A Journey of Healing Physical and Emotional Pain

Be Present. Be The Watcher. Relax. Release.

Buddhism says that the human condition is suffering, samsara.

Suffering can manifest in many different ways, as stress, emotions, physical pain, conflict, anxiety, depression etc. and is often a combiation of the above.

At Raynor Massage school we learned that the physical tension we store in our bodies is stagnant energy, a blockage in the natural flow of Chi, the life force energy. This energy blockage is due to some emotional disturbance or stuck emotion that we have not released. We have 4 layers of tension in our bodies - physical, mental, emotional and trauma, the latter being the deepest layer of tension that is stored in our body, and may be stored for many years.

We are encouraged growing up and throughout life to supress our emotions, and told as children to stop crying, stop shouting or being angry. Expressing our emotions is not accepted in society. As a result, we spend our lives supressing our emotions, hiding them away, and not expressing them. This causes the emotional energy of anger, anxiety, fear, grief etc. to get stuck in the body as physical tension and pain.

It is no coincidence that I named my business Body Flows. I was experiencing physical and emotional pain at the time when I created my business and my body felt stuck, like a lack of energy flow. It is only now that I can put this into words. I just knew that I wanted my body fo feel a sense of ease and natural flow again like it used to, physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically.

I tried many treatments, both Western medical and holistic healing methods. They all treated the symptoms and I had temporary relief. However, my pain returned from time to time throughout the next 15 years. I now realize that I was not addressing the root cause of my pain.

I want to share with you 3 books that have helped me on my journey of healing, and I hope they might inspire you to turn your awareness inwards and realize that you too have the power to heal yourself through these powerful methods. I also integrate some of these teachings and practices at our Body Flows Yoga Retreats. You can find links to the books below.

Of course it is always important to get checked out by medical doctors to rule out any more serious issue.

"When you feel pain, simply view it as energy. Do the opposite of contracting and closing. Relax and release. Relax your heart. Be present right at the place of the tension and pain, and then relax and go even deeper. Let go and give room for the pain to pass through you. It's just energy. Just see it as energy and let it go." - The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, by Michael Singer

"The pain-body consists of trapped life-energy that has split off from your total energy field and has temporarily become autonomous through the unnatural process of mind identification. The moment that you observe it, feel its energy field within you, and take your attention into it, the identification is broken. You are now the witness or the watcher of the pain-body." - The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle

"The occurence of pain in TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) always signifies the presence of repressed bad feelings, like anger and anxiety. Ignore the bodily symptoms and think about psychological things instead." - Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection, by John E Sarno, MD

If you have any questions feel free to message me through our Contact page, or join one of our Yoga Retreats to learn more.

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Author: Sally Mitchell, founder of Body Flows Yoga Retreats and RYT 200 Yoga Teacher leads yoga retreats in the USA, Mexico and Costa Rica. Living in beautiful Sonoma, California, after 15 years in NYC and San Francisco, her approach as a leader and teacher is holistic, balanced and grounded. She enjoys studying and practicing Yoga and Buddhism, hiking and trail running in nature, traveling, writing and inspiring others to live a more spiritual and meaningful life.

Read more about Sally here.