Processing emotions through the body

Often we expect our life and the people in it to show up for us in the way that we want them to. When they don’t, we feel a certain way about it (maybe angry, sad, resentful etc) and this activates our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight).

So first of all, who said that life and our people should show up for us in exactly the way we want them to? It’s kind of funny when you think about it.

Now, usually the cycle of emotions is that they start as a sensation, then become a feeling, then a thought and then an action. If we express our emotions in a way that is skilful, we complete that cycle and move from a sympathetic nervous system response to a parasympathetic nervous system response (rest and digest).

The thing is, often we don’t fully express our emotions, we keep some bottled up inside of us. Those unexpressed emotions (or emotional tension) leave an imprint on our body – they create tightness in the body’s fascia.

It’s not always healthy or necessary to express how we feel about everything in conversation with others (it would probably be chaotic!). One thing we can do is to work with the fascia to process those emotions through the body.

Have you ever had the experience where you’re in a yin yoga pose and you feel sensation in a certain part of the body, and you notice that certain thoughts, emotions or memories come up?

The key to releasing the charge of those things is to cultivate an effortless breath (to activate the parasympathetic nervous system), to pay deep attention to the sensation and to soften (as much as possible) around the sensation. If thoughts, emotions or memories arise, observe them with equanimity (without going into the story) and continue to stay focused on the sensation until it finds its expression and dissolves. Notice how as you release physical tension, there is also a mental or emotional release. That emotional cycle may or may not complete in one practice, but over time, it will. This is one of the reasons why, to me, this practice of yin yoga feels so empowering.