Pause and consider this: Everything you take in through any of your senses shapes you. A short list includes food, books, television, conversations, viruses, sex, air, etc. Sometimes what you take in makes you into shapes you’d rather not experience, such as eating too quickly and feeling bloated or watching the news and seeing your mind get all twisted up with anxious thoughts.
The best thing we can do is treat our senses like a treasured guest. That means taking in the best forms of everything in that list above when we have the choice. But it’s inevitable that we will sometimes choose the not-so-helpful forms, or have no choice at all. When that happens, we turn to the power of digestion.
Just like we have to give the body a little extra support to digest the food that left us bloated, we also have to give a little more to digest difficult experiences, such as watching the news, a fight with our partner, childbirth, COVID and all that was 2020, etc. This is called emotional digestion, and it’s at the heart of the way I teach Ayurveda.
Emotional digestion is the reason I created my membership program, The Nest. Whether you’re a member or not, you’ll benefit from a few tactics for emotional digestion. It’s something all of us need, every day.
Emotional digestion looks like:
- A simple plain statement of acknowledgment (you don’t need to like what happened, just acknowledge it is)
- Making space for transitions before moving to the next thing (pause and breathe)
- Journaling (Write. It. Out.)
- Celebrating what you did right (you likely already know what you did “wrong”)
- Talking to someone who will not judge you (call me maybe?)
- Breath (I adore pranayama, but plain old belly breathing works)
- Physical movement (dancing, walks in nature, and yoga asana are my favorites)
You don’t have to do all of these every day. But do one of these today and notice what it does for you.
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If you want a sacred space to digest your emotions, join The Nest, my membership program. Here you’ll have the chance to work 1:1 with me, or getting access to transformational content and monthly virtual gatherings. Learn more here.
