I get asked quite often about energy blockages. We talk about releasing blockages, letting go of blockages, but what are energy blockages? And how can yoga and meditation help release them?
WHAT ARE ENERGY BLOCKAGES?
We all know that saying: what we resist persists. Blockages are oftentimes experiences that we held inside, that we didn’t quite process, and couldn’t let go of. They can be positive experiences that were so high and so amazing that we clung on to them and we don’t we didn’t want to let them go and they can also be negative experiences that felt so uncomfortable that our human tendency is to resist. When a situation arises that feels uncomfortable, we tend to resist and the emotion that is trying to be experienced cannot make its way through. The emotion comes up, it gets felt in the heart, it feels uncomfortable, and we try to push it away.
Or something comes up and it feels so amazing. It is trying to make its way through, but we don’t want it to go. All these things can create blockages in our energetic body.
HOW YOGA HELPS TO CREATE SPACE
In yoga, as we move into our bodies and we start to stretch the body out and to move with our breath, things can start to come up. There is a saying that says, “our issues lie in our tissues,” and as we start to practice yoga, we see the truth of this. We start to create more space for whatever that was stuck inside to start to move around. When we start to feel uncomfortable in our bodies, even in our heart, in our physical practice of yoga, that’s a really good thing! It means that we’re creating space for these shifts to happen inside.
Whatever energy that was once stuck in your body that starts to come up to surface can now be acknowledged and make its way through. I’ve personally done this many times, in yoga poses, back bending, in savasana, energy starts to get released. It could manifest as crying, it could be anger, it could be laughter. Whatever was stuck inside starts to come up and you’ll feel lighter after the release happens.
HOW MEDITATION CAN CREATE SPACE
If you allow it in meditation, things can also start to come up. When you sit in stillness, the mind starts to calm down from the day and things that were stuck inside will come up. We are creating space for ourselves, for these experiences, for the emotion to come up and be acknowledged. Sometimes, all emotions want or need is to simply being acknowledged. You don’t have to dwell in it, you don’t have to dissect it, and you don’t have to figure it out.
For example, simply acknowledging loneliness, sadness, or joy will allow the emotion to arise and pass away. We can simply acknowledge what’s there and providing the space for the experience to be. As you do this you start to purify your heart and you’ll start to feel this flow of energy that comes through.
Energy Blockages can be:
- Energy
- Thought patterns
- Memories
As you start to greet them with equanimity, they automatically will start to make their way through. They may come off as pieces or it can come off as big chunks. Maybe something will come up and will last a little bit longer but it will always pass away without you having to do anything.
This is a beautiful practice because this is the beginning of the end of this invasive mind chatter. As you start to be comfortable with all the different vibrations, we start to move along in life. Situations will still arise in life that will bring on uncomfortable feelings or positive feelings. But we learn to be equanimous with whatever is coming up knowing that this too shall pass. We start to become resilient in our spiritual heart and we start to experience all of life, not just this small window inside of our comfort zone. In fact, our comfort zone starts to expand very wide.
Clearing up blockages is truly a life changing thing. We work on stuff that we have held onto from the past and simultaneously we start to also work on our everyday life.
Life will happen – it will always bring on new challenges and as we learn to be OK with the different vibrations, we start to be OK with everything.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we’re a “doormat,” and that we can’t say no. We can still take action and set boundaries, but our judgments drop. How beautiful is that? This powerful, compassionate, courageous heart arises and is the true essence of who we are. We are an extension of God, Buddha, or nature source itself.
Michael Singer says, “Once you’re OK with everything, everything will be OK.” It’s so simple and yet so true and profound.
I hope that this clears up what energy blockages are and how yoga and meditation can help you with releasing blockages. I truly believe that yoga and meditation, along with a therapist, is a great practice.
As always, my heart to yours.
Namaste.
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