Week Four ~ Uddiyana Bandha, Centre Connection
Hello everyone,
A big thank you to all who made it to yoga at Thrive last Sunday for the bank holiday weekend. I can't believe it, but we are already beginning week four of the term! At the end of this letter you will find details on our new yoga term which will be beginning May 24th, please let me know if you'd like to save your space early for that :) Or continue reading here for some fun insight on our yoga theme for classes this Sunday, where we will play with the power of uddiyana bandha, centre connection.
Uddiyana bandha is actually a specific physical and breath-work technique in yoga that means 'flying upward lock' - an intense process of drawing your abdominals up and under your rib cage while holding your breath after your exhale - creating a highway for energy (or prana)to flow and invigorate your body. It is a fantastic thing to practice in hero pose or in a seat first thing in the morning and on an empty stomach. More informally, however, we can explore the concept of uddiyana bandha during our entire yoga practice to help stabilise, balance, and encourage our energy to flow freely by gently drawing our belly button inward and upward to meet our spine, working to engage our centre line while hugging our low ribcage in and down to create stability ~ all while sustaining a rhythmic and easy breath (i.e. not holding the breath). This is what we will play with in class this week, as it's a bit more accessible and allows an exploration of what I consider to be a larger theme; learning how to move from a place of centre and connection.
In yoga we understand that this area of the body, our core centre, is where the third chakra dwells and is represented by the element of fire. Interestingly, fire in Sanskrit is known by two separate words: Agni, and Tejas. Agni refers specifically to the physical element of fire, the heat of it, and sits rightly in this area of digestive and processing power within our bellies. We 'cook' life in our stomachs. However, the word Tejas, also referring to fire, has a different meaning altogether. Tejas is not in fact the fire but rather the glow and illumination created by fire, the transformation that comes when things are burned away to create space for new growth. With this understanding, we have two fantastic attention points to observe when working with this area of the body - this place where our element of fire, both the heat and the power to change, dwells. There is the energy to organise, process, and metabolise our food (as well as our emotions and experiences) all within the fire of agni ~ and simultaneously there is the power to transform our lives through use of insight and illumination; tejas. To use awareness to burn away what no longer serves, and invite room for new clarity.
This is my take on uddiyana bandha, a powerful practice of bringing our awareness to our centre, and giving ourselves a conscious lift up to what we want. An acknowledgement that energy opens doors, and that energy is attention. So we use it to connect. To stand up a bit taller. To find our balance. To rise and fight when challenged. And within the psyche the glow of tejas can become both a shining light to guide you to what you want - or a flamethrower to burn away what you do not want - and either way a new path is set ablaze.
Fun fact: the core of our planet is over 5,400 degrees celsius (which is as hot as the surface of the sun) and is completely solid due to pressure on all sides, with a molten liquid outer layer that moves and creates our magnetic field. The core of the earth is nicknamed the 'engine room' of our world...I mean, did the yogis know this when they wrote about how fire lives energetically in our centres?! That our power lives here behind our belly button, in the very same place where we were once attached to our mother via an umbilical cord. It's like we're designed exactly the same way as everything around us.
In any case (!), Hatha yogis this Sunday can expect a gentle core engagement practice ideal for strengthening low back and abdominal muscles, with invitations to find balance, play, and intentional breathing :) For the Soft Stretch we will move at a more inquisitive pace, working to cultivate awareness and quiet warmth in our centre while exploring poses and movement fantastic for digestion, stability, and release. I have a few spaces available in both classes if you'd like to drop in to either :)
Now, for the new term! I have just begun a deep dive into Dr Raj Balkaran's great book entitled 'The Stories Behind the Poses ~ the Indian mythology that inspired 50 yoga postures'. These myths will inspire our theme for the upcoming yoga term, and I am buzzing! We will focus on foundations of yoga alignment, the fundamental shapes, and essential philosophy. Storytelling is my favourite way to learn anything, and how cool is it to think that yoga shapes like mountain pose or downward facing dog are inspired by a rich and intentional mythology?! I can't wait! *The upcoming Hatha and Soft Stretch term will be five weeks running from May 24th until June 28th, with no classes on the June Bank Holiday Sunday (May 31st). It will be the usual €75 discounted rate for the five week term, or €17 drop in. Please let me know if you have any interest or would like to put your name down!
“do not go near the flames,” he said
“beware the sparks and heat
be careful of the white hot ash
that burns beneath our feet.”
“fret not” she said, “come closer
as these flames grow ever higher
and you’ll see i have nothing to fear
for I’m the whole damn fire.”
From ‘Talking to the Wild’ by Becky Hemsley
Le grá, Macha
