For most of us, we begin our yoga practice on the yoga mat with poses and breathing. We focus on the body by working to open it and become more comfortable with being in the physical body. However, a simple scan of the Yoga Sutra and Bhagavad Gita will cast the body in a very dim light. Even the most liberal yogis see the body as an illusion.
It is important to note that yoga does not view the body as bad; it simply helps us to realise that we are not the body. How could we be – the body is changing all the time, however deep within us, there is an unchangeable essence. The body is an expression of a deeper truth.
Prana (life energy or life force) is the one thing and the state of our consciousness that will dictate what our experience of that life is like. Prana is flowing through you right now, and it is being guided, for better or worse, by your consciousness. If your health, your relationships, your emotional state, or any other aspect of your life is not where you want it to be, you have a choice. You can sit around and complain, making yourself a victim or you can start to reshape the banks of your river.
Practitioners of energy medicine believe that the human energy (prana) field contains and reflects each individual’s energy. It surrounds us and carries with us the emotional energy created by our internal and external experiences – both positive and negative. This emotional force influences the physical tissue within our bodies. In this way, your biography –that is, the experiences that make up your life- become your biology.
Experiences that carry emotional energy in our energy systems include past and present relationships, both personal and professional; profound or traumatic experiences and memories; and belief patterns and attitudes, including all spiritual and superstitious beliefs.
As neurobiologist Dr. Candace Pert has proven, neuropeptides -the chemicals triggered by emotions- are thought converters into matter. Our emotions reside physically in our bodies and interact with our cells and tissues. In fact, Dr. Pert says, we can no longer separate the mind from the body, because the same kind of cells that manufacture and receive emotional chemistry in the brain are present throughout the body.
So, we are all living history books. Our bodies contain our histories – every chapter, line and verse of every event and relationship in our lives. As our lives unfold, our biological health becomes a living, breathing biographical statement that conveys our strengths, weaknesses, hopes and fears.
Find out more during my Body Soul workshops and retreats – I would love to see you there!
