More thoughts on fear

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." Marie Curie

     I'm a yoga teacher. I'm dismayed, repeatedly, when someone says they were afraid to come to their first yoga class. So I'm contemplating that fear...
     Fear of the unknown. There are folks here, just like you, practicing and learning. We don't bite, criticize, or twist up like pretzels.
     Fear of not knowing how. We're all learning, in ALL areas of life. No one, especially me, your instructor, expects you to be great the first time. We do ourselves a huge disservice by letting fear of being a beginner stop us. Also, I have small classes and I'm trained to assist, even those who have practiced a long time.
     Fear of embarrassment. A great thing about yoga is that there's no competition and no comparison, and that's a great practice to take off the mat into the world as well.
     Fear you won't like it. OK, no problem. One class does not a life-long commitment make. At least you tried. Though I would suggest you try more than one teacher and more than one style of class!
     All the regular students in my classes will tell you how glad they are that they've stuck with it, and how a yoga practice has enhanced their well-being. Overcoming the fear was SO worth it!
     You may note that the few fears I've listed here can hold us back from a lot more joy in life than just a yoga practice. What's holding you back?
     BE bold!
         Leta