It's the beginning of a new year where many of us take some time to reflect and notice our routines, our diets, our movements, and our relationships. Many try to plan for improvements of some kind - reducing bad intake while increasing good intake - of almost everything. As we take time for evaluation, many of us are seeking to find balance. Finding a place where we feel we are being our best selves each day. Being balanced doesn't mean being 'stuck in a rut' - but instead finding strength and stability through the ebb and flow of life.
As we seek to answer the question, "What does it mean to be balanced?" - in our lives - for our current situation, sometimes we go to the extremes. Wanting the end result of our observations immediately - instead of planning for steps along the way to find success in the balance we are striving to attain. We also may allow our lives to view the limited reality we know of others as a coveted outcome. Balance involves digging in deep in our lives - our current being - our current mindset - and discovering if we feel strong and steady or if we need to tip the scales in one direction or another to attain our desired balance.
We can find balance in our bodies through movements and breathing. Movements help release any stuck sensations we've been content to bury in our bodies. Breathing brings more immediate relaxation of our nervous system. Yoga tries to utilize both movements and breath to help us find balance each day. In yoga, balance is often found in studying the chakras, the energy centers of the body. If we are noticing certain imbalances in one of the chakras - we can find the place we need to work on to create more balance - or harmony through the energy centers of the body. Balancing our chakras does not mean we become a different person - or some idealistic view of a perfect person - it just means we are functioning in a more harmonious state. While there are various charts in studying the chakras, we can focus on the most commonly agreed on 7 primary chakras - Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, and Crown.
The first chakra is the Root chakra, in sanskrit referred to as Muladhara, which is our grounding chakra. Our sense of security and safety in the world resides in this chakra center located at the base of the spine and represented by the color red. When we feel imbalanced in our root chakra we may experience deep fear and find it hard to feel safe, or become paranoid of our surroundings. To overcome imbalance in our root chakra, we can strive to find more connection to the earth - walking on the dirt barefoot, practicing balance yoga poses, or simply standing in mountain pose with both feet firmly grounded on the floor. We can also invite a visualization breathing exercise - drawing the breath through the nose and expanding all the way down through the belly, then exhaling the breath from the belly all the way back out of the nose - and while continuing this elongating breath, imagining roots spreading down from the body and into the earth allowing us to feel anchored through the breath. (crystal - red jasper or black obsidian, essential oil - frankencense or sandalwood)
The second chakra is the Sacral chakra, in sanskrit referred to as Swadhisthana, and is a source for our sensuality and creativity. Our desires and sexuality along with our flexibility - to go with the flow - reside in this chakra center located just below the naval and represented by the color orange. When we feel imbalanced in our sacral chakra we may become dependent on other people or things as our source of happiness. Often we can overcome imbalance in our sacral chakra by creating fluidity in our movements - such as dancing, or practicing hip opening yoga postures such as bridge pose (opens hip flexors), pigeon pose variations, and even just relaxing in reclined butterfly. A relaxing breath for this chakra allows us to find a rested position, guiding our hands to our lower belly, feeling the inhale press the belly into the hands, and the exhale relax the belly back into the spine - maybe even visualizing the color orange while breathing. (crystal - tiger's eye, essential oil - wild orange)
The third chakra is the Solar Plexus Chakra, in sanskrit referred to as Manipura, and is the source of our self-confidence and willpower. Our personal power or opinions and beliefs reside in this chakra center located in the upper part of the abdomen and is represented by the color yellow. When we feel imbalanced in our solar plexus chakra we may feel poorly about ourselves and our abilities to function well with others around us - either through avoidance or being overly bossy/manipulative. We can seek more balance in our solar plexus chakra by taking time for meditation to focus our mind and energies - and through yoga poses such as twists, boat pose, and planks. As we focus on breathing for this chakra, find a relaxed position and imagine the breath expanding the rib cage with each inhale, and noticing the ribs drawing back into the midline of the body with each exhale. (crystal - yellow jasper, essential oil - vetiver)
Our fourth chakra is the Heart Chakra, in sanskrit referred to as Anahata, and is the source of love for self and others. Our compassion and empathy reside in this chakra center located in the middle of the chest and is represented by the color green. We may feel an imbalance in this chakra after emotionally charged events that may leave us feeling defensive, jealous, or finding the need to be the rescuer. We can seek balance in our heart chakra by physically opening the chest at the heart center with yoga poses such as wheel, camel or even a simple cow pose. Often times when this chakra feels imbalanced we may also notice a tendency to more shallow breathing. Giving the body a more expanding breath, we can focus on the three part breath, sending the breath down to the belly, feeling it opening up from the belly through the ribs into the heart center, and then releasing from the shoulder blades, down the ribs into the lower back. This breath allows the body more focus and expansion with each inhale and exhale. (crystal - green aventurine or rose quartz, essential oil - eucalyptus or bergamot)
The fifth chakra is the Throat Chakra, in sanskrit referred to as Vishuddha, and is the source of our communication and truth. Our individuality and expression reside in this chakra located at the base of the throat and is represented by the color turquoise blue. We may feel an imbalance in our throat chakra if we notice ourselves feeling more timid or unable to express ourselves - or on the other end of the spectrum - nonstop talking. We can seek balance in the throat chakra by opening the throat with fish pose or upward plank, or even using plow pose to activate the thyroid which resides in the throat chakra. Allowing our breath to release this chakra, we can focus on an ujjayi breath (or darth vader). Ujjayi breath is practiced by inhaling through the nose completely filling the lungs, and then slightly contracting the throat as the breath releases out of the lungs back out through the nose. It's often taught as imaging fogging up a mirror as you breathe out of the throat with the mouth open, but instead allowing the mouth to be closed and releasing the breath through the nose. (crystal - lapis lazuli or sodalite, essential oil - lemongrass or geranium)
The sixth chakra is the Third Eye Chakra, in sanskrit referred to as Ajna, and regulates our wisdom and perception. We can notice our openness to ideas and imagination releasing from this chakra located on the forehead between the eyebrows and is represented by navy or a blueish purple color. Our third eye chakra may be imbalanced when we feel stuck in a rut and can't free ourselves from the daily grind - or not being able to see a greater picture of who we are as a whole instead of just one circumstance in our lives - or simply a lack of clarity to what/who/when/where we need to do/be/act upon. Finding balance in the third eye chakra we can find relaxation in child's pose or downward facing dog to notice calming in the mind. We can also find calming through alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana), Inhaling through the right nostril, while plugging the left - and then plugging the right and exhaling through the left - then changing sides - inhaling through the left and exhaling through the right. Feeling an evenness in the breathing over time. (crystal - amethyst, essential oil - lavender)
The seventh chakra is the crown chakra, in sanskrit referred to as Sahasrara, and is our connection to what is greater than ourselves. Finding a higher state of consciousness releases from this chakra located at the top of the head and represented by deep purple color - or white. We may feel an imbalance in our crown chakra if we feel disconnected from our inner self, or living in our head. We can seek balance in the crown chakra with fun yoga poses such as supported headstand - or simply rabbit pose, or releasing in savasana - corpse pose. From a corpse pose position, we can focus on breathing in from the toes all the way to the crown of the head, and exhaling from the crown of the head down through the heels - feeling the inhale pulling in anything we don't need and the exhale releasing it into the floor allowing peace and relaxation to remain. (crystal - quartz crystal, essential oil - myrrh)
This video is a flow of poses from each chakra for balancing with relaxation breathing to release in each pose -
The collage shows a pose for each chakra - there are many other options available for each chakra, this is just a fun flow I decided for balancing today.
You may notice as you read through the chakras there is one you tend to gravitate towards the most often. For me, I tend to like colors, scents and crystals associated with the throat and third eye chakra. It's good to have specific colors and oils we enjoy - and good to recognize those we don't. Having favorites doesn't mean we are unbalanced - it all helps to keep us balanced. For those wanting some non-yoga balancing for your chakras, I have a few crystal rollerballs - with essential oil blends to go with the chakra they represent.
Some of them could be "in-between" chakras and work for either one. I only have these 10, they are $15 each. Email/text/message me to get yours - clarissapyeattyoga@gmail.com
Happy Balancing through the Year 🥰🙏🏻👣👁👑🎉