Muladhara, The Root Chakra

I am starting the year of classes with a strong theme of the chakras; the first week will be the root chakra, Muladhara. This is a combination of two Sanskrit words - “root” (Mula) and “base” or “support” (Adhara) and it is the first of the seven chakras. Although the chakras are part of the subtle body and not the physical, the area in which Muladhara is situated is around the coccyx, the pelvic floor at the base of the spine.

Traditionally Muladhara represents your basic needs; survival, safety, family ties, trust and it is the foundation and development of ones personality. When Muladhara chakra is blocked and out of balance, you will bounce from thought to thought, feel needy, insecure with feelings of laziness. When it is flowing freely, your basic needs are met; you feel safe, grounded and have inner peace.

In order to balance your root chakra, there are certain asana (poses) that release unwanted energy and also cultivate fresh energy. They tend to be grounding poses, where you can build a strong foundation so if you’re feeling a little frenzied, these should help. Most asana yoga practices will involve grounding poses targeting the root chakra, but by theming your practice you can draw attention to this which can enhance your time on the mat and usually allow you to feel differently off the mat too. So here are 5 poses that allow you to tap into it…

1. A good starting block is Sukhasana, a seated pose with crossed legs and a long spine. This pose gives you the ability to ground down through you sitting bones and feel a connection to the earth. As you begin to deepen your breathing, soften your jaw, your forehead and allow your fingers to curl in towards the palms (and allow your puppy to cuddle up next to you).

Sukhasana, Easy Pose

2. Vhirabidrasana means ‘fierce warrior’ and is a grounding and strong pose. It allows you to dig deep into yourself for strength, determination and patience.

Virabhadrasana, Warrior 2

3. Malasana. This pose brings you close to the earth, opens your hips and strengthens your back. Take your hands together into prayer and nudge the insides of your knees with your elbows to open the hips a little more.

Malasana, Low Squat

4. Anjaneyasana gives your psoas and quad muscles a deep opening. These are the largest muscles in the body and are associated with your fight or flight response. Keep your hips active but draw your weight forward and down whilst maintaining breath.

Anjanyasana, Cresent Lunge

5. Balasana, childs pose. This pose gives you a feeling of surrender; no need to hold up your body, but allow it to be supported by the earth. Breathe into your back body and relax your heart towards the mat, softening through your hips.

Balasana, Childs Pose

Come and join me on the mat this week to tap into the first energy chakra, Muladhara. It will be a strong but grounding practice. Book here to attend my yoga class in Tunbridge Wells.

LHB x

A Beginners Guide to the Chakras

Have you ever stepped onto the mat feeling frenzied or worried and after the practice walked off feeling a little lighter? Biologically speaking, you will have mustered up some endorphins to improve your mood (since it feels pretty good to move your body) however, ancient yogis and many teachers would reason this to how yoga and breathwork can unblock channels and pent up energy, allowing it to flow freely.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means ‘wheel’, and it refers to the areas in the subtle body where energy flows. The main seven chakras are: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown. For ease, imagine that they travel from your coccyx (the root) up the spine to the top of your head (the crown). They are a complex network of energetic channels, each relating to a different element (earth, water, air) and each associated with their own colour.

The reality is that most classes flow through the chakras (if planned well). When we practice, we move in such a way to collect prana (energy, life-force) to enliven the chakras and to stabilise the mind so that they can come forward or open up. I know at first it can all seem a little far fetched but I now understand them as second nature which can really aid my self practice. So lets go through them…

1. Root Chakra - Muladhara
   Located at your perineum or coccyx, it represents being grounded, safe and having survival needs met. Associated with the colour red and the element is relates to is earth. If it is out of balance and your basic needs are not met, you tend to have self destructive behaviours with low self esteem. But if it is balanced, you will feel confident, secure and safe.

2. Sacral Chakra - Svadisthana

   Located at your sacrum, it represents pleasure, fluidity, creativity, fertility and sexuality. Associated with the colour orange and the element it relates to is water. Out of balance you might be hard on yourself and feel guilty, but in balance you should feel deserving of living an abundant pleasurable life.

3. Solar Plexus Chakra - Manipura

   Located by the belly button, it represents will power, that ‘gut feeling’, strength and assertion. Associated with the colour yellow and the element it relates to is fire. In balance you have self esteem and confidence and unbalanced you lack courage and become inert.

4. Heart Chakra - Anahata

   Located at your heart, it of course represents love, unconditional love, compassion and intuition. Associated with the colour green and the element it relates to is air. When it is balanced you will be able to forgive, to love unconditionally and when it is closed you may have dysfunctional relationships and you may become possessive or codependent.

5. Throat Chakra - Vishuddha

   Located at your throat, it represents communication, truth and reliability. Associated with the colour blue and the element it relates to is ether. In balance, you will be able to communicate with patience, no judgement and truth. If blocked, you may think your voice is the only truth and you may struggle to communicate and listen to others.

6. Third Eye Chakra - Ajna

   Located in between your eyebrows or in your brain, it represents wisdom, imagination, intuition and the ability to analyse truth in the world. Associated with the colour indigo and the element it relates to is light. In balance you can trust your inner wisdom with life’s challenges, but unbalanced you are cynical and close minded.

7. Crown Chakra - Sahasrara

   The final chakra doesn’t really have a place on the human body, but it is located just above your head. It represents a higher consciousness than yourself, helping you understand that you are far beyond the physical self. Associated with the colour indigo or white and the element it relates to is cosmic energy. When the chakra is closed, you believe that happiness comes from the outside but balanced you feel free and are able to find happiness within.

I hope that didn’t confuse you too much but gave you a general understanding of the chakras so you might be able to think if perhaps they need rebalancing or some time given to certain areas of body.

Please come to yoga with me in Tunbridge Wells to get a deeper understanding of them within your asana practice. Here is my timetable and for the next seven weeks we will be moving through a chakra based practice, focusing on one each week, beginning with Muladhara, the root chakra.

Peace.

Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids

My memories of school, ages 5-18, are almost entirely wonderful. I made friends for life, messed around with them, became netball captain, tormented teachers, became teachers pet, wore too much eyeliner, realised I loved geography, realised I hated PE, chased boys like nothing else and rolled my skirt up one too many times like any other grammar school girl. Did I get stressed about work and exams? I suppose. Did I feel pressure from school or parents? Kinda. For me, the work was never the issue. Looking back, I now see that I may have had a few minor mental health issues... No big deal, I was just a young girl; I felt inadequate and always in competition with fellow students and I always thought their opinions defined me. It was nothing serious at all, but I remember feeling like that. In addition, I was just a typical teenager; making my parents lives difficult, sulking when I didn't get my own way, storing Bacardi Breezers under my bed aged 15 and refusing to do homework. Since then, I've grown up a little bit and now store the alcohol in the fridge.

Practising yoga, using mindfulness apps and listening to guided meditation podcasts has changed my mindset entirely over the last few years. Although I'm grateful I found these at 23, I'm also gutted I only found them at 23. 

There is a huge amount of evidence that illustrates the benefits of yoga; benefitting the mind as well as the body. Yoga's physical benefits... it promotes lean muscle and muscle growth, improves flexibility, regulates adrenals, improves digestion, helps you focus and aids sleep - plus about a million other things. Even baby yoga has physical, physiological and psychological benefits; promoting better sleep and digestion. Yoga can be gentle, which is perhaps why it has a reputation for being popular with older generations. But more and more it is being practised in younger children, teens and yes, even babies. Looking after your body with stretches, strengthening, breathing and mindfulness will undoubtedly encourage a routine and kickstart those physical and mental benefits from a young age. 

Kids today are more likely to battle with negative emotions, anxiety and stress (Garner, 2018). And as pressure increases not only in school, but from parents and social media, the number of those self harming has increased by 68%, mental health issues by 46% and with cyber bullying also on the rise - things aren't looking great (Tait, 2018). No one is claiming that yoga, mindfulness and meditation are the solution, but it has been shown as one way to reduce levels of stress and anxiety in school children. I've also seen first-hand benefits in students who use my yoga class as a time to de-stress, switch off from the outside world and leave in a calmer headspace.

As I've already said, my time at school was really enjoyable but that doesn't mean to say I wouldn't have benefitted from yoga and a little mindfulness. I found PE stressful and tended to be 'on my period' every week to get out of it. A study of High School students found that practicing yoga reduced levels of stress, bad mood, negative emotions and other mental health problems and in fact the levels among those students doing PE actually increased/worsened (Hagins and Rundle, 2016). Yoga encourages self acceptance, teaches different breathing techniques to control emotions and brings you into the present moment; reducing worry about the past and stress about the future. I wish I had started sooner, but I'm also delighted that I didn't go another 20 years before I discovered yoga. A practice that encourages self acceptance and reminds you that you're perfect as you are can't be a bad one... and if you're a cynic, at least you'll have a good laugh ;)

LHB 

P.S. Youtube is your best friend. If yoga or meditation intimidates you or weirds you out... but you're intrigued... get online and watch cat meffan or yoga with adrienne.