Class 13 is on the site now! It’s called “Fallen triangle”. This pose is a great example of how our yoga practice is all about finding ourselves in unconventional positions and breathing through it. Enjoy!
As mentioned in the last newsletter, I will have some exciting treats for you guys as soon as it becomes Leo season! From July 22-August 22, I’ll have some great referral bonuses. Free stuff! Yay! Leos love to give.
Energetic channels: what does that mean and what does it have to do with yoga? Well, let’s work backwards. We just finished our practice. We feel light, renewed, energized yet calm, balanced and invigorated. From a western standpoint, this is a result of the deep rhythmic breathing combined with the stretching and meditation. We quieted our sympathetic nervous system - the “fight or flight” and tapped into our parasympathetic system- the “rest and relax” response. This can be achieved through a variety of ways: exercise of almost any sort, a good long chat with a trusted friend or therapist, a long walk, a deep dive into a passion project or anything that allows us to focus, feel safe, and introspect.
According to the yoga tradition, in addition to our blood vessels and respiratory pathways, we have energetic channels called “Nadiş”. There are said to be hundreds of Nadiş but the three most significant ones are the Ida, the Pingala and the Shusumna Nadi. The Ida and Pingala Nadiş start on the left and right side of the base of the spine and travel up, ending at the nostrils. This is how they are connected to the breath. The Shusumna originates at the very lowest portion of the pelvic floor and travels up the spine to the crown of the head. This is how it is connected to meditation.
The Ida Nadi is said to represent our more feminine and nurturing nature. The Pingala Nadi is said to represent our more masculine nature. Ideally in our yoga practice we can balance our our feminine and masculine energies to feel more balanced on a spiritual level. The act of deep breathing and equal stimulation to the right and left side of the body are meant to awaken our consciousness where we can be guided by something other than our ego: ideally compassion and love, rather than power and image.
In one of my teacher training manuals it simply says that all these energetic pathways are imaginary - they are just a useful tool to help us conceptualize the process of getting towards an enlightened state of being.
Everything we need we already have. Sometimes we are just a touch off balance.
Next week we will discuss the chakras -another tool in the yoga tradition to help us understand various spots of intense energetic activity.
Enjoy your practice everyone!