Monday, September 25, 2006

True Balance ~ Sacral Chakra ~ The Unexpressed


The sacral chakra is so delicious. It's about sensuality, pleasure, fun, sex, relationship, passion, expression. This chakra gets shut down when these parts of your life are not being expressed. It's not enough to feel passionate about something or know that you enjoy something, you have to get out there and taste it, experience it, revel in it, be in it or else that desire sits inside you languishing like Rapunzel gazing out of that locked tower wondering when someone will ever rescue her. Be the hero! Let your passions out!

And it isn't just the fun stuff that needs to come out. It's the angry, ugly, raging, bitter, hurt, sobbing stuff that needs to be let out too. The stuff that's just festering there in the bottom of your spine. Do you think this might have a lot to do with how much people suffer from lower back pain (myself included)? As loving, compassionate people sometimes we don't think it's okay to be angry. As strong, independent women sometimes we don't think it's okay to sob. This is all a part of what it means to be human. This is who we are. And whether we like it or not, this is how we feel.

So how do you let out some of the yucky stuff? I know that sometimes I repress my tears. I don't share them easily and sometimes when those sobs well up I push them right back down. One thing that I've found helpful is to give myself the experience of sitting with a heartbreakingly tear-jerking movie all by myself with a cup of tea and a box of Kleenex and the time and space to just let those tears come out. It's like a cleanse for the soul.

And with emotions that I just don't seem to be able to let go of, whether it's guilt or anger, I've tried writing all about it, raging wildly, admitting my failings in all their nakedness and then setting it on fire as an act of letting it go.

What do you find difficult to express? What's in you that needs to be let out? What could you try in order to give yourself some release? What would you recommend to the rest of us on this journey?

9 comments:

Suzie Ridler said...

I love reading your writing. You talk about emotions in such a vivid and illustrated way, that's hard to do. It's also hard to write about the struggle to allow yourself to be emotional in such a poetic way.

Although it is easy for me to fall into tears, it isn't easy for me to be OK with it. I'm going to wory on that, thanks! I'm glad you have movies to tap into to get those feelings out. So important for your spirit Jamie! It helps keep our spirits bright.

Claudia said...

There´s plenty in here but sometimes I wonder whether it´s healthier to just put it behind me and get on with things. There seems to be so much I can´t change, things I have no control over like how family are towards me and have been in the past..is it enough to acknowledge this and move on or do I have to go deeper?

Anonymous said...

Melba, I would love to hear more about maggie and ethan.

jamie, I don't have anything surprising to contribute. Things you already know only- I express myself through writing, drawing, music, and photography.

The painful stuff that doesn't get expressed, usually I eventually end up crying about in my husbands arms, because he doesn't ask me why I am crying, and he just holds me.

Jamie said...

You know, I often try and figure out whether it makes sense to reply to comments in the comments. Claudia brought up a really interesting question, so I decided to reply here.

My thought is if it's not holding you back, keep moving forward. But if you keep getting stuck at the same place or you find yourself not moving, that's a good time to see if there's some ballast you need to drop.

Marc André Bélanger said...

"I know that sometimes I repress my tears..." I was doing that for a long while, sometimes still. That wreaks havoc on yourself. For my part, there's a certain book I read which is an immediate tear-jerker for me, and a few songs too. When I was feeling really bad, I would make myself listen to them everyday, just to be sure to get it all out.

Guilt I find hard to let go off. I recently went through a sort of ritual for letting go of guilt I felt with regards to my late fiancée. A couple of hours later, a friend I thought I had lost (and towards whom I felt guilty) called me up out of the blue; she felt something was awry and wanted to reconnect with me. Karma works in mysterious way.

I agree with Jamie, if it's bogging you down, it's time to face it. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you're ready to move on or if there's still something to deal with. Sometimes also, you need to move on a bit before you can deal with whatever is holding you back.

Shannon said...

I love the Rapunzel analogy! I bet she has lower back issues, and the long hair doesn't help!

Its true sometimes it isn't easy to let the harsher emotions out. Crying to a tear-jerker movie is a great way! (You are inspiring me to post my favorite cry-fest movies), also sometimes physical activity can release this as well (running, martial arts, dance).

Unknown said...

Wow Jamie, that's a great point. I don't really have an outlet at all. If you think of it sometime, could you recommend some crying movies?

It's so helpful to think about the shadow side of the second chakra. I agree with you sister, you write so well about emotions.

Anonymous said...

When I first took up Iyengar Yoga, I found that after nearly every class I would come home and sob, then feel better. I came to the conclusion that I was holding a lot of grief and sorrow very physically. The yoga practise has slipped since becoming a mother but I find that going to the gym releases alot of anger and other difficult emotions. I'm not really accomplishing any of my fitness or weight loss goals right now but I think because I tend to live so much in my head, that I need a physical way to release the negative.

Kelly Martin said...

Hi Jamie, I just found your blog tonight when searching for info on the sacral chakra. I know my sacral has been blocked for a long time and it starting to awaken now. I used to be very restrictive in my body and no comfortable in my own skin but since doing pilates and even more since doing belly dancing I feel my sacral has started to open. However, tonight, well my friend who does massage gave my sacrum a real good massage she said it was so tight in there. She really went in deep. I have felt the most immense anger since having the massage and well I can only think it is to do with this. I also feel a bit unmotivated to do belly dancing whereas I have loved doing it this past few weeks. Its like a part of me is trying to shut this area down again. I want to continue in my passion feeling sensual and finally, finally feeling like a woman enjoying my femininity for the first time in my life.

Any tips?

Kelly x