Chakra, Sun and Moon

Thank you to everyone who wrote to let me know how much they enjoyed the photographs and observations from Montreal.  I had a wonderful time exploring new sites and meeting interesting people and returned home safely on Sunday night.

On Monday I taught a meditation workshop that focused on the chakras that run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means "wheel" and carries energy through a subtle channel called sushumna.

Each chakra has a specific energy and therefore purpose, such as intuitive knowledge, however while this energy exists, many people go through life without activating or using these natural gifts.

Meditation enables you to utilize these energy wheels by using the powerful feminine energy called kundalini to pierce the center of each chakra and allow a series of transformative experiences to occur.  This energy exists in both men and women and provides you with exactly what you need at this moment in time.  For some, it occurs as a profound feeling of joy, cleansing of emotional stuff, enhanced creativity, or intuitive knowledge and knowing what choices to make.

However, learning to awaken this energy is best practiced with a teacher to address any questions that will arise, that your posture and practice is correct, and to ensure that energy can flow freely as obstacles are released.

As an overview, the workshop was in three sections:
Pranayama,
Concentration
Meditation.

All three sections contained practices that would travel through each of the chakras and awaken the kundalini energy.

PRANAYAMA
A healthy body is one where the life-force flows steady and even, unrestricted in its ability to direct energy throughout every area, and one that is vibrant and energized. When blockages occur to restrict this flow, the result is a disruption within the cells and dis-ease occurs, manifesting in illness.

Passive breathing occurs without any conscious thought or awareness and permits strong emotional drives to adversely influence your thoughts when exposed to negative energy or situations.

This allows cellular distress to occur and random thoughts and behavior to fire off, eventually resulting in illnesses ranging from mild sadness or anger to a downward spiral of abuse and actual physical symptoms.

Active breathing, at the other end of the spectrum, protects and preserves. It requires your dynamic input to be aware of what you are thinking and feeling, how you are going to act, and consequently creating a balance within your body, mind, and spirit.

SUN AND MOON
In today's posting, I thought that I would share one of the traditional pranayama practices that we did during the chakra workshop.
It is suitable for you to practice at home.

Known as Sun/Moon or Surya/Chandra breathing, it has been used for thousands of years as a means of bringing balance to both hemispheres of the brain, bringing the brain into alpha wave, and permitting the two energy channels of Ida and Pingali to travel around each of the chakras via the subtle energy body.
Ida and Pingali originate at the root chakra and weave around each chakra before crossing behind the nostril area. This specific breathing technique has many benefits, including preparing the mind for meditation and allowing the flow of kundalini to emerge.

Method
Sitting in a comfortable seated position with the spine erect, bring awareness to the rhythmical flow of the breath.
The breath should be slow, steady and even with no straining or effort.

Using either hand, place the thumb and ring finger on the nostril crease.
The 2nd and 3rd finger can either be curled in the palm of the hand (Vishnu mudra) or placed between the eyebrows. (Nasagra mudra)
Using complete breath, close the right nostril and inhale slowly and steadily through the left nostril.
Top of the inhalation, close left nostril and exhale through the right.
Inhale through right nostril
Top of the inhale, close right nostril and exhale through the left nostril.

That completes one round.

Continue for 10 rounds or at least 3 to 5 minutes, exhaling through the left nostril when you are complete.

Keep each breath the same length.

You may find that one side of your nose is more open than the other. Unless there is a physical obstacle such as injury, with regular practice, both nostrils become open, the brain becomes balanced, and the subtle energy channels allow kundalini to flow.

BENEFITS
• Nourishes the body and prepares an open channel for kundalini to flow
• Continuous practice eliminates desires and cravings.
• Allows the breath to flow without restriction, eliminating the toxins and waste products that reside in residual air and saturating the cells with oxygen.
• Creates alpha brain waves and develops a calm and positive state of mind
• Deepens concentration
• An even breath flow produces even thoughts
• Strengthens the diaphragm and abdominal muscles
• Soothes the nervous system
• Increases blood flow to the brain