We all have them… deep seated emotions that arise when certain things trigger us. Something from within bubbles up, and old patterns resurface. We may even feel physically sick or carry a seemly chronic pain with us that flairs up under emotional stress.
I’ve been researching and experiencing this topic lot over the past 12 months in an effort to shift and move some of my own emotional blocks and beliefs of which I’ve given no attention to until now. By doing so Ive started a journey of self discovery and an ability to clearly feel where emotional pain sits in my body when I am under stress or dealing with a challenging or delicate situation. The movement of these emotions causes tears, fear, sweat, pain and freedom.
There are many tools and techniques readily available to us all to help work through emotional trauma and feelings that cause us discomfort. Yes, there are councillors, kinesiologists, sound healers and life coaches, but there are also some powerful tools that we all can access freely and as often as we need to.
This is the best news yet and something that excites me fully... if we take the time to re-learn these ancient techniques we can become self empowered to heal our own emotional and physical pain. All of these techniques are supported best with a holistic approach - think diet, exercise, reducing toxic load etc, etc… however on their own can also offer major shifts if you commit to the practices. I have been fortunate enough to be supported by a talented friend/teacher in learning and developing some of these tools.
Meditation, movement/dance, energetic body work, embodiment practices, yoga, EFT, pranayama and sound healing are just a few of the sources which can support you in moving emotional energy from the body.
The two I will touch on in this article are meditation - stillness inside without being aware of anything except awareness itself - and pranayama - breath work, concsious breathing, tantric breathing..
These practices are two of my most favourite things, as they offer my mind, body and spirt a place to connect and work as one, allowing me to experience deep healing and balance in my internal and external worlds.
Both practices have been shown to be tools which can effectively help increase the flow of prana (life force) through the body and assist in the release of emotional pain which we unconsciously store in our bodies. This storing of emotions can in turn lead to pain, discomfort and dis-ease, hence if we can learn to release this constriction we will see ourselves transform.
There is evidence to support the strong connection between breath and emotions. It has been said that if we can learn to control our breath we can soon learn to control our emotions.
The connection in simple terms is as easy as this…. when you feel anxious, angry or disappointed, you are talking about the sensations you are feeling in your body and mind due to a particular situation/person. These sensations cause major changes in your breathing - hence this affects your nervous system and things such as heart rate and hormone release. Breath work can help you voluntarily influence involuntary bodily systems.
If we hold onto these emotions for too long they form deep rooted patterns within our mind and body creating emotional baggage - which will eventually become quiet toxic to the system.
Simply by changing the way you breathe, your thought patterns and the way you move your body, you will start to trigger change and facilitate the release of trapped emotions which cause discomfort in the physical body.
Typically most of us are unaware of the way we breath. We give it no thought and no attention. This can lead to an uneven or broken flow of prana throughout the body, making it near impossible for those emotional patterns/sensations to find a clear way out.
Ancient traditions say that sickness shows up firstly on a subtle level in your prana - by means of blocked charka points (energy centres located down your spine). If not addressed this then starts to show up on a physical level in the parts of your body which correlate with each charka point.
If we do not deal with these feelings and emotions, or we do not know how to process them as they occur, they sit within the body. So a key to our wellbeing is simply to learn how to deal with emotional pain, rather than push it aside and pretend its not there. Communication is key here, plus openly feeling the emotions and visualising the release and forgives of whatever it may be. Being accepting and grateful for it is also truly valuable.
It has been suggested that during pranayama and or meditation practice, we breath rhythmically, and that it is likely that the frequency of the vibration of the breath matches one of the natural rhythms of an emotion.
Subhash, presents the principle in physics which states that when two waves if similar frequency collide with each other, their force can get magnified many times. So he believes that something similar happens when our emotions match the frequency of our breathing pattern. In this case even a hidden emotion can come up to the surface making it easier for us to finally be aware of it and deal with it.
Likewise, it is equally likely that the neutron configuration for a given emotion might get disturbed to an extent that the face of the emotion gets weakened. Hence with practice and stillness of the chattering mind, emotions can eventually be brought under control quiet effectively.
Pranayama
- Increases the quality and quantity of prana
- Supports clearance of energy and emotional blocks allowing for kundalini energy to rise and offer ecstatic bliss (full body orgasm)
- Conscious breathing can control nervous system (slow it, reduce stress and hormone release)
- Stimulates the vagus nerve (off stitch for disease)
- Detoxes and cleanses the body on a physical level
- Ability to manage emotions through conscious breathe work
- Increases energy levels and positive thoughts
Mediation
- Visually release physical and emotional pain through guided meditation
- Develop self awareness
- Reduce and manage stress and anxiety
- Slows breathing and builds life force/energy
- Develops compassion, clarity, love and inner peace
- Allows space for observing the mind (becoming aware of emotional and behavioural patterns)
“When we neglect unexpressed emotions, they will come forth in uglier ways.” ~ Sigmund Freud
Reading and sources: www.artofliving.org, www.chopra.com, www.yogawithsubhash.com