It Takes Courage to Heal
The theme in our classes last week was acknowledging this deep healing work is not easy. Showing up to the mat consistently for mindful movement and breath awareness might sound relaxing, but when you give it a go you realize, nope- it’s hard work.
Yoga is not just laying around 'ooing' and 'awwing' about the feel good stretch. Yoga is a deep journey inside oneself. If we find the courage to dive inside and be with what we feel, we inevitably run into some icky, sticky stuff.
Everyone has stored difficult emotions, unprocessed feelings and repressed thoughts in their body. When we practice mindful movement coupled with breath awareness, we bring ourselves in touch with these subconscious and unconscious locked energies. Through Yoga practice, we bring these things to the surface.
This experience of pain resurfacing, feels like pain. Discomfort and dis-ease feels exactly the same way it did when we pushed it down. That’s where courage comes in.
If we can muster the strength and attention to be with what we feel, it does get processed and released.
But it is uncomfortable. Our instinct is to run. Or numb or disassociate or whatever other coping mechanism we have found to work; we will turn to it. It requires an enormous amount of courage to stay with what we feel and not interfere, not judge and not escape.
Sometimes our instinct is to analyze, explain or fix. None of that is necessary or equal to BEING with our pain. It is quite a revolutionary idea to stay with what we feel. If you observe your own inner workings, you will see what we have created is a cycle of reacting.
We have an experience and unconsciously, and quickly determine if we like what we are feeling. We judge each experience as pleasant or unpleasant. If we like the sensations that are firing in the body we cling to the experience, and if we don’t like the sensations, we try to make them go away.
This is the trap most of us are caught in. When we decide to face these patterns, when we decide we want to be free of old stories and pain, what is required is BEING with the sensations.
Yoga helps us by giving us ways to connect to the body and the breath. The body and breath provide a framework to help us stay anchored to the here and now. Instead of getting lost in thoughts or feelings we can tune into what we are feeling in the body; the coming and going of breath.
The body and the breath give us something tangible to connect with while the feelings, thoughts and emotions come and go. Instead of getting lost in our thoughts and emotions, or identifying with them, we connect to the body and breath and use them as a tool to stay with what we are feeling. We make the breath and body be in the forefront of our awareness and let those other subtle processes carry on in the background.
The movement that happens on the mat and the movement of the breath gives an opportunity for energy to flow. Those mental and emotional and physical pain patterns have a chance to be felt and released.
It isn’t easy to bring attention to the body and the breath. We are so taken by our thoughts and emotions we aren’t really feeling much at all. But with practice you can become more connected to the body and breath. This is what Yoga is really about.
Yoga is not stretching. It isn’t a way to get in shape, although it will bring all systems back into balance. What Yoga really is, is a way to heal. To be whole. To let all parts of you come back into being.
We have shut down parts of us where we store the pain. We avoid them because they carry so much charge. Yoga is a way to come in contact with them and slowly set them free.
Facing these things is not easy. It take courage to go inside and be with ourselves. But we all have the potential to heal if we can find the courage to face what we feel.
You might need some guidance and support.
Find a teacher and a community that can hold space while you do the work.
I love watching people show up to meet themselves on the mat. It inspires me and we all inspire and motivate each other. This work isn’t easy and I don’t think we can do it alone. Find the courage to get started and be open to guidance that will surely show up.
Ask for help and know you too can do this! We all can.
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