Yoga is a wonderful way to release emotional and physical blockages.
Over the years our body will accumulate more stress than we can naturally eliminate without the aid of self-care. Yoga is one the best-known tools to release emotional and physical blockages stress can cause.
Emotional blockages will tighten muscles and connective tissues so blood flow to these parts is restricted. Without blood and oxygen reaching these areas knots will begin to form, the muscles will tighten and impact on the joints.
Emotional tension can stem from an experience or your reaction to something that occurred in your past, anything from fear, guilt and anxiety to sadness or anger. We can store emotional blockages for years, even decades, if we don’t release properly which is why when some people start to do a deep yoga practise they sometimes get emotional.
Yoga allows you time to sit with uncomfortable emotions and work through them. Yin yoga where you hold poses for longer can be especially useful for this.
You may be surprised to hear that back and shoulder ache can often be a result of tension in the hips and that there is also a correlation between tight hips and clenching the jaw. The hips are the biggest joint in the body and support the most powerful muscles in the body, the glutes, so tight hips will more often than not over time have a negative impact on other areas.
There are many wonderful hip opening poses in yoga. My favourites include Pigeon Pose, Cobblers Pose, Crescent Lunge, Smiling Buddha and Warrior poses.
Twists can also help to release any tension that is causing gastric problems. Practising twists gets the gut moving and encourages a process of eliminating bad toxins and negative tension.
And if you aren’t feeling particularly active or strong you can even benefit from legs up the wall, which not only helps the lymphatics to drain but also nurtures and reverses the blood flow of the lower body, helping to release stale energy and blockages.
When your body is free and stable you will feel more energetic, vibrant, stand taller and feel stronger.
SOME OF THE MANY HIP OPENERS
PIGEON POSE WARRIOR POSE COBBLERS POSE MALSANA SQUAT