If you are an empath, you will feel like you always have a greater sensitivity towards the world around you. You may feel very drained and overwhelmed since you have the ability to absorb the feelings of others. In such situations, if you want to protect your energy and stop feeling emotionally exhausted, you must try yoga for empaths which offers some powerful ways to reclaim your balanced state of mind. When you find yourself in certain intense environments, yogic energy healing techniques will certainly help you to stay calm and focused. Practicing yoga not only helps to release any emotional stress you have but it also helps you to establish healthy emotional boundaries to conserve your energy.
Empaths are extraordinary people. They have the special ability to tune into the emotional state of other living beings around them. Unfortunately, this can be extremely emotional draining and lead to emotional fatigue. Yoga offers them hope because yoga for empaths can help them to clear their emotions and to reconnect with their own powerful energy. Yoga allows them to create a personal space for themselves which is separated from the interference of the emotional energy they take from others. Yogic techniques like asanas, pran ayama, kriyas and dhyana can help to shield them from the overwhelming emotions they sometimes feel. These techniques help to replenish their drained emotional reserves. Empathic practices make it easier for them to manage their intense emotions and also help to protect their energetic space.
Let us explore some excellent yogic techniques which are helpful especially for empaths. These practices can assist one to restore balanced states of mind and release unwanted emotions.
1. Restorative Heart Opener – Yogendra Matsyasana
This pose is called a heart-opener because it stretches the muscles of the chest. There is also a figurative meaning because it helps empaths to release any emotional tension that they are holding on to.
Steps:
Lie supine on a mat, hands besides the body.
Keep the legs together (heels touching), toes pointing upwards.
Keep the mind relaxed and passively aware. Breathe normally.
With the aid of the hands, gently fold the legs as in Sukhasana or Padmasana.
Now, draw the hands from the sides under the head, bending the hands at the elbow.
Clasp the opposite elbows and let the hands rest on the mat, above the head.
Maintain this position, breathing rhythmically for 1-2 minutes (final position).
Slowly unclasp the hands and bring them back to the sides. Gently unfold the legs and come back to the starting position, taking support of the hands.
Benefits:
Opens the Anahat or heart chakra, releasing emotional tension.
Provides relief from stress, helping you connect to your energy.
Encourages a deeper breath, helping to clear energetic blockages.
Limitations / Contraindications:
Severe arthritis.
All heart diseases
Peptic ulcers, hernia
Spinal injuries, back problems
Benefits:
A sense of well-being prevails and a feeling of calm and relaxation is experienced.
It creates strength, awareness and harmony.
Along with heart opening asanas like Yogendra Matsyasana , pranayama that help them to breathe deeply are also very beneficial for empaths. This technique of Diaphragmatic Breathing is an empathic practice because it includes slow gentle inhalations and exhalations which helps in calming down the nervous system. This is important because a stable state of mind will help one to discern between one’s own emotions and the emotional load they take on from external inputs. This enables empaths to maintain internal peace.
Steps:
Lie supine and pull up the knees, close to the hips.
Keep the feet 1 foot apart or hip width (as per your comfort) and knees close to each other.
Place the hand on the abdomen (navel region).
One hand can rest on the side of the body, palms facing up or down, as per your comfort.
Eyes kept closed.
Inhale gently, moving the abdomen upwards.
As soon as inhalation is complete, exhale out smoothly being aware of the abdomen falling- sinking in.
Keep the inhalation and exhalation count equal as per your comfort.
Recommended practice:
Practice as per your capacity and comfort, count not to exceed 3 seconds.
10 rounds per session.
Everybody can do this pranayama.
Benefits:
Promotes relaxation and emotional detachment.
Helps you maintain a steady, calm state of mind, even in overwhelming situations.
This is an empathic practice recommended by our gurus at The Yoga Institute to bring about purification of the chitta. It helps one to cultivate mental detachment. Reflection is practiced to train the mind to become an observer of its own thinking. It is a simplified form of a deeper and more advanced practice of self-study, called Anitya Bhavana . Its objective is to discriminate between what is permanent and what is not.
Steps:
Sit in Sukhasana/ Vajrasana or any other meditative posture and close your eyes. If not possible to sit on the floor, sit on a firm chair with an erect backrest.
Mentally review the events of the day in detail and in chronological order. Preferably, from waking up to present.
Do not judge or analyse any thought/event.
Make a cup of the palms and place on the eyes. Blink gently in the cup of the palms and then open the eyes.
This technique is like running a film through your head without any emotion involved. It is a factual recollection of the events of the day in chronological order. This process can take anywhere from 10-20 mins. Any more time taken would mean either you are extremely mindful and are recollecting every detail of your activities or you are stuck in one or two events and have lost yourself in judging/analysing them. Thereby resulting in some emotion surfacing. The first is commendable but only expert and long practice can result in this. The latter is not recommended.
Recommended practice:
Practice daily, preferably before bedtime. Preferred duration is 10-20 mins. It can be practiced by all.
Benefits:
One gains the quality of “mindfulness”, an important aspect of our personality.
It is a quality which enables us to be aware of our own self and of the surrounding.
We grow only when we learn to observe without the interference of emotions and perceptions.
Trataka is a kriya with many benefits. Traditionally, it has been practiced by yogis in several different ways.
Steps:
Stand or sit comfortably erect without taking support where you can see either the rising or setting
sun. Alternately, choose the moon, any star or a planet.
Do not strain your neck.
If the sun is the chosen object, gaze not more than 2 mins after sunrise or before sunset.
Stop when eyes grow weary, teary or tendency to blink increases.
In case the chosen objects are in the night sky, gaze at it as long as comfortable.
Close the eyes and gently palm the eyes.
Recommended practice:
Practice daily for 2-5 minutes, as per your comfort.
Not recommended for serious eye disorders, glaucoma and high myopia.
Also, not suitable for people with psychic problems - schizophrenia or hallucinations.
Benefits:
By fixing the gaze the restless mind too comes to a halt. Hence, calms the mind and provides inner peace and silence.
Helps overcome mental, behavioral and emotional ailments.
Enhances self-confidence, patience and willpower.
This is a good empathic practice, a short meditation, which involves visualization. When you set clear boundaries on the type of energy you allow in, you will find it easier to stay balanced emotionally.
Steps:
Sit or stand in a comfortable position.
Gently close your eyes and visualize a bright light surrounding your body, acting as a protective shield.
With concentration, make an intention to only allow in energy that will benefit you. Release anything that does not serve you.
It is good to practice this visualization daily, at least for 5 minutes to reinforce your energetic boundaries.
Benefits:
Helps you to stay emotionally clear and focused.
Creates a space in which you can peacefully exist without absorbing too much from others.
Frequently-Asked Questions about Yoga for Empaths
How does yoga help empaths manage emotional overwhelm?
For empaths, yoga offers some asanas, pranayama , and other powerful techniques to manage their emotions and to become observers as they move through life.
What role does meditation play in protecting empathic energy?
Dhyana or meditation is a very powerful technique that can provide clarity of thought and mindfulness in all aspects of a person’s life. It clears one’s mind of negative emotions that one may have borrowed from others.
Can yoga help prevent burnout for empaths?
Of course, yoga for empaths is all about restoration and protecting your own energy.
How can yoga help empaths stay centered in crowded places?
Simple techniques like deep breathing with closed eyes and focusing on the rise and fall of the navel can help empaths to stay away from the negative emotions and distractions in busy places.
What are the benefits of practicing yoga in nature for empaths?
Being outdoors is very beneficial for empaths because it provides a soothing environment where they can recharge their energies and connect to the rhythms of nature.
Can empaths benefit from group yoga classes, or is it better to practice alone?
This is very subjective. Some empaths like to be supported by a group of like-minded people whereas others are comfortable in their own company.
How often should empaths practice yoga to maintain balanced energy?
It is best to practice yoga daily.
Can yoga help empaths differentiate between their emotions and others’?
Yoga helps empaths to cultivate an objective way of looking at life. This surely enables them to differentiate between the internal and external energies.
What’s the importance of setting intentions in yoga for empaths?
If empaths set an intention before their yoga session, it helps them in directing their energies in the right direction. This helps them to achieve specific goals that they want to achieve.
Are there specific times of day that are better for empaths to practice yoga?
Empaths should practice yoga twice daily – morning and evening, if possible.
Overview
For empaths, practicing yoga is recommended so that they can unburden the load they take up upon themselves by taking up the emotional baggage of those around them. With an empathic practice like yoga and its energy healing techniques, empaths gradually begin to shed the unwanted emotions that they pick up from the world. This frees up space for their own growth and makes life easier to manage without getting lost in the complexities of emotions in the world around them.