connecting punches and possibility

Do you ever sit in yoga class and feel the urge to punch something?

Read on if you do...

I went to a "Yoga Fight Club" class last Friday at Om Factory and while I expected it to be some version of integrating peaceful kicks and air punches into my Warrior One, it turned out to be much more literal: First, we did some yoga to warm up and get centered. Then, we strapped on the boxing gloves and learned basic punches and kicks which we continued, interspersed with different kinds of cardio activities, culminating with partnered up full-on punching and kicking sessions.

The instructor Andrea was the perfect combo of zen and don't-mess-with-me energy. She demonstrated roundhouse kicks with the grace of dancer and the fierceness of a fighter, and she described the similarities between yoga and martial arts - how both are all about managing your energy and directing it.

I really connected to the class and got so much satisfaction from connecting my one-two punch to the target! Looking back, I realized how it really was the perfect physical outlet for where I was in my cycle: the beloved luteal phase, or premenstrual phase as it's more commonly referred to. If you're not familiar with it, let me remind you that this is the time when:

• you can get pissed off easily (oh no you di'nt),
• when patience runs low (would i get arrested if i bulldozed my shopping cart to the front of the line?),
• emotional sensitivity runs high (was I really just crying during that dog food commercial?),
• and the need to shove things down can arise (ice cream and brownies, please)

....especially if you're not doing what's necessary to get all these pent up feelings out of you.

If you're like me, you feel it also in your belly. Sometimes bloating or cramps, or just a general stuck feeling. It can be hard to decipher what it means, what my body wants. Hearty nourishment in the food department, that's for sure, but there's much more to it. There's something that has to come out. Energy. Emotions. The build up that's been accumulating throughout the past cycle.

On top of that, it's also the time of year - the transition into Spring - where our livers are getting ready to release all the pent up toxins (physical and emotional) that have been stored up over the winter. It can feel tumultuous and intense.

How to get it out?

2 parts:
1. Spring Cleanse your body. Nothing drastic. Try a gentle food-based cleanse like the one we offer at LSW. It will do wonders for your liver, your complexion, and your period, and it will ground in the changes you wish to see happen in your life this year.

2. Release your emotions. Regularly. As much as possible. Try out a class like the one I mentioned. On your own, try yelling or punching or kicking or dancing or maybe writing some angry letters out first to get things to the surface. Whatever you do, feel it deeply from your center. Breathe into it, gather the energy and direct it outwards.

When you get the emotions out of your system, it's amazing what opens up. In my experience this weekend, it was a sense of freedom and clear space where new possibilities and new adventures popped up, seemingly out of nowhere.

What's your favorite outlet for emotional expression and cleansing?
Please share with me in the comment box!

xo
jessica

P.S. if anyone is looking to go deeper in this cleansing process this spring, there are still spots open in the Spring Awakening Program in addition to some awesome detoxing classes at the center