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New York City has chilled out.
People on the street are less hurried, the traffic flows sedately, the line at Zabar’s is leisurely. There is time to nod and smile at fellow customers without feeling that everyone is clawing for the front of the line. Even on the subway, a civilized distance is observed between the pressing bodies. New York has become freakin’ mellow.
Or maybe not.
The last time I lived in the city, I had a mission, an agenda, a dream. Higher than high ambitions that were not to be thwarted. The city was to be gotten [read more...]
A couple weeks ago, I put my car into storage and started riding my bike. Now, I am not what you’d call a good bike rider. My ass hurts, my thighs ache, and grease somehow gets smeared all over my calves. Small children on tricycles pass me on the street.
While my body may be used to yoga, riding a bike challenges me in a completely different way. Muscles get tightened rather than lengthened; cardio work is a main component rather than a by-product. And although riding a bike is undoubtedly good for me, it is very humbling and hard.
As I was riding [read more...]
Last week, I took a roadtrip with my boyfriend. He struggles with anxiety and is working towards flying on planes. In the meantime, we drive. He hasn’t been to Los Angeles for several years, so this was a pretty significant adventure. The prospect of leaving terra firma and adventuring into the wilds of the United States held the potential for serious discomfort.
We had our moments, of course. All evolution requires some growing pains. There were times with then anxiety would come on, and he would have a choice: open to possibility (that he would live through this [read more...]
Ajna Chakra, located at the third eye center, opens us to element of light. In addition to literally seeing, this chakra draws us into the power of visualization, imagination, and abstraction. We literally connect to a higher frequency (Vishuddha was the frequency of sound, Ajna of light) and our experience moves further beyond the tangible plane.
Suddenly, our world is much larger. We can use the power of our imagination to understand experiences beyond our own. Though the understanding of images and words, we can visualize our place in a greater context. Our sight is both external and internal. The [read more...]
The link from the heart chakra to the more etheric upper chakras, Vishuddha (the throat chakra) is the center of conscious communication. Like the second chakra, Vishuddha is a creative nexus. However, unlike the unconscious, earthy, and sensuous energy of Svadisthana, Vishuddha’s creativity is connected to our higher consciousness. Through its power, we literally express and identify ourselves in relationship to the outside world. We choose how to allow our energy to impact others, and use our voice to express our boundaries, desires, and needs.
Very pragmatically, we can sometimes feel as if we’ve “lost our voice” when there is a disconnect [read more...]
What more appropriate chakra to explore on Valentine’s Week than the heart chakra?
We are all familiar with the sensations of the heart. Almost everyone can relate when someone says that they feel ”light-hearted” or that they have a “heavy heart.” In this way, the sensations of the heart chakra are some of the most accessible of the system.
At the heart, we reach the very center of the chakra system. Perfectly balanced between the upper and lower chakras, anahata is the chakra guiding relationships, compassion, and emotional well-being. It is in the heart that the intuition of the body and the wisdom [read more...]
Manipura Chakra is the seat of the ego and self-definition. Its element is fire and it the seat of the ego. Too much fire breeds anger, aggression, over-assertion; too little fire and we are not able to create boundaries, self-determine, or speak our minds.
A healthy third chakra is marked by empowerment. When we are self-empowered, we do not need to dominate in order to fill the gap. Self-empowerment leads to autonomy and personal responsibility, which are key in initiating conscious transformation. When we honor the power within us, we can freely make decisions that honor our own personal truth. Rather than [read more...]
As we move into the second chakra, life starts getting juicy. Now that our primal survival needs have been addressed, we move into the realm of feelings, pleasure, creativity, and sexuality.
To paraphrase Anodea Judith, we are creating a container in the first chakra…and in the second chakra we fill this container with fluid and movement. This movement of the second chakra takes us into the world of balance and grace. When can we go too far? When are we too stuck?
In our culture, there is frequently a dismissal of pleasure in favor of asceticism and work. In reclaiming the second chakra, [read more...]
Can we be strong without being rigid? Can we own our own space without being overbearing? Is our relationship with our body healthy?
These are just a few of the issues encompassed by our first chakra. Located at the base of the spine, muladhara chakra is the “root” of the chakra system. Like the foundation of a house, the health of this chakra affects all the others above it. Anodea Judith describes the first chakra as reflecting our “right to be here,” which includes our “right to establish individuality” and our right to take care of ourselves” (Eastern Body, Western Mind).
The element [read more...]
I first started practicing yoga so that I didn’t get fat.
I was a fairly neurotic, athletic, 20-something, looking for a way to stay flexible, “healthy” (skinny), and (sure, why not?) centered. Living in NYC with a healthy competitive streak and a does of obsession, I was determined to get “good” at yoga. Handstand, shoulderstand, arm balances! I wanted to take the hard classes. I craved the challenge.
Was my yoga practice serving my life? Well, sure in a way, and rather inadvertently. Although my ego was in the driver’s seat, the inherent benefits of the practice gradually began to seep in. Since [read more...]
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