Overcoming Speaking Anxiety

By Ananda Meditation Teacher Beverly Abel, June 2016

Today I started a 4–series class on “Introduction to Meditation” at the library where I work. I had been dreading this a bit, and my stomach was starting to knot up during the week beforehand.

Here are the things I did to help me:

  1. I first focused on my enthusiasm for what I had to share. This was easy, because I do feel great enthusiasm for meditation and all that it can do.
  1. I also tried to feel I was serving as a channel for Paramhansa Yogananda as I shared his teachings on meditation. This helped me to feel more love, and love is an antidote to fear.
  1. The week before the class, I tried to visualize each of the people who had signed up, holding them in light and love. If I didn’t know them, I repeated their name and said a prayer for them.  Because of this, when the day arrived and the students started arriving for class, I felt like I already knew them and that they were old friends that I cared about.  We chatted a little bit before class started, and this also helped me to relax.
  1. During the week before the class, I used an affirmation by Yogananda: “I will go forth in perfect faith in the power of Omnipresent Good to bring me what I need at the time I need it.”
  1. The one thing that helped beyond measure was praying to Paramhansa Yogananda at home before I left for class, and visualizing myself touching his feet. I told him that I couldn’t do the class without him and prayed for him to take the anxiety away from me.After meditating awhile, I felt my heart kind of opening up and filling with happiness.Holding on to that special blessing made for smooth sailing.

I am very thankful and now I look forward to our next class.

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