We are in an unprecedented time in our country, and with that comes an unusual level of stress heavy emotions. It is really common for western thought to separate and compartmentalize emotional health from physical health.
This is simply not the truth of how we function.
Our physical, emotional, and mental experiences are all interlinked and influencing each other.
If this is hard for you to understand, I like to use some common experiences to help people realize this. For example, if you can remember back to the last time you found yourself really scared or startled, you’ll notice that one of your very first reactions to the moment was to hold your breath or breathe incredibly shallow by tensing up. Many other people have noted feelings of anxiety or grief are often accompanied with intense nausea.
Our bodies are experiencing everything that our minds and hearts are, and we store just as much memory in our bodies as we do in our minds.
This is often times why people will have a flood of emotions during a specific yoga pose or deep stretch, especially if it involves your hips. Women, in particular, will find they store so much tension in their hips and pelvis.
We have started to understand that changing one’s diet is not simply a physical act of what we put in our mouths, but it is also learning and uncovering the emotional attachment and influence our food choices have.
Why then would our initial emotional experiences not also have a physical reaction?
Our physical and emotional experiences are inextricably linked.
When we are angry, sad, or happy we can imagine how those emotions feel. You get butterflies in your stomach when you find yourself at the beginning stages of love, and many people will clench their jaws and feel their heart race when they are angry.
The problem is that we have become so incredibly disconnected from our bodies this day and age, and this can perpetuate painful periods with severe cramping because of all the tension we hold in our pelvis and hips.
Fortunately, there are wonderful and simple practices that we can incorporate into our lives that can make a world of difference.
They simply require us to tune in and be mindful of our bodies.
We can follow guided yoga flows and videos if you feel better having a class to follow, or we can learn to incorporate intuitive movement into our days on our own.
All this means is simply getting on your mat or finding a space and stopping to listen to how your body wants to move.
What sounds good?
Start there and then simply follow your body’s cues of where you want to go next.
One day you may need to go hard and get a really good sweat on, whereas the next day you find yourself in dire need of a low-lit relaxing yoga flow that keeps drawing you into various deep stretches and unwinding around your hips.
The focus is to not overthink it.
If it feels good and your body is leaning towards a movement, go there!
Explore and see where you find yourself.
Just remember to listen to your body.
It may take some practice if you find yourself usually disconnected from your physical body and how you feel, but this mindfulness will reap benefits in your life.
Allowing our bodies the same space to process and release whatever tension or emotions it has been storing is just as important is identifying and mentally processing our emotions and all that is going on.
Often times, getting into our bodies and out of our heads is the very grounding practice and work we desperately need during these tumultuous times.
Let’s take care of our hormonal and emotional health by carving out extra time to listen to our bodies and move them in the ways they need!