Our Root Chakra is our first Chakra (in Yoga, outside of Yoga there are a lot more!), it is located at the base of our spine, our perineum. It is associated with security & safety, our foundation, our identity & our grounding connection from ourselves to our world around us. It’s colour is red. Gemstones or crystals linked with it are deep red garnet (one of my favourites!), bloodstone, smokey quartz. Key essential oils are bergamot, vetiver & ylang-ylang. The Sanskrit translation for Muladhara is: Mula means root and adhara means base or support. When this chakra is balanced we feel stable, connected and grounded. If it is out of balance we may feel anger, over worrying, insecure and physical feelings of pain or discomfort in our lower back or sciatica, gut related issues such as constipation. Think of all that tension you physically hold when you are upset or stressed (my lower back tightens up every time there is a shift in our lockdown status!)
Key tips for engaging your pelvic floor (Mula Bandha) - this is the group of muscles in your pelvis, they are a bit like a bowl as they hold everything up inside you (or at least they should! Join in the my beginners Pilates & Hypopressives classes if you need more). They should work a bit like a trampoline & should mirror the movement of your diaphragm. They shouldn't be held tight all day, but should naturally engage & relax with your movements & breath throughout your day. To consciously engage them, imagine you are trying to stop yourself from having a wee & trying to stop yourself from breaking wind! That GENTLE drawing in & up is what are aiming for. You should still be able to breathe. If you can’t then you are holding on too tight! As we go through our Yoga & Pilates flows/classes we want to think about not pushing out into our belly or down into our pelvic bowl but instead a gentle feeling of drawing in & up. Lengthening through your spine, growing tall from your hips. For example in a Warrior pose, lift out of your hips without moving your legs & you might just feel a slight tension switching on in your lower abs. In Pilates when we are doing our basic ab preps, toe taps or single leg stretches fro example, we should be thinking about that drawing in and up feeling, so as you lift your head/shoulders or stretch a leg out we are hopefully not seeing our bellies rise. Keep an eye out for my new Chakra Box being released this month. A mini at home Yoga retreat which includes 2 exclusive Yoga and Meditation videos along with a box of goodies - including a wrist mala (red garnet), soap, notebook, a card with journalling prompts and affirmations. Pranayama breath work for our Root Chakra This is a slow calming and balancing breath. If you feel like it is too slow, breathe at a slow but comfortable pace to you and see if over time, you can work at this pace. Breathe through your nose. When I talk about a deep breath, I mean that your breath should travel deep down in your lungs. The best way to get your breath to the bottom of your lungs is to breathe via your nose. Mouth breathing tends to be a very short, shallow breath into the top of your lungs.
Taking your practice off the mat
2 Comments
10/3/2023 10:37:53
A combination of tantric massage, mindfulness, and bodywork, this holistic therapy works with the whole body, mind and sexual energy in a powerful way. Get support with sexual dysfunction issues such as erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and vaginismus, relax and open up to more pleasure. Learn to re-direct sexual energy through the body. Heal from sexual and other traumas.
Reply
Sundeep Kaur Sitara
17/6/2024 21:09:56
Fantastic article, super informative and clear. Thank you very much indeed. Warmest wishes, Waheguru 🙏💛🙏Sundeep X
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2022
Categories
All
|
HoursM-S: 9am - 9pm
|
phone07917753212
|
|