Get energized by moving your cakras in a cool yoga sequence!

Wednesday Workout: Get Energized!

6/28/2017

Cakra Yoga? What is it?

Ok. Before you all jump on me for mis-spelling "Chakra" let me just say, my awesome Sanskrit instructor, Cheryl Oliver, explained to me one day why the correct spelling of the word is cakra. I'm not going to bore you with the long sanskrit grammar lesson, but just take my word. The word is spelled cakra.

Cakra yoga uses asanas (yoga postures) and pranayama (controlled breath) to cleanse, balance, and open the cakras, or energy centers, of the body. Many of the postures in hatha yoga are often adopted in cakra yoga because the straight alignment of the pose. More specifically, the straight alignment of the spine is the most important since this is where the flow of cakra energy occurs.

Therefore yoga has two benefits:

The overall stretching and strengthening of your muscles and connective tissues benefits your overall physical health.
When used in conjunction with pranayama, yoga helps to bring new life (via oxygen) and balance to the cakras in yoga.

Why a cakra sequence?

A few weeks ago, a bit on a whim, I taught a Cakra Yoga sequence. Then, a few weeks later a student approached me after class and said, "I LOVED your cakra class. I don't know what that was all about, but I left class feeling AMAZING and got the best sleep I've ever had in a long time that night!"

Wow! That's really cool. As a teacher, I can't tell you how thrilled I get when students share with me their yoga experiences. It's especially exciting when I hear something a student particularly liked or benefited from. I leave that class feeling an overwhelming joy in my heart.

So, voila, that's why we did another cakra yoga class this week. The sequence is to the right. Feel free to download the PDF and practice it at home.

Final thoughts...

I'm not a scientist. I can't tell you how or why yoga works or how that ties to our energy centers. However, in my short time as a teacher, I have been amazed at how practicing yoga can radically change a life. PTSD suffers find comfort and peace. Insomniacs find sleep. Athletes recover more quickly. Stressed out workers find rejuvenation. I'm sure there's a ton of research out there and I could try to summarize it here, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'll continue to be amazed at and grateful for the practice of yoga, and I will steadily plug along practicing mine, and maybe, if I'm lucky, helping you with yours..
Namaste.
- Ann