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Sadhguru on Spirituality: He says why you are fearful and how your mind can create fear
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Isha Foundation's teachings on fear repeatedly return to awareness and taking charge of your inner experience.
Fear can arrive before anything actually happens. You may worry about an upcoming conversation, imagine something going wrong at work or replay an old experience and expect the same outcome again.
On September 7, Sadhguru addressed the subject in the Isha Foundation audio titled “This is Why You're Fearful”. The post appears under Isha's sections on the mind and emotions. His explanation offers a spiritual way to look at a feeling most people experience at some point: fear of what has not happened yet.
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Why does your mind create fear?
According to Sadhguru, fear is closely connected to the way you use your memory and imagination. In another Isha Foundation teaching on fear, he explains:
“Fear means to suffer what may or may not happen in the future.”
He adds that fear can arise when you mix your memory, present experience and imagination. Think about a situation that made you uncomfortable in the past. You remember it, imagine that something similar could happen again and begin reacting to that possibility in the present.
The event has not happened, but your body and mind can still respond to the thought of it. Fear can begin with what you imagine
You might know this feeling from everyday life. Before an important meeting, your mind may run through everything that could go wrong. Before a difficult conversation, you may imagine the other person's reaction.
Sadhguru's teaching asks you to notice this process rather than immediately believe every fearful thought.
How to deal with fearful thoughts?
The next time fear appears, pause before reacting.
Ask yourself what is actually happening at that moment. Then notice what part of your fear comes from something that happened earlier and what part comes from something you are imagining could happen.
You do not have to fight every thought. You can simply observe it.
This approach is different from trying to force yourself to “think positive.” It asks you to become more aware of how your thoughts are shaping your experience.
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What Sadhguru says about living beyond fear
Isha's teachings on fear repeatedly return to awareness and taking charge of your inner experience. In another Isha video, Sadhguru says fear, anger and stress are experiences you create within yourself and suggests that becoming conscious of this process can change how you experience life.
For a spiritual practice, this can begin with something simple. When you notice fear rising, stop for a moment. Feel your breath. Look at what is happening around you. Then separate the facts of the present from the story your mind is building about the future.
You may not be able to control everything that happens next. But Sadhguru's teaching puts the focus on something closer to you: becoming conscious of what your mind is doing before fear takes over.
