Recall the last time you experienced a physical wound, and how you adapted your movement and activities to avoid aggravating that wound further. Imagine that same wound was accidentally touched or bumped against something, and the sharp or explosive reaction that caused you to pull away, curl in to protect, or express clearly to others that they must be more careful around you. All of these potential reactions are valid, as our drive to survive is a powerful internal system that seeks comfort and avoids pain.
Now imagine that this same wound never heals. How would your life be forever impacted if you were always on high-alert to ensure your wound is not touched?
In yoga philosophy, such wounds are spoken of as samskaras. They are the energetic and emotional wounds from traumatic moments that were too overwhelming for the support and resources available at the time. While the natural and healthy cycle of hardship is rupture and repair, samskaras are the ruptures that did not get repaired, leaving behind knots of disconnection. Rather than remaining in the explicit suffering of a rupture with no repair, the body separates that part of you experiencing the trauma and moves it into the implicit realm, as if that part could curl up around the wound to carry the emotional burden while "the rest of you" can continue on functioning in the world.
While this is a wise and important adaptation for humans to survive in a (at times) cruel and unpredictable world, the samskaras will continually derail the free flow of energy into the loops or obstacles of limiting beliefs that block our growth, yet their intention is to protect these deep wounds from being touched or from experiencing the familiar pain these wounds hold. Well intentioned in their creation, samskaras point us towards where we need to direct love and attention within to guide this stuck energy back into its free flowing nature.
As a practice of non sleep deep rest, yoga nidra facilitates a potent brain wave state that is conducive for transformation. When we approach this practice with the reverent curiosity to see and know our samskaras, we then can use the word medicine of sankalpa to nurture our wounds while we feed our subconscious a new narrative.
What makes this a unique and personalized un-covering is the understanding that we are complex, and while we have many "wounds," we must learn how to patiently discover which wound is closest to the "surface" and begin the unraveling and healing with sankalpa from there. In doing this, we heal and release stored energy of wounding one layer at a time, and the changes in our daily life will be evident as we have more space for presence and less time spent in defensive, protective and autopilot ways of being.
Want to learn and experience more?
Join me for an 8 month program to deep dive into the stages of the yoga nidra practice as a template for releasing the “old” and creating space for the “new".
Join me live on Sunday’s at 10am mst (starting April 18) for a weekly yoga nidra practice on Super Seed. Sign up now to get your first two weeks free.