Body Talk

 

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Body Talk: Are You Listening?

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Self study happens on many levels.  Each cell in our body shares our human experience; love resonates in our every fibre, as does shame, guilt, fear and anger.  You may hear the hips referred to as the "emotional junk drawer of the body" or notice that certain parts of your body ache more with certain stresses.  Humans store emotional experiences in their bodies and a yoga practice is a way to not only study these imprints, but to release them.

Alanna Kaivalya at MindBodyGreen shares the following:

"What we hold in our bodies as tightness translates into what we hold in our bodies as energetic stress and tension. For example, most of us recognize that someone with a hunched upper back has more than just shoulder and chest tightness, they also may have depression, sadness or fear. Other portions of the body store specific kinds of energetic tension that are exhibited as tightness and inflexibility.

Energetically speaking, our hips are where we store the emotional stress caused by a lack of creativity, difficult intimate relationships and the coinciding emotional roller-coasters. The hips are the energetic location of the second chakra, which is ruled by emotions, creativity and intimacy. Life stressors in these areas become lodged in the hips, resulting in difficulty opening up - both literally and metaphorically."

If you're looking to deepen the way you release in your yoga practice, we have the perfect offering coming up on November 22 at Yogalife Studios South.

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Yin, Partner Massage & Self-Healing with Sara Cueva

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Join Sara Cueva for a three hour workshop designed to educate you on the various methods to incorporate a more well rounded approach to your existing yoga practice. This workshop will include a short discussion on the relevance of, and importance of exploring, fascial release. Sara will guide you through the various techniques used to incorporate instrument assisted fascial release into your body to ensure the proper flow of nutrients within, followed by techniques for partner yoga massage, and will complete this nourishing journey with a yin practice to focus on the connective tissue of the body. This workshop will involve hands on work, so come with a friend, partner, or spouse, OR ensure you are comfortable touching and being touched by someone you may not know. This workshop is open to all levels (no prior yoga experience is required).

Register here!

The 7 Chakras

The 7 Chakras are the energy centers in our body in which energy flows through.

The concept of chakra features in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Chakra are believed to be centers of the body from which a person can collect energy. They are connected to major organs or glands that govern other body parts. According to Tantric tradition, everyone has seven energy centers that serve as junction points between the body and consciousness, or between matter and the mind.

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Blocked energy in our 7 Chakras can often lead to illness so it's important to understand what each Chakra represents and what we can do to keep this energy flowing freely.

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The word chakra is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning wheel. If we were able to see the chakras (as many psychics, in fact, do) we would observe a wheel of energy continuously revolving or rotating. If the chakras are not balanced, or if the energies are blocked, the basic life force will be slowed down. The individual may feel listless, tired, out of sorts, or depressed. Not only will physical bodily functions be affected, so diseases may manifest, but the thought processes and the mind may also be affected. A negative attitude, fear, doubt, etc. may preoccupy the individual.

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A constant balance between the chakras promotes health and a sense of well being.

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If the chakras are opened too much, a person could literally short circuit themselves with too much universal energy going through the body. If the chakras are closed, this does not allow for the universal energy to flow through them properly which may also lead to dis-ease.

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Here's our quick summary of the 7 Chakras:

1. Root Chakra (Muladhara) - Represents our foundation and feeling of being grounded (associated with Earth, red) Location: Base of spine in tailbone area. Emotional issues: Survival issues such as financial independence, money, and food.

2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) - Our connection and ability to accept others and new experiences (associated with Water, orange) Location: Lower abdomen, about 2 inches below the navel and 2 inches in. Emotional issues: Sense of abundance, well-being, pleasure, sexuality.

3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) - Our ability to be confident and in-control of our lives (associated with Fire, yellow) Location: Upper abdomen in the stomach area. Emotional issues: Self-worth, self-confidence, self-esteem.

4. Heart Chakra (Anahata) - Our ability to love (associated with Air, green) Location: Center of chest just above heart. Emotional issues: Love, joy, inner peace.

5. Throat Chakra (Visuddha) - Our ability to communicate (associated with Sound, blue) Location: Throat. Emotional issues: Communication, self-expression of feelings, the truth.

6. Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) - Our ability to focus on and see the big picture (associated with Light, indigo) Location: Forehead between the eyes. (Also called the Brow Chakra) Emotional issues: Intuition, imagination, wisdom, ability to think and make decisions.

7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) -  The highest Chakra represents our ability to be fully connected spiritually (associated with Thought, violet) Location: The very top of the head. Emotional issues: Inner and outer beauty, our connection to spirituality, pure bliss.

It is most definitely worth noting that the odd numbered chakras, 1, 3, 5 are "masculine" in natureand the even chakras 2, 4, 6 are "feminine" by nature. Their pulsation means we have a built in nature yin-yang system that is striving for balance. It also means that usually (but not always) women need to boost their odd chakras and men need to boost their even chakras.

If you are interested in learning more about the Chakras, you can check out Tasha's upcoming workshop March 15 & 22 at 7pm