by Michelle Dalbec, E-RYT 500, 1000hr Kripalu Yoga Teacher & Teacher Trainer, Co-Founder of The Thread
We all have them. As humans we are designed and destined to feel a broad array of emotions. Big or small, short or long lasting, gentle or intense, they come as a response to our life experience. Some pass across us like a light breeze creating only a tiny ripple of change and others like a thunder bolt striking us so deep the experience changes us forever. Being human means we ride these waves day in and day out.
I love the image of a wave because I believe that emotions have motion. They each have a certain feeling of movement in the body. One may feel tingly or effervescent, while another may feel like shimmer or a swirl, while others might feel like a slash or a punch.
Emotions can also set us in motion. They can inspire us to act, warn us to move in a different direction, draw us closer in, or send a signal we’re doing something worthwhile.
I have struggled a lot with experiencing emotions I could not identify, name, or even fully locate within myself. They simply felt like an ominous shadow that disappeared every time I turned around to find them. Having no history and no familiarity left me confused, ungrounded, and feeling very alone.
Emotions are not only a response to what we are experiencing in life, they each come bearing important gifts. In order to appreciate we must understand the language of emotions.
If you’re anything like me, over the past two years you’ve experienced more than your fair share of emotions. Some as familiar as your favorite jeans while others appear as foreign intruders. I have struggled a lot with experiencing emotions I could not identify, name, or even fully locate within myself. They simply felt like an ominous shadow that disappeared every time I turned around to find them. Having no history and no familiarity left me confused, ungrounded, and feeling very alone. Even my go to yoga practices did not help me, which left me feeling helpless. I found myself crying out, sometimes literally, to the Universe for guidance, luckily the universe provided. The Universe brought me some wonderful resources that introduced me to a broader array of emotions and educated me in their meaning. Interestingly it was through being able to understand them, intellectually, that they were brought out of the dark and into the light. My go to has always been to start with body and then move to the brain. But in this case it seemed that in order to work with them I first needed to understand them before being able to identify them in myself. Actually knowing their roots and gifts played an instrumental role in befriending and managing them. I am happy to say I am still studying, learning, and navigating my way through foreign emotions. Some days are better than other, practice and community help too.
... in order to work with them I first needed to understand them before being able to identify them in myself. Actually knowing their roots and gifts played an instrumental role in befriending and managing them.
Down below I’ve shared some resources for you - books, podcasts, YouTube videos, and an online downloadable digital course to take. I’ve been using all of these and they’ve helped give me a deeper understanding and assured me that I’m not imagining things, I’m not alone, and that everything I’m feeling is normal, which is been a huge relief to me.
I hope these resources help you if you or a loved one find yourself in a similar situation.
PODCAST: Brene Brown: Part 1 of 3 | LISTEN HERE
PODCAST: Brene Brown Part 2 of 3 | LISTEN HERE
PODCAST: Brene Brown Part 2 of 3 | LISTEN HERE
PODCAST: Glennon Doyle and Brene Brown | LISTEN HERE
PODCAST: Sound True Interview | LISTEN HERE
BOOK: Get yours from Sounds True | HERE
Watch Kelly's Talk | HERE
Get Your Course from Sounds True | HERE
Michelle Dalbec, E-RYT 500, 1000hr Kripalu Yoga Teacher, YACEP®
Co-Founder | The Thread Yoga Collective
Co-Founder | The Circle of Thread Yoga Community (coming soon)
Yoga and Meditaiton Teacher and Mentor Michelle Dalbec, E-RYT 500, YACEP, is a Lead Faculty member for Kripalu Center, a 1000-hour Kripalu Yoga teacher, lead teacher trainer for Kripalu's school of Yoga, Kripalu R&R program presenter, and RISE facilitator. Michelle is a passionate professional-level yoga teacher and mindfulness educator with over 15 years’ experience. She hosts educational and experiential yoga programs, and delivers dynamic and motivational workshops. Michelle is the co-creator of Unified Body Yoga, a Yoga Tune Up teacher, and a certified knitting instructor with the Craft Yarn Council. Michelle teaches with the intention to inspire authentic alignment and expression and makes the benefits of yoga—stress resilience, mindfulness, and self-compassion— possible for all. Whether she’s teaching on-the-mat yoga, leading meditation, or guiding a mindful outdoor experience, she uses an inquiry-based approach that empowers students to realize their full potential and individuality. Michelle loves dancing, getting out in the woods and on the water, is an avid knitter, and a self confessed anatomy nerd who believes that yoga is for everyone, a lifelong journey of self-discovery both on and off the mat. Learn More About Michelle www.myoga.com