Emotional Release through Yoga
Feeling stuck and inflexible in a yoga posture may be more than
just tight hamstrings; it could be some old feelings holding you
back. Unexpressed emotions become stored and held in the body and,
over time, create physical tightness, stress, tension, and
sometimes pain. Yoga is the perfect tool to release emotional
tension in the body and to experience the healing that comes with
this release. There are many tools that we can use within a yoga
practice to uncover deeply stored emotions, bring them to the
surface, and let them completely release from the body.
Pratyahara: inward focus
Pratyahara is a deep inward focus, rooted in the sensations of the
breath and the body. As we bring our awareness inside the body, we
can feel things that lie under the surface of ordinary awareness.
When holding a yoga posture, keep the mind focused on where you
feel sensations. Explore where the sensations start, stop, and
travel to, paying attention to any emotional feelings in the
physical sensations. When emotional feelings emerge from the
physical sensations keep your focus on them to encourage these
feelings to be drawn out and released.
Pranayama: yogic
breathing
There are several breathing techniques that can encourage emotions
to be stimulated, brought to the surface, and released. Dirga
pranayama brings energy and awareness to the chest, belly, and
hips and allows emotions to be released from deep within the body.
Kapalabhati strongly stimulates and moves emotions that lay near
the surface of the body, bringing them up and out. Breathing
through the mouth invokes the emotional body and is highly
effective in expressing and releasing emotions that have been
brought to the surface, especially sadness and grief. Hara
breathing (exhaling with a “Haaa” out of the mouth) helps release
anger and frustration.
Vocalize: make sounds
Making sounds while holding a yoga posture opens the throat chakra
and can allow tension and emotions to release from the body.
Letting out a loud sigh eases frustration; humming releases joy;
groaning softens fear; howling unbinds sadness. When emotions
become activated and start to rise to the surface, vocalizing is
especially important to completely release them out of the body.
Asana: backbends and hip
openers
The hips, shoulders, chest, and throat are the primary places
where emotional tension resides in our bodies. Make note of these
places during asana practice or do a body scan at the start of
your practice, looking for tension or tightness in these areas.
Once you are aware of where emotional tension is held in your body
you can focus on postures that target that area.
Intensity: holding the
postures
When you find the posture that opens areas of tension and invokes
emotional sensations, it is important to hold the posture to your
edge. Just going to the physical or mental edge in any posture
hold can activate an emotional release, but it will be especially
cathartic in the postures where you hold tension. While holding
these poses, utilize all of the above techniques for the strongest
effect and most complete emotional release. Longer hold times can
be facilitated with the use of props and restorative postures or
physically supported by a yoga teacher or yoga therapist.
Contraindications: keep
it safe
Using the above techniques can be extremely powerful and release
intense emotions. If you are not familiar with this type of work,
start off slowly and practice only one technique at a time. Too
much emotional release can be harmful; do not do this work more
than two to three times per month. This work is contraindicated
with a history of emotional or psychological instability, and
would be cautioned with a history of intense trauma.
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