Chakra Healing for Vibrant Energy. Michelle S. Fondin

in our vehicles or while walking, or we skip meals throughout the day. Preparing food, serving it, and eating it should be a sacred act. Our body is the only channel through which we enjoy our time on earth. Loving your body means appreciating its needs and benefiting from its strengths.

      To reconnect with your body through the act of eating, commit to taking at least one meal each week in silence. Shop for your food in gratitude and excitement at the prospect of sharing the gift of a meal with your body. Prepare the food with love. Take the time to smell your food and taste each and every bite. Be grateful to Mother Earth for providing you with the nourishment and sustenance that you need to live.

PRACTICING BODY ACCEPTANCE

      Your body is giving you the gift of life every day. If you can get up and walk, run, jump, and bend, you have so many blessings. I love what Dr. Wayne Dyer used to say: “We should have a liver appreciation day.” In other words, celebrate the parts of your body you normally take for granted. When I’m teaching yoga I sometimes have my students massage their own feet and thank their feet for supporting them.

      Look at your naked body in a mirror. You read that correctly. Look at it. Send it love and appreciate its beauty.

YOGA ASANAS AND PRANAYAMA EXERCISES TO HEAL THE FIRST CHAKRA

      Practicing yoga is a great way to heal your chakras. To heal the first chakra, you will focus on grounding poses or any pose that engages the base of the spine and the area of the perineum.

       To view a video demo of these exercises, go to

      www.youtube.com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor.

       Click on the Playlists tab, and select

      Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas.

       Scroll down the list until you find the one you’re looking for.

      Three-Part Breath — Dirgha: Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. As you breathe, inflate your belly like a balloon on the inhalation and deflate the belly on the exhalation. The complete breath is done through the nose only, with the lips closed. Begin the three-part breath by inhaling first from your lower belly, below your belly button, then expanding to the midbelly, and then allowing the air to rise up into your chest. As you exhale, deflate your chest, then your midbelly, and finally your lower abdomen. Practice this breathing technique for three to five minutes. For first chakra balancing, once you get comfortable with this breathing practice, focus on the tip of your nose while practicing the complete version.

      Mula Bandha and Kegels: The word bandha means “lock” or “hold.” And, of course, mula means “root.” So the mula bandha is the root lock. If you are a woman and have practiced Kegel exercises, you will find mula bandha is similar in nature. For a Kegel exercise, a woman contracts the muscles in the perineum, holds for several seconds, and repeats the exercise many times. Both men and women can practice mula bandha. For a man, you contract the muscles between the anus and the testes. For a woman, you contract the muscles at the bottom of the pelvic floor. Hold this lock for as long as you can; some yoga practitioners suggest holding it for the entire class.

      Mula bandha stimulates the pelvic nerves, the genital system, the endocrine system, and the excretory system. Regular practice of the root lock can relieve constipation and mild depression.

      Knee to Chest Pose — Pavanamuktasana: Lie flat on your back. Bring your right knee to your chest while your left leg is still elongated on the floor. Clasp your hands below your right knee. Keep your head on the floor and inflate your belly, allowing it to puff out. On the exhalation, bend your elbows and bring your knee closer to your chest. You’re stimulating the ascending and transverse colon, liver, and right kidney. After five to seven breaths, release your right leg to the floor. Bring your left knee to your chest and repeat. On the left side you’re stimulating the descending colon, the large intestine, and the left kidney.

      Lotus Flexion — Padmasana: Sit cross-legged on the floor with your back erect and tall. Place your left foot in to press on the perineum. If you can, place your right foot on top of your left thigh in a half lotus pose. Make sure your sitting bones are rooted down and pressed to the earth. Clasp your hands behind you, interlacing your fingers, and straighten your arms behind your back. Lift the spine tall, then hinge from your hips, and bring your upper body forward toward the floor in front of you. Bring your arms up off your back in the forward bend as much as you can. Hold the pose for five to seven breaths.

      Squatting Pose — Malasana: Stand with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart and your toes turned slightly out. Sit into a squat as if you were sitting in a chair, but lower your tailbone until it’s a few inches from the floor. It’s okay if your heels lift up slightly. Place your hands in prayer posture with your elbows gently pushing out on each inner thigh. Lengthen through your spine, lower your shoulders, and lift the crown of your head. You can use a yoga block to sit on in this pose if your hips are tight or the squat is hard on your knees. Practicing Kegels or mula bandha (see description above) is ideal in this pose. If you can, hold this pose for up to one minute.

      Pelvic Tilts: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart and parallel, with your toes pointing forward. Walk your heels close to your bottom. Place your arms alongside you with your palms facing down. The position looks like a preparation for bridge pose (setu bandhasana), a yoga asana you may be familiar with (described on page 130). Begin the tilt by squeezing your buttocks and lifting your tailbone and first three vertebrae, one vertebra at a time. Then squeeze, hold for five seconds, lower, and release. Repeat this exercise twenty-five times. Pelvic tilts bring heat and energy to the first chakra, stimulating all the nerves.

      Standing Mountain Pose — Tadasana: Stand tall with your feet parallel and toes pointed forward. A great way to do this grounding pose is to use a yoga block and place it between your upper thighs. Spread out your toes, and firmly plant your feet on the floor. Draw the energy up through your legs. Squeeze your buttocks while slightly opening your thighs outward. Stack your vertebrae, each one on top of the one below, and lift the crown of your head with your head in a neutral position. Roll your shoulders back and down, and allow your arms to hang like plumb lines. Close your eyes and feel the dynamic of your feet firmly rooted to the earth and the crown of your head floating upward toward the sky. Notice how good it feels to be balanced, grounded, and immovable.

BALANCING THE FIRST CHAKRA THROUGH FOOD

      It’s important on your healing journey to eat only whole foods that are fresh and come directly from the earth. Reduce your consumption of processed, packaged, canned, or frozen food.

      When you’re feeling ungrounded, eat heavier foods such as proteins, hearty soups, bread, oils, and sweet fruit. You can also focus on eating root vegetables and potatoes. If you’re feeling too heavy and sluggish, try eating what Ayurveda calls a Kapha-pacifying diet: focus on bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes; eat more beans, lentils, leafy green vegetables, and whole grains such as quinoa; reduce meat consumption.

WEIGHT LIFTING TO BALANCE MULADHARA

      Those who live mainly focused on the first chakra instinctually build up their muscles through weight training. In fact, lifting weights is an excellent way to physically balance the first chakra. You must be grounded to lift weights; otherwise you would topple over under the weight. The heaviness (even with lighter weights) will make you stronger and more rooted to the earth. Weight training is a great way to play around with gravity, the first chakra energy.