When you experience physical body pain, how often do you pause to acknowledge that your physical ailment could be a manifestation of your emotional pain? Undesired or painful physical symptoms in the body are often linked to the negative thoughts, beliefs, feelings, or attitudes that we hold onto in our minds. And, as the mind and body are so intricately and closely connected, the longer we cling to these negative thoughts, the more it can impair our health.
Your emotions, whether positive or negative, can affect the physical state of your body. At the same time, how you take care of your body impacts your mental state. This complex mind-body connection serves as a reminder that if we want to heal ourselves, we must be willing to look at our entire being. The approach we must take to better our health is a holistic one that recognizes everything occurring within us is integral. So, while understanding and exploring emotional pain through the lens of the physical body isn't the most widely taken approach to overall health and wellness, it is an effective one.
Your optimal health and healing depend upon your ability to recognize the interdependence between your emotions and body to achieve balance. In other words, if one aspect of your health isn't working properly, it affects the others, which can ultimately harm your overall health and wellness.
Can you recall a time where you were feeling stressed out or anxious about something, so your heart started beating quickly, your palms began to sweat, and you got the feeling of having a knot in your stomach? These are just a few manifestations of emotions like anxiety or stress that most of us can relate to, and it's one way of understanding the fascinating linkage between the body and mind.
Constantly feeling anxious or stressed? We've put together a list of our top 25 techniques to reduce anxiety just for you!
Yet, many complex emotions and things occur in our minds constantly, which we do not always readily recognize or understand. It isn't easy to know how to heal ourselves or others if we cannot name the emotion or do not understand the cause. And, even if we are aware of our emotional turmoil or why it is occurring, we are not always the most mindful of pausing, reflecting, and addressing our mental health.
For all these reasons, exploring the body to pinpoint various sensations or areas of pain, tenderness, or discomfort is an incredibly helpful way to identify your emotions. For instance, you can notice and feel back pain more readily than you might recognize the emotional pain connected to it, which could be anything from feeling a lack of emotional or financial support to feeling hopeless or unloved.
It helps if you understand your emotions as energy in motion. Emotional pain can get stuck in the body, and it requires awareness and effort to keep it moving, or else it can contribute to pain, illness, or disease. You may have lingering emotional issues that you have swept under the rug for a long time, and it is important to be aware that this can ultimately lead to chronic pain.
This isn't some unconventional belief based on spirituality or mysticism - it is a real phenomenon. The more you get familiar with certain physical symptoms and their emotional connection, the more quickly you can identify the best first step on your path toward healing.
We have an entire lesson, in our yoga teacher training course where we explore a wide range of symptoms in the body and analyzing their emotional meaning. We’ve got a free preview here just for you.
"Exploring Emotional Pain in the Body with Jolie"
Our goal is not necessarily for you to study or memorize these connections, but more importantly, to use them to understand yourself and your unique needs better. Together we will look at diagrams of both the front and back body that illuminate various areas of the body and show what each one represents emotionally. For example, jaw problems or tension could indicate feelings of anger or resentment, and a rash can mean feeling irritated over delays, signifying an immature way to elicit attention.
We will also go over health conditions and illnesses that do not always show up the same or in a particular area of the body but show up due to a general fear or unhelpful way of being. For instance, numbness might show up in different physical locations but represents withholding love and consideration.
In this free course preview, you will be exploring your body, taking notes on any areas of your body that are tender, sore, or painful. You will be using this body exploration to see if you can learn anything new about yourself and create affirmations surrounding your issues to address and heal.
Want to dive deeper? See the full 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training course outline here and get $500 off if you register before the end of the month! Our goal is for you to finish this course feeling willing and prepared to explore your pain and release and transform through yoga. There are no right or wrong answers here - only exploration.
As the eclipse arrives with a shadow crossing over the moonlight, it’s anyone’s guess what truths will be revealed. Eclipses always follow cycles and generally come in pairs-the Lunar Eclipse, which falls on the Full Moon and a Solar Eclipse which falls on the New Moon. Wednesday brings us Sagittarius Full Moon Total Eclipse and on Thursday June 10th we have a Gemini New Moon Solar Eclipse. The time between these two pairs of Eclipses is considered the Eclipse Gateway and is a period that usually lasts for about 2 weeks. It’s kinda like having an extra potent full moon every night-a peak time for manifestation. The thing with Eclipses is that they represent portals that elevate and push us, shining a light on what is needed to change. Use this time to connect with your inner, true self. Also in astrology, a blood moon eclipse is said to bring sudden change or a need to transform or shift our lives in a new direction. Having a lunar eclipse in the free- spirited sign of Sag will allow us to set our intentions and aim our arrows in that direction, knowing within that any transformations that unfold are part of your evolution.
situations in a new light. Lunar eclipses are a time to let go and surrender, to release, purge, and do what is best for your soul. Paired with the Sagittarius Full Moon the eclipse will help us see deeper and offer a shifting energy that many of us have been praying for. Can you feel the shift? Are you ready to be guided on a completely different path? Then just breathe and surrender…the revelations and changes just might rock your world.
What do I need in order to feel happy fulfilled and yes, loved. Taurus, like spring, is bursting with new life, but after all the crazed energies of the last 2 months, we are being encouraged to trust our instincts and deepen our embodiment to our own sexuality. This New Moon on May 11, 2021 (at 2:59 PM EDT) will usher us into eclipse season with a Super Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse at month’s end…a time of shifts and transformation. So, before all that how about some fun?
I know, I know: Taurus wants to indulge and that is what I am saying, right? However, this moon also gives us the space to make plans, organize our thoughts and connect us with the strength of self-worth needed to navigate the intense changes which will occur during eclipse season. For all the procrastinators out there, don’t fret if you haven't gotten your intentions totally outlined. Deep down in your sub conscious you already know what your intentions should be- your conscious mind just needs to catch up. Under the influence of this Taurus moon our thoughts turn to grounding, a strong solid earthy foundation on which to stand. Ground your bare feet into Mother Earth and express your gratitude for all the abundance she provides. This will also help you detox your body, reduce inflammation, and help you relax as you glide through May with a harmonious, romantic ease. As witches know, the new moon is an excellent time to shine! So go ahead my loves, you have no idea how brightly you glow!
TOUCH YOURSELF- This is a trauma/trigger phrase. Instead, use place a hand, add depth by, press your hand into.
CAN'T- Same as with "never." Every time we say can't, it's a declaration that whatever it is we aren't yet able to do is ultimately out of reach. The truth is, how do we know? Tell yourself you can, always. And keep practicing until you get it.
Scorpio is ruled by Mars and Pluto…On the night of the full moon Mercury, Venus and Black Moon Lilith will be joined together awakening the dark feminine and bringing out our shadow sides with repressed emotions (this is watery Scorpio, you know) and our deepest desires. Depending on how you use this energy, the days after could be transformative and therapeutic or filled with chaos. After all, the aggressive, agitated Mars is up against La Luna, with her gentle intuitive nature. There will be some powerful intense energies here. Scorpio, in its shadowy mystery, is beckoning you to go deep. To stop looking away from the abyss and dive in. Red wine, black candles, marigolds and dark crystals can be perfect additions to your altar for a Full Moon in Scorpio. Do your magickal work at night when the Moon is its brightest. And as always, please do what’s necessary to protect your energy. Because…
Pluto, the planet of transformation death and rebirth, will go retrograde on the 27th and stay in that place until October 6th. What does this mean for you? Well, if you can restrain yourself from self judgement and sabotage, this event is bestowing you with the opportunity to finally and fully transform…to release all those old patterns holding you back. Trust in the magick of life and you will be reborn anew.
As an herbalist I connect deeply with Mama Earth and share with you daily all the medicine she has for us. But, our home is in a state of emergency and Gaia needs our love now more than ever.
stronger…our powers of manifestation heightened and our ability to draw in and attract what we desire enhanced threefold. But be vigilant…Mars, after all is the Roman God of War. You might want to think before unleashing the Aries arrows of pure fire.
I have always thought of the moon’s phases linked to the ocean’s tides…the tide is pushed and pulled by the phases. As women closely aligned to the moon and sea, we can best utilize the power in both by flowing with the rhythm of the moon in each of its phases. For this new moon try a little bath magick in that giant cauldron in your home. Water and salt are inherently cleansing, so run a bath, add some sea salt, your favorite essential oil blend and some crystals. Light a candle and climb into the tub. Just let yourself be. This is where the healing begins. Tune into all of your senses and feel the quiet energy of the new moon.
More than anything Libra desires balance (I should know, I am a triple Libra!), so this moon ushers in a time to focus on areas we have neglected and restoring harmony to our lives, focusing on that root chakra to keep us centered and grounded and the heart for some self-love. There are three things you can do during this Full Moon in Libra: release what is no longer serving you, take a self- love bath, and use this energy to make changes in the month to come. Be aware though… Libra is the most peace-loving sign of the zodiac, so this is a time when we want to focus on keeping the peace.
Ways to Ritualize this Moon
The wheel of the year has once again turned. Yesterday, the Sun moved into the sign of Aries symbolizing not only a new astrological year, but also the Spring Equinox, also known as the holiday Ostara or as some call it “the Pagan Easter”. Christian religions celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the equinox, which this year would occur on April 4th.
Ostara is sacred to Eostre the Lunar Goddess of abundance and fertility (from who we get the word estrogen). She is usually shown with her 2 symbols…an egg in her hand and a rabbit in her lap: the egg symbolizing birth and creation-the whole universe in many traditions and the rabbit representing reproductive fertility and as a symbol of the moon is closely related to the goddess. According to myth, Eostre emerges from the depths of the earth where she has been quietly resting and spring is here!
The story goes that his parents didn't want Siddartha to lead a brahman or priest's life because they don't get married or have children. Brahmans and priests live a life of poverty, but his parents wanted a life of luxury and comfort for their son. They loved him so much that they decided to shield Siddartha from suffering and protect him from the world.
From these 4 experiences came what we know as The Four Sites:
For many, Buddhism and mindfulness can be difficult to internalize and may even start to cause a bit of anxiety. The idea that we will all age, get sick, and die is a hard reality to face. Add that nothing is permanent, and everything can be taken away from us at any time, and it's not exactly what most would consider bliss.
The past is in the past; it is not real. The future is not yet here; it is not real. All we have is the present, right here, right now, and the actions that you take in this moment. The Buddha realized that we are either living in the past or in the future. We are also living under conditioning or beliefs that don't allow us to be fully present in our lives. Because of this, we miss living our lives altogether, which may be the greatest suffering of all.