We finally reach the Crown Chakra in our series on the Chakras and Unity Consciousness. Sahasrara means “thousand-petaled” and it refers to a lotus flower that blooms at the crown of the head. A lotus stem grows from the mud deep below the surface of the water and rises up to blossom at the top, just like spiritual energy that rises from the root chakra in the tailbone to the crown chakra at the top of the head. Also, the lotus opens to the sky, which symbolizes Universal Consciousness.

Unity may feel like an impossibility in today’s culture of difference and division. But aren’t there also times we experience unity with others? For example, here in the U.S. we saw an amazing pulling together of resources when the eastern states were deluged with a 1000-year flood. And most of us have had the experience of going through a tough time like an illness or death in the family only to be surrounded by love, prayers and tangible support.

So which is it, are we divided or are we unified?

It really depends on your perception, or what you are looking for. If you are looking for division and only talk to people who think the same way you do, then your perception of division will be strengthened. And if you look for unity and are willing to be open and curious with people who live, think and act differently than you, then your perception of unity will be strengthened.

Yoga teaches that we exist in Universal Consciousness. We are born in it, live in it, nurtured by it and are always trying to connect with it. It’s why we seek out lasting friendships, are passionate about caring for the earth and its critters, and why we may be drawn to follow a spiritual path.

This is where Yoga and the chakras can be very helpful in perceiving and strengthening our own connection to Universal Consciousness. All the practices we’ve explored over the past several months in this blog have led us to this place of Unity.

One of the best practices to activate Sahasrara Chakra is chanting AH and OM. AH is an open sound and you can easily picture the thousand-petaled lotus flower opening above your head. But because it is so open, AH can make you feel spacey and ungrounded. In that case, follow up with the mantra OM, the universal sound that unites all things in the material and spiritual realms, past, present and future. Try chanting AH for 3 minutes, OM for 3 minutes, then sit quietly to feel the vibration. This will give you 10 minutes of Unity to bless your days and shift your perception moving into the New Year.

Just in time to finish the year, we return to the last two chakras and how they bring us into contact with Unity Consciousness. The third eye chakra is called Ajña (pronounced AHJ – NYUH) and it means “to perceive.” It points to perception beyond what is usually taken in through the five senses. This is what we might call intuition or a sixth sense.

While there are some people who seem to be especially gifted in this area, the truth is that everyone has intuition, but not everyone makes the effort to use it. Most of us rely too much on our thinking minds or following someone else’s advice. We don’t lean enough into our own inner knowing.

The Vedic tradition teaches that all the answers we seek are within us. Looking outside may be a useful step in the process, but ultimately we have to look within and thereby take responsibility for our own decisions.

A fun and easy way to develop your intuition is to trust it when you get in your car to go somewhere. If you’re like me, you tend to go the same way every time even if there are multiple ways to get where you’re going. The next time you go, turn off your mental auto-pilot and ask your intuition how to go. Be careful not to let your mind get involved; just trust your gut. You’ll be amazed at how many traffic jams you miss! The more you do this, the stronger your intuition will become in every area of your life.

Yoga practices that activate the third eye include alternate nostril breathing and Child Pose with your forehead touching the floor, blanket or block. Mentally chant the mantra SHAM or OM while intending to listen to your own inner voice. Benefits include increased confidence and courage as you learn to trust yourself more. Great skills to take into the new year!

This week I have been considering why most Americans love Thanksgiving so much. It’s always the busiest travel time of the year. In fact, this year may very well set a record as nearly 80 million people will be traveling! Most of these travelers are heading home where they can share the holiday with family.

This is so different from the variety of December holidays spread out throughout the month. Not everyone celebrates Christmas or Chanukah or Kwanzaa, but Thanksgiving is a distinctly American holiday where the only disagreement might be cornbread or sourdough stuffing, pumpkin or pecan pie (or both).

In this way, Yoga is very much like Thanksgiving. At its best Yoga welcomes everyone to the table and makes sure there is something for everyone. Hot yoga for those who like to sweat, vinyasa yoga for those who like to flow, therapeutic yoga when we’re injured, and restorative practices to bring equilibrium to body and mind.

Even a typical yoga class covers everything we need to be healthy: breathing for the lungs, movement for the muscles and heart, moving the spine in all directions with forward bends, back bends, side bends and twists, meditation to calm and focus the mind. All the systems of the body are stimulated in Yoga, including circulatory, respiratory, nervous, lymphatic and endocrine.

So this Thanksgiving as you enjoy a day off, time with friends and, of course, a traditional meal, take some time to do a favorite yoga pose or two or three. Be grateful for your body, mind and spirit. I’ll meet you on the yoga mat and see you at the table!

Last weekend I led a Fall Wellness Workshop where we explored the many ways Yoga and Ayurveda inform the transition from Summer to Fall and how we can take meaningful steps to be healthy throughout the Fall and Winter seasons. This week I’m encouraging everyone to practice Humming Breath to 1) reduce anxiety and 2) relieve congestion.

Its Sanskrit name is Bhramari which means “female bumble bee.” And it does sound like a swarm of bees when everyone starts humming as a group! Let me tell you more about these two benefits:

1)    Humming releases nitric oxide (NO) into the bloodstream. NO is a molecule produced by our body when we breathe that has a calming effect on the nervous system. Humming is so effective because it actually releases 15 times more NO than normal breathing!
2)    Humming relieves congestion in the chest, throat and head. It’s a great practice when you’re suffering from allergies or a cold. Start to hum and you’ll notice a vibration that’s able to loosen mucous. If the congestion is in your chest, hum with a low pitch. For congestion in the head, use a high pitch. Otherwise, just use a normal pitch.

Bhramari is quite easy to do. Find a comfortable seat, or practice wherever you are. Take a deep breath in and hum on the exhale. Practice 7-10 times varying the pitch if you like. When you’re done, you should feel more open, free, clear-headed and relaxed.

Guess what! You don’t need to be on a yoga mat or use any special equipment. Your breath is always with you and ready to offer all of these wonderful benefits. Enjoy

For the past several weeks we’ve been considering the heart chakra and have had many opportunities to reflect on love, empathy, caring, and doing good for others. Now we continue our series on Unity Consciousness and the chakras by moving to the throat chakra, known as Vishuddha in Sanskrit. On the physical body the Throat chakra encompasses the throat, neck, ears and mouth. Its energetic imprint is communication.

The throat chakra is probably the one that’s most out of balance in our society. Do you agree?

We have information coming to us constantly from all directions, and sometimes we are not very skillful in deciding what to take in and when to turn it off. Is it any wonder we feel overwhelmed and confused? Healthy eating is a great example of this confusion and overwhelm. There are so many diets, each of which is backed by article after article singing its praises. At the same time, contradictory information makes it difficult to know who is right.

While ancient yoga practitioners did not have the internet and 24-hour news, they did recognize that information overload was not good for the body and mind. They discovered that by caring for the throat chakra they could become more discerning of which information to keep and use and which parts to let go. Here are a couple of practices to try to strengthen your throat chakra:

Lie down on your back in Supported Bridge pose (Supta Bandha). Place a yoga block, small bolster or thin stack of blankets under your pelvis. Cover your eyes with an eye bag or scarf. This gentle inverted backbend supports your lymphatic and nervous systems while also stimulating the throat chakra, especially the thyroid gland. Stay for 5-10 minutes with gentle breathing.

Chanting or humming is also good for the throat/thyroid and will heal problems with the ears and sinuses. One way to practice is by taking a deep breath in and exhaling with a hum. Do this at least seven times. Another way to practice is to chant a healing mantra 108 times. OM SHANTI OM is a beautiful way to send peace into the world while also strengthening your own peaceful nature.

“They were here for us during the tornadoes, now we’re going to be there for them during the hurricanes.” With these words, many Oklahomans offered their money and services to those affected by the two recent hurricanes. I had to catch my breath when I heard the stories and saw the images of the Humane Society bus able to care for lost and injured animals and the linesman and fire fighters ready to rescue and restore power.

Here is a profound example of living from the heart chakra.

What activates the heart chakra to make it possible for us to love people, animals and places we have never met before?

We remember. Like the woman collecting food, water, sanitizers and diapers for folks in North Carolina, we remember when someone else loved us and cared for us. This memory fans the fire of the heart and makes it burn to do something—anything!—to alleviate the pain of another.

In the Yoga tradition this need to care and share the love is connected to karma. Karma simply means “action,” but it goes much deeper than simply doing something. In yogic philosophy karma is like roots that reach back into the past and move through our ancestral lines. Those same karmic branches have the potential to move into the future too. In the middle between the past and the future is all of us living our lives in the present moment.

We meet opportunities to act every moment of the day.

When we get caught up in discussions about karma being “good” or “bad,” we truly miss the more important point: Now is the only moment in which we can act. Now is the time to care for people, animals and the land. And there is no doubt that the good actions of so many people will ripple for months and years so that others will also say, “They were here for us when we needed them, so we will be there for them.”

Our series on the chakras continues with the fourth chakra at the center of the chest. Its name in Sanskrit is Anahata, which means “unstruck sound.” The music of the heart is unique to each person and we only share it with those we trust to hear it.

The heart chakra is associated with love, compassion and empathy. It is activated when we live with passion and according to our purpose for being. When we connect heart to heart with someone else—person, animal or Nature—we see the truth of our unity. We know we are One.

I recently had a visit from a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, a kind man who has deep love in his heart. In fact, he changed his name to El Earth. The El is L for Love. He shared with me some new commandments for Love which include Love Yourself, Love Others, Practice Forgiveness, Protect Nature, Embrace Diversity and Promote Peace.

This week I encourage you to take some time to write your own new commandments for Love. Contemplate them deeply and make the effort to live according to at least one of your commandments each day.

You might also enjoy this yoga posture which can open your heart physically and energetically. Find a quiet place to practice and put a blanket or yoga mat on the floor. You might also like to get a pillow and two more blankets to support your body in the pose. Fold a supportive blanket lengthwise so you can lie down on your back with the blanket under your shoulder blades (adjust the height up or down according to your flexibility and comfort). You might like to place a blanket under your head if your neck is overstretched. And if your lower back is unhappy, place a rolled blanket or bolster under your thighs at the back of the knees. Relax deeply into the supports and keep your breath even. Stay here for 5-10 minutes. At the end, remove the blanket from under your shoulder blades and let your back rest in neutral on the mat for another minute. Continue to contemplate Love.

We’re continuing our series on Unity Consciousness and the chakras. Having considered the first two chakras, we now reach the solar plexus. As the energy center of personal will, Manipura Chakra poses the greatest challenge to the quest for Unity. “Personal” can mean individualistic while “will” can be stubborn, two qualities that leave little space for the openness needed for inclusion. Also, this is the chakra of the fire element; when fire burns too hot it is all-consuming.

We can gain some perspective, however, if we look at the solar plexus chakra in relationship to the other chakras. As the third chakra it follows the root and the sacral. Root is associated with the earth element, grounding, and the sense of being rooted in a family or tribe. The sacral chakra is water element, flowing creativity, sensuality and pleasure. When these first two are functioning well, the solar plexus chakra becomes the catalyst for knowing ourselves and claiming our power as a unique individual. In this context, fire cleanses, purifies, motivates and burns off what we’re leaving behind. This can be exciting!

Because the solar plexus encompasses the middle abdomen where the hot organs of digestion are located, yoga twists are the best way to activate this part of the body. Bonus: Your digestion and elimination will improve too!

Knocking at the Gate of Life is a chi gung movement that stimulates the organs and calms the nervous system. Stand with your feet shoulder distance or more apart, knees slightly bent. Let your arms hang loosely at your sides and stay easy in all the joints. Twist the upper body while the arms swing from side to side. It’s okay if the arms bounce off the body as you twist because this adds to the stimulation. Breathe easily as you practice for 1-3 minutes. At the end stand still and notice how it feels like the body is still moving.

Reclining belly twist (Jathara Parivarthanasana) can be held for several minutes on each side which will bring release to a tight lower back. Lie down on the back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Slide both hips to the right. Straighten the left leg, place the right foot on the left leg, then use the left hand to rotate the right leg to the left side. Only twist as far as you can while keeping the right shoulder on the floor. You can also use a block, blanket or bolster under the rotated leg. After several minutes, return to the starting position and practice on the second side.

Ask yourself: For what do I “burn”? What am I passionate about?
What needs to “burn off” so I can give myself completely?
Knowing that each person has an inner fire, how can I support others in tending their inner fire?

We’re continuing our exploration of Unity Consciousness and the Chakras as we move up the spine to the Sacral/Pelvic chakra. There are different parts of the body where this chakra is said to reside—the sacrum at the base of the spine, the pelvic bowl, just below the navel or the womb. Its name in Sanskrit is Svadisthana which means “one’s own dwelling place.” This makes me wonder: What energies do we carry in the lower abdomen that connect us to our true selves?

Svadisthana chakra is associated with many interrelated energies--

Creativity, or expressing ourselves through art, music, decorating, cooking, work projects, hobbies, etc. Through our creativity we can express our deepest commitments.

Intimacy, being genuine and appropriately sharing our true selves with others.

Pleasure and enjoyment, or the ability to let go, have fun, and not take ourselves too seriously.

In Yoga philosophy, Svadisthana chakra is associated with the water element. We use water to cleanse, nourish and purify. Water is at its best when it can move and flow because water that does not move becomes stagnant. All reminders that our true selves are healthiest when we keep energy flowing gracefully through body and mind.

A favorite pose that connects us with this chakra is Extended Side Angle, or Utthita Parsvakonasana. Stand in Mountain Pose and turn sideways on a sticky mat. Step the feet wide apart to a comfortable distance. Turn the left leg in 45 degrees and turn the right leg out 90 degrees. Keep the back leg straight and bend the front knee. With palms together in front of the heart space, turn the upper body toward the left and look over the left shoulder. Reach the left arm over the back leg parallel to the floor. Turn the head to the right and reach the right arm over the front leg parallel to the floor. With an exhalation, bend the front elbow and bend to the right side until you can rest your forearm on the front thigh. Bend the top elbow to place the hand on the shoulder. Open the left arm pit and slide the shoulder blade toward the spine. Now reach the top arm over the head so the upper arm is almost touching the top ear. Hold for 5-7 breaths. Lift out of the pose, turn the legs to center, and practice on the second side.

Self-inquires for Svadisthana Chakra: How do I express myself creatively? When was the last time I had a genuine and meaningful encounter with someone? What made this encounter so genuine and meaningful? Remembering a time when I was able to “go with the flow,” what qualities did I bring to the experience that I might be able to repeat again in the future? Do I need more fun in my life? If so, how could I make this happen?

We’re continuing our series on Unity and the chakras by beginning our journey at the base of the spine, the location of the Muladhara Chakra known as the “root.” Root is a good name for it because the energy of this chakra literally roots us into the earth from the base of the spine through the legs and into the feet.

In Yoga, the best pose for experiencing this energy is Vrksasana or Tree Pose. Take a moment to stand up for this pose. Maybe stand near a chair or wall for support. Stand well on both legs first (Tadasana or Mountain Pose) feeling stable, steady and grounded. Then shift the weight into one leg without collapsing into the hip. Bend the opposite knee and lift the leg a little or a lot. Rotate the knee out to the side just 45 degrees and place the foot against the standing leg. The standing leg grows energetic roots into the earth. The bent knee is the taproot that reaches along the ground for nourishment. Lift the arms like branches to receive the warmth of the sun.

What do we discover about unity consciousness when we contemplate the Root Chakra?

We are all dependent upon this one Earth to provide all of our needs

We humans share Earth with many other animal and plant species who are also dependent upon the Earth for sustenance

We are responsible for keeping our earthly home clean, healthy and safe

Our history is rooted in our experience of the land where we grew up

Our physical bodies are made of the earth and, after death, our bodies will return to the earth

To continue this contemplation, you might enjoy spending time in Nature, remembering your ancestral home, practicing Cat/Cow and Tree Pose, and ending in Savasana (Corpse Pose) to acknowledge that we’re all just passing through.