reduced.  As we cultivate more courage and faith, a sense of safety becomes familiar.  We become more open to all experiences including joy.