The "7 tools" that are taught in ISTA Level 1 Seminars are 7 Emotional Yoga Asanas. They are 7 ways that the body can allow emotional energy to move and be expressed in a healthy way.

Emotions are created in the body by different hormonal cocktails that our glands produce. These cocktails communicate with specific cellular receptors and create the drive to move accordingly. Every emotion is a call for the body to move in a specific way. When we feel fear, for instance, the body might want to retreat and run away. When we feel anger, on the other hand, the body might want to move forward, charge the event and make a stand. When we rage we might want to attack with aggression. When we are joyful we usually want to jump in the air and leap, and when we feel grief we might want to lift our gaze to the heavens, spread our arms, and cry: “Why God, why?”

Every emotion has an inherent need to be expressed as movement, small or large. The word “Hormone” is derived from “ὁρμῶν” in greek, a word that means “setting in motion” because emotions are E-motion, Energy (that seeks to be) in Motion.

The 7 tools are Emotional Yoga Asanas that guide us to move the energy in a way that will discharge old unexpressed emotions that got stuck as toxins in our bodies and allow fresh ones to be moving in a healthy way that builds our power.

From a Kabbalistic way, I see the 7 tools as expressions of the 7 Sephirot (emanations) of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, each tool relating to a specific Sephirah, that expresses an inner quality.

1st tool: Shaking the Body- the Sephirah of Hesed - חסד-Right arm. Hesed is considered the simple energy flow, that flows into the rest of the sephirot, the energy that all is made of “The world is made of Hesed”. In the same way shaking is the basic motion that the body does when excited or overwhelmed, and it becomes a part of all the rest of the tools. In all of them, we shake the body. All of them include shaking.

2nd tool: Pillow Pounding — the Sephirah of Gevurah גבורה (Din דין) — Left arm. Gevurah is the left arm, the one that creates boundaries and says stop! (Din). Healthy anger is one of the expressions of Gevurah, and the expression of force and power.

3rd tool: Grief ritual — the Sephirah of Tif’eret — Torso. Tif’eret in the human body is the torso, and in grief ritual motion that is emphasized is the opening of the chest, letting the energy flow from the broken heart.

4th tool: Power Stomping — the Sephirah of Netsach — "Right leg". Netsach is connected to the power of the right leg in the human body, symbolizing confidence and stepping forward with strength.
5th tool: Tantrum — the Sephirah of Hod — “Left leg”. Hod is connected to our ability to admit (LeHODot in Hebrew), bend down, and get on our knees. “Left Leg” meaning the softer part of the legs, that allows us to not be stiff. Tantrum is great to express the frustration that comes when we feel helpless, we admit to being powerless and that things do not go our way.
6th tool: Pillow Humping — the Sephirah of Yesod — Genitals. With Pillow Humping we can release tension that is gathered in our pelvis area. People who do not do that might carry this tension into sex and use their partner as an object of humping just to rid this energy.
7th tool: Hand / Pillow Scream — the Sephirah of Malchut — Mouth. Malchut is traditionally connected to our ability to verbalize and articulate. We scream when there is so much energy that moves towards the mouth that can not be put into words at all. In cabalistic language, this is the braking of the vessels (Shvirat ha Kelim) when there is too much energy (Or) for the capacity of the vessels (words) to contain.

This whole tree is not set in stone. It is not more than a suggestion to see the Tools as a holistic system that sits well with the sacred ancient traditions and the human energetics.

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* if you wish to learn more about the Kabbalistic Tree of Life check out Pele’s Kabbalah of Love online course. For the start of the New Year 2022, you can get a 25% discount by using the code “NEWYEAR2022”. Click here to sign up!

Ohad Pele / December, 2021

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