A Guide to Processing Your Emotions
A Word on Emotions
Our emotions need to be felt and digested, just like food. But what we often do is suppress them… or act on them without reflection. For example, when we feel anger, we might lash out or shut down instead of sitting with the energy underneath.
Every feeling and emotion carries life energy. It’s what allows us to feel more fully alive. The temptation is often to go into the story - the why, the who, the how. But in this practice, we’re choosing not to feed that story. We're choosing to be with the sensation itself.
Even labelling the emotion, like saying “I feel sad” or “I’m anxious”, can sometimes keep us attached to the mental interpretation.
Instead, try describing the sensation in your body.
You might say:
“I feel a tightness in my chest.”
“There’s a dull ache behind my eyes.”
“I sense a buzz of energy in my arms.”
This is your body speaking, your felt sense. This is where change happens.
How We Digest Emotion
Emotions can be digested in a few powerful ways:
Through the body – movement, shaking, dancing, stretching, tapping exercise.
Through presence – sitting still and bringing the emotion closer, as in the practice above.
Through nature – walking barefoot on the earth, sitting with trees, letting the natural world help absorb and balance your energy.
What It Feels Like When An Emotion Is Digested
You’ll know an emotion has been digested when it transforms from a “story” into a sensation of energy. This may feel like:
A wave passing through you
A lightness or spaciousness in the body
A tingling, warmth or even peaceful stillness
A sense of release, grounding or new clarity
You may even feel a little more like yourself.
How To Digest Emotions
You might want to try the Emotional Digestion practice I’ve recorded for you, and I’ve included instructions below.
There are many different ways to process emotions, and what works best can vary from person to person. Here are a few other approaches you might want to explore:
RAIN Mediation – A gentle mindfulness practice that stands for Recognise, Allow, Investigate, Nurture.
Balancing Emotional Energy – The Cauldron Practice A potent energetic clearing technique available on the Tantra Illuminated portal (part of the Intro to the Energy Body course, which offers a free two-week trial).
Sedona Method – A simple, effective method for letting go of emotional resistance.
Dynamic Mediation – A more physically intense practice that lasts about an hour. It’s not for everyone, but it can be deeply cathartic.
De-armouring - If you’d prefer to work with a practitioner, you might want to try this body-based practice that helps release physical and emotional tension stored in the body. Through conscious touch, breath, sound, and presence, it supports the nervous system in letting go of long-held armour and reconnecting to deeper emotional flow.
Emotional Digestion Practice
Find a comfortable position—perhaps lying down, or with your legs gently up the wall in a restful inversion. Let your body feel supported. You might like to say quietly to yourself:
“I can digest this.”
Begin to notice your breath… just as it is. Let it gently anchor you in the here and now.
Bring to mind an emotion that feels present right now. Let it arise gently, not forcing.
Now, peel off the story surrounding this feeling, whatever mental loop or narrative is attached to it and place it aside, like setting down a heavy bag.
Draw the raw emotional energy closer.
Feel it, not as a concept, but as energy in your body.
Let it move. Let it pulse. Let it surge or expand. Notice where it lives in you and how it wants to express itself.
You’re not trying to fix it, analyse it or control it. Just feel it.
Allow this emotion to travel through your body, without clinging to it and without pushing it away.
Avoid making it personal. You don’t need to “own” the emotion… and you don’t need to deny it either. Let it move through you like weather through the sky.
When It Gets Stuck
If you notice the emotion getting stuck, perhaps looping or tightening, ask gently
“Is there a story I’ve picked back up?”
If so, place it down again. Return to the pure energy of the feeling.
If the emotion connects to something deep or overwhelming, that’s okay. Stay with it for just a few minutes. Then pause, and return to centre.
You can say to yourself:
“I will return to this when I feel safe and ready.”
Take a deep breath in… and slowly let it go.
Place your hands on your heart or belly, wherever feels most soothing, and acknowledge the courage it takes to meet yourself in this way.
You’re doing sacred work.
When you’re ready, gently return to the space around you. Open your eyes. Come back slowly, lovingly.
