In the last blog, I addressed the connection between the energy centres in our bodies and the emotions and thoughts that may reside in them. I outlined the beginning of how to clear accumulated negativity, if stored in them.

I mentioned in the past two blogs that paying attention, acknowledging and giving permission to any emotion and accepting it without judgment helps dissipate and release them out of the body. Another way of clearing was through the daily use of the foot soak recommended by Mataji, Nirmala Devi in Sahaja yoga (freemeditation.org).

In this blog, I would like to look at other ways to free ourselves from the power of recurrent, negative, unwanted and troubling feelings and thoughts (in yoga knowledge, both thoughts and emotions are of the mind).

Let’s look at some things we do naturally to release – we cry, we sigh, we yawn, we sweat, we breathe.

Tears are chemically comprised of potent toxins; after we sigh, we feel temporary relief; when we yawn, we open tense areas in our jaws, neck, throat, tongue and shoulder blades.

Sweating cools down the heat that we release by the held energy of recurrent or accumulated negative feelings.

When we soften our eyes, hands, belly, lower down our shoulders and open our chest, we experience alleviation and uplifting, release and more space for renewed energy.

Wherever we feel tension, pain, throbbing, uncomfortable chills or heat, we can rub our hands together and lay them gently on the affected area. We can massage the area gently to allow the connective tissue to rehydrate it while paying attention to it. If thoughts come, we can say gently to ourselves “not now” or “not this thought”. From time to time, we can pause and ask ourselves what are we feeling and if there is an emotion, again let it be until gone.

Breath , as mentioned earlier in the examples of sighs and yawns, is of great importance. Negativity constricts our breath, not just our muscles; our lungs cannot take in the optimal amount of oxygen to be distributed to all the cells in the body. Over time, this restriction/ holding on will create problems in vulnerable organs as well as in our posture, the way we walk, talk and live our lives. We can attend to our breath quite easily; when we are fearful or angry, it is shallow, fast and stops in our chest or even throat; when we are joyful and relaxed, it deepens past the diaphragm into the belly. It will clear out toxins when it is full and deep. We can initiate this process by counting our inhales and exhales; if the inhale is longer than the exhale, it is most likely that we are driven by tension, a negative emotion and/or thought; we can extend the exhale to match the inhale and eventually, lengthen the exhale over the inhale. As we do this on a regular basis, the deeper breath will become an integral part of our lives and it will clear these emotions on an ongoing basis.

As you probably found out yourself, writing can be another way of giving voice to what is going inside; when I write, I use paper and pen to allow the emotions to process in body time, not virtual time; I pause from time to time to check in with my body and I include this in my writing; I stay close to the emotion and the body expressions and I let the thoughts be.

Here is an example of working out anger of our system through writing. If I am angry at someone, especially someone I love, it is very likely that the anger will leave an imprint on my body. I start writing an angry letter to this person without holding back, without paying much attention to the clarity of my hand writing, grammar or watching my language. I write until I feel there is no more coming (this may take one or many writing sessions). I keep the writing away from the person as it is for my eyes only and usually, in the bathroom or toilet as I do not wish for the energy held in the paper to exude into my food or bed or my loved ones (including the person I am angry at if we live together). When I know there is no more anger coming, I create a ritual of letting go of the writing. I may shred it into tiny pieces and flush it down the toilet; or I may burn it and then release the ashes into flowing water.

Meditation is a beneficial way of releasing negative emotions we are ready to discharge and/or transform. In meditation, we go inside and can be honest with ourselves. Going back to my loved person whom I may be angry at, I can –

Extend loving wishes and blessings upon them (Metta/loving kindness meditation),
Inhale the anger and exhale love,
Observe compassionately and dispassionately the impact of the anger on my breath, posture, muscles, attention and notice where it is held, then noticing what happens as I do the above (being in the present with what is),
Attend to the affected organ/s by using healing treatments while in meditation. In Sahaja yoga, there are very specific ways to address the affected area eg by vibrating or candling, depending on the channel treated (left, right or centre) and the energy centre affected. Going back to anger, I will cool down my liver by putting an ice pack on it while meditating and ask for clearing and healing of this area. I do not force or make anything happen; I am here in the now with myself and allow the work to happen through me; all that is required is a pure desire and intention to be cleared and healed. As we do this on a regular basis, there is less to clear and easier to be in a state of thoughtless awareness.

Please note that the term negative emotion does not intend to judge the emotion itself. Our mind names everything to help us make sense of our experiences. All emotions are created equally and yet, we know that too much joy is not going to make us sick but too much fear, anger and shame can. When we attend to the “negative” emotion, we do so with full acceptance. Judgment will feed rather than alleviate it. This is why I stay with the emotion rather than the thought. Dr. David Hawkins says in his book “Letting go” that one emotion can create thousands of thoughts, so why get into the mind’s quagmire?

I hope this can be useful to you. I am happy to hear any feedback and answer any questions about this blog or the previous ones. Your feedback helps me know where to focus, how to write clearer and more succinct and where to deepen/ broaden. I thank you in advance.

With blessings for your health,

Lydia

Emotions and thoughts and their impact on the body – part four