Yoga to Go With The Flow

This week in class we're focusing on the second chakra, Svadhisthana. The element associated with this chakra (subtle energy centre) is water and it helps us develop a sense of flow. When this chakra is in balance everything flows well; our body, circulatory system, our thoughts and feelings, how we relate to others, and our ability to go with the flow of life. 

Over the past few weeks in class we've been focusing on the first, base chakra, Muladhara. Its element is earth, which has helped us to develop a sense of rootedness and being grounded. We are now going to build on those strong rooted foundations to develop a sense of flow. So when you do the Svadhisthana Flow yoga practice pictured below keep in mind those two words: root and flow.

In the practice below we use watery flowing movements, with a focus on wave-like breathing. We also place our awareness in the lower belly, which is the area that is associated with this chakra. We use the bija mantra VAM (pronounced VUM), in some of our yoga poses, sometimes sounding it and other times silently. 

The pin-people below were just intended as an aide-memoire for me, so excuse the unpolished nature of them. It's beyond the scope of this blog to give detailed instructions for the practice. However, the drawings below will help jog your memory about what we've been doing in class, in case you want to try the practice yourself at home. Enjoy!

I became fascinated with the chakras in the early part of the millennium. Below are some of the notes I made on the second chakra in preparation for teaching a course on the chakras. When I'm exploring a subject I find it useful to jot down all my thoughts (brain storm or blue-sky thinking) to get my ideas flowing.  

I hope this blog post whets your appetite for creatively exploring the chakras in your own yoga practice or in your teaching.