Stretching the Soul by Lena Love

How often do you find yourself in a habit of escape? Whether it’s needing that third morning cup of coffee just to get up and walk away from your desk, or whether it’s that third or fourth drink you can’t resist because maybe it’s taking you somewhere… where is it you’d rather be? The desire to escape isn’t as much a reality as it is an unconscious habit born of the incorrect belief that we are incomplete to satisfy our own needs in the moment.

Yoga is a method of stretching whereby we lean into the pain in our bodies to extend the limit of our capacity. We can also stretch our souls by practicing patience and presence in the face of pain and resistance. Ironically it’s not escaping the pain that allows it to transform, but rather facing it head on and allowing it to teach us why it is there so that we can heal it once and for all.

Soul Stretching Exercise: Practice sitting with a straight spine. Simply notice the flow of breath in and out of your body. Notice any tightness or restriction in your body and give it your full attention, directing your breath to these areas, inviting them to open. Notice the quality of the feeling you are locating; a pain, a resistance, a hotness. What are its characteristics, i.e color, shape, density? Stay with the physical awareness and the breath for at least 5 minutes. Then, think of the first time you felt this way. Just allow whatever image or memory arises to resurface. As your current self, hold space for the younger self who is experiencing this feeling. Give him/her your loving acceptance and support. Rather than resisting and denying—Validate yourself for having this feeling. When you feel you have acknowledged part of the root cause, pop or shrink the memory, visually cleanse yourself in water. Slowly come back to your body, opening your eyes. Drink water and notice the change in how you feel.