Daily Meditation (10 minutes) - Guided Root Chakra meditation (found on YouTube).
First, I read over the Muladhara chapter in Anodea Judith's Wheels of Life, as well as the information in our course materials. When I've had energy work done, this is the area where practitioners tend to mention that here is where they feel a blockage, or a raw, painful spot. A few thoughts and notes before meditation:
Root
Support
Lotus of four petals that make a square, with a triangle pointing down, indicating rooting to the Earth
Physical location: perineum, coccyx (tailbone)
Solid
Survival
If you grow without being grounded, you'll grow without roots
"fear is the demon of the root chakra" (Judith, 1987, p. 67).
Instinctual base
"when we are grounded, we live in a state of grace" (Judith, 1987, p. 67).
You have the right to be here
Red
Mud
Cedar
Gaia
As I've mentioned, this is a sticking point for me. I've struggled to feel grounded all my life, and satisfy my impulse to roam with movement, location, interest, and job changes, and living in my head instead of in the present. To meditate on this, I found a guided session on YouTube that claimed to focus on the root chakra. I usually find the available guided meditations a little cheesy, and while this one did made me snicker initially, I found myself feeling extremely vulnerable as it progressed. Rather than sitting calmly as I usually do, in the lotus position, I crossed my legs and leaned forward on a blanket. Feeling waves of sadness wash over me, tears brimming, I finished feeling wrung out a little flu-like, and extremely tired. I finished with a couple of rounds of head to knee, as it is my 'baby pose.' Janu Sirsasana also corresponds with the root chakra, so it felt appropriate and yes, grounding.
Meditation isn't always finding bliss. Sometimes it's working through and living with what's raw and hurting.
I followed my meditation with painting -- focusing on the reds and browns that symbolize and correspond with this particular chakra.
Here I found my calm after the slow, churning storm. Here I found those little glimpses at "temporary nirvana." It's nothing special, but it felt good. I haven't painted much since early Spring. Grad school ate my time in a good way and painting fell to the wayside of all my other responsibilities and focus points. I'm grateful for the return.
Daily Yoga (60 minutes) - traditional flow with emphasis on shoulder work, balance work with Kris at Blue Ridge
Holy wow! Every one of my favorite juicy and challenging postures in one place. Cow face, dancer, balancing eagle...Kris took to the time to get everyone comfortable and led with supported variations, which I absolutely love. Inclusive, warm, supportive...comfort and strength before the challenge of an advanced posture. I felt nourished, tired, and famished in a healthy way.
I didn't fully practice yesterday, but did spend a few minutes showing a co-worker a few standing postures. Yoga has a way of integrating into every aspect of life, once you immerse yourself and dedicate yourself to learning more, more, more.
Comments