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

Introduction to yoga

I won't assume that readers of little health bunny are keen yogis/yoginis, so let us start with the basics of what yoga is, what it's not, why people do it and also explain a few things I wish I knew when I first started practising.

The word yoga by definition means 'union', of body mind and spirit. Yoga intends to increase connection; perhaps this means connecting to ourselves, to connect our body with our mind, perhaps it means connecting to the world, surroundings, to others. Personally, time on the mat gives me time to check in with how I'm feeling physically, emotionally and sets me up for the day. In our busy lives we get swept from work to the gym to social occasions to bed, always looking forward to what's next or dwelling on what happened last week - it is so rare that we stop and take time to get/feel grounded. For an hour, an hour and a half, yoga and meditation give you the opportunity to let yourself off the hook; to shrug off your thoughts, frustrations, stories, worries, expectations and focus on the present moment. As a teacher, I hope to lift weight off students shoulders; to give them a space free of judgement, to get in touch with their breathing and themselves.

The word or sound OM. It is a mantra and is said to be the sound of the universe (like the noise and vibration you hear/feel when you put your ear to a seashell). You know how 'good vibes' is a popular saying? No matter what pitch or length it is, the vibrations you make with an OM gives out energy and lets energy flow through you. If that's all a little too hard to grasp - essentially it is just a hum. I find in a group environment it is a way to connect/unite us all and it is incredibly relaxing once you overcome the unfamiliarity/peculiarity/embarrassment.

Sanskrit. What are these odd words the teacher keeps repeating? I may be stating the obvious here, but yoga isn't a new fad, it has been practised for thousands of years. Sanskrit is the language of yoga that has been passed down generation to generation. Personally I was taught using sanskrit and feel it's only right to continue using this throughout my own teaching... plus, the vocabulary can be long, complicated, obscure and I've worked so hard to remember it so I think it's only right to share!

The term namaste. Generally it opens and closes the class and means 'I bow to the divine in you' - I have also heard 'the light in me bows to the light in you'; it's a way of showing respect and perhaps thanks.

Yoga is an umbrella term which encompasses thousands of traditions, philosophies and teachings. I practised and therefore learnt to teach hatha and vinyasa flow yoga. There are many other branches, including kundalini, ashtanga, iyengar, yin (the list goes on and I would only be able to name a handful anyway) and then within one type of yoga... many more branches. In addition, different teachers will teach in different styles; not one class can be the same as another - some more spiritual, some based on alignment, some focused on meditation or mantras... some are just very challenging sweaty workouts. So when someone claims that yoga 'isn't for them'... I tend to think they just haven't found the right teacher.

Unlike other forms of fitness, yoga encompasses so much more. Instead of working towards a goal, yoga is an ongoing practise. Yes, over time you will likely become physically stronger and more flexible... but hopefully so will your mind.

There is a whole world of yoga I will try to share with you, bit by bit, week by week. But for now, I will leave it at that and say namaste - have a happy hump day.

LHB

The First

My name is Kiri, I'm a 90's baby, the youngest of three and am 5ft 4. I am incredibly lucky with the most supportive family, loving boyfriend and am based in a beautiful little town in Kent called Tunbridge Wells. I am a yogi, more recently a yoga instructor and I’ve been teaching since the start of 2017. The premise of starting Little Health Bunny was for my gradually growing yogi community to keep up to date with upcoming yoga classes, events and news. In addition to that, I've wanted to start documenting and blogging for well over a year. Since the website is now live, I figured that there is no better time to embark upon my blogging journey. 

So why am I blogging? Little Health Bunny is currently on Instagram and is used similarly to a blog... however with the limited word count and general set up, it does not work the way I'd like. Day to day I get asked for advice about various topics, from activewear to motivation to nutrition to travel to recipes to yoga. I am delighted to share what I have learnt and essentially this blog will make life a lot simpler. In addition, I love writing. It's incredibly therapeutic to put 'pen to paper' and I hope someone will find value in the content.

The blog is for both yogis and non yogis, for someone who is perhaps interested in health, food and wellbeing or just anyone who is open minded and fancies a good read *if I say so myself*. Of course, yoga will be discussed and delved into; the philosophy, poses, history and meaning. Each week you can expect to see a minimum of two blog posts: one yoga related and one health/wellbeing related. You may be lucky enough to read the odd interview with local business owners, yogis, health practitioners etc. and you can bet that you will find some of my favourite recipes and healthy hacks.

I’ll say clearly now that I don't claim to know all about nutrition, yoga and certainly not life. I am simply learning as I go along my journey and decided that I want to share that with others. Please approach my posts with a kind and open heart and feel free to ask questions, leave comments or share if you feel there is something that others could benefit from. 

lhb

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