A Yoga Practice to Move Energy and Emotions

Ever have one of those really emotional times where you just need to get shit out?

Last week, I was in San Marcos, TX being a student of yoga, doing another leg in my 500-hour advanced teacher training with my teachers, Christina Sell and Giocanda Parker. And…the election happened right in the middle of it.

It was very emotional for the group of us who were there. It was a blow to see the results, and to feel so hopeless when the campaign had been so brutal and hateful. We had a lot to get through. When we arrived at the studio the morning after, Christina led us through a wonderfully cathartic practice, and I’m very grateful that I got to process a good part of what I needed to process.

Here is that practice. I recommend it highly whenever you have s**t to get through. Make the space for it. You can adapt it and do as much of it as you like:

1. Turn on a good playlist with a mix of songs that will fire you up and settle you into your heart.
2. Take out a piece of paper that you don’t mind burning. Write. Let whatever comes up come up. Spend about 5 minutes on this.
3. Crumple of that paper into a ball, open it back up and rip it up. Burn that paper in a fire. Our fire ceremony included cow dung (the waste that was burned in the fire to make something good out of something wasteful and ghee = clarified butter to clarify)
4. Get up and stomp around, shake your hands, dance. Make noise if it helps. Take a good 10 minutes or so to clear things out.
5. Take out another piece of paper and write for 5-10 minutes about WHAT it is you stand for. What you want to dedicate your heart to. Place that piece of paper between your palms and hold it for a several breaths. Make it an offering.
6. Burn that paper in the fire with intention. We added frankincense & myrrh to connect to a higher power.
7. Chant for peace.
8. Get on your mat and practice. Our practice consisted of BIG backbends. This required opening the heart, getting strong in the legs, and MOVING. Even though many of us felt like just doing restorative and relaxing, moving was much more productive. Move the energy.
9. Eat, take care of yourself. Treat yourself well with nourishment.

The picture above is the fire ceremony tray that was left over when we were finished.

Hope that helps. Get through your emotions in your body. Store up that power and use it for action.

xoxo