Healing embodied emotions is not necessarily an easy thing to do; it can be challenging, confronting, and disruptive to our lives. Embodied mindfulness practices such as Qìgōng, Tai Chi, and Yoga are designed to shake things up and move what is stagnant and stuck within us. But we also need to ensure we're with teachers competent enough to guide us through those processes.
I'll push the wood
Then I blaze ya fire
Then I'll satisfy your heart's desire
— Bob Marley
When I used to teach Qìgōng, people would often ask me what I included a detailed section on precautions & contraindications in my course manuals for. My intention was not to scare people; it was so that they were aware of what may happen. I was quite upfront that the form I taught was designed for healing embodied emotions.
The reality is that when you engage in embodied, transformative practices such as 內功 Nèigōng (Taoist Alchemical Qìgōng), Tantric Yoga, or Process-Oriented Psychotherapy, emotional disruption happens.
It's meant to — honestly!
I mentioned in a previous post how the Taoist perspective was that emotions were nothing other than the movement of Qì that we attach thought-forms and judgements on. In the 五行 wǔxíng 5-Elements system of Taoist Alchemy, it is the Wood-element that governs this kind of internal disruption, likened to the natural phenomena of ☴ wind and ☳ thunder.
The idea presented throughout the I Ching is that the movement of Wood gives rise to the cultivation of Fire, which then flares up and ignites us, and wakes up our slumbering consciousness.
I like to use the metaphor that these kinds of practices are like shaking up a snow-globe. When emotions, feelings, or thoughts are stuck, they're usually just outside of the reach of our normal daily consciousness. So once we become aware of them, we can do something about them. When you do something like Qìgōng, it all gets shifted and moved around.... it can feel really, bloody disruptive; some people find this overwhelming and don't know how to deal with it.
The beauty of of this however, is that it gives you an opportunity to explore, discover, and heal all of the previously unreleased stuff that's just sitting there, clogging up your meridians. These types of embodiment practices are deliberately designed to 'stir shit up'; and they also provide you with the frameworks and tools to understand your shit, and then deal with it. Healing embodied emotions is not for the faint-hearted, or for those seeking fluffy, feel-good hobbies!
I know a lot of people who teach Yoga, meditation, or Qìgōng and actively avoid taking their students to those edges. That's OK, because they don't necessarily have the appropriate training to help people through those processes. The scope of their training is to show you how to get into the postures, or how to do the movements. In the Taoist Alchemy and Tantric (both Hindu and Buddhist versions) traditions, these practices were taught by teachers and masters who had the wisdom and experience (and time) to guide their students when shit got tired up. Everything they taught — from the meditation, to the martial arts, to the philosophical lectures — were geared towards healing embodied emotions.
Nowadays, we've become too specialised: Yoga teachers teach you the asanas, and let the psychotherapists handle the emotional stuff. And, you know, that suits a lot of people. I know plenty of people that want to go to a Yoga or Tai Chi class because they just wanna stretch their limbs and work their muscles. That's OK.
On the other hand, some people want a fully embodied, mindfulness practice; they are craving a practice that challenges them philosophically, emotionally, as well as physically. I'm certainly one of these types; it's probably what drew me to the practice, to be fair. Working out in a gym or playing sports never did it for me, the way Tai Chi, Yoga, or Qìgōng does. In the early days I don't think I was consciously aware that what I was actually seeking was a pathway to healing embodied emotions.
Case Study: Jane (not her real name, obviously)
It was the end of the 3rd class of the 5 Elements Sequence Qìgōng course I used to teach. Jane came up and asked if she could have a word with me. She was always quiet in class during our pre-practice lecture.
She expressed concerns that she had started to experience a number of emotional upsets since starting the course. I explained to her that this was normal, and invited her to make a time for a 1:1 session, as I considered she may feel safer to speak outside of a class setting. So she did.
During that private session, she brought up her feelings about certain members of her family. Up until now, she had repressed all these emotions, and had lived for many years with these feelings 'stuck' inside her.
We worked together for 2 hours, doing some relatively intense work, where she was given the space to let those emotions flow. It was impressive to see screaming into pillows and allowing her entire body to express itself, writing to music, shaking, punching cushions (safely of course). At the end of the session, she expressed how much better she felt. She had never had such an opportunity to express herself in that way before.
The changes were particularly obvious to me in subsequent classes. She settled into the form easier, and her movements were more graceful and flexible. Her demeanour and temperament were also better, she looked lighter, was smiling more, and began to even open up to other class members a bit, and become more involved in conversations.
She also let me know that she felt resourceful enough to have an honest conversation with a family member; she was surprised that the family member was not even aware of their behaviour. Subsequently, their relationship became stronger than it had in 40-something years.
Healing embodied emotions through practices such as these can be incredibly transformative; but it's also very important to have the right teacher, one who can hold space for you when the stuck emotions become stirred up, and emerge into your conscious mind.
😊🙏🏽☯️
Have you had any similar experiences? I invite you to share them with us in the comments...
This is a re-write of an article I previously published in 2017