Week Two - Muladhara Chakra, Root Centre
Hello everyone,
It was such a beautiful beginning to the new yoga term last Sunday in Thrive, thank you all so much for being there! If you missed it and would like to join this Sunday for either the Hatha Flow class at 5pm or the Soft Stretch class at 6:30pm - send me a little message and I will save you a space. There are currently three drop in spaces available in the Hatha class, and just two drop in spaces in the Soft Stretch :)
This term I'm really excited for our theme, because we are biting the bullet and diving into an exploration of the first three chakras (energy centres). I love to work with philosophical themes throughout my yoga terms - it has proven to be a really fun way for me to design my sequences coherently each week, while also providing deeper insights into what yoga can offer, outside of the physical practice and its benefits.
This week we will explore the muladhara chakra, the first primary energy centre at the base of the spine that is associated with home, security, letting go, as well as the physical areas of the body like the legs, feet, large intestine, pelvis, and kidneys. This practice will be great for digestion, low back pain, hormonal balance, anxiety, fatigue, and/or sleep issues. In both classes this Sunday, we will work to release stress and tension in the body via grounding breath-work and yoga shapes and flows designed to open up the lower half of the body. Think: deep hip stretches, low belly twists, and relaxation :)
To kick off our theme of chakras, last Sunday was a gentle welcome and introduction to prana, which is the Sanskrit word for lifeforce (energy). Prana exists in all living things as the animating force. In humans, prana is linked to our breathing (the proof that we are alive) and it runs throughout our body via subtle energy channels which are called nadis. In yoga, you might already know that the word for a breathing practice is pranayama. Prana means lifeforce, and yama means to control or restrain. Pranayama therefore means to intentionally guide one's life energy; the breath.
Okay, but what are chakras?
It is said that this life energy (prana) is concentrated in specific areas of the body; primarily at points along the spine. These points are what we call energetic centres, or chakras. Famously, there are seven main chakras in the human body (although some will say there are five, or even thirteen!). What makes the chakras interesting to me is that they provide a systematic structure for connecting the mind and the body, in that each chakra is associated with an area of the body and its physical functions, as well as a corresponding 'area' of the psyche and its specific emotional/relational functions. In other words, a health problem in the body might be linked to a negative belief or thought pattern in the mind (a klesha), and vice versa. The healing therefore may go hand in hand.
Mind-body problems can arise when either a chakra is blocked (the energy cannot flow properly), or when a chakra is de-channelised (this is a chaotic overflow of energy, where the chakra spins out of alignment). As in all wisdom traditions, what we have here is a view of holistic health that is centred around not too much, and not too little. Finding your balance.
The muladhara chakra that we're exploring this week is the foundational chakra. It is linked to the element of earth, the colour red, and basic survival instincts and functions. In English, it is often called the root chakra. It spins at the seat of your spine as the stable foundation for all of your other chakras, and therefore is one of the most important chakras to work with.
If you have money issues or anxiety, go to root chakra. If you struggle with trust and a fear of the unknown, go to root chakra. If you feel like you don't belong; if you are afraid to travel; if you are afraid to go home; if you are overly attached to material things, if you feel the need to hoard or hold on or control; if you can't let go...you get the picture. But, also if you suffer from low back pain, lethargy, adrenal issues, digestive issues...these are all indications that a muladhara chakra practice may serve you well. It's all connected!
That's all from me today! I wish you so much light. I can't wait to see you this Sunday at Thrive Greystones for Hatha at 5pm, and Soft Stretch at 6:30pm. Let me know if you need me to save you a space, or if you have any questions or concerns about the practice.
Le grá agus buíochas,
Macha
...It must have been
the first
easy rhythm
with which I breathed
myself to sleep,
it must have been
the prayer I said
speaking to the otherness
of the night.
And
I thought
this is the good day
you could
meet your love,
this is the black day
someone close
to you could die.
This is the day
you realise
how easily the thread
is broken
between this world
and the next
and I found myself
sitting up
in the quiet pathway
of light,
the tawny
close grained cedar
burning round
me like fire
and all the angels of this housely
heaven ascending
through the first
roof of light
the sun has made.
This is the bright home
in which I live,
this is where
I ask
my friends
to come,
this is where I want
to love all the things
it has taken me so long
to learn to love.
This is the temple
of my adult aloneness
and I belong
to that aloneness
as I belong to my life.
There is no house
like the house of belonging.
From David Whyte's poem 'The House of Belonging'
