How to Face the Scary Parts of Ourselves

Yoga is the process of bringing together all aspects of ourselves, including the the parts we don’t always like . There is a goddess in hindu mythology name Kali.  She is the part of us we often hide from and neglect because it’s the part of us that feels really scary to look at.  It’s usually some part of us we have disowned from childhood and is too painful to look at.

What I have found in my own life, time and time again is that these archetypes are just medicines to help me heal and transform the deeper suffering. The more I’m willing and open to look at where I’ve supressed these parts of myself, the more my life opens up to what I’ve been seeking all along.

When you find yourself resisting a painful aspect of yourself or turning your back to it……ask the energy of Kali to help you face your fears so you can see what’s lurking in the shadows.  What are you suppressing that’s keeping you from expressing your authentic self? How do you see these forms showing up in your life? Does Kali come out in your tone of voice, inner feelings of anger,  rage and/or unexpressed hurt feelings?

Try exploring this energy of Kali by chanting Kreem as you envision the dark mother holding and embracing you through the dark parts of your being. Have a pad of paper or journal nearby and write about what you experience.

You may find this scary at first but over time, you will see she is really not scary at all and that this mother archetype holds the deepest love for your greatest power and highest self to expand.

Unexpressed hurt feelings are stored in the Gallbladder so to support your body in this process, try taking the herb tinctures Alfalfa and Chamomile and adding lemons and raspberries into your diet!

“Your grief for what you’ve lost lifts a mirror
up to where you are bravely working.

Expecting the worst, you look, and instead,
here’s the joyful face you’ve been wanting to see.

Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.
If it were always a fist or always stretched open,
you would be paralyzed.

Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding,
the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated
as birdwings.

~Rumi