Day 337 Intention ~ Root Down

Day 337 Intention ~ Root Down

Holiday season is upon us. Many of us not only feel rushed in shopping, travel plans, work parties, friends parties, making cookies, decorating and overall holiday plans, but can also feel money stress, emotional distress and as if you could slide out from under your feet at any moment. 

What happened to all is calm, all is bright???

It happens to most of us...me too. 

So, this week for my yoga classes and my own practice, I am focusing on the root chakra, the muladhara chakra, and the sacral, svadhisthana, chakra,  in an effort to stay grounded and emotionally stable this holiday season. 

The root chakra is at the base of the spine and covers our basic survival needs. Makes sense that it is called the root chakra, since when it is open and balanced, it protects us from feeling flighty and insecure. It's color is red, so wearing that color or focusing on that color is one simple way to start calming the uneasiness. Another way is to chant it's bija (seed) mantra, LAM. Exercises that can help are poses that root you down to the Earth. Really focusing on the feet and on your steady base. Mountain pose, tree pose, warrior poses with nice strong legs and bridge pose, where you not only root through the feet, but also in the shoulders, the backs of the arms and really feel the strength of the legs work in this pose. 

The sacral chakra is located from the lower abs to the navel and is not only related to sexual behavior, but also emotional connections, the ability to "let go" and how to keep balance in our relationships, emotions and life. You've probably heard a yoga teacher say that the emotions are stored in the hips. Well, at the end of the year, it's natural to start reassessing one's life and the year that has just passed. It can make us sentimental. It can make us long for past years or for something we don't quite have yet. Either way, hip opening poses are great for finding balance in the sacral chakra. Cow face pose, standing warriors, lunges, fire log pose, happy baby, bound angle...there are a lot. You may feel an emotional release if you are new to these poses that is unexpected. I have seen and have myself cried in classes focusing on hip openers. It's really quite amazing. If doing poses isn't your thing, focus on the color orange or chant the mantra VAM and see if that makes you feel balanced. 

The reality is, we function best when all of our chakras are clear, so doing poses and practices that help keep all of the energy channels flowing is the best idea. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti,

Marcia