Embracing Freedom
When I was 13 years old I was laying flat on my stomach barely peering over the edge of a 100ft cliff at the ground and in complete fear of what was asked of me. I was asked to rappel down. Heights and I were not friends. Looking out a window towards the ground just one story below made my stomach go weak and panic settle in.
As long as I never looked down I was fine. Even as a skier I never looked down when riding the lift because that sick feeling would come rushing in. That limited me from experiencing so many things like the glass walkway at the Grand Canyons, or walking up the Eiffel Tower, riding in a hot air balloon or even rappelling.
So 10 years ago I decided to move past my fear of heights used skydiving as the way to do it. Just the thought of skydiving started making my body get uncomfortable. I needed to train my mini and body to become comfortable. But how was I going to do that without actually jumping out of a plane to do?
I decided to visualize it and train the mind and body to become familiar with it. Every day I would sit down for a 30–40 minute meditation and take my mind and body through the experience. I did this for roughly 90 days prior to actually jumping out of a plane. The first maybe 40 days were incredibly hard. Most days I could not make it far into the meditation before my mind and body freaked out. My nervous system went into a panic response and I would often find myself slapping my legs to get me out of the meditation. But every day I went back and did it again.
It is sort of like training a wild horse. Each day you go back and do it again. Eventually my nervous system didn’t react, my body started to simmer and my mind got used to feeling safe. Now mind you I had no idea what skydiving actually felt like since I had never done it. I always thought it was like a free fall sensation but in the meditation I always felt like I was floating.
When the day came to skydive I felt relatively calm. Of course I was a bit nervous but nothing like the panic I used to feel. And when it came time to jump out of the plane there was a slight hesitation but then a voice said, “we have down this before.” You see the mind doesn’t know the difference between what is real or not.
Play with me for a moment: Think about your favorite food. Imagine it is sitting right in front of you on a plate. Soak in the scent of this food, notice the texture and colors. Bring in up to your lips and then take a bite. Notice that your mouth has began to salivate. And yet the food is actually not there…you are just visualizing it and your body is reacting.
Now I have no issues with heights. I love rappelling and feel a sense of freedom every time I rappel. I can’t believe I was missing out on so much because of my fear off heights.
You see when we move past our fears we embrace freedom. We become limitless, expansive, abundant and thrive. Isn’t that what we are here to do as humans? That is certainly what I am here to do.
What is one fear you would love to be free of? Comment below.
Much Love & Light,
Kerri-Ann
www.kerri-ann.com
