How To Work With Your Emotions

By Jennifer Kelleher

I invite you into the present moment with some deep and conscious breaths. As you drop down into your body, begin to notice how you are feeling emotionally.

Without awareness, we are unconsciously run by our emotions. However, by bringing attention to what we are feeling, we can break free from their control over us. When we see and feel our emotions, it becomes possible to dissipate them, instead of having them stay condensed as impactful, sharp, intense energy in the body.

The first thing we want to do when we are making the decision to bring more consciousness to our emotions is to create a space inside our system where there is zero prejudice about what we are feeling. All energies have a purpose. As you begin to allow them to have equal value in your life, you can start to use them to benefit and balance you.

Of course, everyone loves the “lighter” emotions, which we call elation, joy, bliss, happiness, etc. These energies have a very high frequency– they uplift us. However, if we feel the need to constantly be lifted up, it’s actually because we are not fully seated in the body, but rather living in our heads. I’d like to open you to the idea that if you came down from your head and into the core of your body, you would actually be experiencing joy all the time, no matter your circumstances. When you are deeply embodied, there is a steady undercurrent of receptivity, possibility, wonder, and adventure in all that you experience.

In our society, we are taught to avoid the “denser” energies, which we call anger, fear, shame, dread, grudge, guilt, etc. We push them away, shove them down, numb them out, outrun them, outperform them– we do whatever we can to steer clear of feeling them. However, the reason why they come up is to ground and anchor us more fully in the body. Next time you feel these heavy emotions, I invite you to try something different. Take a deep breath and give them space to be experienced. By embracing the uncomfortable feelings, you are accepting more of yourself and naturally beginning your healing process. The more you accept all parts of you, the more deeply rooted you become in the body and can unwaveringly reach higher and higher levels.

Energies are just energies. When we stop naming and judging them and simply feel them, they begin to dissolve in the presence of our acceptance. No matter what the situation, if you can bring love into it, it will instantly soften and begin to mend. For example, if you have been feeling anger, bring it into your heart and let it be there. Feel in your body what it feels like when anger is present. Breathe slowly and deeply as you let the feeling have a space to be seen and sensed. Humbly and intimately assure yourself that it is ok to be feeling what you are feeling. Open your heart and wonder, without needing an immediate answer, why it is so difficult for you to dissolve your anger.

This process of learning to work with our emotions to become more embodied is interwoven with our May focus at Ocean Bliss Yoga, “Santosha.” We find “Santosha” when we accept and appreciate ourselves and our lives in this moment, exactly as they are. We trust that we are exactly where we need to be, and we move forward from here.

Ocean Bliss Yoga offers yoga and Pilates classes, along with specialty workshops for a variety of levels. Check our schedule and enroll at oceanblissyoga.net. Look out for our summer schedule with added class times coming at the end of June!! Call me with any questions or for private sessions at 917-318-1168.