How does yoga free trapped emotions from the body?

[TonySG]

How does yoga free trapped emotions from the body?

And what type of yoga is best to achieve this?? Is it kundalini? I have no idea between the different types, I usually just copy from people on youtube lol


Any insights would be much appreciated. Thank you :)

[Lorelyen]

Just a suggestion, start with Hatha Yoga. If you're reasonably flexible, the Iyengar school. People speak of starting with Laya Yoga but an ability to relax, to be body-aware and know your body is in the best (natural) condition it can be, is honestly a best start.

When you speak of emotions "trapped" in the body, we all have emotions at one level or another, they're responses to stimuli internal and external and have a psychobiological base run by the nervous and endocrine systems. If you're speaking of a particular emotion or set of emotions which you seem unable to release, yoga can provide an expressionist way of releasing them but there are meditational practices that would help too. Yoga will help you to a calm and spiritual equilibrium if you're consistent and practice regularly.

It's not so much a complex as a large topic and hopefully others will lend their thoughts. Kundalini/Laya Yoga would help because it's much about balancing the energies in your body and developing the chakras but the aim should probably be to use any and all of these practices to develop a sense of spiritual wellness. Just deciding to make that an aim opens channels, paths. Laya is about fixing your focus on your higher consciousness, for which it will be necessary to unblock trapped emotions as you call them.

Let's see what others have to say!

[JayaJ]

I teach a blend of hatha yoga to warm up the body and then a kundalini kriya to to achieve the effect of elevation, peace and balance. Kundalini yoga is very well balanced with pranayama, kriya (set of postures that create a certain effect), mantra, mudra, and meditation.

Your heart will feel open will kundalini yoga which will often free 'trapped emotions'. Yoga in general gets things moving. Kundalini yoga is very devotional so you will tend to feel open and present.

I suggest that you could go pay a monthly subscription to and online yoga school. This will give you a range of yoga's to choose from. Youtube yoga can be a bit too random.

Sat Nam,
JayaJ

[wolfmanthe1st]

http://betterdayyoga.com/home/root-locklift-sanskrit-term-mula-bandha/3092

Mula Bandha will help release emotions

[The Back Seat]

I believe most yoga genres help free up and circulate energy. All the above comments are correct so I am going to elaborate on how I believe different aspects of yoga affect energy differently.

Emotions are energy that exists in our nervous system. We can trap this energy mentally with out minds or physical in our muscles, tendons, organs, etc.

Our ego (mind) is commonly used by the "unexperienced" to trap or block negative emotions from affecting us. this is a survival instinct that hurts us spiritually as opposed to freeing us spiritually. Most yoga incorporates breathing and mind relaxation (meditation). By relaxing facial muscles and breathing, the ego relaxes and frees up this energy. This can be accompanied with a short period of sadness and/or crying as we confront the energy. After confronting the energy, it is released and we feel refreshed as we can now move on to the future.

If you are sensitive like me, you will notice when someone becomes affected by negative energy (embarrassment, sadness, anger, etc.) by there physical appearance. People will tend to change posture (hunch, frown, look away, lose coordination abilities, tense up, etc.). These are all physical responses to negative energies. We are essentially trapping this energy in our muscles, tendons, and organs in order to adjust to it. This can cause wrinkles, back problems, arthritis, etc. over the long run if the energy is not freed up. Yoga addresses this with stretches to free up the energy, and resistance poses to burn off the energy. The reason, I believe, that we feel a great refreshing release after doing stretching and physical exercise, is because we have released that built up negative energy allowing for positive energy to flow freely.

I have come to these beliefs after doing yoga for about a year now. As you practice different forms of yoga, you will start to feel different benefits associated with different poses and techniques. I like kundalini yoga.

[calla lily]

Yoga opens up and clears your chakras. Something like emotions that have been "trapped" there can block a chakra from operating at its best. Through continued yoga practice, it can become unblocked. Once that happens, the energy from that chakra will flow better.

[sparrowsparrow]

I practise Kundalini yoga and occasionally go to a Bikram yoga (hot yoga) class. I find Kundalini yoga makes me very relaxed and blissful and seems to disperse negative emotions. I've had some interesting experiences with Bikram yoga, when I first started doing it I would feel blissful for five-ten minutes after finishing the class and then from what seemed like nowhere, I'd be dominated by anger. Looking back, I was experiencing a lot of anger in my life at that time and it was like the heat from the yoga studio and my muscles made me sweat out and release all the badness.

[Uma]

This is a great thread topic you started TonySG! :smile:

From what I know, hatha yoga releases emotions mostly from the body (cellular level) but Kundalini also releases emotions from the soul (through the heart chakra).

Hatha yoga taken to a spiritual level can also help the soul, but you won't get this from an ordinary yoga class which is really just gymnastics until and unless your Kundalini is activated beyond merely keeping the body processes functioning.

[bassjunkie]

Interesting topic :)
I would like to start taking Yoga classes so this is helping me make up my mind what to look for.
xXx

[candelight]

Does muscle tightness generally mean one has traumas/trapped energy stored in it?

I have noticed my right side of the body is really bad, in the sense that I have very little flexibility. Touching my toes and general stretching involving the right side is tough.

[wstein]

Emotions that are not released get stored as tension in the body. Most of this is muscle tension. When you do yoga, especially postures, those muscle tensions are stretched out and physically released.

The mind is associative. When events lead to stored emotions, the mind remembers the association even if the conscious is unaware of it. When those tensions are released, that association can bring back the memories of the original event(s) that caused the tension. Particularly intense releases can cause one to relive the original event(s).

Note that if the intense emotions are not dealt with, a future event similar to the original (even if to a third party) can bring back those emotions (via association). As such, the tension returns also.

[LadyMay]

Yes, muscle tightness means blocked energy in that area. Try meditating on it. See if you can feel out the root, where the tightness extends from. Then work on releasing that.

[candelight]

thanks for the replies.

I dont know if this was my intuition or some other aspect however I was feeling/seeing " hamstring" for sometime now, my right hamstring. Does anyone know what kind of emotions are stored in a hamstring?

I know it is related to the root chakra.

I guess that freestyle jumping thing makes sense now.

[LadyMay]

There are apparently seven lower chakras under the root leading down to the feet that govern lower emotions and animal instincts. I don't know how accurate this is but worth looking into anyway and doing some self-inquiry:

Just as there are said to be seven upper chakras, in the same way there are said to be seven lower chakras namely –
Patala in the soles of the feet,
Mahatala in the feet,
Rasatala in the ankles,
Talatala in the calves,
Sutala in the knees,
Vitala in the thighs
and the one immediately below Muladhara –
Atala in the hips.

Atala in the hips governs the state of fear from life in general to death itself. Lust and promiscuity become established when this chakra is strong.

Vitala is the chakra of anger and resentment, blaming others and world for what happens in their own life.

Sutala highlights jealousy in our nature; jealousy brought on by feelings of inadequacy and inferiority.

Talatala the chakra of confusion, wilfulness, greed and deceit.

Rasatala really focuses on our animal nature. It may be a strong survival chakra but at the expense of the suffering of others if need be. Jealousy, anger and fear are all strong at this level of our being.

Mahatala is that aspect of our nature where conscience towards others is lost. Theft is commonplace and holds no moral value here.

Patala the lowest chakra of all in the soles of the feet. Destructiveness, revenge, murder, hatred, torture and wanton disrespect at all levels show this chakra to be active and dominating our finer human nature.

[Kate Matthews]

I'm very tight in my trapezius. What emotions are stored there? Are there poses to release this?

[Miss Hepburn]

That right side...is it Louise Hay?
Or
someone else says the right is trouble receiving.
The left....trouble releasing or letting things go...if that resonates.

[candelight]

What's the opinion about Bikram yoga for tight muscles and energetic blocks?

[Miss Hepburn]

Hamstring....my thing is anything that stops you from going forward...
well, the rest is obvious.

I have had ankle sprains, knee pains, hip issues in my life....
think I have some hesitation about moving forward?
Naw...

[Miss Hepburn]

I'm very tight in my trapezius. What emotions are stored there?
Do you feel the weight of the world on you?
Do you have a lot of responsibilities?
These things are really pretty easy to figure out...stub your toe much?
Hit your thumb with a hammer much....need to be more conscious.

Liver/gallbladder issues? Got some pent up unexpressed anger?

It's like following the dots.

[Kate Matthews]

Do you feel the weight of the world on you?
Do you have a lot of responsibilities?
These things are really pretty easy to figure out...stub your toe much?
Hit your thumb with a hammer much....need to be more conscious.

Liver/gallbladder issues? Got some pent up unexp ressed anger?

It's like following the dots.

OMG...:BangHead: You found me.

More conscious...be present. OK

Any physical poses? Or exercise? Roll the muscle?

[kris]

Scarlett, thanks for your post on lower chakras. I used to have a good link to a site about this but I can't find it anymore. Can you tell your source?

[LadyMay]

Scarlett, thanks for your post on lower chakras. I used to have a good link to a site about this but I can't find it anymore. Can you tell your source?

Here: http://derekosborn.accountsupport.com/thelibrary/id72.html

There's not really much written on the seven lower chakras on the net. And a thing I don't like about them is that nothing explains their positives.. what happens when they are unblocked. There are chakras in the feet which keep you grounded to the earth and I'm wondering if they are the same as written here but just the positive manifestation of them.

I'm wondering if there is a chart somewhere that describes all the 'minor' chakras of the body more neutrally..

[kris]

Thanks again, Scarlett. I had a different link. I am sure I will locate it eventually. Lower chakras are about our basal nature. They represent qualities we have to overcome in order to realize desirable human qualities which are in the higher chakras, starting with mulAdhAra chakra. For example, I have struggled with vitAla chakra for a long time. I hope that is behind me now.

[lighter]

That right side...is it Louise Hay?
Or
someone else says the right is trouble receiving.
The left....trouble releasing or letting things go...if that resonates.
So...right side for receiving whereas the left side is for letting go.

What about the backside of the body?

I usually feel that my back feels very heavy at times.

I started yesterday Bikram Yoga. It was great. I think, throughout thr night, some warmth has been releasing off the body. I can still feel it.

A great thread. Still so useful after more than two years since it was created.

[dream jo]

only iv dun is on wiii bord so farr so i cnt anser sorry

[Seawolf]

And what type of yoga is best to achieve this?? Is it kundalini? I have no idea between the different types, I usually just copy from people on youtube lol


Kundalini yoga clears a lot of junk for me. I do it daily, it's like taking a shower. Also finding much relief in therapy practicing EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing. It's good to know exactly why we act and feel the way we do as adults, most of which stems from parents/childhood. Knowing ourselves leads to finding things that help and break the cycle that's been passed on for generations.