Emotions and The Prana Body

                     

                      (what lies beneath our blocked energy)

prana is needed for all aspects of our life

Definitely prana, life-force, affects our koshas, our body sheaths. And when our physical body is low on prana, we are low on vitality. Our body doesn't work so well.  Prana starts to leave the body before death, so we can assume then, that prana is essential to our well-being, to our very existence.

but it gets blocked

Sometimes, though, prana gets blocked, inside of our body. And this happens to us all. What is blocking the prana? It is our emotions. Emotions are an integral part of our existence. Emotions make us human.

emotions talk to us

We could say that emotions are part of a communication system. Firstly, they are not the only communicators, see here, plus our senses communicate to us too. But, feelings are a more direct form of communication. When we get past thinking that we are a body with thoughts, wants, desires, when we start to accept that it's not just about the little aspect of oneself, then we start to experience the totality of being a human being.

Sadly, this is not often the case in the yoga world. Too much emphasis is placed on whatever one thinks of as one's mind, and too little emphasis is given to how the complexity of the human being, actually works.

Our emotions 'talk' to us, in the form of sensations, and feelings. They are part of the human journey in a lifetime. They are linked to the body, and to more etherial parts of us, as well as that magical part of us which is to do with self-expression in a lifetime.

Our feelings are our friends. They are part of us, but are not all of us. They are always communicating to us.

action and reaction

A basic 'law' of life is that for every action, there is a reaction. And emotions are strongly involved in this.

There is a Morepork (New Zealand native owl) calling as I write this. An action. My reaction is to pause, smile, and listen. I also notice that I am experiencing happiness on hearing the bird's call. Some part of my being is letting me know, via the feeling of happiness, that this is a good, and pleasurable sound. It is a safe sound.

We hear a scream of fear. We react by rushing to see if the person who screamed is alright. We don't even stop to realise that a similar fear reaction has taken place in our own psyche.

In both of these examples, there was an action, and a reaction. Our emotions were involved. In the first instance, happiness, in the second, fear for the person who screamed in in fear. Our senses were also involved, both times it was the sense of hearing.

All parts of us, work as a whole. Each part needs the other.

It is the same with the more esoteric aspects of our being. They too, work together as part of the whole.

And so do our emotions.

sometimes we shut down our emotions

This is a major problem in life, and spirituality, today. We are encouraged to 'be detached', not react emotionally, in yoga. As one progresses along the spiritual path, ideally one should develop more equilibrium emotionally. And yet, more often than not, with the expectations of what is spiritual, we often just appear to have equilibrium, whilst deep inside, our feelings get pushed down, and they hide in the body.

where do the emotions go?

This is where both the annamaya (food sheath) and the pranamaya (life-force sheath) kosha are both affected. Emotions are often stored in our gut, and the less than desirable emotions can start to amplify. Such as sharp pains in the gut, causing digestive upset. The pranamaya kosha is intimately involved with Manipura (navel) chakra, for this chakra is the seat of energy in our body. Not kundalini, but prana. So it can be difficult for the portal to the pranic sheath, at the navel, to open and reveal the prana body., when it is tight with difficult emotions which we have hidden.

what is the true emotion

And yet, the main emotion from that area, the emotion which lies beneath our sorrows and pains, is happiness. Intense happiness. That happiness cannot be a true ongoing state of being whilst our emotions are blocking it.