Wearing shame on your shoulders?
Kristina Eklund
Excuse me, but is that shame that's weighing so heavily on your shoulders?
I see it in you because I have felt it in myself.
My shame was like a heavy cloak I wore for most of my life. Like a coat that both weighed me down, and also kept me safely hidden.
Even at times in my life when I've thought I was keeping my emotions to myself, I realize that I've been wearing my emotions in and on my body. I never made a choice to display my emotions in this way - it's just, well, part of being human. An embodied human.
Sometimes shame keeps me small
Sometimes happiness uplifts me
Sometimes sadness washes over my heart
Sometimes my face glows with pride
Sometimes joy bubbles up from my belly
Our emotions and our bodies are deeply connected. The emotions we feel have an impact on our bodies. But amazingly, the opposite is also true. Our bodies, and how we hold our bodies, can have an impact on our emotions.
holding a power pose for 2 minutes makes us feel more empowered
holding a pencil between our teeth (creating a smile) makes us find jokes funnier
holding a warm beverage makes us more receptive ('warmed up') to ideas
This 2-way street of emotion to body and body to emotion can actually be fun to explore. If you're in the Boulder, Colorado area, check out my new Embodied Emotion all-levels yoga class at EarthYogaBoulder.com . Each class focuses on a pair of emotions. The first series focuses on Shame & Pride. Hope to see you there!
With kindness and care,
Kristina
