Embodied Emotions

Emotions are stored in our body, when we choose to hold onto anger, frustration, jealousy or impatience those emotions negatively impact our physical well being. Questions to ask yourself next time you have an ache, pain or feel ill: What emotions am I storing in this part of my body? Am I holding on to something in my life that is no longer serving me today? What is my body trying to tell me? via Young and Raw

This post by the wonderful people behind Young and Raw reminds me of all that I teach during my Yin Yoga classes. We embody the emotions we feel. And sometimes, when we don't let go of the emotions, these energies get stuck in our organs and may cause serious effects on our health. See chart above.

My doctor friend says that cancer is a disease of the soul. To truly heal from it, you must start inside out, not the other way around. So, perhaps all diseases really are merely manifestations in the body. It starts with a thought, then a feeling, then it shows up in our physical bodies. Soul-Mind-Body. In a yogic perspective, you can call the layers of the self koshas... and in Anthroposophy they also have Spirit-Soul-Body. This is how energy permeates our whole being. And yes, we do energy work in yoga and I particularly feel it more in Yin Yoga because there is less motion, so it is more intense, more raw.

To learn more about this practice, I highly recommend that you attend Victor Chng's Yin Yoga intensive workshops at Beyond Yoga this coming August. He is the only Yin mentor in Asia that has been certifying teachers. He has studied under Paul Grilley but is also deep into Taoist Philosophy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I've attended a class with him before and I look forward to his classes again :)

To register for Victor Chng's Yin Yoga intensive workshops please contact Beyond Yoga.