Beyond Asana: Chakras

 Your chakras, your yoga, your life

It's time to tune into you who you are at the energetic level of your Chakras.

BALANCE YOUR CHAKRAS

1. Read the content for each chakra assigned
   
2. Focus on the assigned chakras during the asanas of your choice  
3. "Focusing" on the chakra is as simple as picturing it in your mind during asana - imagine its associated color,  scent, seed sound,  artwork, imagine a spinning Vortex in your body near the chakra. 
4. Choose something you would like to balance in your life -  a situation, a relationship, an incident- and see it as a function of balancing the associated Chakra.
5. Describe AND draw your experience of the chakras: detail the asana you chose and describe which chakra aspects you used to bring it into focus. Discuss impressions, emotions, impulses, solutions, images- whatever came up. Update us with what happened in that situation that needed balance.
6. POST your drawing  (all drawings should have written explanation in the comments) on the RIVERFLOW HOT YOGA TEACHERS FACEBOOK GROUP PAGE
   

Which hot yoga poses balance which chakras?

The short answer: all of them.

You can't see the chakras but during hot yoga, but you can feel them if you focus...and imagine.

It feels...relaxing. Peaceful. Centered.

Chakras are invisible energy centers that are not in your physical body but closely associated with specific parts of the body. Moving your body in asanas aligns the energy in the associated chakras.

Some say this is the real reason yoga feels so good: your body is expressing the inner health of your chakras.

If you can't "prove" chakras, how do you know they're there?

You can feel the chakras if you pay attention to your body’s natural energy.

So often we ignore our body's cues for rest or activity or sleep or quiet....instead we manipulate our bodies with caffeine, sugar, and other stimulants,  use melatonin or sleeping pills to create rest...a false sense of our body's rhythms.

Listen to your body's cues instead.

When overstimulated, let your body call for relaxation, quiet time, alone time.

When you're inspired to action - take action!

Balancing chakras is a way to replenish your energy by following your body's inner guidance and innate wisdom.

Is it all just in your imagination? Whats the difference?

Your brain literally cannot discern between an imagining and a reality: the brain lights up the same way in the same areas and with the same intensity whether you are picturing or experiencing in your "reality."

So  - are chakras all in you imagination?

Who cares?

Imagination is the most powerful co-creator of your life.

Chakra 1 Muladhara: The Root of All Things

CHAKRA ONE Muladhara

Located at the base of the spine, Muladhara chakra forms your foundation. It represents the element earth, and is related to our primal instinct of survival, a sense of grounding and a connection to our bodies and the physical plane.

When balanced, Muladhara brings health, prosperity, security and dynamic presence. Root support helps you stay grounded on your feet and walking your life path.

Smell is a Root Chakra sense, bringing awareness to the scents in your environment and in your food

• Focus: Survival
• Color: Red
• Seed Sound: Lam
• Sense Organ: The Nose
• Associated Sense: Smell

ESSENTIAL OILS:

• Patchouli – evokes feelings of security
• Sandalwood – beneficial if you feel stuck
• Vetiver – Assists in life transformation
• Ginger – lifts apathy, gives feeling of grounding
• Thyme – boosts immune system
• Basil – reduces stress, nervousness and mental fatigue
• Clary Sage – Good for depression, feeling overwhelmed

CRYSTALS & GEMSTONES:

• Hematite- protects, dispels negativity
• Smokey Quartz – brings focus, dissolves emotional blocks
• Beryl – promotes will to succeed, releases fears
• Black Tourmaline – protects, calms, dissolves fears
• Garnet – energizes, grounding in reality, assists with insecurity

Incense: Cedar, Sage Patchouli

Grounding & Nurturing foods: Root vegetables, seeds and the oils sourced from them, strawberries, pomegranate, raspberries, soy products, vegetable protein, meat.

Corresponds to: legs, feet, nose, large intestine, and the immune system

Chakra location: Base of Spine

NOTICING MULADHARA CHAKRA

Balanced: Good physical health, stability, prosperity, present in the moment, sense of safety and security, grounded, comfortable with the physical body, eating healthy.

Hot Yoga Poses that Balance Muldhara:

This is a partial list at best - start with your focus on these chakras for these poses and then see what you feel for yourself

Pada Hasthasana: hips to the ceiling lengthens the area of your root chakra.

Garudasana: standing-balancing poses strengthen the 1^st chakra and connects physical body to the earth

Dandayamana-Janushirasana another standing-balancing pose that strengthens the 1^st chakra and our connection to the energy of the earth

Dandayamana-Danurasana and Tuladandasana - same as above

Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana:

lifting hips to the ceiling, stretching the area of your root chakra, helps create balance in your groundedness

Tadasana/Padangustasana:

 standing-balancing poses strengthen the 1^st chakra and connect you solidly to the earth element

Pavanamuktasana 

massages the digestive system, the organs/system associated with root chakra.

FOODS & RECIPES FOR MULADHARA

Carrots, potatoes, parsnips, radishes, onions and garlic, and anything else that roots itself, can have a soothing effect for our Root Chakra.

As a healthy root chakra vibrates red, eating red foods can help balance it. Red foods usually have high levels of vitamin C which is utilized by body parts governed by Root chakra: bones, teeth, skin and adrenals. Red foods include tomatoes, ripe strawberries, apples, lush pomegranates and oh those Bing cherries!

Recipe: Kale Mushroom Stuffed Potatoes

Credit for this recipe goes to Heidi Templeton, hot yoga teacher and chef of the chakras

Ingredients:

4 potatoes

Grapeseed oil

1 1/2 red onions

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup kidney beans

1 cup of kale

1 cup of mushrooms

Parsley, salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Wash 4 potatoes

Poke holes and coat with oil of your choice.

Add a little salt to taste

Meanwhile:

sauté 1/2 a red onion and the garlic cloves until clear.

Add kidney beans and sauté three minutes.

Add kale, mushrooms, and chopped red onion.

Season with parsley, salt and pepper.

Slice cooked potatoes down the middle and combine the mixture into it. Back into the over for 10 minutes to warm (not cook)

Serve immediately....mmmmmm!

Meditation for MULADHARA CHAKRA: I Am Grounded

NOTE: This MEDITATION for MULAHDARA/Chakra 1 can  support script memorization.

Recommended: Listen to that meditation each night as you drift off to sleep.

Recommended: Repeat its simple phrasing to yourself at the start of each script memorization session you do .

As this meditation helps you to relax and trust in your ability, you may notice how much your script memorization is progressing...and more importantly, how much you are enjoying and looking forward to doing your videos

Enclosure

Chakra 2 Svadhistana: Sensing your World

CHAKRA TWO: Svadhisthana

The sacral chakra governs the abdomen, lower back and sexual organs. It is related to emotional identity and self-gratification. It connects us to others through feeling, desire, sensation and sexuality. This chakra often corresponds to control/ finding a balance of acceptance and rejection. Ideally, svadhisthasana brings fluidity and grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment, and the ability to accept change.

• Focus: Sexual Emotions
• Color: Orange
• Seed Sound: Vam
• Sense Organ: Tongue
• Associated sense: Taste 

ESSENTIAL OILS:

 Frankincense – zaps negative or blocked energy

• Jasmine – linked to creativity
• Sweet Marjoram – absconds guilt
• Cypress – assists in moving on after major life change

CRYSTALS AND GEMSTONES

• Coral – eases PMS and menstrual cramps
• Red Jasper – stimulates sex drive
• Moonstone – enhances female reproductive system
• Bloodstone – helps support difficult transformations
• Carnelian – brings clarity that all things are possible
• Citrine – boosts confidence in search of fulfillment
• Hematite – protects commitments made from outside interference

Incense: Cedar, Juniper

Foods: Water, herb teas, juices, apples pears, peaches, apricots, melons, mangos, oranges, figs, watercress, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes

The physical body: sacrum, prostate, lumbar, sex organs, spleen, kidney, circulatory system, and tongue

Chakra location: Just below the navel

The second chakra allows for emotional and sensual movement in our life, opening to pleasure, and learning how to “go with the flow.”

No wonder this one is so often out of whack.

Associated with the hips, sacrum, lower back, genitals, womb, bladder, and kidneys, this chakra is involved with sensuality, sexuality, emotions, intimacy, and desire. All watery things about us have to do with this chakra: circulation, urination, menstruation, orgasm, tears. Water flows, moves, and changes, and a healthy second chakra allows us to do so too.

Afer focusing on second chakra in a recent class, a student confided to me how hard it was to allow pleasure in her workaholic life. We created a plan for her to give herself 20 minutes each day devoted just to the healing power of pleasure: listening to music, doing yoga,  getting a massage. Our lives give us plenty of opportunities to express ourselves and be active; in our yoga practiceand elsewhere, we need to make sure we complement this with relaxation and receptivity.

An ideal hot yoga practice combines strength and flexibility, effort and surrender. will be mirrored in your chakras.

In a culture as confused as ours is about sexuality, pleasure, and emotional expression, there are an infinite number of pathways to an imbalanced second chakra. For example, people who were raised in an environment where emotions were repressed or pleasure denied will be more likely to lack energy in the second chakra. Symptoms of a second chakra deficiency include fear of pleasure, being out of touch with feelings, and resistance to change. Sexual problems and discomfort in the lower back, hips, and reproductive organs can also signify that this chakra needs some kind attention. Sexual abuse during childhood can lead to feeling closed down in this chakra or may result in making sexual energy the most dominant part of the personality. An excessively charged second chakra may reveal itself through overly emotional behavior, sexual addiction, or poor boundaries. Excessiveness may also result from a family environment where there’s a constant need for pleasurable stimulation (entertainment, partying) or frequent emotional drama.

Second chakra asanas help us with adaptability and receptivity. Hot yoga poses that can assist include forward bends in poses such as Toe Stand,  Padahastasana, and Dandayamana Biphastakapada Paschimottansasana.  Hip and groin openers like Trikonasana and Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana help as well.

Balance: ability to embrace change, healthy boundaries, ability to enjoy pleasure, the right to feel loved, emotional intelligence, enjoying the flow of life, a greater sense of inner balance, increased vitality and creativity.

More Hot Yoga Poses for Svadhistana

Ardha-Chandrasana

^As you backbend, lift the chest as high as possible.

Pada –Hasthasana 

Forward bends strengthen the 2^nd chakra

Utkatasana 

Squatting strengthens the 2^nd chakra

Garudasana 

Reproductive organs (the sex organs) are associated with the 2^nd chakra, and you are contracting/squeezing/massaging them in this pose

Padanghustasana

More squatting to strengthen the 2^nd chakra

Bhujangasana 

Strengthening the lower back, associated with your sacral chakra.

Salabhasana

Stretching poses strengthens the sacral chakra.

FOODS and RECIPES For SACRAL CHAKRA: Fats and oils, fish (especially wild-caught salmon), tropical fruits, seeds, nuts, orange-colored foods (oranges, tangerines, carrots, etc.)

RECIPE : PUMPKIN SOUP

Credit for this recipe goes to Heidi Templeton, hot yoga teacher and chef of the chakras

Orange foods that vibrate in alignment with Svadhistana balance contain relatively high levels of carotenoids, a nutrient that can protect against free radicals. Mexican Pumpkin Soup has that vibrant orange color and uses herbs that assist the chakra 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 bunch of green onions

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable broth

1 15-oz. can pumpkin or squash

1 15-oz. can black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

A drizzle agave

1 cup brown rice

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in a soup pot and toss in the onions and spices.

Add the garlic, slightly browning first

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a high simmer

Cover, lower the heat, simmer for twenty-five minutes until the rice is cooked.

Top with vegan sour cream

Meditation for Svadhistana Chakra: A Better Feeling Thought

Enclosure

Chakra 3 Manipura: Your Personal Power

Manipura is the seat of your personal power. 

The energies of Manipura are focused on self, specifically self-esteem. Manipura is where personality develops and ego resides. It is the intuitive chakra where we receive “gut feelings.”

• Focus: Power, Energy
• Color: Yellow
• Seed Sounds: Ram
• Sense Organ: Eyes
• Associated sense: Sight

ESSENTIAL OILS:

• Chamomile – eases tension, promotes a “sunny” disposition
• Bergamot – helps release stagnant energy
• Juniper – good for emotional balance
• Ginger – helps aid the digestive tract
• Peppermint – balanced manipura energy

CRYSTALS & GEMSTONES

• Topaz – encourages confidence
• Citrine – assists in leaving no stone unturned
• Amber – brings happiness in the realm of relationships
• Sunstone – encourages you to see the “sunny” side
• Adventurine Quartz – boosts well-being
• Calcite – helps develop trust and motivation

Incense: Sandalwood, Nag Champa, and Dragon’s Blood

Food: Spices to build fire; black pepper, cayenne, ginger, cloves, tumeric, melissa. Seeds to cool excess fire: fennel, anise, cumin, flax seed, sunflower seeds. Complex carbohydrates (support fire); rice, oats, millet, pasta, bread, muesli.

The physical body: liver, stomach, small intestine, digestive system, gall bladder, skin, muscles, pancreas,  middle spine, and adrenals

If you are experiencing a blocked manipura chakra you could be overly concerned with what others think, fearful of being alone, insecure and in need of constant reassurance, feeling judgmental.  

Unbalanced

• Digestive problems, eating disorders, feeling like a victim, or experiencing low self-esteem can all be indications of a deficient third chakra.
• Perfectionism, anger, hatred, and too much emphasis on status and recognition reveal an excessive unbalanced third chakra.  

Balanced:

• Positive sense of self, energetic, warm, flexible, self-respect, confidence, ethical behavior, respect for others, ability to take risks, responsible, optimistic, ability to handle life’s challenges.
• Going gently into backbends can cool off the belly’s fire as calming agents for third chakra.
• Gaining confidence comes naurally from flexing your third chakra. Confidence comes in Toe Stand, kicking harder in Dandayamana Janushirasana or Dandayamana Danurasana, stretching to the max in Ustrasana;  for others, it might simply be getting to their first hot yoga class.
• Pavanamuktasana, Arda Masyendrasana twisting and Kaphalbhati breath are all helpful.

RECIPES FOR BALANCING MANIPURA: BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Any yellow foods- Lemons, bananas, corn and butternut squash - help balance your Manipura. This is delicious way to eat more yellow squash 

Credit for this recipe goes to Heidi Templeton, hot yoga teacher and chef of the chakras

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

1 cup of cooked black beans

1 cup corn

Small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow or red bell pepper, diced

1 bunch green onion

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon fennel

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Vegan pepper jack cheese

Cilantro, salsa, and /or avocado for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Halve and seed your squash, and then hollow out each side just enough to form a shallow boat. Brush the squash with some coconut oil and roast with the meaty side facing down for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté your onions and garlic in a pan until slightly brown. Add bell peppers and spices, and sauté for about 5 minutes or so. Add beans and corn and green onions then stir. Sauté a few minutes longer and remove from oven and stuff it with your filling. Top with vegan cheese or other topping, return to oven for about 5-10 minutes.

NOTICING MANIPURA CHAKRA

Chakra location: approximately 2” above the navel

HOT YOGA POSES FOR MANIPURA: Focus on Manipura Chakra when in these hot yoga poses and see what you feel

Supta-Vajrasana

Pranayama Breathing for Manipura: be aware of taking deep belly breaths and bringing prana into your digestive organs (liver, pancreas, spleen),  the organs associated with the solar plexus chakra.

Kapalbhati breath for Manipura: forcefully snapping your stomach inward every time you exhale, the location of your solar plexus chakra, an inch above the navel, will activate this chakra.

MEDITATION FOR MANIPURA CHAKRA

Enclosure

Chakra 4 Anahata: The Heart of All Things

Anahata is the chakra at the heart of you.

As the middle chakra of 7, Anahata links the lower and upper chakras. The heart chakra allows you to feel love, compassion and a deep sense of peace. The heart chakra is related to balance in relationships, balancing self and others resulting in a peaceful, balanced life.

• Focus: Love, Relationships
• Color: Green
• Seed Sound: Yam
• Sense Organ: Skin
• Associated sense: Touch

ESSENTIAL OILS:

• Bergamot – assists with grief, boosts joy

• Lavender – emotional balance, calming
• Eucalyptus – awakens the heart
• Lilac – promotes forgiveness
• Rose – enhances compassion
• Neroli – strengthens connection between heart and mind

CRYSTALS & GEMSTONES

• Rose Quartz – helps with empathy and to receive understanding
• Boji Stones – Male and female stones that work together to heal a broken heart
• Malachite – Facilitates patience to resolve issues of love
• Emerald – helps restore beauty, attracts love
• Ruby – gives you courage on a date
• Green Jasper – facilitates feelings of being loved

Incense: Meadowsweet, Nag Champa, Orris Root

Foods: Green tea, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and dandelion greens. Air vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and celery. Leafy spices such as basil, sage, thyme, cilantro, and parsley.

The physical body: heart, circulatory system, lungs, ribs, diaphragm, breasts, shoulders, and arms.

Chakra location: center of the chest

If you notice yourself sitting with your head forward, shoulders rounded and chest collapsed, do poses to open your heart chakra

When the heart chakra is deficient, you may experience feelings of shyness and loneliness, an inability to forgive, or a lack of compassion.

Physical symptoms can include shallow breathing, asthma, and lung diseases.

Asanas that enliven the heart chakra include: Ustrasana, Supta Vajrasana, Dandayamana Danurasana, Danuraasana, even Tadasana.

The heart chakra naturally yearns to release and let go. Doing backbends develops trust and surrender we need to open the heart fully.

In many backbending poses, the heart is positioned higher than the head. It’s wonderfully refreshing to let the mind drop away from the top position and lead with the heart.

Some signs that the heart chakra is overpowering your life can include co-dependency, possessiveness, jealousy, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

The most powerful way to open, energize, and balance the heart chakra is to love ourselves. Love is the greatest healer.

In yoga practice, remembering what we love and appreciate as we practice fourth chakra asanas enhances the power of the poses.

NOTICING ANAHATA CHAKRA

Balanced: unconditional love, self-love, accepting, ability to forgive, to be content, peaceful, compassionate, caring.

HOT YOGA POSES FOR ANAHATA:

Pranayama breathing 

the deeper the breath/ lifting and opening the chest, the more opening of your heart chakra.

Ardha-Chandrasana

side bends force energy out of the side channels and back into the central channel overall, especially the Heart Chakra

Dandayamana-Danurasana

When you are stretching forward/leading with your chest, the location of your heart chakra, this pose will balance the energy of the heart chakra

Tuladandasana

Your heart –if done correctly – is pounding after this pose. You are focusing energy on your heart chakra.

Trikonasana 

In this pose, you are lifting your chest upward the entire time, leading with the power of the heart chakra.

Bhujangasana 

pushing your chest up and out focuses on the heart chakra

Poorna-Salabhasana 

pushing your chest up and out focuses the energy of the heart chakra

Dhanurasana

stretching your chest up and out very dramatically here, focusing your energy on waking up and clearing stuck energies in the heart chakra

Ustrasana 

one of the two biggest heart opening poses, this pose focuses completely on opening your heart chakra from the front of your body. There is no holding back in this pose; you are completely pulling open the locks on your heart chakra. If you feel dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, teary or emotional during or after this pose, know that your heart has just opened and released old wounds. Congratulations.

Sasangasana 

 the second of the two biggest heart opening poses, this pose also opens your heart chakra from its locks located around the back of your body, again relaxing the side channels that loop around the heart and releasing their hold on your heart chakra

MEDITATION FOR ANAHATA CHAKRA

Enclosure