Chakra Khan

I taught a couple of chakra introduction classes today in order to celebrate a few things happening at different studios, but also as a way to promote and kick off my various chakra series that are starting up this week.  I was asked by one student “so . . . . . what is a chakra?”  Valid question when coming to a chakra yoga class, but it made me realize that I have been so immersed in learning about the chakra system over the past few years, that I forgot there was a time when I also had no idea.  Because I had been a yoga student for so many years, I had come across the word before, but didn’t really know what the concept was.  I remember for the first little while all I could think about when I heard the word “Chakra” was “Chaka Khan”  (if you’re also a child of the ‘80’s, you know what I’m talking about!)

So . . . . . what is a chakra?  “The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk and signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the body that correspond to nerve ganglia branching out from the spinal column, as well as states of consciousness, developmental stages of life, archetypal elements, body functions, colors, sounds, and much, much more. Together they form a profound formula for wholeness and a template for transformation” 
**Information from Dr. Anodea Judith

Pretty clear now?!  Google the word “chakra” and you will come up with so much information, some of it is even contradictory.  So where to even start and why?  Only you can really answer that question for yourself (I know . . . . it sounds like a cop out, but hear me out!)  I originally enrolled in a weekly chakra workshop not so much because I was interested in chakras themselves, but because I knew they had something to do with yoga, and I wanted to deepen my yoga practice.  I didn’t even really bother researching and looking into what chakras were before taking the course (which is something I usually obsessively tend to do).  I went into it with no intellectual notions, and instead just had the experience of going through the seven chakras (which ironically was what my teacher training was all about – experiencing things for ourselves to figure out if it fits for us or not).  I came out of that seven week workshop renewed, energized and excited about something for the first time in a long time.  Other people took the course and though they may have benefitted from it a bit, it just wasn’t something that did anything for them.  So, only through trying out and experiencing practices that target these energetic systems, can you decide if it is something that works for you.  For me it has changed my life, so I am passing along some techniques and methods that have been passed down to me and work in my body.  Give it a try and see.  What does it feel like for you?

So, I’ll end by giving you my standard write up of what we’ll be doing in class over these next seven weeks.  There’s also a really good video here that gives a pretty good general description of the chakras – what they are and the seven different centers.  Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, or any information you have to share . . . . . I’m always excited to learn something new!!

The chakra system gives us a framework for understanding our true nature, and it is through this system that energy flows through our body.  Each chakra can be healthy and open, or it can be blocked with either too much or not enough energy.  When all of our chakras are open, allowing energy to flow freely, it contributes to a healthy physical and emotional life.  For this series we will be using yoga postures (asanas), breath work (pranayama), meditation and other techniques to work with the 7 chakras to help balance and strengthen these energy enters.  For the upcoming week, all of my yoga classes will be infused with elements of the first, or root chakra. Stay tuned to learn more about this grounding energy center.