The Seven Day Chakra Challenge--Keeping the Light in Your Solar Chakra

Dear Yin Weaver,


How did you do with the Usha Mudra? Eve shared “(i)t makes me feel calm and centered. When I am under stress I often find that I will sit with my hands together in my lap. Even as a child.” I especially enjoyed how easy it was to practice this pose in any social situation.

Now it’s time to talk about our third chakra. It sits in the solar plexus and is also known as the solar chakra. The Sanskrit name is Manipura, which means “city of gems.” It is truly a gem of a chakra! As our fire center, it is the energy of combustion and transformation. A healthy third chakra will release energy for vitality, inspiration, creativity and transformation, physically and spiritually.

Psychologically, we find in this chakra the energy to transform the world by our thoughts and actions. That is why it is also associated with self esteem issues. If we feel good about ourselves and powerful, we are likely to have a positive impact on the world around us.

If we lack confidence, our inner fire will be banked, so to speak, and we may feel disempowered and easily overpowered by others. We will lack the motivation, will-power, self confidence and creativity to make a difference through sharing our gifts and talents.

On the other hand, if the energy of the third chakra is too strong, we might be angry, competitive, jealous, and have an inordinant need for power, status and recognition. Do you have trouble letting go? Are you obsessive, singleminded, bossy? Call the fire department! Fire in the hole!

So what’s your Challenge? Well, this week you get a choice. If you think you have a wimpy third chakra, and would like more self confidence, go for the Matangi Mudra. It’s one of my favorites. I used to practice it daily for years back when I had a wimpy third chakra. It really made a difference for me. However, if you need to tone it down a bit, try the second exercise. It’ll help you remember what it means to be a child again, humble and at rest.

MATANGI MUDRA

The Matangi Mudra promotes inner power and enthusiasm. Interlace the fingers together and extend the middle fingers. Hold your clasped hands in front of the solar plexus, just below the rib cage and in the center of the torso, the middle fingers pointing outwards.


BALASANA

Bala means child. Asana means pose. The child pose is meant to be a resting pose in yoga. If you happen to have a very, very good memory you may even remember resting this way in your crib as an infant. Let it soothe you and connect you to feelings of trust and calm.

Have you joined The Eden Project Fan Page on Facebook yet? Please do, and don’t forget to post your thoughts, comments and questions here or there.

Blessings,
Rose

The Seven Day Chakra Challenge--Keeping the Light in Your Second Chakra

Dear Yin Weaver,

Last week I shared with you how to balance the left and right brain hemispheres using the Alternate Nostril Breathing exercise. I also wrote about the root chakra. On reflection, I’m not sure I made the connection between the two as clear as I’d hoped. I wrote about how ANB improves creativity and problem solving. But I forgot to mention it also affects the subtle energy flowing through the etheric spine. So, the point of the exercise was not only to balance your brain, but to generally tonify all the chakras, including root. This way, moving forward into the next six exercises, you’ll be able to draw upon energies moving freely through the root to the rest of the chakras.

On to week two of the Seven Day Chakra Challenge series! This week let’s focus on the second chakra. In Sanskrit it is called Swadhisthana (swah-dis-tana). Some people call it the sacral or womb chakra because of its location. This chakra is associated with the color orange and the water element (did I mention the root is associated with the earth element?), and sits half way between your belly button and your pubic bone (the root sits at the very tip of your tail bone). It represents your sexuality, creativity, finances, relationships, sensuality and pleasure. It is associated with the health of the sexual organs, large intestine, lower back, pelvis, appendix and bladder. If you are having “second chakra” issues, you may be having trouble with sex, money and relationships, establishing boundaries, expressing your creativity, overcoming fear and hopelessness, or physical problems such as lower back pain, impotency, infertility, menstrual and menopause issues endometriosis, prolapsed uterus an bladder, bladder infections, constipation, Chrones disease, ulcerative colitis, and appendicitis.

So what’s the Challenge? This week I’m going to ask you to balance your second chakra with a Mudra. Mudras are simple hand positions, also known as yoga for the hands. According to an ancient yogic understanding of the body, each finger represents the energy of a planet which in turn represents a specific quality and emotion. Mudras redirect the unique energy of each finger to a specific part of the brain. In addition, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, each finger is the end or starting point of a different meridian. These meridians deliver vital life force to specific organs and also have an emotional polarity. I've listed below a brief overview of each finger.  Hopefully it will deepen your appreciation for the Mudra you'll be practicing this week.

• Finger     Planet      Quality/Emotion       TCM Meridians
• Thumb    Mars       Willpower, eog         Lung; grief, acceptance
• Index     Jupiter       Knowledge, justice  Large Intestine; holding on, letting go
• Middle   Saturn       Patience, control      Circulation/Sex; panic, joy
• Ring       Sun           Vitality, health,         Triple Warmer; fight or flight, safety
• Pinky      Mercury    Communication        Heart & Small Intestine; Love, indecisive, decisive

I’ve said it before and I’ll again. We often practice energy medicine on ourselves without realizing it. For instance, right now I would like you to fold your hands in your lap as you seen in the picture to your left. Congratulations. You are now doing the Usha Mudra, also known as the Venus Lock Mudra. I will make only one small point of clarification. If you are a man, your right thumb should be on top. If you are a woman, your left thumb should be on top. However, feel free to experiment. Close your eyes and inhale, imagine you are directing the energy stimulated by this Mudra directly into the second chakra. Do this one or twice every day for three minutes. The Amit Online Yoga Center says this Mudra concentrates the sexual energy of our second chakra and directs it into the energy centers above it. It gives us mental alertness, pleasure, and new impulses. In addition, it harmonizes our hormonal system.

I’ll be practicing along with you this week. Don’t forget to watch for updates on my Facebook Fan page and here. Please share your experiences with me! I love getting comments.

Blessings,
Rose

Keeping the Light on Wednesday

Dear Yin Weaver,

Babies were born breathing from the diaphragm.  But as we get older we lost the ability a little more with each new stressful event.  If you are a shallow breather you might be finding the Alternate Nostril Breathing exercise a challenge.  Training yourself to breathe from your diaphragm again would be a big help.  Not only will it help you with the ANB, all by itself it is a great stress buster. 

Here is a YouTube link to a video which teaches you how to breathe from the diaphragm.

Keep breathing,
Rose