Leo Energy
Leo is the eighth sign of the zodiac. The body parts associated with Leo are the heart, upper back, and spine, along with the cardiovascular system. Leo’s energetic signatures include self-expression, courage, ego, and the circulation of life force. People with their Sun in Leo often have a strong desire to be seen, recognized, and able to express themselves freely without restriction. Core Theme: Learn to tame the eghave the courage to express yourself authentically, and notice how the body relaxes when your life is aligned with your heart
Body Parts: Heart, upper back, spine
Organs: Cardiovascular system, aorta
Energetic Themes: Self-expression, courage, ego, circulation of life force
Over the years, here are some of my observations about the heart, upper back, and cardiovascular system:
- The heart responds and reacts to emotions; it is not ruled by the intellectual mind.
- The upper back protects the heart and often holds past resentments.
- The upper back is where emotionally charged memories may be stored when they do not feel safe to be processed.
- The cardiovascular system represents our life force.
- Blood pressure and cardiovascular issues may reflect areas where our life force has become stagnant or blocked.
The following excerpt from my book, Infinite Body Wisdom, illustrates the energetic themes of the Leo season:
Hannah Experiences Severe Anxiety
Around three years ago, Hannah came to me experiencing severe bouts of anxiety and patterns of restless sleep. As we went over her history, Hannah candidly described her symptoms. “I want to let you know that ever since I was little, I’ve been a worrier. I’ve been able to manage for the most part, but the past two years have been really challenging. Besides being anxious almost all the time, I can feel my heart racing at night. And to top it off, I have this constant burning sensation in my chest and throat. It all started about nine years ago, when I was stricken by a sudden feeling of foreboding and dread. I had just moved back to the country where I was born and it was on the day of my arrival that I was gripped by intense fear. Although it lasted for only a few minutes, just thinking about it still gives me the willies!”
I asked, “Was your childhood challenging, by any chance? I ask because you said that when you moved back to the country of your birth, you experienced the traumatic episode.
Hannah responded, “My childhood wasn’t terrible, per se. There was no physical, mental, or emotional abuse, but a cloud of sadness hovered over my parents. My mother had a tough childhood and my dad wasn’t upbeat either. There was a lot of financial stress and job security was always an issue. We moved a lot as well.” Hannah sighed and her eyes began to well up with tears.
“I hear what you’re saying and it must have been tough growing up under those circumstances. Do you think it’s possible that the moment you returned to the place of your origin, you activated a dormant memory that sparked the doom and foreboding?”
This suggestion clicked with Hannah. She asked, “Do you think I’m crazy? I am in no way a hypochondriac, but this past year, anytime I feel a weird sensation or body pain, I start obsessing that something must be horribly wrong. I have been to several doctors to be checked and all the tests come back negative. However, over the past few months I’ve experienced some really insensitive doctors who got me all worked up, suspecting that I might have cancer due to unusual findings on ultrasounds and mammograms. Come to find out later that the results were misinterpreted and I did not have cancer at all. My mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and suffered for ten years before she eventually passed away from congestive heart failure.”
I responded, “No, I don’t think you’re crazy at all, but am curious to know at what age your mother was diagnosed with colon cancer.”
“If memory serves me correctly, my mother was very young. She was diagnosed at 42 years old. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I just happened to notice that you’re 44 years old now and you mentioned that it was two years ago when your ailments and feelings of dread made their appearance – roughly the same age that your mother was diagnosed with cancer. I’ve noticed that sometimes a person will develop some sort of symptom or health crisis around the age their parent either got extremely ill or was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.”
The look of recognition in Hannah’s eyes was undeniable. “Oh my God! I had no idea that was even possible. It makes a lot of sense, though, because I remember telling myself when my mother was diagnosed and while caretaking for her that I would never, ever want to experience what she went through. So what can I do to get rid of this dread? I don’t want to end up suffering like my mother, but I see so much of her in me.” With that comment, Hannah began to cry.
“Since you have this very great fear, what is it about death and dying that you are most afraid of? Keep in mind that anxiety is caused by the fear that a future event may cause pain or suffering. Do you think you’re mainly afraid of physical pain, or is it more a matter of leaving behind loved ones, or unfinished work? Do you worry that your illness could cause them to suffer, as you did when your mother was ill? All humans have at least some fear of death, but your fear is so strong that it is making you sick. Perhaps I can help you to clarify your fear of dying by getting you to recognize what is driving this exaggerated feeling, and by helping you to find better balance.” I allowed the words to sink in for a bit and followed up with, “Besides helping balance out your perceptions to address your anxiety, I’d like to teach your body lifelong strategies for breathing more easily under stress, thereby releasing tension more effectively.”
Hannah stopped crying and replied, “I would love to find a way to shift my perception, because I really do tend to live in the past, and when I can’t sleep, I relive all my past negative experiences. It’s like being transported back in time, reliving those traumatic experiences as if they happened yesterday. I also forgot to mention that I hold my breath and sometimes even find myself gasping for air, especially when I feel my chest tighten. I hold loads of tension in my neck and shoulders and would love to finally relax!” A new light of hope shone in Hannah’s eyes, and from that moment on, we made every effort to balance her perceptions and develop strategies to release all that tension.
This story strongly suggests that Hannah’s body generated anxiety and a cacophony of symptoms at around the same age her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Hannah’s infinite body wisdom was attempting to get her to balance out those past experiences of her mother’s suffering. And it had waited for what it considered to be the appropriate age to do so. Once Hannah identified that it wasn’t the suffering she feared, but being an inconvenience to her husband and children if she were chronically ill, she was able to clear out her anxiety and resolve her other symptoms. Along the way, her body developed strategies to breathe when stressed, release tension in her body, and be more in the present.
How Can This Apply to You?
Do you tend to get anxious or worry about what the future may hold? If you can relate to Hannah in some way, or you tend to be a worrywart, place your hands somewhere on your body that feels comfortable and focus your breath right where your hands are. Close your eyes and feel your breath coming and leaving your hands as you inhale and exhale. Pay close attention to the quality of your breath – is it short or labored? Now take four to five more breaths. How do your hands feel? Are they getting warm? As you focus more intently on how you’re breathing, check to see if you are still feeling anxious or worrying about the future. Chances are, for the past few minutes, as you were paying attention to only your breath and how it felt, you probably stopped feeling anxious. How do I know this? By focusing on your breath and connecting with your body, you became present in the moment. Herein lies the magic of focusing on breathing – you no longer live in the past or project into the future. So for future reference, anytime you find yourself feeling anxious or worried, place your hands on your body and breathe! So simple, and yet so effective!