Welcome to the final article of the chakra series. We have reached the crown, the seat of cosmic consciousness and divine intelligence. This is the center that transcends all the individuality that your lower chakras have worked so hard to create. This is where you step into the experience that ALL IS ONE.
Have you ever had the experience of a stranger speaking the exact right thing for you to hear precisely during the time your soul needed to hear it? Or how about the countless other times that strangers walk by and the glances or words are meaningless to you?
This ability to bring message and meaning from a seemingly unknown source into your physical reality is the work of the third eye, the 6th chakra. It is no wonder why in Sanskrit this center is called Ajna: to perceive, to command.
Drum roll, please. This is the moment we have all been waiting for. This, my friends, is the 4th chakra, the heart chakra.
Welcome to part three of the seven part chakra series. Today we celebrate the third chakra, the solar plexus chakra. This is a power house of an energy center. When this chakra is spinning harmoniously there is no stopping what you are capable of doing, nor is there a limit to the energy available to do it with. When it is off though, boy can the ego run amuck. You know self-doubt and boisterousness are two sides of the same coin, right? They are both ego: polarity expression of the same essence.
The chakra system is a system that EVERY human being has, whether you believe in energy or not. The chakras are powerful energy centers that can be found along the spinal column with two extending into the head. Last time, we focused on the root chakra.
We’ve developed an incredible foundational knowledge of the building blocks of life, the mind/body characteristics of the three doshas, and the empowered choice-making that is available to us through this ancient system of health and healing. Now it’s time to explore exactly how to apply Ayurvedic principles and practices in real time.
Ayurveda teaches that we have exclusive, 24/7 access to five distinct Gateways to Healing—also known as our five senses.
Many of us regard depression as an inner darkness that can throw us into the depths of debilitating emotional and mental pain, making it impossible for us to function in this world for weeks or months even. Life feels pointless, the world appears hopeless, and all we can feel is numbness.
There are 5 Elements in Chinese Medicine: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. These Elements follow the seasons of the year, the time of day, the life cycle, and the creative process of life. The 5 Element system is a system of checks and balances. It is based on the idea that all things in nature will eventually balance themselves. For example, the season of Summer will eventually yield to Fall, the longer days will turn into longer nights, and the excitement of new ideas will eventually turn into precious personal wisdom.
I am often asked, “What is self-care acupressure?” because I teach workshops about yoga and acupressure. I have found many people have heard of acupressure, but are not sure of the meaning of this healing modality. I am often asked, “Is acupressure and acupuncture the same thing?” The answer is that they are similar modalities. Both acupressure and acupuncture are based on the meridian system of Chinese Medicine.
Throughout the world, there are few common base themes or expressions that have served in the creation and conservation of every culture, and which have been carried from the beginning of our cultural development to still stand as equally important parts of modern life today. Amongst these there is perhaps one more personally powerful, fundamentally meaningful, and collective unifying expression than all others, hailing shared value to most each and every human, regardless of size, color, shape, class, or education in a special way - and that is dancing. This is the heart of embodiment.