Balance Your Chakras

In Today's Email:

• If you feel stuck or lethargic: How to re-energize your mind...

• Balance Your Chakras: The 4 simple ways anyone can use...

• A Calming Sequence: The poses in this slow-flow sequence help soothe tension by gently activating...

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If You Feel Stuck Or Lethargic:

The imbalance: Kapha earth + water (2⁄3 earth, 1⁄3 water)

When Kapha is out of balance, you’ll feel qualities of excess earth energy (think feeling sedentary and heavy). If left imbalanced, it can result in depression. You may feel like you have no energy to get out of bed, exercise, do your daily tasks, or practice self-care. Everything may feel dull, numb, and colorless. You may find yourself asking, “What’s the point?” If you feel this way, know that it may be a Kapha imbalance, which can be addressed with Ayurveda.

Try this: Take up a new hobby

Revitalize your mind, body, and spirit. Try something new that stimulates your mind-body connection, such as weaving macrame or doing a puzzle. Reinvigorate your brain by reading a mystery novel or taking an online language class. Any exercise that increases your heart rate will also help—try practicing a vinyasa or taking a belly-dancing class. To connect with the spirit, read books that inspire you. Let new energy flow through your body. With cathartic movement, release pent-up stagnant energy. Celebrate small wins every day, and keep moving toward what makes you feel excited—those are bread crumbs guiding you toward your dharma, your soul’s purpose. Various lifestyle practices such as journaling, yoga, visualization, and meditation help to strengthen each chakra so that you can channel your dharma.

🧐 DID YOU KNOW?

Deep breathing may improve sleep by calming the body when it’s in a state of stressed hyper-arousal (a.k.a fight-or-flight), according to 2019 research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Slowing down your exhalation is one of the most effective ways to regulate and downshift your nervous system. Doing so slows your heart rate, which, in turn, signals to the brain that things are peaceful and that it’s safe to rest. This simple practice can help you fall asleep or get back to sleep if you awaken during the night:

1. Inhale through your nose for 4 counts.

2. Hold your breath for 4 counts.

3. Exhale through your nose for 8 counts.

4. Repeat the sequence for 6–8 rounds.

You can repeat, gradually increasing the number of rounds, until you fall asleep.

Here is some beautiful relaxing music to pair with your breath work:

Balance Your Chakras:

WHAT ARE CHAKRAS?

The term ‘chakra’ means ‘wheel’ or ‘disc’ in Sanskrit and refers to energy centers in the body. Also called “the subtle body,” chakras are associated with focal points in the physical body and how they relate to the mind or psychic energy of a person. More modern researchers talk about this energy flow as it relates to the body’s nervous system.

The seven chakras

There are seven chakras, each of which corresponds to a different section of the body and a different color. (Sometimes you might see these chakras linked to a different part of your endocrine system or nervous system, although that’s not backed up by scientific studies.) Chakra names were originally written in Sanskrit, although these are the names we typically call them today. Here are the seven chakras and their associated colors and locations on the body. (Note: Sometimes the colors of the upper chakras vary depending on the school of thought associated with them.)

Root chakra  

Color: Red

Location: Bottom of the tailbone

Sacral chakra

Color: Orange

Location: Between the tailbone and the belly button

Solar plexus chakra 

Color: Yellow

Location: Belly button area

Heart chakra

Color: Green

Location: Center of your chest

Throat chakra

Color: Blue

Location: Pit of your throat

Third eye chakra

Color: Indigo

Location: Between your eyebrows

Crown chakra  

Color: Purple

Location: The top of your head

How To Balance Your Chakras: #1: Tapping

Tapping is a form of acupressure that has grown in popularity in recent years. Tapping is a traditional Asian healing art that stems from countries like China, India, Korea, Tibet, and Asia. Tapping involves applying gentle pressure to certain pressure points in the body to help release energy blockages.

One of the reasons tapping works is that it brings your attention to points on your body that need healing or balancing. As you are tapping your chakra points, you are physically manifesting the opening of an energy pathway.

#2: Stretching

Muscles can store negative energy and emotions in the form of tension that weighs down the body and spirit. Those negative thoughts and emotions block the positive flow of life force and can negatively affect the body.

#3: Meditation

Meditation allows you to bring your focus inward. Rhythmic breathing and visualization can help you increase your awareness and identify any blockages you may be experiencing.

#4: Yoga

We know that what happens to the body affects the mind and spirit, and vice versa. When we move with purpose and flow through movements that are designed to open our minds and bodies, we can also create openness in our chakras.

A Calming Sequence

The poses in this slow-flow sequence help soothe tension by gently activating, stretching, and releasing the psoas muscle, a tissue where we often unconsciously store stress. Throughout the practice, take time to feel, welcome, and enjoy your inhalations and exhalations; this helps you stay more present in your transitions. Pause as often as you’d like along the way.

1. CONSTRUCTIVE RESTLie on your back with your feet apart, knees bent, and leaning against each other. Let your arms rest at your sides. Progressively scan your body for tension, letting go of parts that you are clenching. Release your weight to the ground. Let your breath arrive in your body as the ground holds you fully. Rest for 1–5 minutes.

2. ARDHA APANASANA (HALF KNEES- TOCHEST POSE)From Constructive Rest, draw your left knee toward your belly and interlace your hands around the back of your thigh. Hold for 3 breaths. Bend your knee to a 90-degree angle. If you have lower-back issues, leave your right leg bent. If not, extend it out long, reaching actively through your right heel. Pull your right thigh toward you while pressing it into your hands. Hold for 5–10 breaths. Option for a deeper hip stretch: Interlace your hands around your right shin and hug your thigh toward your belly for another 5-10 breaths. Repeat on the other side.

3 Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine Spinal Twist)Bend one knee and cross it outside of the opposite foot. Use your hand to put slight pressure on the bent knee to push down toward the floor. Keep both shoulders squared and rooted to the earth. Extend the opposite hand and gaze toward the hand. For a deeper stretch, start to straighten the bent leg into Revolved Supine Hand to Big Toe.

4 BALASANA (CHILD'S POSE)Come to Tabletop. Sit back on your heels and fold forward. Rest your belly on your thighs or on a folded blanket or a pillow placed on your lap. Place your forehead on a block or the floor. Release your weight into the floor or props. Allow your back muscles to soften. Hold for 5-10 breaths.

5 MARJARYASANABITLASANA (CAT COW POSE)Come to Tabletop. For Bitilasana (Cow Pose), inhale and lift your tailbone up as you softly arch your back and open your chest. For Marjaryasana (Cat Pose), exhale, tuck your chin, curve your back, and lift your navel in and up. Press into your hands and feel some space between your shoulder blades as your upper spine rounds. Move smoothly between these shapes for 5-10 breaths.

6 ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA(DOWNWARD FACING DOG)From Tabletop, step your legs back and press the balls of your feet into the ground. Push into your hands and feet as you draw your navel in and up. Lift your hips toward the sky, creating an upside-down V shape. Lengthen your legs, spread your toes, and explore how it feels to lift onto the balls of your feet. (Bend your knees if that’s more comfortable.) Hold for 5-10 breaths

Meme

NAMASTE ❤️

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