Yoga’s distinctive movements when combined with the right breathing techniques could make you feel emotional and experience a gamut of thoughts and feelings. To analyze, unwind, and alter ingrained patterns of sensation and emotion, such as fear, grief, and anxiety, yoga employs tension and release. But, why does yoga make you cry even when you do not experience any physical pain at that current moment? Crying in yoga is natural, according to the first-hand observation of tens of thousands of students and understanding of the science involved. But so is being angry, sad, happy, or any other emotion. So, let’s read on to understand these emotional triggers in detail!
If you fell stressed click here to go through a medical reviewed article on Yoga for stress. Should you feel depressed then this article is for you.
How do emotions work when you practice yoga?
The hurried, alienating modern world is the very opposite of yoga. Yoga, on the other hand, urges you to rediscover your humanity, which encompasses both your physical and emotional selves in addition to your body. Even though they are more frequently ignored, emotions have a certain ability. The paradox is that while logic, reason, and the mind are valued in today’s society, you need full access to your emotions to function properly in society. Yoga may assist you in feeling more and in healing deeply ingrained emotions that might be preventing you from moving forward. You can only enjoy your delight if you can cry, feel your despair, or any other emotion.
The little-known fact is that yoga might occasionally cause you to cry. When you’re considering enrolling in a yoga class for the first time, I suppose it’s not something that people who practice yoga particularly caution you about. They most likely found it to be a deeply worthwhile and wonderful experience, so I guess they don’t want to discourage you from having it as well.
With the possible exception of our husband, mother, or the dog/cat/pet canary, society has somehow conditioned us to do all in our ability to suppress our tears in public. However, there are instances when a cry just cannot be contained, and to be honest, I don’t see why it should be restrained.
It doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable as a yoga practitioner, and I’m convinced that a bunch of friends/acquaintances in a group yoga class will be nothing but sensitive and helpful to anyone who is overtaken with emotion.
However, you could question why it even occurs. In this yoga class, shouldn’t we be letting our minds wander? To defend the generally “positive” impression of yoga, I’d want to start by saying that it’s not always “bad” to feel the need to cry during or after class. It simply boils down to how unpredictable our emotions are, in my opinion. You could feel perfectly relaxed, ecstatically satisfied, and even euphoric after your yoga class on other days, or perhaps most days. The strange crying fit is simply your emotions acting out on that day, at that moment, depending on whatever baggage you brought to class.
We, our bodies, brains, and emotions, are, in my opinion, unique every single day. We thus begin each yoga practice from a different emotional state. You could thus start class on certain days feeling a little heavier than normal, sometimes without even realizing it. We might be troubled by concerns about money, relationships, our jobs, accidents, or anything else. The list is essentially infinite. The baggage we’re dragging around may stem from a long-ago event rather than our current circumstances.
What occurs is that when we deliberately and purposefully seek to reduce tightness in our yoga session, we simultaneously release the stressor that was the source of that tension. Of course, the fact that your hamstrings feel a touch tight after the morning’s 25-minute 5K run may not be the stressor. It may just as well be despair, worry, or anxiety over anything going on in your life. Therefore, we also release mental tensions while we exercise and stretch to relieve physical stress in our bodies. Additionally, if that emotion is one of sadness, we could have an intense, uncontrolled want to cry. And that’s OK. Anyone who has sobbed during yoga should leave feeling a little bit lighter, clearer, and more equipped to continue processing their issues. Ideally, this overpowering feeling is bright and happy too!
Why does yoga make me cry?
We unconsciously guard to get by each day. We tighten up various body areas, sort of like putting on emotional and mental armor. This can be advantageous since you can do a lot without constantly experiencing and managing interior sensations.
- Emotions Get Stuck: But because they might become trapped, repeated contractions can cause issues. We hold ourselves so firmly that we are unable to move or feel. When people ask you where they carry their stress, such as in their neck, jaw, or shoulders, you instinctively know this. Yoga practice physically warms up your body and encourages you to let go of repressed emotions.
- Vinyasa yoga and Novelty: it is a flexible practice, vinyasa yoga is especially good at helping you feel. You might also notice that no two vinyasa sessions are ever the same. Every time you are on the mat, your body will be asked to move in a variety of ways. The opposite of familiarity is novelty. Vinyasa yoga postures and sequences frequently involve novel and surprising movements, which allows them to go through your natural defensive reaction. Consider backbends, for example. We frequently fold forward in our daily activities, such as when we drive, text, or type. But we never stoop to the side.
- Stress and Release: In yoga, tension and release are dynamically alternating. A more major release may be facilitated by tensing your muscles, as while holding a yoga position. Progressive muscular relaxation is the term used to describe this. Once more, when we let go, submit, relax, and open, there is a chance that we could start sobbing in the finest possible way.
If you are interested in knowing more about releasing emotions during in Yoga, then this clip is for you.
6 tips to work with emotions in yoga
- Emotional Abilities Are Common: Recognize that it’s natural to feel your feelings and perhaps weep.
- Feel the Emotions: Yoga instructors frequently urge students to “experience their sensations.” That’s a little loaded considering how many of us are just using five or six of the emotional palette’s numerous hues. Introspection, or being aware of how you are feeling, is a strength. Knowing your sentiments can enable you to connect with others as well as yourself. This is what empathy is. Also, don’t be scared to give names to your feelings. By labeling, you may regain control.
- Slow down: Yoga is so physically demanding, many people consider it to be a daily activity. The key is to consistently put oneself through a process. You will be practicing frequently, which is described as three to five times a week, every week, so you will have plenty of opportunities to sort out your emotions. Yoga is always a “go at your speed” practice, keep that in mind. How much you feel is up to you. Similar to going faster, you can find that nothing happens. Yoga is a discipline of incremental improvement.
- Keep exercising: In yoga, repetition is essential. Emotional labor is what I refer to as excavation. Earth-moving tools are frequently used by archaeologists first, followed by shovels and brushes. What else exists? If you practice seldom, it will take a decade if you have a backlog of feelings. The layers of emotion will become more apparent more quickly with continued practice.
- Maintenance: It’s not over until you’ve finished the effort of digesting your emotional stash. Now you enter the maintenance phase because even when you feel better, things will recur. Things will keep coming up because you are still moving around the globe. Yoga, on the other hand, gives you a technique to deal with whatever arises in your day-to-day existence.
- Play or Not: Sometimes our emotions might motivate us to take action and alter our lives. The process of feeling, naming, and pondering, however, is frequently sufficient to cause the emotion to pass. It seems as though you have gone through the yoga practice and the emotion has turned into a vapour that is dissipating.
FAQs
What causes me to cry after my yoga class?
It simply boils down to how unpredictable our emotions are, in my opinion. You could feel perfectly relaxed, ecstatically satisfied, and even euphoric after your yoga class on other days, or perhaps most days. The strange crying fit is simply your emotions acting out on that day, at that moment, depending on whatever baggage you brought to class.
What causes me to tear when I stretch?
It could just be melancholy about a situation in your life, but it could also be anxiety, worry, or concern. Therefore, we relieve mental stress as well as physical tension in our bodies by moving and stretching. We could experience an overpowering, uncontrolled need to cry if the mood is one of sadness. That’s completely OK.
Can yoga help me tap the stored emotions in my body?
Yes, definitely! Yoga works deep inside the body and as the traditional chakras refer, each of us tends to store suppressed emotions in different parts of the body. As we stretch and try to work in poses, we release the tension in that particular part of the body while also tapping these emotions that we were managing to hide for so long.
Are there any particular poses that can work on your emotions?
It cannot be specifically listed here as each individual experiences each pose in a different way. However, in general, hip openers and backbends are the most common poses that work on untapped emotions. The stress is believed to be stored in the hip and pelvic region commonly known as the sacral chakra. These poses are usually in opposition to the natural daily routine of our life. We tend to bend forward a lot but we need to put in effort consciously to bend backward and there lies the key!
Conclusion
Can you weep while doing yoga? Unlocking numerous emotions that you had locked owing to your protective state is a definite yes. You may constantly relieve stress and emotion via yoga. It will ultimately become simpler for you to manage your emotions appropriately, and the advantages are unparalleled. Starting your yoga practice right away will allow you to take advantage of all these wonderful advantages and raise your emotional intelligence.
