Issue in Our Tissues

Following a long hike in the mountains yesterday, I sat down to prepare a “Happy Hips” yoga practice to share this week.

My classes explore a new topic or concept each month, and we’re diving into RELEASE this October.  Release in the body.  And releasing things that inhibit our growth and overall well-being.

Feeling a little tight today, I’m stoked that Hips are on the agenda!

This often constricted part of the body deserves loads of love, attention, and release. Not just on a physical level but on a deeper level, too.

Issues in Our Tissues

In circles I’ve run in, as a yoga teacher and massage therapist, the hips are often referred to as a common storehouse for stress, emotion, anger, and trauma.  A place where our old stories, disappointments, and grudges take up residence and stand guard against the world.

In my early years as an anatomist, I had trouble wrapping my brain around how emotions could get stuck in the body. I wanted to understand it scientifically. What is the process? Where does it go exactly?  At that time, I needed to SEE it to believe it.

Now, after 20+ years of witnessing tears emerge during a massage or a yoga class, there is no doubt that emotion gets stuck in our bodies.

We are complex beings. Our physical, mental, and emotional states influence each other. Feelings of anger and stress (emotional/ mental) often cause our jaw to clench (physical). Drawing a deep breath into your lungs (physical) can downregulate the nervous system and create a sense of calm (emotional).

Maybe you’ve experienced unanticipated tears on the yoga mat, in an acupuncture session, or a massage. (I’m going to throw sex into the mix, too, but to be clear, not all release in this department is the same.😄)   You may not have fully understood where the emotion came from, but the release was undeniable. And you felt better from the experience!

For the science-minded folks in the house, numerous studies now show that our bodies store emotional experiences and memories.  Even though you can’t see them, like emotions, they are indeed 100% real and there.

So, what to do with the issues stuck in our tissues?

Once we understand the integrated relationship between our body, mind, and emotions, we can understand and normalize tears or emotions that arise during yoga, massage, and other body modalities.  We can then let those tears flow knowing the release is a healthy release.

We can also embrace body-focused practices for more than muscle repair and restoration.  Movement practices, like yoga, can be powerful tools for release below the surface and can deliver a deep sense of freedom.

We all carry old stories, wounds, and disappointments we’ve collected from our unique path through life.  Some of our stories and gripping have kept us safe.  It’s also true that each of us is holding on to something that no longer serves us.  Things that, once released, would offer greater ease and freedom in your body and beyond.

So, what are you ready to let go of?  And what steps will you take to facilitate that release?

There is so much more to dive into around this topic, as well as practices specifically focused on facilitating the release of deeply held emotion in a safe, supported way with a trained therapeutic practitioner.  I’m simply scratching the surface here.  You can find numerous articles, resources, and methods for clearing the issues in our tissues online, including this Psychology Today article.

And for big-T trauma survivors and those who love them, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, is a fabulous book to sink into. It’s a bit heady yet an enlightening resource.

I welcome you and your tight hips, as well as issues in your tissues, to join me on the mat at any time!

love, Tener