Keep the Channels Open
I woke up a few weeks ago with my back all wadded up and burning in contraction, so went to see my chiropractor in San Francisco, who time and again proves himself to be a miracle worker.
As soon as he laid hands on me he asked, "Man, what're you holding onto back here?!"
And then: "Are you guarding or protecting your heart right now?"
He goes straight to the core of how thoughts and emotions house themselves in the body, and he's helped me more deeply understand that the body is always giving us pure feedback of what the mind and heart are experiencing.
Every time I see him I have the opportunity to reflect on what I'm "shouldering" right now, on where I'm holding back, on how I'm protecting myself, and on the repercussions of holding on and holding back in those ways.
And the process always, without fail, creates a clearing.
There's often some emotional release around these sessions, often some unpleasant energy that bubbles to the surface, but at least it's there in the clear light of day to work with then.
And, once acknowledged without judgment, that energy always passes through and leaves me feeling clearer, more open, more present, more relaxed, than before the physical symptoms manifested.
I used to think the goal in doing this inner work — practicing yogic principles, meditating, being coached, getting energy work done, etc. — was to clear out "negative" emotions and energy once and for all, never to have them return.
I used to use all those methods as attempts to avoid unpleasant feelings.
What I know now is that the aim isn't to banish tough feelings (having learned it's exhausting and pointless to try to anyway), but to be better able to acknowledge and compassionately tend to and integrate and clear them appropriately when they do arise.
And we need to accept that new kinks will always be arising, and we'll always need to stay conscious about paying enough attention to clear them when they come up rather than letting the dam get more and more jammed up by ignoring the blockage.
But this shift in awareness changes everything.
Realizing it isn't our responsibility - or even a possibility - to keep all anger, frustration, agitation, sadness, disappointment, guilt, from arising is such a load off, isn’t it?
Simply understanding that we don't have to avoid anything naturally defuses so much judgment and aversion.
Now when one of those challenging feelings comes up, it's not about dealing with it "forever." It's just about dealing with it right now.
And oohh, what a relief to know all we're really responsible for is addressing this ONE moment, isn't it?
Once we acknowledge what's really up for us in this moment, we can appropriately address it and clear it through that awareness.
We keep the channels clear by staying as honestly and objectively aware as possible of what our energy and emotions are up to in the present moment.
By doing this, we unkink the hose to let the flow pass through freely again.
The practices of meditation and mindfulness and conscious movement all support us in being able to make those appropriate in-the-moment choices of which are the wisest thoughts to follow, words to speak, and actions to take.
With a strongly cultivated willingness to stay present with whatever's happening right now as it is, we become better and better able to handle this one moment appropriately...and now this one...and now this one.
This stuff is actually simple as can be. Not always easy, but simple.
So just keep doing the simple things that support your greater wisdom and connection again and again and again.
No need to worry about avoiding or stuffing down or banishing unpleasant feelings from your life. You're just here to experience life as truly as possible, in all its manifestations.
And keeping the channels clear helps you do that.
So what's one simple way you could "clear the channels" for yourself this week? Give yourself that gift and celebrate the renewed spaciousness and clarity on the other side.
Lots of Love,