As we move into the second chakra, life starts getting juicy. Now that our primal survival needs have been addressed, we move into the realm of feelings, pleasure, creativity, and sexuality.
To paraphrase Anodea Judith, we are creating a container in the first chakra…and in the second chakra we fill this container with fluid and movement. This movement of the second chakra takes us into the world of balance and grace. When can we go too far? When are we too stuck?
In our culture, there is frequently a dismissal of pleasure in favor of asceticism and work. In reclaiming the second chakra, we validate the needs of our pleasure body and emotional body. When these centers are fed, they reward us with deep insight, intuition, and embodiment. Part of being fully alive is to appreciate the magnificence of our own capacity for sensuality and pleasure. Whether we are sipping a cup of tea or feeling the sunshine on our face (or in Vancouver, we are frequently feeling the rain), we are connecting to a primal deliciousness. In my own experience, finding this connection allows me to honor my body’s needs: to rest when I’m tired, eat nourishing foods, and practice yoga from a place of joy rather than obligation.
In your yoga practice, see if you can connect to the yumminess of movement. Close your eyes and feel the practice from the inside out. Rather than worrying about what the posture looks like, see if you can sense it from within. Give yourself the freedom to relish your body. Even in “still” poses, there is always a divine movement. Our breath, our blood…we are in constant fluid motion.
Re-energizing the second chakra doesn’t take much and a little attention can reap enormous rewards. Simply pause a few times a day to connect to your senses. Feel the carpet under your toes, enjoy the taste of your food, stretch deliciously. Tasting the little pleasures of your life will create spaciousness for presence and increase your capacity for juicy joy.
