Unexpressed emotions become stored and held in the body and, over time, create physical tightness, stress, tension, discomfort and anxiety.
And this is why yoga is the perfect tool to release emotional tension in the body and to experience the healing that comes with this release.
I explain it "the old way" in my videos (as explained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and ancient medical systems) by explaining that Emotion is Energy in Motion in the body and that it can get stuck..
When we experience strong negative emotions, negative thoughts, or traumatic events, it instigates a chemical exchange in our brain. We're exchanging neurotransmitters, chemical compounds, and hormones. While this might be short-lived, our bodily responses can last much longer and get stored in our deep tissues (called Fascias).
This is the simplest way and most visual way to understand it.
Now, If you are a science nerd and want an even deeper explanation, here it is :
"Muscle is two strains of protein lined up together. And then this protein is wrapped in collagen, which is fascia. Fascias connect your head to your toes, to your fingers. It's one sheet that wraps around everything, your organs, your blood vessels, your nerves, your bones. It is primarily made of collagen and is 70% water." When fascia as traumatized, when you expérience negative emotions or trauma, fascias dehydrates. In babies, fascias are quite liquid. You can kind of move them any way possible. As we grow older, we create patterns.
"When we feel optimistic, our body is open, and our spine straight . When we feel pessimistic, we round our back. When you feel certain emotion over and over, that posture solidifies and you create this solid structure of fascia that basically represents what you've been feeling over an extended period of time. What happens in yoga is that when we start moving the body and stretching and rehydrating the fascia, the emotions that are stuck in the web of that collagenous tissue are released."
This is the main reason I use Yoga, particularly YIN YOGA in NutriFlow Online Recovery Program as most of us suffering from an Eating Disorder, be it Bulimia or binge eating, are and have been facing hard emotions which needs to be released...
Tadada, here you have your very down to hearth scientific explanation ;).
Now, I Hope it motivates you to jump on your mat and practice <3