“Every human is an artist. And this is the main art that we have: the creation of our story.” –Don Miguel Ruiz
Weekly Focus: Svadisthana (sacral chakra)
Svadhisthana is the second chakra located in the sacral region, about two inches below the navel. This chakra is the center of creativity, pleasure + enjoyment connected to emotions, desire + sexuality.
Life is abounding around us. The earth is green, the flowers bloom fresh with abundance. We connect to svadisthana, the center + potential of our creativity, our sexuality, to see our own potential. What beauty will unfold from us? What do we desire? Spring is a season of potential. Just as in nature, we have a tendency to go through our own spurts of potential + creative energy. This week, we take time to nurture our creative energy. We are all full of life + potential, not simply in a pro-creation sense, but also in our ability to transform + shape our realities, the world around us, to have impact on all that we touch. When we allow ourselves to tap into our creative potential, we may find that we are capable of creating great change, of impacting beyond ourselves. The work of becoming intimately familiar with the Self helps us to find our personal creative path. Where do our emotions go — what brings us true pleasure — what deep desires do we hold — how does this fuel our creativity? Remember — creativity is not limited to the arts — creativity is a flourishing of the mind. The ability to stretch, to expand, to think beyond our supposed limitations. How will you help your mind to flourish this Spring?
Passive Pose of the Week: Baddha Konasana (bound angle/cobbler’s pose)
Baddha konasana is a posture that brings connection + awareness to svadisthana. This is an awesome pose to introduce props into. The use of props will allow you to sit in awareness longer in this pose, striking the balance between effort + ease. Here’s a setup we love: sit on the edge of a folded blanket or towel. Bring the soles of the feet together and let the knees open wide, like a book. Bring blocks or folded blankets under the knees to allow them to rest and be heavy. If you have access to something heavy like sandbags, you can even rest those atop your thighs to encourage a release. Don’t feel pressure to fold forward. You can, but staying upright for a few minutes can be equally as beneficial and help protect the integrity of the spine.
Active Pose of the Week: Deviasana (goddess squat)
Goddess squat helps us to stimulate creativity + stabilize our emotions. Notice your tendencies in this pose. As we stand with the feet in a wide squat stance (think about 3 ft apart), a common compensation is to stick the butt back way behind us or to dip the chest forward. If you feel this happening, come out of the squat slightly to lift the spine. Another compensation is for the knees to start to turn inwards as we squat. Imagine pressing your knees open wide, trying to keep the knees tracking right over the toes.