Loosen Up

When I recently went for deep dental cleaning, I discovered that I have worn out my tubercles – the natural relief of the teeth. Why? Simply because I have been grinding my teeth for years at night, without even me knowing. So I ended up wearing a brace during sleep– reminding the jaw not to clench. When I dug deeper into the causes for this condition I got to the bottom of this nasty habit. Holding tension in the mouth, jaw and especially the teeth was a sign of deep unresolved childhood aggression. I went back into my early years to find the real reason. As a child I was not a big eater, and every time grandma would try to feed me, I clenched my teeth. While she went to fetch more food or water, I would spit the food behind the fridge, and pretend I had swallowed it. The clenching of the teeth became a reflex.

Later on in college, at drama school, I would catch myself grinding the teeth unintentionally before the curtains rolled open. The tension in the jaw also resulted in tension in the extremities. Whenever I danced in class, the teacher would always remind me to stretch my fingertips and avoid sickling my feet. I would try to mimic her moves, but the tension was still there. This lasted for years until the dentist resolved the case. Wearing the brace has re-learned my jaw to stay gently open during sleep and this has affected my whole mobility, articulation and even my mindset.

I have been researching into spiritual anatomy of body parts and physical conditions for many years now, and even included the discipline of “Mapping how emotions manifest in our body” in the Yogea Teacher Training Program , which I conduct semi-annually.

It’s fascinating to be able to pinpoint the emotional blockage that lurks behind stuck shoulders, rusty hips, or a hunched back. Holding tension and pain in the body can lead to major issues that go far beyond the pain itself. Although pain and tension are often attributed to the way in which we move, they are both very closely related to emotional stress too. Better understanding how emotional stress is connected to the body and properly addressing the issues, can help better release tension and alleviate pain as well as tapping into the neglected areas of the subconscious.

Funny enough, certain emotions are associated with regions in the body that are physically not impacted. For example, if you suffer from depression and experience chest pains, doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with your heart.

Extreme grief or any other extremely stressful event can also have a devastating impact. While the mechanics of these mind-body links are still being unraveled, we already know that our brain, and consequently, our thoughts and emotions, do play a role in your experience of physical pain, and can play a significant role in the development of chronic disease.

In order to prevent any disease from spreading we need to learn how each body part is affected by the holding of tension in the form of emotional stress. Certain spots on the body that have pain or tension can mean different things. In my group Yogea classes, I often like to give a quick rundown of how emotional stress translates into your physical health.

Tension tends to harbor in crevices and joints. If we start to track blockages from the neck where most people hold tension and stress, we realize that tension in the neck inhibits the flow of life force through the central nerve channel. Paired with the shoulders, and back, this is where most tension is stored. The neck is the source in which nutrients are first taken in, the importance of a strong neck is vital to life. Trouble moving it, or tension within it make anything else hard to accomplish. Stiffness in the neck can indicate resistance to other ways of thinking or to wanting to do something you are not particularly fond of.

Conversely, suffering from neck tension could mean that your are not being able to tap your creative potential, or not being able to find your niche. Creative energy is said to flow from this area of the body, moving into your arms and hands, where it emerges in what you do in the world. Tense shoulders can indicate resistance, perhaps to the responsibilities you feel you must maintain, or pressure that’s put on you to perform them. Stiff shoulders also indicate a low self-esteem. That is why breathing techniques that incorporate shoulder binds release tension in those areas and boost one’s self-worth and trust in one’s creative resources

If the tension is in the lower back, however, you must acknowledge that this part of the body supports your weight from above, and it’s related to your notions of survival, security, and self-support. If you’re feeling insecure or as though you’re unable to meet other people’s expectations that pressure can manifest in the low back. So not only do your feelings of being a burden manifest in your mind, but also in your body too. Tension in the lower back could also mean that you are taking too much on your back and shoulders and you need to prioritize.

The central back is also related to lower back pain. This area is employed in every movement you make. Your core allows you to bend and move. A weak and tender core shows psychological and emotional inflexibility. Stiffness in the mid back can reflect an inner stiffness, holding on to a fear, or inability to go with the flow. Fear also harbors in the hip joints, so every hip opener from Yoga asana unlocks unresolved fear there.

The most intriguing tension points are the extremities. If you tend to hold tension in the wrists of the hands you need to re-evaluate the way in which you articulate your message across. If the tension is in the ankles and feet, you need more grounding and anchoring in your soul purpose. Achy knees and elbows signify a need to shift the direction in your life. It is also worth acknowledging that emotional stress takes a toll on your gut, and very often inability to resolve things. The tendency to bury emotions inside results in stomach, bladder, spleen and liver disorders.

The most effective way to identify stress-laden areas and release tension is yogic breathing, postural alignment and deep tissue massage. Deep massage removes the adhesion knots that have formed in the muscle fibers and fascia that are low in blood, fluid and nutrient supply. Chiropractic adjustments realign the spine and lend to a strong and flexible axis. It is essential to target the trigger points where a bundle of nerves and muscles come together. These are the areas where tension is concentrated. When you apply pressure to these points you open the channel for the blood to flow and you melt the tension away.

Apart from these natural remedies, yogic breathing is the most effective way to release tension. Deep breathing while sitting up straight brings fresh blood and oxygen to your muscles. This way you are able to keep the fluids flowing freely. The body manufactures the blood that it needs. The muscles and tendons are nourished and the mind is calm and relaxed. You loosen up through the joints and feel a sense of “whoosh” when the pain knot breaks and blood and water leak through.

Before you reach for the painkiller in a bottle, all you have to do is breathe into that “whoosh”.

Yogea Tension Releasing Breathing: Loosen Up

This Yogea breathing practice combines pranayama and emotional freedom tapping techniques to help you disentangle knots of tension through the body to gain emotional and physical release. Pumping the hands while tapping the shoulders increases the blood supply through the hands and shoulders and releases tension through the central axis. Unfolding the arm in the elbow joint while twisting and lifting the elbow up and tapping the shoulder helps rinse tension away from the mid and lower back and promotes the circulation through the hips and pelvis. Twisting the hands from the wrists and gently tapping them into the crown of the head dusts off mental tension and resets the endocrine system. A purifying scan with the arms stroking through the head, torso and legs clears away any mental, physical and emotional residue and leaves the body clear and tension-free.

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