Yoga and the Emotions (part 1)

"We crave solace and comfort. We long for freedom-not the freedom from our lives, but the freedom we can find within our lives"
"Yoga can also challenge you by bringing you face-to-face with your emotions-not always an easy place to be" - Patricia Walden : The Woman's Book of Yoga & Health

Well, it is another blogpost where I do not offer asana breakdowns and benefits.  I would much prefer to have you in a class, face to face, and evaluate your needs with you.  There are umpteen ways to do each posture.  Some with support of bolsters, blocks, straps, some just easing into gravity, some intensifying your reach with your own body weight…..

What is “right”? Pain, of course, and confused breathing are both indications that the “how” of what you are doing and possibly the “what”, are not working…Find comfort and steady, relaxed breathing.  Wait, sense and feel, some unfolding of your body, tune in.  I like this, it works for me.  I find generally that relaxation is under-rated, yet it is foundational to a clear, focused mind (which you need to cut cucumbers for a salad, drive a car, watch the stock market, your children etc etc), sleep well, digest your food, steer clear from diseases.

Now, as you do this part of your practise, you may or may not follow every direction a Teacher gives in a class, you may love and or hate some of the flow, you may or may not experience emotions that you do not come across in any of your other activities, sports, past-times.  This is what I will touch on today.  Yoga and the emotions.   Sometimes, in spite of demonstrating, giving verbal directions, hands on assistance, and clear directions with enough time and space to go at their own pace,  a student will complain to me while in class that a posture or flow is too hard, even when the posture is brought to their needs, or they feel there are too many directions, or they do not know when or how to breathe.  These are all great questions to be answered.  Mainly for today I will say that sometimes, in a busy life, our activities are used as tools of mass-distraction.  Whether it is cramming a day full of work, shopping, gym, hobbies, gossip, whatever it is to fill time and avoid whatever is percolating in the subconscious.

However, time on the mat is different.  You know Yoga means connection – right? Well as a psychosomatic practise, what that means is that the thoughts you are having all day (for example: “I have too much to do” “this is too much for me” “I can’t take this anymore”…) find their way into your cells, muscles, glands.  In short – the issues are in the tissues.  This can mean that when you are finally face to face with your body, breathing into every nook and cranny, bringing light and awareness everywhere, whatever you may have swept under the mat can jump out at you. 

What you can do if this happens is

-have a private chat with your Teacher (I suggest you set up a meeting or email for this)

-breathe, be, relax instead of "following" or "trying"

-Honor your feelings

-tap into the Witness for some objectivity

-embrace the challenge  as a way to move forward

Hope this helps!
Om shanty, shanty, shanty, Rana