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Be guided by your desires not by your fears

- Annabel Chown

Earlier this year, I was offered the chance to teach meditation to a group of women. While I’ve meditated for 20 years, I’m not trained to teach it. Occasionally, I’d weave five minutes of it into one of the yoga classes I host. But the prospect of a regular, hour-long class terrified me.

My friend, Ayala, a very experienced meditation teacher, had been the group’s first choice. She was too busy, so recommended me. The women wanted a trial session first.

‘How on earth will you make it through a whole hour? You’ll probably be a huge disappointment, especially compared to Ayala. I bet they won’t ask you back.’ These were among the thoughts streaming through my mind.

I shared them with Ayala. ‘I think you’re ready,’ she said. ‘But, more importantly, do you want to do this?’

I thought hard about it. I love how meditation connects me to a quiet, spacious place deep within, away from the noise of my thoughts and of day-to-day life. Behind my doubts lay a longing to guide others to that place.

I ask executive coach Lisa Quinn why this critical voice, warning us of all that can go wrong, arises when we consider stepping into unfamiliar territory.

'Our brain is wired for survival,' she explains. 'Historically, when we were more at risk of mortal danger, say from a predator, it was constantly scanning the environment for threats. Today, it can still register anything new as a threat. So when this voice tells you all the reasons not to try something new, it's just our brain trying to protect us. But much of what it says isn't true.