New Term - Ascending Chakras; Anahatha Open Heart
Hello everyone,
I hope that you are staying warm and safe out of the wind and rain today. For me, the weather this week has felt like winter's last little whisper; reminding me to hold these cold quiet days close to my heart and cherish the task of doing less, pausing more, and take this last bit of time to rest and renew. New and brighter days are coming and coming fast - the year of the horse is here, if you've heard! Positive omens and energy ripe for expansion. In its sleep the natural world is preparing itself, and all is beginning to slowly wake up.
This Sunday at Thrive we will have our new term of Hatha yoga at 5pm and Soft Stretch at 6:30pm! At the moment I have two spaces available for Soft Stretch this February 8th, and a handful of spaces available for Hatha Flow as well. Let me know if you would like to come for practice :) Since it's the beginning of the term this Sunday, when you drop in you can still choose to avail of the term discount if you sign up for the remaining three classes in the block - so it's a great chance to try out a class and see if you like it :)
As per tradition, I have designed this term around a philosophical yoga theme. These themes are a really fun way for me to find inspiration for my yoga sequencing while also sharing some deeper teachings and history of yoga. *Disclaimer: The philosophy is a completely optional part of these classes and is shared primarily via this email each week, so you can take it or leave it :) The yoga classes themselves are focused on embodying the theme, so there is no intellectual understanding or study necessary to reap the benefits!
This Sunday in both classes we will be flowing through a HEART yoga practice, honouring our theme of exploring the ascending chakras this February. If you are new this term (welcome!) and you have absolutely no idea what a chakra is, but you are a little intrigued, keep on reading. It's not as wacky as you might think! If you were practicing with me last term though, and you are ready to continue your way up the subtle body towards your heart centre - feel free to skip the two paragraphs below and we'll all meet together to read about our loving theme for this week: Anahatha Chakra. Open heart.
Okay, what are chakras?
More and more, modern medicine is acknowledging that our thoughts affect our physical health, and our physical health affects our mental health. The chakras are the doorway to understanding this connection deeper and in a more systematic way. In many traditional tantric yoga teachings, we are said to have seven primary centres in the body where our energy gets concentrated, swirling in a sort of vortex or wheel at points along the spine. I know it's already starting to sound wacky, but remember when Einstein said "everything in the universe is energy", and that mass and energy are interchangeable? There's even a famous equation: E=mc2 : Energy equals mass (everything is energy). The yogis had a special word for this energy, prana - literally translating to mean 'life force'. Their word for energy centre was: chakra - meaning spinning wheel.
Where the chakras get interesting for me is that each energy centre is linked not only to the physical space it inhabits in the body, but also to the psycho-emotional space it relates to; thus creating a natural mind body connection for us to explore - a clear map for understanding holistic health. For example, the throat chakra is linked to things like your neck and your voice; conditions like tonsillitis, laryngitis, your tooth and gum health etc. but it is also linked to your ability to express emotions in a healthy way, and if you can communicate openly and clearly. In this view, there is no separation between having a sore throat and having a hard time expressing yourself truthfully; feeling unheard and unexpressed to the point of physical pain is a common symptom of throat chakra imbalance.
This Sunday in class we will be exploring the Heart Chakra; Anahatha. This is the fourth chakra, associated with the colour green and the element of air. You can probably imagine quite easily what this centre is about; love, compassion, kindness, openness, relationships. Physically, it relates to things like your posture, your cardiovascular health (of course); your circulation, the functioning of your thymus gland (endocrine and immune functions), as well as your lungs, arms, hands, and upper back.
What I'd like to talk about in relation to the heart chakra today is the fascinating translation of the Sanskrit word for it; anahatha. The word anahatha literally means to be 'unstruck'; untouched, unbroken. The meaning is in reference to the specific sound of two objects coming together without ever striking each other; which is thought to be the sound of the universe: anahatha nada. This is paradoxically the sound of two things coming together and yet remaining separate; which is said to be the true meaning of unconditional love. To be whole as we are, while in connection with everything around us.
In a more modern sense, we could interpret this translation of anahatha to be a gentle teaching of how vulnerability and courage are interlinked within the context of our heart centres. To have courage and to be vulnerable are one and the same thing; one cannot exist without the other. In other words, if you are not vulnerable, there is no opportunity for true courage. Brené Brown, a renowned researcher and professor, put it beautifully when she said that 'vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity.'
In yoga, to have a balanced heart centre, to be 'unstruck' in your heart, is to live with the courage to break open. It's a feeling of being so protected by unconditional compassion, that you can walk around unguarded. All is well. This is the heroic act of two objects coming together to make a sound, and yet never striking. Anahatha.
That's all from me :) I can't wait to see you this Sunday for practice! You can expect a heart opening yoga sequence in both sessions that will be great for opening up posture, balancing energy levels, and strengthening immunity. I hope to see you there :)
"Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens"
Carl Jung
Le grá,
Macha
