Guest Author - Jen Blackert

If you have practiced yoga for a considerable amount of time, you know that emotions can be revealed through moving and stretching the body. The longer and deeper you practice the more you will find this to be true. Anger, sadness, impatience and agitation seem to be the emotions I feel the most in my practice.

In The Tree Of Yoga, BKS Iyengar writes, “You should know that though the brain is situated in the head. The mind exists in the entire fabric of man.”

What does this mean to you? I understand it to mean, that the “mind” exists in every cell of our existences. It shows up as gut feelings and heartaches. The “mind” also shows up in our emotions and feelings. We FEEL our emotions in our body. Where do you feel happiness? Where do you feel depression? You may not know exactly, but you do feel it. It is in the body.

Last week a coaching client, Molly, shared a story with me that demonstrated the fact that her biography was held in her biology/body. She was experiencing a mild chronic pain between her shoulders. Molly was in both physical and mild emotional pain when she performed a heart-opening yoga asanas. For example upward dog and other back bends are both heart-opening asanas. Molly shared that she would only go so far in her backbends because of physical pain. That was until last week when her yoga teacher adjusted her slowly to deepen her backbend. During upward dog Molly’s yoga teacher put her knee lightly between Molly’s lower shoulder blades and the opened Molly’s shoulders and chest with her hands. During this adjustment, Molly experienced a memory from her childhood. She remembered her mother disciplining her. Her mother was angry because she lied to her. Molly felt unloved. And at the moment of the teacher’s adjustment Molly said she felt angry and unloved at the teacher for adjusting her. As class continued Molly found that her pain was gone. Now a week later Molly is enjoying yoga and especially backbends more and more.

Do you think that emotional wounds can cause illness and disease? I didn’t use to, but these days I believe this to be true. Think of it this way. If everything is energy including your emotions, such as anger, fear and worry, couldn’t it be possible that these energy frequencies could be held in the body. It would be the same as holding on to a grudge, and regrets from your past. So what should you do? My advice... complete your fights, find closure and resolve unresolved issues in your life.