Chakra Yoga

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    Chakra Yoga

    By using chakra yoga to keep the energy centers of your body open and balanced, you can attain optimal health and function at your fullest potential.

    What is Chakra Yoga?

    Chakra yoga is the practice of using yoga postures and controlled breath, known as pranayama, to cleanse, balance, and open the chakras, or energy centers, of the body.
    Postures associated with hatha yoga are often adopted in chakra yoga because they’re designed to keep the body aligned (or straight); namely, the spine — which is the key highway for the flow of chakra energy.

    Yoga Poses for Chakras

    Yoga poses, or asanas, are a great way to cleanse and balance the chakra system. Not only does the stretching and strengthening help benefit your physical health, but when used in conjunction with pranayama, it helps to bring new life (via oxygen) and balance to the chakras in yoga.

    Practicing chakra yoga also introduces elements of meditation, which helps sharpen the mind while balancing and opening the chakras.

    Here is a brief list of poses to cleanse and balance your energy centers:

    • Sacral chakra yoga poses: Considered the gate chakra for all fluidity that makes you human, from tears to blood and urination to menstruation, include:
      • cow face pose
      • pigeon pose
      • bound and open angle poses
    • Solar Plexus chakra yoga poses: To foster positive energy for personal transformation and to keep your belly’s fire at a controlled burn, introduce:
      • sun salutation
      • boat pose
      • leg lifts
      • mountain pose
    • Heart chakra yoga poses: Promote peace and harmony between your physical and spiritual worlds with:
      • backbends
      • eagle pose
    • Throat chakra yoga poses: To purify your being and keep your emotional self balanced, include:
      • shoulderstands
      • camel pose
      • plow pose
      • bridge pose
    • Crown chakra yoga poses: Although meditation is considered the best exercise for this chakra, promote energy center balance with:
      • headstands
      • half lotus
      • corpse pose

     

    Chakra Yoga

    Kundalini Yoga, the Yoga for the Chakras

    Kundalini yoga is synonymous with yoga for chakras. First introduced to the West in 1969, it blends the technical and spiritual aspects of yoga to achieve balance.

    Kundalini Yoga, aka the yoga of awareness, combines breath, meditation, and postures to bring harmony to the chakra system. It is also used to awaken the essential life force, known as Kundalini energy, which is housed in the root chakra at the base of your spine.

    Incorporating elements of hatha yoga in the form of postures, called kriyas, Kundalini yoga uses poses and pranayama to bring balance to the physical body. Additionally, Kundalini introduces the use of voice (such as chanting) to affect subtle positive changes within the body.

    According to Kundalini yoga practice, the main goal is to usher life force energy from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.

    The process begins with the awakening of Kundalini energy in the root chakra which travels up the spine, activating each of the chakras along the way. When this energy reaches the crown chakra the circuit is considered complete and Enlightenment is within reach.

    Pranayama to Activate the Chakras

    Life is breath. Without it, you wouldn’t be here.

    Controlling the breath helps the mind to focus, the body to acquire and maintain balance, and the chakra system to open and function the way it’s supposed to.

    Proper breathing helps saturate the body with oxygen, which facilitates good energy flow. Think about it, when the body’s organs receive the right mount of oxygen they’re able to fully function. The same goes for the chakra system.

    Take the Chakra Test: Discover which chakra may be imbalanced

    When properly balanced each of your 7 Chakras work together to create an optimal life. If you are like most of us your energetic ecosystem could use some help. Take this 2-minute chakra test to know which of your chakras may be the weakest.