By Kaitlin Legge, 889 Yoga Teacher
Last week after teaching a Yin yoga class, a student came to me and said “That was great, but I have to admit, I’m embarrassed, I was holding off tears the whole time, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” The short answer to this is “Nothing is wrong with you! It happens all the time!” The science behind this type of emotion is a little bit more complex.
Interestingly enough, days later, practicing a deep hip opener in class, I was amazed to feel my face become flushed and see tears hitting my mat literally creating a small pool of water under my face. I have experience a few tears here or there in class, particularly during some deep heart openers, but this was a brand new type of crying. It was like ‘watching the notebook’ sobbing. I’m sure that I am not the only student to ever need the teacher to leave the classroom to grab Kleenex during childs pose. The experience of emotional release happens to lots of yogis everyday, in varying types of yoga classes. And the reasons behind this are fascinating.
The energy of the body is in constant motion. Through life’s journey the flow of our energy can be stagnated in certain areas of the body. This could be due to emotional trauma, feelings of insecurity or habitual protection. Have you ever noticed how a friend who has suffered heartbreak will sit or walk with their shoulders shrunken forward as if to protect their heart? This is an example of energy being stuck in and around the 4th chakra, the heart chakra. Over time, this friend may experience back pain, tight shoulders or shortness of breath, due to a lack of vital life-force or prana accessing that area.
Emotions are not only stored in the chest, but also commonly held deep within the muscles and tissue of the hips. Have you ever been in pigeon and felt yourself become extra agitated or frustrated? This is completely common. Perhaps even a memory or distant experience suddenly pops into your mind. This is a result of unexpressed emotions being held in the body, and creating tightness through the hips and thighs. An emotional release may manifest itself in the form of many sensations. You may experience change in breath rhythm, tightness in the belly or restrictions in the chest. You may also feel waves of chills up the spine, contraction in the shoulders and/ or tears. Whatever physical reaction you feel within the body, embrace it, this is a sign that your practice has moved evolved deeper and the union between your body, mind and soul is combining in a truly powerful way. We practice yoga not only to strengthen and stretch our bodies, but also to strengthen our mind and connect deeper to our spiritual self. Emotional breakthrough is just a sign that we are becoming more in tune with our bodies in a profound way.
It is important to note that emotional release is not something to push for in your practice. Just like you would not jump into handstand or Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel) before you are ready, you do not want to force the emotional body into something it is not ‘warm’ enough for.
It is important however, to work on opening the body in ‘emotional centres’ particularly the heart and hips. Practice heart openers such as Cobra, Locust, Camel, Upward Dog or Matsyasana (fish pose). Postures which open the hips include but are not limited to childs pose, and pigeon. Meditation and Restorative yoga will also intensify the connection between body, mind and soul.
As you journey along with your yoga practice, embrace subtle and dramatic changes. As you get deeper into your asana practice observe the changes within your emotional body as well. Your practice is beautiful and is exactly where it needs to be. Nurture your practice and it will provide you with all the nourishment you need.
`Do your practice and all is coming` - Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
