STUCK IN THE FEELS

7 weeks ago I said goodbye to my dog, and my heart has been shattered ever since.

What I have noticed in myself though, is a complete disconnect to my intuition- I have literally not been able to hear myself since he died.

And that is a problem as I have some big decisions to make about my studio, and my intuition being on radio silence is not helping!

So why is this happening?

Well, yoga can help here (of course!)

There are five koshas- or layers of self.

🦾 Annamaya Kosha- the physical body

⚡️ Pranamaya Kosha- energetic layer

🧠 Manomaya Kosha- mental layer

👁️ Vijnanamaya Kosha - intuition

🪬Anandamaya Kosha- bliss body/connection to the divine

When energy is stuck in one of these layers, it is hard to access the next one. This has absolutely been true for me!

I have been so stuck in the emotions of grief, that I have not been able to wade through my thoughts, lets alone get underneath them to hear my intuition.

In fact with grief, what has been interesting is that the emotions have been so stuck in my gut- I have barely been able to eat anything, my stomach has been in knots- so I have definitely not had any ‘gut instincts’ – there just hasn’t been any room!

Why is this useful? Well it is an approach we can use when we are stuck. You can either explore the layer before where you want to be and unstick it. Or, as in this case for me, you simply go back to the beginning and work inwards!

I need to move my body first (Annamaya Kosha) in order to shift some of the energy. Grief is heavy man, so I need gentle, simple, compassionate movement to help me get out of my feels, and into my body.

Then I need to process my emotions (Pranamaya Kosha) - being regulated does not mean not experiencing the big emotions. A regulated person is someone who allows themselves to feel them, but then processes them to ensure that they don’t get stuck there. So now I will lean into my regulation practises to help me move through my emotions, rather than staying in them.

Then its time for the mind (🧠 Manomaya Kosha- mental layer)- what a spicy meatloaf she has been recently! A busy mind is a hell of a burden- one we all carry. But I cannot hear my intuition if my mind is a circus! Thoughts of guilt, doubt, and judgement have definitely been rife for me this month. So, time to process those thoughts so that they don’t get stuck on repeat.

ONLY THEN can I possibly have any hope of hearing my intuition (Vijnanamaya Kosha – intuition)! Is this a lot of work? Sure, but staying stuck in a grief-doubt-despair cycle is more work! Working through these layers slowly and with compassion, is the only way I am going to get back in touch with intuition- and I miss her, so she is worth finding!

So, if you are struggling to hear yourself, maybe the koshas is a good way to enquire and find out where you are stuck. Look to the layer before where you are stuck and work from the outside in 🦾⚡️🧠👁️🪬

As I always say- move your body, change your mood.