heart chakra & yoga

Tomorrow afternoon I will be teaching my weekly Power Flow Yoga class at Yoga Sol. The theme is going to be focused on opening the heart chakra. The fourth chakra, or heart chakra, is the center of the human energy system and is connected with love (all kinds--not just romantic), compassion, & spirituality. It opens us to experience love for ourselves and others, and lets us feel compassion, joy and peace. If we allow our hearts to open and express love, this will permeate every area of our lives and enrich our relationships (including our relationship with ourself) in ways we can't even imagine.

Here are some affirmations to help us strengthen the heart chakra:
I am love.
I deserve love.

I am compassionate with myself and others.

I am able to express love in my life fully.

I am open to love in my life.

Here are some yoga poses to help us open our hearts:

*camel pose*
*fish pose*

*low crescent lunge*

*cobra*

all you need is love...

Peace, Love, Lipstick, & Namaste'
Leslie

*picture from picturedepot.com*

a word on chakras

As I've mentioned multiple times recently, I've been reading Judith Anodea's Eastern Body Western Mind and LOVING it. I actually finished the book yesterday--it's a whopping 458 pages and I finished it in less than a month (which is fast for me, since I am always reading at least three books at one time). Today, I started going back through the book and rereading all the quotes I highlighted. For those who aren't familiar with the chakra system, or why it matters, here is a short explanation from the book:

"Chakras are not physical entities in and of themselves. Like feelings or ideas, they cannot be held like a physical object, yet they have a strong effect upon the body as they express the enbodiment of spiritual energy on the physical plane. Chakra patterns are programmed deep in the core of the mind-body interface and have a strong relationship with our physical functioning. Just as the emotions can and do affect our breathing, heart rate, and metabolism, the activities in the various chakras influence our grandular process, body shape, chronic physical ailments, thoughts, and behavior. By using techniques such as yoga, breathing, bioenergetics, physical exercises, meditation, and visualization, we can, in turn, influence our chakras, our health, and our lives. This is one of the essential values of this system--that it maps onto both the body and the mind, and can be accessed through either."

(*photo from http://www.besteasternhealthtips.com/)

I will be sharing more from this book throughout the next month. It really has opened my eyes to the connection between our chakras and our personality, health, and well-being. Creating a balance of energy flow is the ultimate goal, and once again, I am reminded why yoga is such a healing practice.

Peace, Love, Lipstick,
& Namaste'
Leslie