Two Trigger Points: My Heart and Pelvic Floor 

July 17, 2025

A Personal Story of Healing from Within

Recently, I completed a Yoga Therapy training module on the Chakra System. It was deeply reflective. As we explored the energy centers of the body, I couldn’t help but return to my own experiences — my own body’s cries for help through the heart and the root. The lessons weren’t just theoretical. They were personal.

There are two places in my body that hold deep stories — my heart and my pelvic floor. Looking back, these were not just physical pain points. They were like inner warning lights, telling me something was off. From a chakra standpoint, they represent:

• The 4th Chakra (Anahata), associated with the heart, and
  
  

• The 1st Chakra (Muladhara), associated with the root and pelvic floor.
  
  

When both began to show dysfunction — almost at the same time — I had a Kizuki, a realization: I couldn’t ignore myself any longer. Something within me needed attention.

Layers of Stress: The Perfect Storm

At the time, I was in a period of intense change and pressure — much of it self-imposed, but still very real. I had recently left a somewhat stable position at a Japanese company in Portland to challenge myself in an American architectural firm.

I wanted to grow. I wanted to be a better architect — with more responsibility, better income, and a more respected status. I thought this was the right path forward. But the reality was far more difficult than I imagined.

• The workplace culture was cold and competitive.
  
  

• I didn’t feel supported by my coworkers.
  
  

• I struggled to adapt to unfamiliar workflows.
  
  

• I was constantly being micromanaged.
  
  

• The pressure to perform perfectly in a high-stress environment became unbearable.
  
  

Meanwhile, my personal life was full of emotional weight:

• My relationship with my boyfriend was uncertain.
  
  

• We were trying to adopt children, but it wasn’t working out.
  
  

• Our living situation was unstable.
  
  

• I was trying hard to understand what he was thinking and feeling — and constantly questioning my own role in the relationship.
  
  

All of this stress — professional and personal — quietly accumulated in my body and mind. And I kept ignoring it, thinking I just needed to push through. Until my body said: Stop.

My Heart: Atrial Fibrillation

It began with my heart. Irregular rhythms, racing, fluttering — I was eventually diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. At first, I downplayed it. But it worsened, and I needed a medical procedure to stabilize it.

The heart, my center for love, connection, and emotional balance, was literally out of rhythm.

My Pelvis: Blocked Flow

Around the same time, I began to have troubling pelvic symptoms — pain and difficulty urinating. It turned out to be kidney stones stuck in my bladder, requiring a cystoscopy. I had no choice but to pay attention. The pelvic floor, my body’s foundation, was calling out for care.

The Turning Point

These two conditions happened almost back to back — physically painful, emotionally destabilizing, and spiritually draining. I felt like I was falling apart. But in that dark and messy moment, something shifted.

I started to pay attention. I began to listen — not to others, but to myself.

Yoga as Medicine

Yoga gave me a direction. It was not just about physical stretching or poses — it was a return to myself. I began with movement and breath, and slowly included meditation and pranayama.

The effects were subtle but undeniable.

• I began sleeping better.
  
  

• My nervous system calmed.
  
  

• I cried during savasana.
  
  

• I started feeling whole again.
  
  

Chakra Awareness: A Personal Reflection

In my recent Yoga Therapy training, when we explored the Chakra System, it all clicked. My past experiences were not random. They were deeply connected to my inner energy flow.

• The Heart Chakra (Anahata) governs love, emotional clarity, compassion — all areas I was struggling with.
  
  

• The Root Chakra (Muladhara) governs safety, survival, stability — exactly where I felt most lost.
  
  

This framework helped me understand how my life story and physical symptoms were speaking the same language. The body was doing everything it could to get my attention.

The Inner Healer

I believe now that we all have an Inner Healer — a quiet voice that speaks in sensations, breath, and subtle awareness.

Today, I feel more grounded. My heart is steadier. My pelvic floor no longer feels like an alarm bell. But I’m still learning, still healing, and still listening.

If you are in a challenging season — physically, emotionally, spiritually — I invite you to pause and turn inward. Healing may not come all at once. But even one deep breath, one gentle stretch, one quiet moment of honesty can shift everything.

The healing path begins with a Kizuki. A realization. And the courage to follow it.

With Breath and Gratitude,

Tsutomu