Developmental Trauma and the importance of healing for spiritual growth
Hi everyone,
There is a lot of conversation going on these days about trauma sensitive yoga, with varying degrees to what that means.
In my own swadhyaya, I find time to work on my own developmental traumas as I have noticed that trauma caries out generationally, or bi-generationally via epigenetics. What this means is that regardless of how wonderful or well-intentioned the community that we evolved with was, we are still susceptible to influences that are beyond anyones control. These influences can vary from being born to a parent of PTSD or as a grandchild to a war veteran all the way to having colic. Sometimes the belief system of an era, such as when it was household belief in North America that formula was a healthier option than breastmilk, can lead to maldevelopment in the autoimmune system and thus affect a child’s sense of curiosity and exploration.
Curiosity and exploration are essential factors to perpetuate growth. It is through intellectual and physical desire that we develop strong and healthy bodies. If you can imagine a child outstretching his/her/their arm for the first time to grasp onto a parent, it is that curiosity and desire that fuels life; in accordance to the Tantric philosophy, it is this desire that propels us forward on a spiritual path. When curiosity is healthy, a child becomes established in their sense of self, Ayurveda calls that Svatha. In a state of Svatha the Chakras maintain their balance, allowing for upward and downward flow; inward and outward emanation, opening us to experience a dynamic and embodied life.
Energetic alignment within the chakras can be noted by a person’s availability to maintain spiritual connectivity, personal intimacy, empathic expansion, while possessing authenticity. They’ll have an ability to acknowledge when a stimuli does not digest and assimilate effectively. When this happens, the healthy self is able to move away to a better situation while maintaining an expanded awareness. I understand this as an ability to state, “that environment serves a purpose, but it’s not for me. I could stay here, but I don’t have to.” This shows an ability to accept that there is the potential for both aversion and attachment, without being fully stirred by either one. The established sense of self allows us the capacity to take agency and dissolve the ego.
I have used this metaphor in the past, and will use it again. Imagine the ego as a sugar cube, the universe as a cup of water. If I drop the sugar cube in a cup of water and look at it through a microscope, the sugar molecules will still exist; however, I will be able to speculate them from a multitude of perspectives that will elaborate on their vastitude. I will see that the water and sugar are ‘yoked’ yet can still be differentiated. They exist in both separate entities and on their own.
I believe this balance is the balance of the aligned spiritual practitioner. The internal energetic flow opens up to the world and yet has a filtration system that allows us to take agency for our personal wellness. That being stated, it is not uncommon, perhaps it is even more common than not that spiritual balance becomes upset. I state this without the assignment of blame or shame. Though blame and shame might be something that comes up in the process of consideration, I’d invite anyone who feels those feelings to observe them and then let them go- they won’t be helpful to hold on to.
In Ayurveda, developmental traumas can affect a healthy flow of the vayus. The vayus are comprised of the subdoshas of Vata (ether/connectivity and air/movement), which govern life-force (prana), metabolic wind (samana), process of elimination (apana), the ability to speak and exert sound (udana) and flow of impulses (vyana). If you’ve studied the nervous system, you might be able to recognize the correlation between the vayus and the autonomic nervous system. Thus, the disruption of flow amongst the vayus is synonymous for being stuck in sympathetic gear. When this happens, regardless of functionality (high or low), it becomes impossible to fulfill our capacity. This stops us from being both the sugar and the sugar water at the same time. We either become overly attuned to others or exceedingly removed.
At this point, taking the opportunity to reset our alignment becomes integral to those that value spiritual and personal expansion. This can be done by examining the energetic flow and blockages within the seven chakras. I’d recommend this because I have noticed a tendency of so many people on the spiritual path to either completely give their power away to others or disconnect from their affects on others in order to try to meet their personal needs or feel safe and cocooned.
http://insighttimer.com offers some helpful meditation for balancing the chakras. Chakra scans can be a helpful tool for developing an awareness of where your imbalances may lie. Personal reflection, education and making the available space for exploration, play and intention setting are essential for reestablishing flow through the chakras.
When we start to reestablish this flow, it is then that we can begin to travel along the path to enlightenment which is known as Sadhana. Interestingly enough, Sadhana can also be understood as the practice of honor or ritual. I am intrinsically interested by this parallel, as it seems to state that the path to enlightenment is intertwined with the ability to honor both ourselves and others. Thus, as we examine the flow of the chakras the questions we ask should be along the lines of: how do we honour? How do we exuviate that which is blocking our full embodiment (whether it be a past memory or experience)? What within us do we passionately want to manifest? When it comes to cultivating curiosity, we should ask ourselves question that revolve around resources and resolutions. What resources do we have available to us to make changes? When have we been capable in our lives on using these resources? How do we access them again. These optimistic postulations encourage healthy movement, an aspect of Vata and the Vayus that can become frigid or mis-directed.
As I move further along in my spiritual practice, the necessity of treating my energetic balance with more than prayer has become pertinent. At this point I’ve been questioning my paradigms, breaking down what does not serve and making like a phoenix; resurrecting from a derelict state at, hopefully, full capacity. These evolutions take time, I invite you to join me in the exploration of your chakras on August 6th at 6 30pm in NDG or by private or semi-private booking.
Wishing you all well, Jocelyn
kind movement. Compassionate mind. Empathic research. 