For many emotional eaters, having clarity and access to our emotions is an elusive proposition. Compulsive overeating, like any addiction, is a manifestation of:

1. Not having access to our emotions, and/or
2. Not being able to be with our emotions.

If we don’t have access to our emotions, we are not going to be able to recognize or express what it is that we are feeling. When we binge, we might understand that something is wrong, that there is an emotional imbalance. Yet we don’t feel it with the clarity and intensity that compels us to be with these emotions. When we experience most of our emotions as hunger, that is clearly not having access to our emotions.

We have either learned to suppress our emotions, for example if we have been taught that it is unacceptable to express anger in a corporate setting, or our energy centers are so out of balance that there is no clarity to our feelings. Our goal is to have unobstructed access to our emotions. Our goal is to be able to feel, be and express “I’m lonely,” “I’m frustrated,” “I’m disappointed,” “I’m devastated,” “I’m f*@k!ng ANGRY!” and profoundly feel these emotions. Our goal is to feel all of these emotions and stop confusing them with physical hunger.

Because our emotions are stored in our bodies as energies, it is critical to have the body’s energy centers and energy conduits balanced, open and flowing. The openness and fluidity of our bodies’ emotional energies allow us to have access to our emotions. In the case of buried emotional trauma, we also need a means to release these repressed energies. Yoga, in my personal experience and the opinion of many experts, is one of the most effective means of clearing the energy channels that allows our emotions to flow unencumbered.

There are at least sixteen million Americans who practice yoga on a regular basis. Many do it because of yoga’s healing benefits, to cure their arthritis, to loosen stiffness around the body, or to restore loss of muscle tone. Others simply do it because yoga makes them feel better all over. If you have never done yoga or if you have a preconception of what yoga is, please read this section with an open mind.

For yoga postures to be effective, they must be executed with focus and intent while simultaneously moving and stretching the specific areas of the body to open and release emotional blockage or imbalance. This release can come in a variety of ways: a flood of strong emotions, memories, or a physically experienced sensation. We need to be fully present to get the many benefit of our practice. It would be advantageous to wear, look at, or have in your vicinity the color of the energy center that you are working on. Imagine the center opening like a camera aperture, flower bud or trap door, and the energy flooding every cell of the lower hips, legs and feet. Sustain the image clearly while holding the pertinent yoga postures, and by working with your breath, the agent of the life force becomes available. Yoga, when practiced with awareness, has the ability to infuse the practitioner with positive qualities unique to each posture.

Yoga is an advanced contemplative practice, and no extraneous effort should be involved. Again because the deep, even breath is a reflection of balance and calmness, whenever you are experiencing shortness of breath or shallow, uneven breathing, you are not getting the benefits of the posture. Deep, slow breathing is essential, allowing the movements to follow the breath to draw you inward.

Click here to learn more about how to get in touch with your emotions