Balance Your Chakra

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6 Ways to Balance Your Sacral Chakra

Have you ever met someone who radiates warmth and sincere friendliness without coming on too strongly or seeming clingy? You’ve likely just encountered someone with a balanced sacral chakra. This person is open to the world around them. They have energy, compassion, grounded intuition, emotional stability and a zest for life. On the other hand, though, an out of whack sacral chakra can cause many problems.

Your sacral chakra is located in your lower abdomen, about one to two inches below your naval. When out of balance symptoms include—but aren’t limited to—attachment issues, sexually-related guilt, timidity, emotional volatility, hypersensitivity, and trust issues. A person can act both completely disconnected and cold towards others if this chakra is under-active or needy and emotionally dependent if the chakra is over-active. This chakra is your most important emotional center and because of this, at one time or another, most of us will experience an imbalance here. So let’s look at six simple ways to balance your sacral chakra.

1. Hip-opening yoga postures.  If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you’ve likely heard a teacher say at least once that we store emotional and physical tension in our hips—hence yoga’s many hip-opening postures. This directly connects to your sacral chakra. If you doubt at all the validity of this, notice where you grip or clench your muscles the next time you’re in a stressful situation. It’s likely your throat area (another emotional center) and your hips and lower abdomen. Remember also that your hips move in many directions— even though many people think of hip-openers as external rotation only. While it’s ideal to do a few postures that stretch your hips through their full range of motion, holding one pose and focusing on completely letting go is a great place to start. My personal favorite is cow pose, but bound angle is another ideal asana to hold and breathe into.

2.  Dance like no one’s watching. Dancing is one of the best—and easiest—ways to open your sacral chakra. So close the door, turn on your favorite music, and move. For double the cleansing effects, get out with friends as you move your hips to your favorite rhythm.

3. Tone up. While learning to let go of unnecessary muscular gripping and tension is ideal for chakra health throughout your body, it’s also important to take care of your body and keep your muscles strong and healthy. One of the main reasons to have a physical yoga practice is to make the body a fit—no pun intended—vehicle for the spirit and to prepare your body for seated meditation (another reason for hip-opening postures), and the lower abdominals are frequently an area that people let go. Some of my favorites for strong lower abs are boat pose (really hug the knees in towards the chest), pendant pose and yogic leg lifts.

4. Visualize orange. Orange is the sacral chakra’s color. Imagine a bright, healing orange glow filling up your entire lower abdomen—keeping in mind that we’re three dimensional. I have SI joint problems and often focus specifically on this region, so feel free to send your breath—and the color orange—to any particular area of disease or tension.

5. Balance your other chakras. A severe imbalance in one chakra almost always means imbalances in other chakras as well. (They work as a system.) Your throat chakra in particular has strong connections to your sacral chakra. The next time you practice your deep hip-opening posture of choice, notice if you feel a release in your throat area as well (double pigeon/fire log pose is wonderful for this). You can also try working a pose like bridge that allows you to connect with many of your chakras at one time; flowing slowly in and out of the posture as you connect your breath and movement.

6. Let go. You’ll see me write this a lot in my blogs, but learning to let go—of unhealthy emotions, people, and memories—is so important. When we learn to let go of the baggage that we don’t need to carry, we create space and energy for new and better opportunities.

In life, it’s all too easy to become emotionally closed off or overly dependent on the people around us. Learning to trust our intuition, yet not be ruled by our emotions, is something that—like many worthwhile things—takes practice. I hope these tips for sacral chakra balancing inspire you on your journey to be your best—and healthiest—self.


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5 Ways to Balance Your Crown Chakra

Your crown chakra is complex, since it’s your connection to the spiritual world around you—as well as to your innermost self. As a yogi, I like that the crown chakra represents the complete understanding of pure “oneness,” which is what yoga truly is.

An open crown chakra can manifest itself in many ways. Having empathy for others, a strong connection to God (or what you choose to believe in) and balance between your conscious and subconscious selves are all signs of a balanced crown chakra. However, many people have issues with attaining an ideally balanced crown chakra because it means letting go entirely of ego.

An imbalanced crown chakra can also manifest itself in many ways. Living in a state of constant worry, headaches, general lack of purpose, depression and an inability to connect with your higher wisdom are only a few ways that an unhealthy crown chakra can be displayed. So let’s learn five ways to cleanse and balance your crown chakra.

1. Meditate. Your crown chakra is strongly affected by meditation, as it’s your connection to your higher self and the higher power that you believe in. Imagine a golden light illuminating the entire crown of your head, including the space a little bit above your head. It helps me to think of the halos depicted in religious imagery. Feel this glow illuminate and recharge not only your physical body, but your spirit as well. Allow this soft yet powerful light to reconnect you with the world around you—and to your own authentic self, your own true light.

2. Check your ego at the door. Self-confidence and ego are not the same. Learning to let go of your ego-driven life will benefit you in many ways, not the least of which is a much healthier crown chakra. One thing to consider is that ego is often fueled by insecurity, but true confidence comes from real self-knowledge—and acceptance.

3. Seva. Help others for the sake of helping others alone, and you will likely be rewarded many times over—and your crown chakra will benefit too. One of my favorite groups of people that I’ve ever had the privilege of teaching yoga to was an elderly bunch in a nursing facility, where I set up a free weekly yoga class. I got other instructors involved as well, and all of us benefited from our time with this group in more than we could have ever imagined. Reaching out to help others strengthens your connection to your environment—one of this chakra’s main purposes.

4. Choose love. You can’t fully love another until you love yourself is a frustratingly true statement, and learning to love yourself for who you already are is also the first step towards accepting others. So choose love, and as an added bonus you’ll likely let go of tension from your other chakras as well.

5. Prayer. Prayer is a very personal thing for many people, but it doesn’t have to be formal or foreign. Prayer can be as simple as setting an intention in your daily yoga practice. So close your eyes and let the voice of the deeper you be your guide.

Finding your innermost self is, for most of us, a lifelong journey. Learning to tap into the stillness that’s always present underneath the currents of daily life is a great place to begin making this connection, and this new-found self-awareness and love will hopefully be just the beginning of a healthy relationship with so much more.

“There is a point where in the mystery of existence contradictions meet; where movement is not all movement and stillness is not all stillness; where the idea and the form, the within and the without, are united; where infinite becomes finite, yet not losing its infinity. If this meeting is dissolved, then things become unreal.” -  Rabindranath Tagore


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5 Yoga Poses To Open Your Throat Chakra + Express Your Truth

The Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) is the fifth of the seven energy centers within the subtle body, associated with communication and consciousness, and how we express our authentic truth.

As a yoga teacher and writer, expressing myself and communicating with others is vital to my career. The color associated with the Throat Chakra is indigo, which happens to be one of my favorite colors.

Exploring yoga poses to soothe and open the throat is integral to my personal yoga practice and my teaching. Giving your throat and neck a little extra love with help balance energy the energy there, aiding in communication, self-expression and creativity. Here are five simple yoga poses that do just that!

1. Easy Neck Release

To warm up the throat, start with a gentle release to soften and open your neck.

Make your way into a comfortable seated position. Place the index and middle fingers of your right hand on your left temple. Inhale deeply and draw the crown of the head toward the sky and tuck the chin into the chest.

As you exhale, tip the right ear toward your right shoulder. Use your fingers as a guide to apply gentle pressure to the temple.

Stay for 10 to 15 breaths, releasing the right shoulder down and away from the ear. To release, gently prop your head upright using your fingers. Switch sides.

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2. Baby Cobra Pose

Bhujangasana

From your seated position, make your way onto your stomach. Let the chin rest on the floor and draw the big toes together. Place the arms under the shoulder blades and tuck your elbows tightly in by your ribs.

On an inhale, lift the head and chest from the mat and gaze softly a few inches in front of your hands. Feel the abdominal muscle engage against the floor as the neck opens. Keep the elbows tucked tightly against the ribs to work the biceps. As you exhale, lower the head and chest and rest the chin on the floor.

If you want to open the neck further, lift the head and chest higher and let the bottom ribs graze the floor to explore the full expression of Cobra Pose, straightening through your elbow. Be mindful of any strain on your low back.

Complete up to 5 reps and roll over onto your back.

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3. Supported Fish Pose

Matsyasana

Supported Fish Pose can make you feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. Breathe into the sensations, letting the neck and shoulders release as the throat and heart begin to open up.

Place a block between your shoulder blades. Lower the mid-back over the block (at the back of your heart) and let the head and neck release down toward the floor, opening the throat to the sky.

Find a comfortable leg position, such as stretching the legs long or bending the knees and placing the feet on the floor.

If you don’t have a block, using a small pillow or rolled-up blanket. Stay for at least 10-15 breaths.

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4. Shoulder Stand

Salamba Sarvangasana

Shoulder Stand is a great counter-pose for the back and shoulders after coming out of Fish Pose. This inversion reverses circulation and sends fresh blood to the throat.

Lie flat on your back with your arms and legs extended. Lift your legs into the air and flex the feet flat like you’re going to talk a walk on the ceiling. Roll the torso up and off of the mat to take the weight of the legs and torso onto your shoulders. Use your arms and hands as kickstands to support your lower back.

Stay for 5-10 breaths.

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5. Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose

Viparita Kirani

If Shoulder Stand is not in your practice, try Legs up the Wall for a modified inversion.

Lie next to a wall on the floor or bed and extend the legs skyward, flexing the feet flat. Stay for 5-10 breaths before gently releasing into Savasana to rest for a few minutes.

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Signs Your Grounding Chakra Is Out Of Whack + What To Do About It

I'm a huge advocate of yoga for so many reasons, but one reason is the grounding benefits from hitting the mat.

If you're familiar with the chakra system, chakra one forms our foundation. It's our grounding chakra.

Unfortunately, many of us have lost our footing; our heads are lost up in the clouds, causing our chakras to come out of alignment. It’s not uncommon for this to happen; we're constantly thinking, planning and obsessing, but the problem with living in the head is that we push all our energy upward. Like a balloon that’s been released, you can run the risk of losing your connection with the earth.

We and all other living beings are glued to the earth; we're all part of an entire planet. If we forget our connection with Earth, we run the risk of becoming an isolated ego, and our own problems become all that matter.

Our childhood experiences can dictate how our energy flows as an adult. During childhood, energy learns certain pathways, and these pathways are formed as a result of our experiences. If we suffer hardships such as abandonment, divorce, alcoholism or physical and mental abuse, our bodies enter a fearful mode.

The natural reaction of the body in a fearful situation is to tense up, and this energy moves upward creating a mind body split. We lose the fundamental belief that we have a right to be here. We lose our footing.

When the ground disappears, it leaves us charged with anxiety, which is directly tied to our physical vitality, endurance and mental perseverance. We essentially lose our security, and it can have devastating effects on our mental health and prosperity.

If the first chakra is unbalanced, inevitably the rest of the chakras become unbalanced. We need to start from the beginning and work our way up. Chakra one lays the fundamental foundation for our entire system.

To determine if you have an unbalanced grounding chakra, you should consider these questions:

Have you suffered any abuse in your life?
Are you overcharged or anxious?
Can you put your thoughts into action?
Are you easily stressed?
Are you restless?
Do you often think you have inner demons?
Are you fearful or constantly worried?
Do you ever have thoughts of self-destruction?
Another sign that your grounding chakra could be out of balance is if you also have symptoms of overdeveloped upper chakras.

Characteristics of over-developed upper chakras include:

Spiritual
Creative
Anxious
Intelligent
Poor boundaries
Afraid of change
Many upper-chakra qualities are sought after — who doesn't want to be creative or spiritual? — but it’s important to have healthy roots. If our roots are pulled from the ground, we will slowly start to whither away.

If you're unbalanced, counseling and mindfulness will be useful tools, but yoga can also mesh perfectly alongside any treatment plan. Yoga is all about developing a mind-body connection. We learn how to breathe and how to send energy to different parts of the body.

There are many yoga poses that are great for grounding: tree pose, standing forward bend, squats or child's pose. But I'm going to describe in detail just one: Mountain Pose (Or Tadasana).

Mountain pose is one of the best grounding poses because it requires a solid foundation through the feet and a straight spine which allows energy to freely move upwards and downwards. You can do mountain pose anywhere (you don't need to be on a mountain); it simply involves standing.

Try this once a day:

Stand up straight, with your feet together.
Spread your toes wide and grip the ground.
Roll your inner thighs back and draw the tailbone down.
Move your chin down and draw your shoulder blades together, place arms at your sides with hands facing outward.
Focus on the feeling of your feet rooting into the earth. Feel every inch of your foot: your toes and arches. Notice how the ground is solid and supportive.
Send the breath downward; your energy moves down the body into your deeply rooted feet. Now you might start to feel "grounded."
When we do this, even if only for a moment, we're paying attention to the energy in the lower extremities instead of the head. We can rest the energy of the mind.

We are tall, solid and proud, like a tree. Enjoy your reconnection with Mother Earth. We all have a right to be here.


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A Breathing Practice To Help Ground Your Root Chakra

Pranayama is a powerful, focused breathing technique that directs our energy flow for healing and self-realization. In the book Infinite Mind: Science of the Human Vibrations of Consciousness, Dr. Valerie Hunt conducted an important study in directing the flow of energy within the subtle body.

By studying the human biofield, she found that people who lacked vitality or felt ungrounded, were often missing a certain frequency of energy associated with the same frequency as the Root Chakra (Muladhara).

Ungrounded states, where we do not necessarily feel within our body, lack physical vitality and represent an imbalance in our energy spectrum. If our Root Chakra energy is low, we may not be drawing enough energy from the Earth. This can often cause forms of disassociation or numbness.

Hypo states such as hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia and hypotension, as well as weakness, fatigue, depression, and general under-functioning of the body, may be an indication that the body has insufficient subtle energy in the grounding realm.

Using Pranayama For Grounding + Vitality

While pranayama is often thought of as breath-work, it is also about energy attunement, energy breathing, and energy direction. What we are intending is to draw in energy to replace the missing frequency in the biofield. In this case of being ungrounded, the color red (also associated with the Root Chakra) is missing from the spectrum of the energy biofield.

The Practice

Find a place where you will not be disturbed and adopt either a seated or standing position, preferably with the soles of your feet on the ground. Barefoot in nature is good, though not necessary. Mountain Pose (Tadasana) is great for this, provided you do not suffer from low blood pressure or any condition that limits you from standing for long periods of time.

Set your intention for the practice, which is to become more grounded, and center yourself by relaxing, turning inward to your inner stillness, and placing your attention on your breath. You can also use the practice of ujjayi breath for deeper focus, and to generate a bit of heat. Spend a few moments following your breath, inhaling through your nose, allowing your breath to expand your lungs, ribcage, and belly before exhaling through your nose.

Continue with the breathing and use the following visualization technique.

Imagine roots spreading down from the soles of your feet to the center of the Earth, anchoring you to the ground.

As you inhale, imagine that you are inhaling red vital energy from the Earth, up your roots, and up through the soles of your feet. Continue to breathe this red energy upward through your legs and into your pelvic floor and the spinning, rich red vortex of your Root Chakra where you sense the energy being absorbed and distributed to your body. Hold your breath for a brief natural pause on the end of the exhale if you wish.

Exhale from the Root Chakra down your legs, through your feet, and down your roots to the center of the Earth.

Repeat this several times, focusing on how grounded your legs and hips feel with the energy flow. Feel the stimulating effects on your body.

Optional exercise: Breathe the red Earth energy even further up the body and into the remaining chakras. You can also breathe into any areas associated with hypo-functioning, feeling the stimulating effects of the red Earth energy upon it. Exhale back down to the center of the Earth and repeat for a few cycles of breath.


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8 Ways to Open Your Heart Chakra

A balanced heart chakra is a beautiful thing. However, most of us—at one point or another—will encounter major blockages in this area. A myriad of life circumstances can cause problems for your heart center—from break-ups or health issues to low self-esteem.

An unhealthy heart chakra can exhibit many signs and symptoms—including but not limited to being defensive, critical, controlling, suspicious, withdrawn, possessive and afraid of letting go. When in balance an open heart chakra displays acceptance in others, life and yourself. Here are eight easy ways to begin to open your heart.

1. Be green. Get out in nature. Let the varying greens surround you—and begin to heal you.

2. See green. Visualize a strong, clear green light filling up your heart center—located in the center of your sternum and below your shoulder blades.

3. Breathe green. With each inhale imagine your heart center—and possibly the rest of your body—filling up with a soft, green light and with every exhale feel your heart center purge pent-up negativity. Don’t be too forceful on your exhalations. Rather, focus more energy on your positive, “green” inhalation.

4. Be love. Being a martyr is a sign of imbalance for this chakra. Allow yourself to be loved—including, and most especially, by yourself.

5. Give love. One of the best and easiest ways to cleanse and balance this chakra is by loving others unconditionally and unselfishly.

6. The grass isn’t always greener. It’s often human nature to naysay. Resist the urge to find fault in everything. Be thankful for what you already have.

7. Practice yoga. Try camel pose. A blocked heart chakra often means a blocked throat chakra, too, and camel pose balances them both. Focus on elongating your lower back while focusing on the stretch and opening in your upper back. Really let go and feel your heart center lift and open during the pose.

8. Forgive. A lot of blockages in this chakra are fostered by not letting go of past hurts, anger, grief, regret, etc. Let go. If you need professional counseling, putting it off only makes your healing more challenging and prolonged. Take care of yourself and try to also remember that when each door closes a new one opens.

Opening the heart chakra after a period of grief or personal struggle is not easy. Be patient and kind to yourself during the process. Letting go of what we don’t need to carry allows us to make room for new and better life opportunities, and learning to embrace and love yourself—for better or for worse—is a great place to begin.


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Don't Take Sleeping Pills! Power Up Your Chakras Instead!
Don't do it!
Here’s why:

We tend to look outward for solace, especially when we're desperate for sleep. However, my mantra is all answers lie within. Here are some ways that you can go inward, power up your chakras, manage your energetic space, and get a sound, restful, sleep, no problem.

Power Up Your First Chakra

In our society, we have a tendency to be up in our heads a lot, thinking, thinking, thinking. Plus, we want to be in control because asking for help is sometimes considered weak. (I used to be one of those people!)

Energetically, all this thinking and controlling means we don’t allow ourselves to be supported by Earth Energy, because all of our energy is often up in our heads. When we're not grounded and connected to Earth energy, we may feel scattered, fearful and anxious, and these emotions can definitely hinder our sleeping patterns.

This exercise balances your energy by connecting your first chakra to the energy of the Earth with a grounding cord. The grounding cord is an energetic cord, which creates a partnership with the Earth and promotes that sense of self-awareness and true authenticity. It also replenishes your energy with Earth energy and releases unwanted energy from you resulting in a more sound, restful, sleep. Try it out:

Take awareness to your first chakra. (For women, it's the space between your ovaries; for me, it's the base of the spine.)
Imagine a green ball of energy (as wide as your hips) sitting in that space. Drop the green ball down to the center of the earth and imagine as you do that it forms a green grounding cord connecting you from your first chakra down to the center of the Earth.
Imagine that cord is half green/half brown. Visualize little green threads of light extending from your grounding cord to your sciatic nerve, across your back, and down your legs. This helps to calm and ground your nervous system.
Drop that grounding cord throughout the day as often as you need.
Set Your Crown Chakra to 25%

We're all connected through energy. If your crown chakra (top of the head) is wide open, it becomes an energetic free-for-all for anyone who wants to dump his energetic trash (for example: fear, or anxiety) in your space. All of this excess energy in your space can definitely keep you up at night.

Here’s the fix: Set your crown chakra to 25% before sleep and keep it at 50% throughout your day. How do you do this? Think of your chakras like flowers, fully bloomed and completely open at 100% or completely closed at 0%. So take awareness to your crown chakra (top of your head) and get bossy with it by asking it to close to 25% OR if imagery is your thing, close your eyes and imagine it closing to 25%. You may feel more self-contained and less spacey when doing this.

Clear Out Your Internal Clutter

Let's get real, looking at our destructive emotions (like anxiety and anger) is not on our list of fun things to do. We can stuff these emotions in an energetic closet (our chakras) and this build up of emotional energy hinders our sleep.

If this resonates with you, take a time out, sit quietly, meditate, and try to get in touch with your emotional energy. You may have agood cry or yell, let it out! By getting in touch with your emotions and bringing them into conscious awareness, you can release them from your energy body and catch some zzzzs as a result.

Let me know if you tried any of the above techniques and if they worked for you!


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7 Ways to Balance Your Throat Chakra

I don’t think you’ll find it surprising that your throat chakra is your communication center. It’s important to remember, however, that communication is not just about you talking—it’s also about listening. An imbalanced throat chakra can display itself in many ways. Some signs of imbalance are lying, arrogance, talking too much, being manipulative, fear and timidity. On the other hand, a person with a balanced throat chakra can express him or herself well—and this expression isn’t always verbal.

Artistic expression and contentment in career are other ways that we experience throat chakra harmony. Additionally, and I think most importantly, the throat chakra is one of our emotional centers. The ‘lump in your throat’ phenomenon during sadness is a physical expression of how chakra enthusiasts believe that some of our emotions are stored in the base of your throat—the location of this chakra. Keep in mind, though, that your ears and shoulders are also associated with this chakra—and are other areas where physical discomforts can arise when this chakra is out of whack.

While emotional and mental issues can present physical symptoms of illness, being physically sick can also affect your chakra system. For example, if you have laryngitis, your throat chakra might become affected and need some cleansing work. So let’s look at seven simple ways to cleanse and align your throat chakra.
            
1. Sing. Singing is an amazing throat chakra cleanser, so sing a song.

2. Drink water. I love water. We’re lucky to have access to healthy drinking water, so take advantage of it. It’s also important to think about what you ingest—or don’t ingest—in general.

3. Hips don’t lie. An unhealthy throat chakra directly affects the rise of kundalini—more on that later or google it for the time being—but other chakra blockages affect this chakra too. Another place we store emotional baggage is in our hips. Next time you practice deep hip-openers on your yoga mat, pay attention to how you also feel a release in your throat.

4. Think blue. Imagine a beautiful blue light—blue is this chakra’s color—at the base of your throat, or in any other associated locations where you’re having trouble. Inhale as you visualize blue—and health and cleansing—filling up these areas, exhale and feel the release of stress and tension. You might even find that you feel a cooling or warming sensation during the process—this is normal.

5. Wear jewelry. I love jewelry. I love to make it, buy it, wear it, you name it, and blue gems are associated with this chakra. Wearing a gorgeous pair of blue earrings or a necklace is a wonderful and easy way to begin to balance your throat chakra.

6.Get a massage. Just throwing this one out there. I always feel better after I get a wonderful neck and shoulder massage. Of course, my massage therapist is fantastic and even works on my ears. Regardless, I’m a big believer in the healing powers of a wonderful massage.

7. Speak the truth with love. One of my best friends always says this. I’m personally guilty of a sharp tongue. Remember and practice this mantra as best as you can. I think it says it all.

Vishuddha, this chakra’s Sanskrit name, fittingly means ‘pure.’ Like the heart chakra, this chakra is often blocked by not letting go of guilt, and cleansing your throat chakra can bring to light things that have long been housed in the dark. Unfortunately, we sometimes need to go through ugly feelings, thoughts and experiences in order to get to the beautiful. It’s worth it, because a healthy throat chakra allows for open communication to other people—and to the higher power that you believe in. Begin to tap into and share the best “you” with the world around you—and you just might find that you get even more joy back than you give.

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