It's that time of year when gyms and yoga studios are packed with New Years resolutioners who vow that this will be the year to lose 10 pounds. Maybe you are in great shape, but you want to make solid attempt at getting more organized or being on time. Whatever you have or have not decided, I'd like to offer that instead of thinking big, you go easy on yourself this year and do some small things that will actually stick.
My vision is for you and all of my clients to have a pain-free body. In this new beautiful year of 2014, I am devoted to giving you as much knowledge as I can in order for you to do that. What better place to start than with your energetic body by learning about the chakras? The 7 chakras are energetic centers in your body in which energy flows through. When there is a blockage in the energy, it can lead to physical illness.
In the weeks ahead, I will take you on a journey through each chakra using information from Anodea Judith in her workbook, "Chakra Balancing". You will learn each chakra's meaning, questions for reflection, excessive and deficient characteristics, and exercises for balance. If you'd like to purchase the "Chakra Balancing Workbook" to follow along, or go deeper, feel free! You can find it on Andoea's website with the discount code, Products15%off or on half.com. I encourage you to incorporate the chakra's color into your life as you are working through it whether it's a shirt, socks, candle, or food. If you have a meditation practice, you can chant the seed sound to increase the energy of the chakra. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more that we can do with this work. So, without further adieu, let's get started with #1!
Chakra 1: Grounding
The root chakra is located at the base of the spine and the seed sound is LAM. The color is red and the element is earth as it is the foundation of the chakra system. The root chakra represents how you connect with your body, home, finances, family, trust, health, work, and environment. Common aliments are aches and pains in legs, feet, or bones in general, constipation, diarrhea, general disorders of the bowel, and chronic health issues.
Journal Questions:
How do you relate to your body? Do you pay attention to it? Take care of it?
Does your home feel like a supportive and nourishing place for you? Where can you improve your personal environment?
Are you satisfied with your job? If not, what needs to change?
How do you manage your cash flow? Do you deal with your debts? Do you keep track of your spending?
Do your fears keep you from doing anything that you really want to? What is the realistic likelihood that your fear will ever actually occur?
Excessive Characteristics:
Heaviness, sluggishness, slow movements
Resistance to change
Overeating, obesity
Hoarding
Material Fixation
Workaholism
Excessive spending
Deficient Characteristics:
Fear, anxiety
Resistance to structure
Anorexia, underweight
Spaciness, flightiness, vagueness
Disconnection from your body
Restlessness, inability to sit still
Difficulty manifesting
Balanced Characteristics:
Groundedness
Physical Health
Being comfortable in your body
A sense of safety and security
Stability and solidity
Right to livelihood
Prosperity
Ability to be still
Presence in the here and now
Exercises: focus on strengthening the legs for a firm foundation and opening the base of the spine
Knee to Chest: Apasana
1. Lying on your back, SLOWLY bend your knees into your chest. Take a deep breath in, wrapping your forearms around your upper shins. Exhaling, pull your knees deeper, fully letting all the air out, simultaneously imagining your tailbone moving toward the floor. Feel the entire length of your spine. Let those roots at the tailbone open wide and push downward as you release.
2. Now go back and forth SLOWLY between bringing your knees into your chest and releasing your knees until your feet are just an inch above the ground. Feel the shift in weight in your lower back.
3. Return to the first position (legs folded) and SLOWLY let your right leg move out straight, holding it slightly off the floor. Then switch sides, bringing your right leg into your groin, straightening the left leg.
Bioenergetic Grounding Stance
Stand with your feet hip width apart or slightly wider, with your heels a bit farther apart than your toes. Bend your knees over your feet, so that when you look down you can see your big toe just inside your kneecap. Push your feet into the floor and slightly outward, as if you were trying to push the floorboards apart. Feel how this stabilizes your standing foundation. This is basic grounding stance.
Now we can energize that stance, an exercise suitable whether you are excessive or deficient in your first chakra. As you inhale, bend your knees farther. As you exhale, push into the floor SLOWLY, while pressing the floorboards apart. Allow your legs to straighten but NOT to the point where your knees lock, which cuts off the energy you are building.
I genuinely hope you enjoy taking this journey with me. Feel free to send me an email and let me know how this work is affecting you or shedding light on things that have been in the dark. If you want to go deeper and incorporate more of this into your treatment setting, we can do that too! I hope this is a start to an inspiring new year for you!