NOTE: I started this September weekly series on the Enneagram and Yoga on September 2. Please go here for an introduction to the Enneagram and a list of resources for more info. I won't repeat that information in each post, but it's important for you to have. Thanks. 🙏🏽
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Moving on, let's look at the TYPE SIX and TYPE SEVEN.
TYPE SIX: Known as both the "The Loyalist" and "The Skeptic", this tells you about the complexity of this type. Sixes are likable, caring, warm, compassionate, witty, and responsible. Sixes are the most loyal of all types to their families, friends, and to their beliefs. They will defend their communities and families tenaciously. They can be hyper-responsible, taking on too much at times, but proud that they live up to their commitments. They are generally bright and articulate, and can be very clever and funny. They may find a group or cause with which they identify and find a home there, working tirelessly to advance the common cause. Yet Sixes can be filled with anxiety as they anticipate all that can go wrong.
There are two main SIX TYPES: The Phobic who is a bit on the timid, people-pleasing side, and the Counter-phobic who acts out the type as defiant and confrontational. Either way, they are ruled by underlying fears. They fear having no support or guidance and question whether they can survive on their own. While they seek to find security and support, the Six has trouble completely trusting others, is wary of authority, and often riddled with anxiety about the dangers they perceive in the world around them.
Sixes may have heard a message that sounds like: "You are good or okay if you do what is expected." This message was deeply ingrained and has caused the Six often to not know their own mind. They seek authority outside themselves for reassurance and to discern "what is expected", but at the same time the skeptic in them can't trust just any authority. They spend a great deal of time seeking answers from a variety of sources to questions that plague them. They like rules and if they have determined the rules to be just and logical, they will follow them. The Six can be a riddle of contradictions -- some facing real or imagined fears with flight or freeze response, or for some, a strong fight response. But all are seeking safety and all fear abandonment which would leave them alone and vulnerable in the world.
The TYPE SIX in the Covid crisis would initially be a mess! They like predictability and the ability to control situations that are a threat to their safety. Since they are always scanning the horizon for these threats, the Covid crisis would feel terrifying and chaotic to them -- there is an unseen, but deadly enemy. The Six would look desperately for an authority to trust, would read voraciously. They would also seek to connect with others who feel the same and form alliances to address the situation. They would definitely be mask-wearers! Over time, their compassionate natures would likely lead them to reach out to others, checking in, offering encouragement and gratitude, hoping to receive the same in return. The Six would have a very hard time with the disconnection they feel from their trusted group, feeling their fear of being alone in the world playing out.
The Six can come to a healthier place by realizing that they have an inner wisdom that can serve them. They can learn to trust their own instincts, rely on their accumulated knowledge, and learn to have faith that they can count on themselves to figure out how to deal with any challenges that arise in their lives. Putting faith in their inner authority can help to relax the frenzied search for reassurance and connection outside themselves to know they will be OK.
YOGA FOR THE TYPE SIX: Partner poses would be great for a Skeptical Six. You can build trust and dispel fear by literally leaning in to another. Sixes also need a retreat from their whirling thoughts and "what if" rumination about possible disasters. A regular seated meditation practice and/or a grounding restorative practice would bring welcome respite to your busy mind.
Sixes are the sentinels of the Enneagram -- on alert for trouble and often able to help others see the roadblocks in a plan and/or help others find a way through a sticky situation. They are thinkers, planners, and experts at anticipating what's needed to smooth the way. They also feel deeply and long for deep connection; yet, doubt and anxiety too often cause Sixes to hold back from new experiences or from sharing their considerable gifts. Sixes, you are amazing. Fear not! We see you and appreciate you; we want you to see how you shine!
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TYPE SEVEN: Known as "The Adventurer" or "The Enthusiast", Sevens are the "life of the party" on the Enneagram. Sevens are generally charming, fun-loving, spontaneous, confident, curious, productive, and enthusiastic. Their sense of adventure and outgoing nature is contagious -- they are the Enneagram extroverts and people are drawn to them. They grab life with gusto, involved in many pursuits simultaneously. They work hard and play hard, fitting as much into one day as many do in a week. However, this "busyness" is often a tactic to avoid having to feel anxiety and to keep negativity (frustration, fear, hurt) at bay. They may be prone to indecisiveness; they worry they may never find what they really want in life. They are always looking ahead and have trouble being in the present moment.
The Seven may have heard a message sounding like, "You are good or okay if you get what you need." They seek to be happy and satisfied, and fear being deprived and trapped in pain. They can be consumed by life's menu of choices, from where to go on vacation to what flavor ice cream to choose. They want it all; they do not want to miss out! This frantic activity can become a problem when the speed of their lives leads them to make unwise choices (over-spending, thrill-seeking, over-indulging) or they become disconnected from really being present in life as they plan the next thing on the list. They may find that their busy minds and bodies become exhausted -- often with stress-related illness being the only thing that slows them down.
The TYPE SEVEN in the Covid crisis would take it in stride to a certain extent. They are natural optimists. They can offer reassurance, distraction, and good-humor. They have quick minds, able to brainstorm and synthesize information rapidly and come up with a plan. They would try to continue on with life as usual and find a way to make all of the concerns and accommodations become just another adventure to experience and get through. The hardest part for these extroverted Sevens would be to distance and isolate. They likely would become moody, angry, and frustrated by needing to stay home and away from circles of friends and colleagues, feeling imprisoned by the situation.
The Seven can come to a healthier place by finding an inner calm. Slowing down, spending time in introspection, cultivating self-discipline all will keep the Seven from suffering from their over-exuberance and at times over-indulgence. They might decide to seek counseling to guide them through looking at the fears they are running from, helping them understand there is good and bad in life in equal measure and experiencing both to the fullest degree will ground them in a here and now reality.
YOGA FOR THE TYPE SEVEN: Sevens will benefit from starting with a fast flow practice to expend energy, then slowing down and holding deep poses, like Pigeon or Frog, for long counts, with at least 5 long breaths between poses. Keeping your eyes open on a focal point will also ground you in the here and now. This is an opportunity to practice staying still -- a challenge, but a beneficial one.
Sevens are fun, optimistic, enthusiastic, friendly, quick, and playful. This hard and serious world needs more of all of that! People love being with Sevens and feed off their energy. But Sevens can wear themselves, and others, out at times too. It's OK to get quiet. It's OK to be content with "what is". The grass may not be greener over there, Seven. Stay put. And find everything you truly need within you. Breathe. ©
Namaste, donnajurene
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