Liberated Yoga
Yoga is for everyone!
Topic: Chakras
Dharma: I am a Door...
Albeit a narrow one. This entry is, in a way, about my Dharma the way I see it, or my purpose in Life, and in another way, about Chakra One, which governs our ability to feel sustained by our environment, to be provided for by the universe, to feel that we have a right to be here. By examining these things I feel aligned with the Universe, and I invite you to conduct a similar analysis of your Dharma and see how it aligns with the larger scheme of things. Let's begin with Chakra...
Balance Yin and Yang
Visualize the human body as a little microcosm, just like the rest of the universe, with its duality of male, female, Yin, Yang, Right and Left, etc. Visualize the landscape of your bones, the oceans and rivers of your fluids, the winds of your breath, the different climates of warmth and coolness. It helps to think of the body this way when we use our Asana to bring more balance to the little world that we are. The Chakra system is a great representation, among other things, of...
The Self at the Core of Things
In my mind the Core has been transcending the muscles, the bones, the body and becoming more about the energy of the Third Chakra, Manipura. I feel it in my own being. Since I have started to cultivate an awareness of "the core" in my own practice my perspective on who I am has also been changing. The energy of this Chakra is a powerful one - it is able to cripple an individual and limit their view of themselves, and for years I have been suffering and struggling to find a s...
My Life Through the Chakras
The process of Svadyaya, or self-study, is never complete, not in a single lifetime. I may be teaching other Yoga teachers now (I am about to teach a Chakra Immersion Workshop), but I am still learning about myself. After teaching a six-hour chakras workshop last weekend for Yoga teachers in training, I am again inspired! Not only did the workshop come together in a lucid, structured, complete way, so did my own understanding deepen of the way my soul has been evolving. Chakra One - physi...
Close Your Eyes
Group Yoga classes are, actually, a recent phenomenon, if you take into account Yoga's five thousand year history. In the West, where the cost of private Yoga classes make it prohibitive for some, group classes have become the norm. Even in India, group Yoga classes have taken off and are very popular. However, initially, Yoga was an individual practice, performed alone, or with your guru's instruction. In a large group, there are dynamics that are quite unique. For ...
Chakras Six and Seven - Ajna and Sahasrara
We have run out of elements! That's right, there are only ffive elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space, and they are installed in the previous chakras. This is the way models get mixed up and superimposed onto each with time. So if you've wondered about that - this is why. Chakra Six, Ajna , governs our intuitive ability and the way we learn and improve intellectually. It is not necessarily associated with the number and types of diplomas or IQ, but rather ou...
Chakra Five - Vishuddha
Chakra 5 , Vishuddha, has the Space element installed in it, which is about our ability to communicate effectively. This is our voice. What we say reflects how the other chakras are doing. Not only that, it also governs our ability to listen effectively. When 5 th chakra is in good balance, we have a more even input (listening and taking in information) and output (communicating effectively). Many of us take in far more than we put out, while oth...
Chakra Four - Anahata
Chakra Four, Anahata, has the Wind element installed in it, which is about compassion and the ability to be in a relationship. Before one can be in a good relationship with another, one must learn to be a relationship with themselves. We must learn to love our self, to be compassionate towards self, non-judgmental toward self. When we judge self and others we cannot be in an unconditional love relationship. We must also learn how to protect our selv...
Chakra Three - Manipura
Chakra 3, Manipura is probably the most vulnerable among all the chakras in our energetic body. It has the Fire element installed in it, which is about self-will and being empowered - from the inside. Located in the Solar Plexus, this station of the soul’s journey up the stream of evolution is meant to teach us self-worth and self-referencing – meaning that you base your own value not on what others are saying or thinking about you, but on what you yourself decide is ri...
Chakra Two - Swadishthana
Chakra Two, Swadishthana, is located in the lower abdomen. This chakra model has the Water element installed in the second chakra, and the Water element governs fluids in the body, joints, especially hip and knee joints, as well as emotions of all kinds. Especially damaging to the Water element are emotions of shame and guilt, and since there is plenty of that going around no wonder the Water element is so out of balance for many of us. Stability and openness of the pelvis can b...
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