The King of the Asanas – Headstand

Headstand in MexicoMoving with our fear.

Headstand is an elegant inversion, insisting on patience, presence, and control to be done properly. For many of us, headstand is an opportunity to brush against our fear. Fear of the unknown, of falling, of not being in control. As such, the practice of headstand become an opportunity to practice intimacy with this fear. When we move slowly and with awareness, we can breathe through our fear reflex and assess where we really are. Rather than getting caught up in a fear narrative, we practice slowing down and observing our response. Whether we actually go upside down or not is actually irrelevant! More interesting is developing our capacity for self-observation and spaciousness.

Iyengar writes, “Regular and precise practice of Sirsasana develops the body, disciplines the mind and widens the horizons of the spirit. One becomes balanced and self-reliant in pain and pleasure, loss and gain, shame and fame, and defeat and victory.” -Light on Yoga

Risk factors:
The neck. When we practice sirsasana, it is important that we work gradually to put weight on the head. When we are starting, place very little weight on the head and instead work to support the body through the work and stability of the shoulder girdle. This will prevent the delicate cervical spine from being overloaded.

The lower back: It is easy to “banana” in the lower back and crunch the lumbar spine. We must work to open the shoulders and engage to core to prevent collapse in the low back.

High/low blood pressure: Since we are increasing cranial pressure, it is prudent for students with blood pressure issues to proceed with caution or ask their doctor. Also, students with similar pressure issues such as glaucoma or hiatal hernia should seek advice from their physician before working on headstand.

Component Parts:

The upper arm and lower arm are both in flexion.  The upper arm will be working towards external rotation.  Investigate poses such as Utthita Hastasana (arms raised in tadasana), Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog), Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), Vrksasana (Tree with arms raised), and Gomukhasana Arms (cow-faced pose, the top arm).  Dolphin and Forearm Stand Prep are great preps.

Thoracic Spine.  Even though we’re not backbending in sirsasana, the action of the upper back feels like backbending as we draw the shoulderblades deeper into the body.  Backbends and twists are great way to access this action in the upper back.

Core.  To support our body weight and keep the lower back long.  Poses such as plank, forearm plank, Vasisthasana (side plank) are all great educators for the core.

Neutral legs.  Find the connection of the adductors and the neutral position of the legs in lunges, Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I), Utkatasana (fierce/chair pose), and parsovttanasana (pyramid pose)

Warmed-up hamstrings.  To get into headstand requires walking the legs in to the body, which is facilitated by long hamstrings.  Warm up the hamstrings in uttanasana (forward fold), prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged forward fold), parsvottanasana (pyramid pose)

Variations:

Do at wall or in corner.  I highly recommend practicing this pose at the wall until confidence in one’s balance is developed.

Dolphin – prep only (head off floor, legs in Adho Mukha Svanasana).  Raise one leg at a time

Prep (head on or off floor, but feet stay on floor), with block at wall, pressing into shoulderblades to encourage thoracic action (need a friend to help with this one!)

Possible Sequence:

Virasana on a block (neutral legs)

Add utthita hastasana, fingers interlaced (flexion in upper arms) x 2, right and left interlace

Extended child’s pose (arms in flexion).  Work action of thoracic spine

Plank, forearm plank variations (core)

Adho Mukha Svanasana (flexion, hamstrings, neutral)

Lunges (neutral legs)

Lunge with open twist (thoracic)

Surya A (hamstrings, neutral legs, arms in flexion, core) x 5

– last time add parivrtta parsvakonasana (thoracic)

Uttanasana – held (hamstrings)

Trikonasana (hamstrings, possible flexion arm variation)

Vrksasana (balance and arms in flexion)

Utkatasana, holding block (arms flexion)

Parvsottanasana (R/L), with straight back (hamstrings, work thoracic)

Parivrtta Trikonasana (thoracic, hamstrings)

Tadasana with Gomukhasana Arms

–To Wall–

Virabhadrasana III with hands at wall (core, neutral legs, hamstrings)

Virabhadrasana III with back foot on wall (core, neutral legs, hamstrings)

Dolphin (Sirsasana prep)

Sirsasana

Child’s pose

Adho Mukha Svanasana (to release neck)

Variation of Salamba Sarvanghasana (shoulderstand) with block under pelvis and legs in air

Twist

Reclined Ankle to Knee

Savasana

Aum Shanti Meditation – from Alan Finger

Shanti, of course, is the Sanksrit word for peace. (The tradition of reciting “shanti, shanti, shanti” 3 times reflects the trinary nature of existence – – the relationship of peace within yourself, peace between you and others, and peace throughout the universe. Buddhists also refer to the Threefold peace of the body, mind and speech). Aum, or Om, is perhaps the most commonly-known Sanskrit mantra, but it has so many significances an entire newsletter might not address them all! However, a few insights follow…

The simplicity of Aum is married to its complexity and its fundamental importance. It is considered the primary sound of the universe, the essential sound of consciousness or creation. Thus in vibrating our bodies and consciousness to Aum, we are aligning ourselves with the divine essence of the universe!

Written and chanted as A-U-M, the mantra again represents a trinity: that of the energies of creation, sustenance and destruction that together bind the universe together. These are sometimes represented by the Hindu deities Brahma (A = Creation), Vishnu (U = Sustenance) and Shiva (M = Destruction or Transcendance). (See below for a wonderful illustration of this representation!) Other trinities for the A-U-M include body-mind-spirit, or self-personal world-universe… there are many possible concordances.

To deeply experience the power of this simple mantra, sit comfortably in your usual meditation seat. Begin by simply working with A-U-M. As you chant aloud, resonate each sound for several seconds before moving to the next sound: Ah…. Oh…. Mm. Notice where you feel the vibrations of each sound in your body. Sense the “Ahh” emanating from the base of your body, vibrating and cleansing the root and belly. Sense the “Ohh” purifying your heart center and throat. Feel the “Mmm” resonating throughout your face and skull to the crown of your head. Repeat aloud at least six times.

Now, repeat the path of A-U-M, but repeat the mantra sounds silently, and feel the same internal vibrations. As you move to this more subtle layer of sensing the mantra, its purifying abilities move more deeply from the physical into the subtle body, releasing the emotions and burdens of the lower self. As this release occurs, the central channel of consciousness is opened and the jiva, your individual spirit, is freed to reunite with paramatman, the source of divine love and inspiration.

Now allow the A-U-M to combine into Aum, and feel you are receiving the divine light of Paramatman, the universe, through that central channel, from the crown of your head, flowing down into your heart, the seat of your jiva, your unique spirit, and into your body.

As you tune in to your breath, let the inhale carry this light down into the center of your body. Begin to let the exhale release from your heart center. Feel on this release the sound of Shanti, peace. As this cycle of inhale and exhale continues, you draw in the inspiration and unconditional love of the universe, filtering it through your unique essence and sending it back out into the world.

You might direct this powerful vibration of peace anywhere you’re inspired to: from your loved ones, to those in need, to places of conflict anywhere in the world. This simple, powerful practice reconnects you to the love, peace and divine oneness within your own heart and throughout the universe.

Alan Finger

Hum-Sa Kriya – Alan Finger

This meditation was one of the first that I learned from my teacher Alan Finger. It is a beautiful way to calm and still the mind and connect to the energy of your body.

The Hum-Sa Kriya is part of the “Ishta Diksha.”

Diksha, meaning “initiation,” is the physical transference of divine energy directly into the brain, which allows for enlightenment. You become free from the limitations and the conditioning of the mind and are released from unnecessary suffering.
Practiced daily, these techniques will tune your mind into a Higher source of personal power that will educate, inspire, and enliven every moment of your living.

The Hum-Sa Kriya directs consciousness to the spinal column, the central cord of intelligence and awareness, and the central channel of energy in the body. The result of this focus is the creation of an alpha rhythm in the brain. Alpha is the scientific term for the brain state of relaxed alertness and accelerated learning- the mind is peaceful but aware and perceptive of its surroundings. It is known to be incredibly healing and revitalizing to the mind and body.

1. Set a small timer for 18 minutes, but don’t press start just yet. Do at least six rounds of Nadi Shodana Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing).

2. If you can, keep your eyes closed, but press the start button on your timer. Bring your focus back to the breath. Whenever you breathe in, silently visualize and hear the sound “Hum” going up the spine from the base of your tail bone to the space between your eyebrows. And whenever you breathe out, use the sound “Sa” down the spine and try to feel the energy move from the mid-brain down to the base of the spine.
Very important: Do not force the breathing.
On your inhalation, visualize a white ball of light lifting up your spine and into the middle of your brain, and on your exhalation, visualize the ball of light slowly floating down your spine back to the base.

3. Repeat this movement. On the inhalation “Hum” up the spine and on the exhalation. “Sa” down to the base.
This focus and repetition brings you deeper and deeper into the center of consciousness, revealing the true nature who you really are.
You’ll notice that in time, your breath slowly becomes smoother. Eventually pauses will appear, moments in between breaths where there’s just a pause and no need to breathe. This is the point at which a sense of just floating in pure bliss occurs.

4. Stay in this place until the timer sounds. When that happens, gently silence the alarm, and come back to sitting. Let yourself take about six or so full deep breaths. Gently open your eyes. Smile. You’ve taken one more step on the journey to Self.

Namaste.
Alan Finger

Natarajasana

Natarajasana, Pose of the Lord of the Dance, is a complex pose that is deep backbend with the added fun of balance.  As with any backbend, is it essential to fully warm up the thoracic spine and hip flexors as well as integrate core stability for the safety of the lower back.  A myriad of arm variations possible in this pose also allow for shoulder and chest opening.

Risk factors: Falling, low back.

What to warm up:

The hip flexors (front of the thighs).  Low lunge, high lunge, and Virabhadrasana I are great poses for opening the front of the thighs.  Hanumanasana with a bolster and a focus on a sagittally neutral pelvis in order to access the BACK leg.  Instead of treating Hanumanasana as a stretch, instead use it to access and tone the adductors, make the legs neutral, and then open the hip flexors of the back leg.  Ardha Bhekasana can also be used to stretch the quads, particularly when we focus on anchoring the pubic bone as we draw the shin in.

The thoracic (upper back).  Work to open the front of the heart by broadening the collarbones, lifting the sternum, and drawing the shoulders deeply into the body.  Can you work to isolate the drawing in of the upper back while you keep your lower back long?  It’s a little bit of a conundrum, but this is exactly the paradoxical work that backbends require.  Poses such as sphinx, bhujangasana (baby cobra), dhanuarsana (bow), and salabhasana (locust) can refine this work.

The core. To maintain a long lower back, we must use strength through the front of the body to contain the area between the front hip points (the ASIS) and the lower ribcage. Poses such as plank, forearm plank, and navasana (as well as other non-yoga varieties that might be in your repertoire) can bring awareness to this area.

The inner thighs/neutral legs.  The adductors link to the core and help keep our legs neutral when they would otherwise flare into external rotation.  Prepare the legs to remain neutral through engaging the adductors in lunges, Virabhadrasana I and Virabhadrasana III.   By engaging the inner thighs and rolling them slightly to the back body, we widen the sacrum, create length through the back and more room to squeegie the buttocks flesh down the thighs.

The shoulders. Classical Natarajasana has the standing leg arm reaching forward, while the bent leg arm reaches over the head in external rotation and flexion to grasp the foot or big toes.  (Like the upper arm in Gomukhasana.)  While this is quite a feat for most of us dealing with tight shoulders and hip flexors, we can approximate the actions of this pose by using a strap around our bent knee ankle.  Make a Grecian sandal with your strap by wrapping it around your ankle and threading the two ends between the big toes.  Presto, you’ve made your leg longer!  Work the actions of the pose here: draw the inner things to each other, tailbone to the floor, lower back long, upper chest opening.  Breathe and then climb your hand down the strap as the opportunity avails. To prepare for the classical variation, use poses such as Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog), Utthita Hastasana (hands up in tadasana), Gomukhasana (cow-face pose, arms only), and inversions to open the shoulders.

A great variationof Natarajasana is to reach back with both hands and clasp the foot (like your clasping your hands around the top of the foot).  In this variation, the shoulders are in extension, which creates a delicious opportunity for opening the chest.  Use Prasarita Padottanasana C (wide-legged forward bend with hands clasped behind), Purvottanasana,  Setu Bandha (bridge), and Dhanurasana (bow) to prepare the shoulders for this variation.

Props:  Use a strap as a Grecian sandal to assist in the classical variation (see above).  Use the wall to assist in balancing.

Variation: At Wall.  Start in Virabhadrasana III at the wall, hands at the wall, with one foot under the hip and the other reaching back into the center of the room.  Keeping the lower back long, begin to move into a backbending variation by walking the hands up the wall.  Alternatively, strap the arms above the elbows and bring the forearms on the wall parallel, fingers pointing up.  Option to bend the lifted knee , keeping the thigh open and neutral.  Natarajasana at the wall!

Energetics: Natarajasana is a pose about opening into fear.  We are asked to open our hearts on uncertain ground (on one leg).  Before you begin, relax.  Smooth out the breath.  Grounding the energy and stabilizing the standing leg are crucial pillars.  Once the base has been established, then slowly open the upper back into a backbend.  Less is more at first.  From a stable base, let the breath open the pose from the inside.

Giving Gratitude Legs – Ustrasana

Frequently when we leave yoga class, we’re feeling pretty good. We’re stretched, we’re stronger, our minds are a bit more settled. After all, feeling good in our own bodies is a crucial first step on our hatha yoga path. And if that’s what gets us to the mat, so much the better. But at some point in our practice, we begin to have the terrible inkling that our yoga practice is actually happening all the time. It’s just a little more obvious when we’re in our lulu’s and on our mats.

Our practice is just that: practice for our lives. The point of our practice isn’t to have the perfect downward facing dog – although greater physical health is certainly a side effect of yoga. The real juice of our practice is revealed in very practical and everyday situations. Our practice means having a little extra space to respond when someone pushes our buttons or cuts us off in traffic. It’s having the space to feel upset without lashing back. Or it’s using that feel good energy from our class to give back to our families and friends a bit more fully. While improving urdhva dhanurasana is fun, the real potency of our yoga practice is actually experienced off the mat and in our lives.

In honor of Gratitude Week, I’m inviting everyone to “Give their Gratitude Legs”. Take that gorgeous, expansive generosity that begins to flow in class and deliberately manifest it as something tangible in your life. Bring the energy from your heart chakra and manifest it into your legs and your hands — and take action.

Devote just one hour this week to manifest your gratitude. Spend the extra hour with your kids, research a charity to donate to, or listen to a friend that needs some healing.

After all, if we don’t pay it forward, then who will?

Pose of the Week: Ustrasana

In honor of giving gratitude legs, this week’s pose is Ustrasana. Camel pose requires a deep connection to our core, to our legs, to the earth. Out of this deep strength and connection into our roots, we can open our hearts into gravity and radiate.  The interplay between opening up and grounding down makes ustrasana the perfect pose for manifesting gratitude.

Risk factors:

Because ustrasana is a backbend with gravity (as opposed to backbends where we lift up INTO gravity), it is vitally important to maintain the strength and connection of the front of the body to avoid over compressing the lower back.  What makes ustrasana so invigorating and challenging is the play between opening and strengthening the front body. Another risk factor is the neck, as we’re often tempted to drop the head back and cut of the long line of energy up the spine.  Dropping the head back should only be done when the chest is fully opened, and even then should only be done if it comfortable to the student.  I keep my chin tucked into my chest as long as possible and often do not drop my head back at all.

What to warm up:

The thoracic (upper back).  Coil open the upper back back by broadening the collarbones, reaching forward with the sternum, and drawing the shoulders deeply into the body.  Can you work to isolate the drawing in of the upper back while you keep your lower back long?  Imagine drawing the sides of the waistline to the back body as you lengthen the sides and lift the chest.

The core: The stability of our core is essential in controlling the opening our spine in ustrasana.  While the core is important in all backbends, its role is crucial in ustrasana because we are resisting gravity.  Engaging the inner thigh line (the adductors) will help to engage the core and support the backbend.  As we move into backbends, we can grip the buttocks, which can cause external rotation in the thighs and squash the sacrum.  By engaging the inner thighs and rolling them slightly to the back body, we widen the sacrum, create length through the back and more room to reach the sitbones away from the back.  Practicing plank and forearm plank can also teach the front body to engage without shortening.

The hip flexors (front of the thighs).    Prepare the hip flexors for ustrasana through lunges and Virabhadrasana I.  To particularly access the quads, use a runner’s stretch or King Arthur’s Pose (low lunge with the lower leg vertical up the wall).

The shoulders in extension (arms reaching back). Warm up the shoulders in extension through garudasana arms (lower arm), salabhasana or  bridge.  I also like using a strap during uttanasana or prasarita padottanasana to encourage arm extension.  Choose your leg variation, then hold the strap behind you with the palms forward, just wider than your hips.  Draw the heads of the upper arms back (no slouching).  Keep lifting the strap to the ceiling (rather than over the head) as you fold.  Lift the shoulderheads up.

Props:  The wall.  I almost always do ustrasana with my hip points glued to the wall.  I can clearly draw my inner thighs back into the room and lengthen my sitting bones to the floor.  Keeping your hip points at the wall will ensure that you keep your hips and knees lined up and that you continue to use your legs and abdominals to support your weight.   Use a bolster across the back of the shins to bring the floor up to you.  Blocks on either side of the ankles do the same thing.  You can place a block between the thighs to engage the adductors.  An important note in ustrasana is to continually lift up as you go back.  As if you’re lifting your upper back over a limbo bar.  When  your hands find purchase (on the bolster, blocks, or feet), lift up out of the arms and radiate your chest up to the sky.  Finding and nurturing a sense of strength and containment as you drop back in ustrasana will help prepare the body for more rigorous drop backs from standing.

Stroke of Insight – Jill Bolte Taylor

This astounding video recounts neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor’s experience of having a stroke. Not only is she able to contextualize the experience from a medical perspective, but she discovers that bliss may be a simple matter of “stepping to the right.” I also highly recommend her book, where she candidly offers her experience of recovery. A definite must for anyone with loved ones who have had a stroke. Also, In the process of recovery, she discovers that she has the power to reprogram her habitual patterns in order to make better choices. And isn’t that what yoga is all about?

Urdhva Dhanurasana

DSCN3338
Rachel, photo by SBK

Urdhva Dhanurasana, aka Upward Bow  – don’t call it Wheel, that’s a different pose ;).  One of the ultimate yoga stretches for the front of the body, Urdhva Dhanurasana challenges us to maintain our strength though the core as we radiate through our upper chest and heart and stretch our hip flexors and shoulders.  Any restriction in the shoulders or hips will immediately translate into a crunched lower back, so Upward Bow requires a great deal of warming up and opening in order to be happily explored.

Risk factors: The low back.  This is priority number one.  In order to keep our low back long and strong, we much engage the rectus abdominus and create containment through the front of our body.  Opening the shoulders and hip flexors will help us to find an even arch through the spine and take pressure off the lower back to do all the bending.

What to warm up:

The shoulders in flexion (reaching forward and up). Whenever we have the arms over our head, our upper arms must in in external rotation.  This means that poses like adho mukha svanasana (down dog), urdhva hastasana (arms over the head in tadasana – I love this when squeezing a block between the wrists, arms straight, front ribs in), and handstand (urdhva hastasana upside down) will be great warm ups for the shoulders.  You should be able to straighten the arms above the head without bending the elbows or bowing the spine.  If this isn’t possible yet, then keep working on the shoulders and wait before trying Upward Bow.  With time, it will come.

The hip flexors (front of the thighs).  Low lunge, high lunge, and Virabhadrasana I are great poses for opening the front of the thighs.  We are particularly interested in the psoas rather than the quads, as the knees in Urdhva Dhanurasana aren’t really that bent.

The thoracic (upper back).  Work to open the front of the heart by broadening the collarbones, lifting the sternum, and drawing the shoulders deeply into the body.  Can you work to isolate the drawing in of the upper back while you keep your lower back long?  It’s a little bit of a conundrum, but this is exactly the paradoxical work that backbends require.  Poses such as sphinx, bhujanghasana (baby cobra), urdhva mukha svanasana (up dog), and salabhasana (locust) can refine this work.  Twists such as parivrtta parsvakonasana and parivrtta trikonasana are excellent at teaching the body to open the upper spine while engaging the abdominals and lengthening.

The core. To maintain a long lower back, we must use strength through the front of the body to contain the area between the front hip points (the ASIS) and the lower ribcage. Poses such as plank, forearm plank, and navasana (as well as other non-yoga varieties that might be in your repertoire) can bring awareness to this area.  Doing a mild camel with your frontal hip points stuck to the wall and focusing on lifting up an out of the hips can be an effective way to bring attention to the work of the abdominals.

The inner thighs.  The adductors link to the core.  Also, as we press into backbends, the tendency is to grip the buttocks, which can cause external rotation in the thighs and squash the sacrum.  By engaging the inner thighs and rolling them slightly to the back body, we widen the sacrum, create length through the back and more room to reach the sitbones away from the back.  The adductors can be accessed in almost every pose, but are particularly obvious in neutral lunges when we can “scissor” the inner thighs towards each other.  Putting a block between the upper thighs or the inner feet immediately creates and adductor-engaged imprint in the body.

Props:  Use a strap shoulder-width above the elbows to prevent flailing out in the arms and loss of external rotation.  Strap the upper thighs at hip distance apart to keep the legs parallel the hips (and inner thighs down, and sacrum wide).  A block between the upper thighs cues the inner thighs to engage and roll to the floor.  A block between the feet or a strap around the big toes helps to keep the feet parallel and tracking (keeping the thighs neutral rather than externally rotating).  Blocks tilted at the wall can take the pressure out of the wrists by decreasing the angle at which they need to bear weight.

Energetics: Urdhva Dhanurasana is one of the great heart openers.  But we cannot move to opening unless there we have strength through the core of the body.  We need a solid foundation through the legs, pelvis and lower core (energetically we need stability in chakras 1-3) in order to radiate and expand through the upper chest (chakra 4, the heart chakra).  In a recent workshop, Anodea Judith invited us to open our hearts while staying in our core.  In relationships – the purview of chakra 4 – we often find ourselves either hardening and retreating or becoming too malleable and floppy.  We are either defensive, or we let too much in.  Urdhva Dhanurasana invites into the great balance; the more strength and grounding that we can find in our center, the more open and receptive that we can safely become.

Backbending thoughts from Aadil Palkivala:
Physically speaking, backbends move the spine into the body, creating strength in the back of the body and length through the groins, abdominal cavity, rib cage, throat, and frontal shoulders. Backbends charge the kidneys by drawing them into the body, rejuvenating the adrenals and drawing the life force given by the kidneys back into the body. Backbends generally open up three major areas of the body – the pelvis, heart and throat. Therefore, they can open the hips, free the chest from congestion, and bring back a healthy curve to the neck. Most of our daily habits (sitting, driving, working at a desk) cause a collapse in the front of our bodies and push the spine backwards. This is why you will often feel bony lumps on the spine of older people. Backbends bring healthy alignment and mobility back into the spine, moving the vertebrae forwards.

Psychologically speaking, backbends move us toward our future and away from our past, since the back of the body represents the past and the front of our body represents our future. Backbends quieten the hyper-analytical activity of the front brain, and because of the extension produced, trigger a feeling of openness in the limbic system (the emotional center of the brain). In contrast, when we are in a state of fear or anger, we curl up and go into a position of flexion (protection). Thus, psychologically speaking, backbends move us from fear to power.

Energetically speaking, backbends move the spine toward the Pillar of Light in the body. They open up congested and stagnant pelvic energy. This allows the energy to move upward in an expression of aspiration for growth, where it can be transformed by the wisdom of the Heart Chakra. Backbends open up the Heart Chakra, expanding the feeling of love and joy. They also open the throat, allowing the Heart Chakra to express words of beauty and love. This opening also allows the mental energy to move more easily down to the Heart Chakra.

However, a caveat: All the above happens in backbends only if there is the intention for this to happen as you practice. Otherwise you will simply become more flexible!

Levitating, inverting, abs. By request.

I arrived early to my Tuesday class, so asked some of the students if they had any inspirations for the practice.  “Levitation,” replied one particularly cheeky monkey.  “Inversions!” another cried.  “I may get in trouble for this,” said a third, “but I’d like to do abs.”

Alright, I thought.  Levitating, inverted abs it is.

Challenge is an inherent part of any arm balancing themed class.  After all, a solid core connection is essential for any standing on the hands, and that invariably winds up being, well…hard.  You need to connect to the arches of the feet, then follow the inner leg line of energy through the adductors, into the pelvic floor, into the transverse abdominals.  It takes a little effort.

And now, I have to mention India.

While I was in India, I did not practice.  Well, okay, maybe a couple times.  But for the majority of my trip, I spent my time walking, eating, observing, haggling, and generally doing everything but yoga.  So I went from having a 2 hours plus practice most days of the week to doing almost nothing.

And it was GREAT.

You see, about a week into my trip, I suddenly realized that something was different.  I didn’t hurt anymore.  The repetitive injuries that I’d been “working through” had faded and my body seemed to be functioning happily.  Rather than fall apart without my yoga practice, my body seemed to be actually doing better.

Now, this isn’t because yoga is bad for you.  On the contrary, yoga is very (very) good for you.  But I’d been practicing in a way that became counter-productive.  I had been over-stressing my body because I liked the challenge.  I wanted to advance my practice, and it seemed like the only way to do this was to do harder poses.  Wasn’t it?

There’s a part of all of us that thrives on challenge.  On advancement.  (You type A’s  know exactly what I mean.)  But when we overdo it and impose a practice on on our body, rather than experience the practice, our body sends us signals that we’re going too far.  If we’re ambitious, we rarely listen and instead “push through,” only to be stopped in our tracks eventually by some sort of injury.

Does this mean we shouldn’t challenge ourselves?  Of course not!  But we must challenge ourselves while still respecting the voice of our body.  So, in other words, how can we honor ourselves and still attempt levitating, inverted abs?

We must listen to ourselves.  Rather than “do” your practice, “be” your practice.  Be inside your practice, rather than inflicting it on your unsuspecting body.  When the challenges come (and they always do), give yourself the space to respond rather than react.  Instead of shutting off or overcompensating, breathe and integrate the experience.  These moments of stress in yoga class are fertile ground for practicing how to consciously respond to anxiety off the mat.

Notice: what’s your pattern for coping with challenge?  Do you ferociously attack it, or succumb without a fight?  Can we practice being with the challenge without adding a psychological agenda?  Can we actually soften in order to be strong?

Since you may be curious, we wound up practicing the transitions from tripod headstand to bakasana and back again.  Fun, fun, all day long. Levitating, inverting abs, indeed!

Photo by SBK
Photo by SBK

Ajna Chakra: Light

Ajna Chakra, located at the third eye center, opens us to element of light.  In addition to literally seeing, this chakra draws us into the power of visualization, imagination, and abstraction.  We literally connect to a higher frequency (Vishuddha was the frequency of sound, Ajna of light) and our experience moves further beyond the tangible plane.

Suddenly, our world is much larger.  We can use the power of our imagination to understand experiences beyond our own.  Though the understanding of images and words, we can visualize our place in a greater context. Our sight is both external and internal. The sixth chakra opens us to the world of intuition, where we are assimilating information more rapidly than our conscious mind may process. We begin to learn to trust our sixth sense.

The power to visualize is a powerful tool that can expand or limit our consciousness.  While our imagination can set us free to imagine possibilities beyond our immediate experience, we can also impose mental boundaries on ourselves that prevent us from moving into our potential.  Discernment in the sixth chakra is the power to separate vision from illusion. As Anodea Judith writes, “Vision leads us forward and illusion holds us back. A vision is a possibility, a goal to inspire us, constantly changing and evolving. We know a vision isn’t real, and yet we believe in its potential. An illusion tends to be held as certainly and forced into place – something we believe is real and unchangeable. An illusion binds the energy; a vision consciously directs it.”

Exercise: Practice discernment between vision and illusion. Do you impose limits on yourself that have no basis in reality? Can you replace these assumptions with a visualization that pulls your more firmly into your real potential?

Vishuddha Chakra: Space

The link from the heart chakra to the more etheric upper chakras, Vishuddha (the throat chakra) is the center of conscious communication.  Like the second chakra, Vishuddha is a creative nexus.  However, unlike the unconscious, earthy, and sensuous energy of Svadisthana, Vishuddha’s creativity is connected to our higher consciousness.  Through its power, we literally express and identify ourselves in relationship to the outside world.  We choose how to allow our energy to impact others, and use our voice to express our boundaries, desires, and needs.

Very pragmatically, we can sometimes feel as if we’ve “lost our voice” when there is a disconnect between our experience and our ability to communicate our needs.  At other times, it is through communicating that we actually realize our own experience.  For example, it is common to “hold it together” until someone asks us to communicate our experience.  This act of articulating facilitates the integration of the experience, and causes us to “break down” or release the emotional energy.

A well-balanced throat chakra allows for an equilibrium between expression and listening.  The element of Vishuddha is space, and it is in the openness and potential of this space that exchange can occur.  Rather than engulf our listeners in a deluge of conversation or retreating into a silent shell, we allow for a meaningful sharing of energy and ideas.  The powerful, unconscious energies of the lower chakras (our emotion and our ego) are refined and processed as we develop our capacity to communicate our personal experience with others.

Our lives are in continual, creative evolution.  Through Vishuddha, we enhance our capacity to filter and share our experience with others.

Exercise: Notice your habits in conversation.  Do you tend to dominate conversation, or retreat and stay silent?  Do you fall into comfortable and disingenuous patter because it seems easy?  Is there a better personal balance for you that you might find in increasing your capacity for conscious communication with others?

Anahata Chakra: Air

What more appropriate chakra to explore on Valentine’s Week than the heart chakra?

We are all familiar with the sensations of the heart.  Almost everyone can relate when someone says that they feel ”light-hearted” or that they have a “heavy heart.”  In this way, the sensations of the heart chakra are some of the most accessible of the system.

At the heart, we reach the very center of the chakra system.  Perfectly balanced between the upper and lower chakras, anahata is the chakra guiding relationships, compassion, and emotional well-being.  It is in the heart that the intuition of the body and the wisdom of the spirit come into manifestation.

While the heart chakra usually is thought to be outer directed (compassion to others), it is also the place where we come into deeper and more harmonious relationship with ourselves.  Here we resolve the myriad of relationships within different (and frequently contradicting) aspects our own life. Only through the compassion and spaciousness of love can we fully accept and integrate the lost or shadowed parts of our history and personality.  When we are able to accept ourselves fully, then we can also begin to accept others fully, without being triggered by the remembrance of fragmented parts of ourselves.

As you practice heart-opening, notice if any judgments or restrictive sensations arise.  Practice nurturing a space of radical self-acceptance and expansion.  Utilize the surrender and freedom of the inhalation to physical space for compassion and integration.

Manipura Chakra: Fire

Manipura Chakra is the seat of the ego and self-definition.  Its element is fire and it the seat of the ego.  Too much fire breeds anger, aggression, over-assertion; too little fire and we are not able to create boundaries, self-determine, or speak our minds.

A healthy third chakra is marked by empowerment.  When we are self-empowered, we do not need to dominate in order to fill the gap.  Self-empowerment leads to autonomy and personal responsibility, which are key in initiating conscious transformation.  When we honor the power within us, we can freely make decisions that honor our own personal truth.  Rather than internalizing the voices of our parents, peers, and culture, we give ourself the power to question, re-determine, and transform.

To access manipura chakra, open yourself to the fire of your own practice.  Through heat, we begin to safely shift and transform the physical body.  Through twists and navel focused asana like bakasana, we access the power of the core.  Connection to the stability of the core anchors us in our own body.  From the core, we discover the fantastic movement of radiation and contraction.  Energy moves from the center out, just as energy draws into the center.  This dynamic flow and pulsation is a reflection of the greater movements of our life: learning what to let in, learning what to let go. The constant ebb and flow keeps us alive, invigorated, open to new ideas, and anchored in what we choose to keep.

Explore the fire of your practice.  Become attuned to your relationship to your own personal power.  Can you relish responsibility without guilt or shame?  Can you risk transformation in order to connect to a deeper, more authentic  expression of your self?

Svadisthana Chakra: Water

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.

Muladhara Chakra: Earth

Can we be strong without being rigid?  Can we own our own space without being overbearing?  Is our relationship with our body healthy?

These are just a few of the issues encompassed by our first chakra. Located at the base of the spine, muladhara chakra is the “root” of the chakra system.  Like the foundation of a house, the health of this chakra affects all the others above it.    Anodea Judith describes the first chakra as reflecting our “right to be here,” which includes our “right to establish individuality” and our  right to take care of ourselves” (Eastern Body, Western Mind).

The element of the muladhara chakra is earth and the chakra resonates with the part of ourselves that solid and physical.  Judith estimates the development of this chakra during the first year of life, in which we first learn if we can trust the outer world to meet our essential needs.  This primal experience shapes our future interactions with our environment:  do we have enough to sustain us without hoarding?   On a more psychological level, can we allow ourselves to take up space  without becoming impermeable?

In our asana practice, can we be strong without becoming rigid?

As we practice, we can connect to the strength of the earth through any part of our body that is connected to the ground. As we press into the earth, the strength of the earth radiates back into our muscles and bones.  In standing poses, the feet and legs to draw up the strength of the earth into the core of our body.  In downdog, uttanasana, and chaturanga, our hands become like a second pair of feet, anchoring us into the solid girth of the planet.  Explore becoming more animal in your practice.  Get low to the earth and play with the weight and rebound of gravity.  And as you connect to the deep stability and safety of the ground, can you trust enough to let go of any hard edges?

When you feel spacey or ungrounded, explore some slow, steady standing poses like Warrior II or chair that work the hips and legs…or simply lay in savasana for a few minutes and give the floor your weight.  As you connect to earth, be reminded that you are of the earth.  Embrace your right to be here.

Fanning the Inner Fire

The increasing darkness of winter is an invitation to move more deeply into our shadow selves.  We can hunker down, get internal, and examine what pieces of ourselves no longer serve.  It is time to clear out space and let go of old habits and limiting patterns, so that when the sun begins to come back, we have room to create anew.

To clear out the old, we begin with detoxification.  Manipura chakra is the center of willpower and is associated with the fire element.  The solar plexus is also the seat of digestion and the digestive fires, which can burn out the restrictions of energy at the base.  As we inhale, we fan the flames down to these blockages.  The exhalation reinforces uddiyana bandha and mula bandha, which draw these blocks up into the fire to be purified.  Thus, the power of the breath and the fire of our bodies work together to unleash our energetic potential.

While physical movements such as sun salutations and standing poses certainly heat our bodies, it is the the effort to focus and our will to concentrate that fans the flames.   Moving into twists to tone the abdomen and balancing poses to strengthen the mind, we purify the physical and energetic body simultaneously  – burning away dis-ease and attachment.

In the darkness of winter, we create our own internal sun.