It is said by those that have studied such things, that manifestation is an exact science, with a formula that can be relied upon to get the results we are seeking.

The formula goes like this: We think of what we want, we feel passionately about it, we take action, and we get our desired result.

Sounds simple enough right? And yet why are we not all creating the life of our dreams?

We do, I believe, create in this way, but the trouble is that beneath our conscious thoughts and feelings there are lots of unconscious ones going on. The unconscious can be a potent force, keeping us creating what we don’t want, instead of what we do.

As soon as we begin our journey of conscious creation, clarifying our particular goals and intentions, our unconscious thoughts and feelings arise.

This is actually the good news, especially if we are willing to stay the course and not be deterred. It is through bringing the unconscious to our conscious awareness that we be begin to see the self-sabotaging patterns that are in the way of our heart’s desire.

Dr. David Hawkins, who wrote ‘Letting Go: The Path of Surrender’ and ‘Power vs Force’ calibrated emotions in terms of their energetic potency. Shame or despair calibrate at the lowest level, while peace is at the highest.

He and many others agree that working directly with our feeling nature is much more effective than working with thoughts and beliefs alone. Letting go of one painful emotion releases hundreds of thousands of limiting thoughts and beliefs according to Hawkin’s research and direct experience.

This has certainly been my experience. As I am able to let go of painful feelings, the thoughts and stories associated also disappear, almost like they never happened, like a bad dream that is instantly gone when I wake up. This is also what’s possible through forgiveness – like a potent dream, we can receive the wisdom while letting go of the associated pain.

Understanding emotions from this energetic perspective has given me more understanding of how emotions such as fear, despair or anger work, how they can immobilize us from taking action on own behalf.

Not because they, or we, are bad, but because they disconnect us from our natural abilities, confidence and life-force.

As we learn to see through and let go of these denser, heavier emotions, we become more light-hearted. We create space in our being for more joy, humor and gratitude. These lighter emotions have much more energy to get things flowing in our lives.

Although we humans are by nature feeling beings, we are not taught how to feel, or that it is safe to feel, or even more important, that we are more than any feeling that happens to be presenting itself.

Instead we learn to completely identify ourselves with a painful emotion in ways that scare and overwhelm us. Instead of saying ‘I feel afraid, angry, sad, etc’ we say, ‘I am angry, sad, afraid.’

Because we are afraid to feel, especially strong emotions, most of us end up with a backlog of unmet feelings. This has certainly been true for me.

Unmet or unskillfully expressed emotions create havoc – in our bodies, in our lives and in our world.

Learning to meet and release painful feelings has been the most liberating aspect of my journey so far, and the topic I am exploring in my current book ‘Becoming Fully Human: How Learning to Feel Saved My Life.

I am super inspired to present this spring and summer’s offerings integrating what I am discovering about emotional resiliency with Yoga and Partner Yoga. It is a potent combo of tools and techniques that can support us in being more fully human and more fully alive.