When the Body asks you to Slow Down: an emotional recovery through Odaka Yoga
- innerlightyogalodg
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
A few days ago,while in Panama, I developed a tendon inflamation after walking long distances on asphalt wearing a new pair of shoes.
At first it seemed like a simple physical issue. A discomfort that slowed my pace and forced me to move differently.
But as the days passed,I began to understand that my body was asking for much more than physical rest.
The freedom I usually experience through movement was suddenly reduced. My plans changed. My rhythm changed. And beneath the frustration of not being able to move as I normally would,emotions I had not fully acknowledged began to surface.
WHAT STARTED AS A PHYSICAL RECOVERY SLOWLY BECAME AN EMOTIONAL ONE.
In those days, I returned to a gentle Odaka yoga practice focused on opening the shoulders and the heart center. These are often the areas that absorb the impact of stress,pressure, and emotional overload. Without realizing it,we close ourselves,protect ourselves,and carry more than we need to.
One of the gifts of Odaka yoga is that healing does not require intense movement. Sometimes recovery begins with something more simple: opening the chest,flow like water,allowing the breath to expand,moving to soft twists, and creating space where tensions has been held for too long.
RATHER THEN TO FIX MY BODY I RETURNED ONE MORE TIME AND MORE DEEPLY TO LISTEN TO IT.
During this journey,I also received some acupuncture sessions.. As the energy began to move more feely through my body,especially around the heart area,something unexpected happened.
A DEEP WAVE OF EMOTION ROSE TO THE SURFACE..
TEARS CAME NATURALLY AND WITHOUT RESISTANCE.
It was not sadness in the conventional sense. It felt like a release. A letting go of months of accumulated tension,responsabilities,expectations,and emotions that had quietly been waiting for space to be felt.
In that moment i was reminded of something i often share with my students: healing is not always about making something disappear.
Sometimes healing is about allowing something to move.
Odaka yoga practice with its waves help incredibly for that.
The body speaks through sensations,pain,fatigue tensions ,and when we allow ourselves to listen it reveals exactly what is ready to be released.
This experience reminded me that recovery is rarely linear.. It is not only about tissues healing or inflammation reducing,it is also about creating the conditions for the nervous system,the heart,and the emotions to find their natural flow again.
Sometimes the greatest gift we can give ourselves is not to push forward.
IT IS TO PAUSE .IT IS TO RECEIVE.
If you would like to explore some of these gentle practices ,you can download the sequence that supported me during this time ....
Furthermore if this message resonates with you i also invite you to join HELD ,an intimate retreat in Costa Rica taking place this November and December.
Held offers a private safe space to slow down,receive,learn and reconnect through ayurveda ,odaka yoga and much more.
PERHAPS THIS IS YOUR INVITATION .
With Love and Gratitufe
Federica
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Thank you for sharing this beautiful story. I know that feeling, tears of release. It happens to me often, since i have a very sensitive nervous system. I learned that it's ok to hold space for the tears and the emotions just as you beautifully said it. Thank you so much for the gift!