Go with the Flow: Swadhisthana (Sacral) Chakra

by Beth

Waterfall by Arshille Gorky

This is part 3 in my series on the chakras. See Chakras: Guides on the Path to Healing to review the introduction to the series and Stand Your Ground with the Muladhara (Root) Chakra to read my post on Muladhara (Root) chakra. This post will cover Swadhisthana, the Sacral chakra. 

Traditionally, the chakra system is a meditation practice for nyāsa, which means ‘to place’ or take the mind to specific points in the body and then place a mantra, deity, or symbol at each energetic point. The science of tantra (about two thousand years ago) opened the door to viewing the chakras as a model of the human being and using the tools of hatha yoga to explore them. As 21st century yoga practitioners, we have a responsibility to honor the source of knowledge gifted to us from the Sanskrit texts and tantric traditions while making appropriate interpretations and modifications to fit our times, cultures and lifestyles. 

From this contemporary perspective, we can view the chakras as a map for our journey through life as we evolve from basic needs toward a more subtle and spiritual understanding of existence. Joseph LePage says:

“At each step of the journey, the chakras describe an area of our lives for exploration, integration and transformation.” 

The focus of the first chakra is on grounding, stability, safety, and security, which are qualities related to the earth element. The second chakra is associated with the water element and the focus is on feelings, movement, and sensation. 

The Sacral chakra is said to be located four fingers-width below the navel and be related to the lower abdomen, sexual organs, reproductive glands, hips, and pelvis. It is suggested that here is where we work to sense, feel, and recognize our desires, creativity, and emotions, along with our need for pleasure and healthy sexuality. A key lesson is to release control over others in favor of gaining control over ourselves. 

According to yoga tradition, imbalance in this energy may, like chronic stress, be a factor in low back, hip, and pelvic pain, sciatica, obstetrical and gynecological problems, sexual potency problems, or urinary problems. Stephen Levine in his book, Healing Into Life and Death, points out that grave injury and trauma in this area through sexual abuse, abandonment, or betrayal will take time and careful work to heal and may require professional help. So, our challenge is to embrace change, take personalized appropriate action, and manage life’s flow when it is pleasurable and when it brings difficult transitions, pain, and loss. It is important to understand that a total healing may not be possible. Anodea Judith makes this point in her book Eastern Body Western Mind: 

“The second chakra is essentially a movement chakra which is never fully healed as it is constantly in a state of change. If there were a touchstone for a healed second chakra, it might be the ability to embrace change without losing one’s core stability.”

That’s a tall order, since life, like water, sometimes flows gently and sometimes requires us to navigate some pretty rough and tumble rapids. 

Since there is no scientific way to understand the chakras, we will need to sharpen our ability to sense them with intuition and insight. According to Martha Graham, the mother of modern dance in America, “The body never lies.” Fortunately, we all have bodies and working with the body through yoga is an excellent way to become aware of the connection between our energetic and physical anatomies (see Chakras: Guides on the Path to Healing). 

When I consider my ongoing work with second chakra issues, I find that movement is a natural pleasurable go-to solution. If I’m sluggish, feeling blue, or creatively stuck, I can get clarity and shift my energy by dancing, walking, doing yoga, going for a drive, or working out at the gym. 

The lesson of releasing control over others in favor of gaining control over myself is another matter. My understanding of this issue came to fruition in my adult life as a reaction to difficult experiences with boyfriends, two husbands, and a few unfortunate work and social relationships. I experienced a lot of disappointment until I faced what I was doing wrong. 

That realization came about while I was studying chakravidya (knowledge of the chakras), as part of my yoga therapy training. At the same time I was working my way through the aftermath of an emergency hysterectomy while in the middle of a difficult marriage. That perfect storm of circumstance helped me come to grips with and better understand what I sensed as a connection between my physical issues and the energetic issues in my Sacral chakra. Even now, when I scan my chakras, I can sense an imbalance and blockage in this area so I know that as a recovering co-dependent perfectionist (see Yoga Therapy for Perfectionism) I have more healing to do. 

For a deep, user-friendly dive into the contemporary view of the chakras, I recommend Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith. To work with your body and sense the energy of the sacral chakra, I recommend the following yoga practices. 

Asana: Dynamic Cobra (Bhujangasana) 

1. Come to the floor and take a hands and knees position, with your knees hips-width apart and your arms shoulder-width apart and outstretched. 

2. Exhale as you sit back onto your heels in Child’s pose (Balasana) to generate a feeling of safety, security and self-nourishment.

3. Inhale and move through hands and knees position to lower yourself into your comfortable version of Cobra pose. 

4. Exhale and push yourself up to your hands and knees and sit back into Child’s pose. 

5. Pick a pace and rhythm that is comfortable for your body as you move through the flow. 

6. Repeat at your chosen pace for 30 seconds to a minute or more.

Pranayama: Watching the Flow of the Breath 

This should take no more than 2 to 3 minutes and can be done several times throughout the day. 

1. Bring yourself to comfortable position, either seated or lying down. 

2. Bring your attention to your breath and the fact that you are breathing. 

3. Notice your breath and the flow of its four parts:

• Watch your inhalation 
• Notice the slight pause before your exhalation 
• Watch your exhalation 
• Notice the slight pause before the next inhalation

4. Let the four parts of the breath flow naturally while you simply witness. 

Mudra: Swadhisthana Mudra 

In Mudras for Healing and Transformation, by Joseph and Lilian Le Page, the Swadhisthana mudra is said to be helpful for balancing the energy of second chakra by cultivating self-nourishment, supporting the health of the reproductive and urinary systems, and releasing tension from the sacrum and lower back. There are no contraindications. 

1. Place your right hand over your lower abdomen, with your thumb resting just below your navel. 

2. Cup your left hand and hold it facing upward at the level of your navel and slightly angled to the left of your body, with your forearm parallel to the earth. 

3. Soften your shoulders and allow you spine to be naturally aligned.

4. As your hold the mudra, watch for sensations like pulsing, tingling, or feelings of movement within your body. 

5. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths or longer if you are comfortable.

Affirmation 

The following affirmation be repeated on its own at any time or while practicing Dynamic Cobra or holding Swadhisthana mudra:

“With awareness and balance I go with the flow of life.” 

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook and Twitter ° To order Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, go to Amazon, Shambhala, Indie Bound or your local bookstore.

For information on Beth Gibbs' classes and upcoming workshops, see Beth's Classes and Workshops and for information about Beth, ProYoga Therapeutics, and Beth's book and CD, see proyogatherapeutics.com.

Stand Your Ground with the Muladhara (Root) Chakra

By Beth

Roots by Jamie Wyeth

In part 1 of my series on chakras Chakras: Guides on the Path to Healing I offered an overview of the chakras. This post will cover Muladhara, the root chakra. 

First, let me give you some context. If you are interested in original sources and how different systems use the chakras, check out Christopher Wallis, Ph.D., at The Real Truth About the Chakras  for a deep dive into this complex and complicated topic. 

The traditional history is connected to the contemporary view by understanding that the chakras are, as Wallis informs us, prescriptive not descriptive: 

“The texts are prescriptive — they tell what you ought to do to achieve a specific goal by mystical means. When the literal Sanskrit reads, in its elliptical fashion, ‘four-petaled red lotus at the base of the body’ we are supposed to understand ‘The yogī ought to visualize a four-petaled lotus . . .” 

The specific goal can be optimal physical health, energetic balance, mental/emotional stability, or spiritual transformation. This context provides a blueprint for working with the energy of each chakra.

Muladhara Chakra 

The word Muladhara is loosely translated as “base of support.” It’s location in the body is described in various ways: 

• Between the perineum and the pelvic bone 
• Between the genitals and the anus 
• Coccygeal plexus beneath the sacrum 
• Base of the coccyx (tailbone) 

However, if we accept the purpose of the chakras as prescriptive not descriptive, then location becomes a suggestion of where our base of support can be sensed or felt. The energy of this chakra is related to the qualities of safety, security, survival, and the earth element. This chakra is generally associated with the eliminatory system, bones, legs feet, coccyx and the adrenals. An example of language that sharpens this association is the phrase “stand your ground.” 

Feeling at home in your body and in your own skin can be an indication that this energy is balanced. Feeling disconnected, stressed, and fearful can be an indication of the need to restore a sense of safety and security to enable you to stand your ground. This points to the connection with the adrenal glands, which mediate our stress response (see About Stress: Acute Versus Chronic). When we work with the energy of this chakra, our goal is to remain strong within our own process while interacting appropriately with others and our environment. 

Some physical and psychological issues that may challenge our ability to keep this energy in balance are: 

• Chronic lower back pain 
• Anxiety 
• Sciatica 
• Lethargy 
• Hemorrhoids 
• Constipation 

I’ve had personal experience with both constipation (see Yoga for Occasional Constipation) and hemorrhoids. I’ve used my growing self-awareness to notice that these conditions occur most often when I’m feeling disconnected, blocked, stuck, and dealing with financial insecurity, difficult relationships, or car problems. My yoga practice is always there to help me through. 

Here are three of my favorite practices for Muladhara chakra. See if they help you feel more safe, secure, and connected to your internal strength and wholeness. Although the focus is on Muladhara chakra, all the others are affected because everything is connected (I like rhyming words). You can also do these three practices together. I find myself smiling when I do. 

1. Physical Practice: Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1)

Joseph LePage recommends standing poses, such as Mountain Pose (Tadasana), Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana), and Warrior 1 and 2. Warrior 1 is my asana of choice because I am able to keep my pelvis, spine, and head in a more comfortable alignment. You’ll find instructions, modifications, and illustrations at Featured Pose: Warrior 1) and in the book Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being. I practice with my hands on my hips to impart a deeper sense of resilience, strength, and grounding. Start with a 30 second hold and work up to 2 – 3 minutes per side. 

2. Energy Practice: Adhi Mudra 

The Sanskrit word “adhi” means primordial and refers to our natural state of being. The Adhi Mudra is said to bring the breath to the base of the body, help with anxiety, and instill a deep sense of grounding and stillness. 

1. Sit with your spine comfortably aligned. 

2. Soften your chest and shoulders. 

3. Close your eyes or keep them slightly open and gaze down at the floor. 

4. With both hands, form soft fists by placing your thumbs across your palms and folding your fingers around your thumbs. 

5. Rest your hands, knuckles down, on your knees or thighs. 

6. Hold the mudra and sit quietly for 2 - 5 minutes, as long as you are comfortable. 

7. Focus on your natural breathing process.

8. When you are ready to come out, release the mudra and stretch your body in any way that your body needs to stretch. 

In Mudras for Healing and Transformation, LePage, states that Adhi mudra should be practiced with caution if you have low blood pressure. I have low blood pressure but am able to practice Adhi mudra regularly with no problems. 

3. Mental Practice: Roots Visualization 

I learned this Roots Visualization years ago from a yoga buddy. I use it to stand my ground in stressful situations instead of giving in to my first impulse to flee or freeze. I also practice it when I’m alone and feeling spacey and ungrounded. 

Instructions: 

1. If possible, take off your shoes, connect your bare feet to the ground, and close your eyes. If you find yourself in a place or time where you cannot take off your shoes or close your eyes, direct your attention to your legs and feet to sense a deeper to the earth underneath you. 

2. Begin to visualize roots growing from your body, starting from the base of the spine. Feel roots reaching down through your legs through the bottoms of your feet to pierce through the earth’s crust.

3. Visualize your roots branching and spreading, growing stronger, and reaching deeper into the earth. Sense the strength, support, and the stability that your branching roots send back to fill your entire body. 

4. With each inhalation, begin to draw in strength, support, and stability and allow that feeling to deepen your connection to the physical world and your place in it. 

5. Draw these qualities through the bones of your feet and legs to the base of your spine and all the way up to the crown of your head. Feel your entire body safe, secure, stable, and connected to the physical world, allowing you to stand your ground and speak your truth.

As you do this you may feel some tingling or pulsing in your feet and legs. That’s a good thing because energy flows where intention goes. You can shorten or lengthen the visualization as needed. When you attune yourself physically, energetically, and mentally to your need in the moment, you can stand your ground assertively, appropriately, and confidently. 

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook and Twitter ° To order Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, go to Amazon, Shambhala, Indie Bound or your local bookstore.

For information on Beth Gibbs' classes and upcoming workshops, see Beth's Classes and Workshops and for information about Beth, ProYoga Therapeutics, and Beth's book and CD, see proyogatherapeutics.com.

Chakras: Guides on the Path to Healing

by Beth

Walking Maze by Heidi Santschi of Heidi Santschi Garden Design

Most of us have encountered the chakras at some point in our yoga journey. Some of us have solid knowledge of the origins and meanings. And many of us may be wondering if the chakras have relevance to our yoga practice and the issues we deal with every day.

My answer to that wondering is an unequivocal yes! Over my next several posts I’ll share what I’ve learned about the chakras as a useful model, or lens, through which to view ourselves and our lives. I’ve chosen the contemporary view because this is when and where we exist. 

Even so, it is important to understand the history of the chakras because history provides context, and context gives us a foundation on which to build a contemporary view that supports the yoga tools we use to work with the chakras. Reading Nina’s post Friday Q&A: Chakras That Are True to Yoga is a great first step. The next step is learning how to view the chakras as a useful model for healthy aging. 

We know we have a physical body (anamayakosha) because our five senses tell us that we are solid flesh and blood. We also have an energy body (pranamayakosha), which includes the nadis, pranavayus, auras and chakras. This can be harder to grasp because our energy anatomy is not physical. But while it is not solid flesh and blood, it does intersect with and impact our physical body and the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects that exist within it. Therefore, our mission, if we choose to accept it, is to deepen our understanding of the relationship between the physical and energetic systems (which are actually one in the same but we don’t need to get too wonky here) to inform, enhance and deepen our life experience and our yoga practice.

Are these chakras real? There is no hard scientific evidence. A pathologist can perform an autopsy to locate and dissect all of our physical parts but will not find or be able to dissect the chakras. Acceptance of the chakras will depend on your openness to the reality and relevance of a philosophical and psychological model that you cannot see, touch, smell, hear ,or taste (well, some people claim to be able to ‘see’ chakras but that’s subject for someone else to tackle). 

Christopher Wallis, PhD, in his article The Real Truth About the Chakras, writes that many different chakra systems come down to us from the texts of Tantra yoga:

“five-chakra systems, six-chakra systems, seven, nine, ten, fifteen, twenty-one, twenty-eight and more chakras are taught, depending on what text you’re looking at.” 

For the purpose of this series, I’ll be referring to the system that describes seven energy centers located at different points in the body along the spinal column. These chakras and their locations are said to be:

1. Muladhara (root chakra – between the perineum and the pelvic bone) 
2. Svadhisthana (sacral chakra - 4 fingers width below navel) 
3. Manipura (solar plexus chakra – in the abdomen above the navel) 
4. Anahata (heart chakra – center of the chest) 
5. Vishuddha (throat chakra – neck/throat) 
6. Ajna (third eye chakra – centered between the eyebrows) 
7. Sahasrara (crown chakra – top of the head) 

Anodea Judith, PhD, has written numerous books on the subject. My favorite is Eastern Body, Western Mind. In it, she offers a useful metaphor of human beings as biocomputers. In this metaphor, our body is the hardware, the chakras are software that hold vital programming (helpful and unhelpful), prana (life force energy) is what powers the entire system, and we are the users. In this view, each chakra contains a different program for issues such as survival, sexuality, self-actualization, love and compassion, communication, intuition, and awareness. 

To achieve optimal physical and spiritual health, when we have any issues, problems, or blocks in our life, we need to recognize, heal, and integrate them. I feel that when we recognize a problem, we can choose to use the chakras as guides to change how we perceive our issues, our beliefs, and our behavior. In other words, we can choose to debug and reprogram some of our software. 

These psychological aspects of the chakras are contemporary interpretations and are not found in the ancient texts. Does this make a difference? That depends on your willingness to consider a contemporary interpretation. I have found this interpretation to be relevant, helpful, and beneficial for myself and many of my students.

For example, in my post Enough I described that one element of my “programming” was an unhelpful core belief that I had to do more and be more in order to be accepted and valued. When I became aware of how that unhelpful “programming” was causing stress, I was able to use my knowledge of yoga to debug and reprogram that belief. In the chakra model that I will be discussing, this is seen as a heart chakra issue involving balance, compassion, and self-acceptance. At the time I was not consciously working with the chakras, but looking back I can see that my asana practice had an impact on my energy anatomy. After all, they are ultimately one in the same. And yes, I am getting better at accepting myself as I am, warts and all. 

The art and science of yoga offers us a wide variety of practices to work with the chakras:

• Yamas and niyamas (ethics and actions) 
• Asana 
• Pranayama 
• Guided imagery 
• Mudra 
• Meditation 
• Chanting and affirmations 

Over the next several posts, I will be exploring each of the chakras and their application to yoga practice and healthy aging.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook and Twitter ° To order Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, go to Amazon, Shambhala, Indie Bound or your local bookstore.

For information on Beth Gibbs' classes and upcoming workshops, see Beth's Classes and Workshops and for information about Beth, ProYoga Therapeutics, and Beth's book and CD, see proyogatherapeutics.com.

Working with Your Energy Levels

by Beth

Morning Glories
by Heidi Santschi of Heidi Santschi Garden Design

“Aging is not for sissies. I bet you’ve heard that one somewhere. It typically means that growing old is hard. Here’s another one I heard from a member of my book club, “Aging is a bitch!” This one means that growing older is even harder than you thought.” 

The above quote is from a previous post of mine on aging Three Shades of Grace. That was two years ago. As I approach my 75th year on planet earth, I am noticing a few new changes. The gray hair and the effects of gravity on my body were totally expected. The gradual loss of energy and the need for a slower pace with more down time was not. 

I know I’m not alone in this. Many of you may be grappling with the reality of energy—specifically physical energy—and having enough of it to move and do all that we’ve always done and want to continue to do. There is the desire that we will always have the boundless energy of youth and the very real concern that our energy levels are changing as we age but perhaps not in the way our ego desires. 

To understand energy and how it applies to our lives, we can view it from two perspectives.

1. From the western medical perspective, we have reliable sources such as The Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Harvard Medical School,  and The Rush University Medical Center. They all have tips for what we can do to delay a decline in energy and stay active as we age. Here’s what Rush says about aging and energy:

“The further we get from the boundless energy of childhood, the quicker we seem to run out of steam. Usually, our energy declines because of normal changes. Both genes and environment lead to alterations in cells that cause aging muscles to lose mass and strength and to become less flexible. As a result, strenuous activities become more tiring.”

2. When we talk about energy from the yogic perspective, it’s called prana and involves more than feelings of tiredness and alertness. B. K. S. Iyengar says:

“Prana is the energy permeating the universe at all levels. It is physical, mental, intellectual, sexual, spiritual, and cosmic energy. All vibrating energies are prana.”

In his post May the Prana be With You, Baxter provides an explanation of how energy is both universal and individual. Prana moves from the tip of our heads to the tips of our toes through nadis (channels) and prana vayus (winds). In other words, we have an energy anatomy that intersects with and affects our physical anatomy. This can initially be felt through sensations of tingling and pulsing in the palms of the hands or the bottoms of the feet. This became real to me when I began practicing mudras (see About Mudras for Healthy Aging). 

Like pranayamas and mudras, asanas also have energetic qualities. In Joseph LePage’s Yoga Teacher’s Tool Box, he offers an asana scale ranging from 1 to 10 with Savasana being the coolest at number one, Downward-Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Shvanasana), Mountain pose (Tadasana) and Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) at the mid-point of five, and backbends like Locust (Salabhasana), Bow (Dhanurasana), and Wheel (Urdva Dhanurasana or Chakrasana), the most energizing, at number nine.

Sometimes the energy of an asana is clear and present. I direct a children’s yoga program titled “Wake Up! and Relax with Yoga!” While I was teaching a group of stressed out 11 and 12-year old inner city kids Standing Forward Bend, one boy smiled as he came out of the pose and said, “Wow, miss, that was calming!” Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) comes in at number four on the scale. 

I have found it helpful to apply both these perspectives to my yoga practice. For example:

1. I no longer find vigorous vinyasa flows helpful or invigorating. This energizing practice was surprisingly effective when I went through menopause. I had expected that a calming cooling practice would lead to symptom relief but it was just the opposite; the more rigorous and fast moving, the better I felt. Counterintuitive but effective.

2. These days my asana practice consists mainly of holding poses from: 30 seconds to 1 or 2 minutes, depending on the posture and my body’s energy needs. I’m drawn to stabilization and strengthening postures, such as Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Shvanasana) (5), Lateral Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana) (7), and Plank pose (Phalankasana) (8). I used to avoid Plank pose but now it’s one of my favorites. Life, and the practice of yoga, is full of surprises!

3. The goal for my asana practice is finding an energetic balance and a relaxed state of awareness. For example, when I’m running hot—and I run hot a lot, (mostly mentally and emotionally as opposed to physically these days)—I look for postures on the scale that range from one to four. For example, Child’s pose (Garbhasana), at number two, fosters cooling and grounding along with a sense of calmness and connection to the earth. Other postures on the cooling side are Knee to Chest (Apanasana) and Knee Down Twist (Jathara Parivartanasana). 

Being able to sense where energy moves through your body, along with shifts in energy levels depending on the time of day, the season, and stage of life, is important for gaining needed self-awareness to develop your practice from scratch rather than depending on someone else’s yoga recipe. Here’s one way to deepen that awareness.

Working with Your Energy Levels 

These are the steps for practicing a brief body scan to sense your energy levels. 

1. Bring awareness to your feet, lower legs, knees, upper legs and buttocks and ask yourself “What is the quality of energy here?”

2. Sense your belly, low back, rib cage, mid-back, chest, and upper back and ask yourself “What is the quality of energy here?”

3. Shift awareness to your neck, head, face, chin, and throat and ask yourself “What is the quality of energy here?”

4. Allow your awareness to move across your shoulders and down your arms to your wrists, hands, and fingers and ask yourself “What is the quality of energy here?”

5. Finally, bring your awareness to your whole body and look for sensations like pulsing, tingling, a sense of movement, temperature changes, feelings of openness, emptiness, or being blocked. Notice where sensation is and where it is not. 

Finding a balance and adjusting your asana practice to address and manage your energy requires deep inner listening and finding ways to give your body some of what it wants and some of what it needs.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook and Twitter ° To order Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, go to Amazon, Shambhala, Indie Bound or your local bookstore.

For information on Beth Gibbs' classes and upcoming workshops, see Beth's Classes and Workshops and for information about Beth, ProYoga Therapeutics, and Beth's book and CD, see proyogatherapeutics.com.