Hello EOS Community,
This month’s pose is, “Plow Pose,” aka “Halasana,” (In Sanskrit, India’s sacred language of yoga) accompanied with the fifth of the 7 main energy centers in our body called the, “Throat Chakra,” or ,”Vishuddha,”in Sanskrit which translates to, “Especially pure.”
This blue, 16 petaled lotus of the throat chakra is located in your throat.
This energy center governs our ability to speak our inner truth through accepting our authenticity . When balanced, not only will you be able to express yourself with confidence and compassion, but you will also be a great listener.. You will have a sense of personal integrity and honor. Maintaining a regular chakra balancing practice is necessary to cultivate the dance between communicating and listening, which is ESSENTIAL during this month’s Mercury in Retrograde.
Halasana pose helps to nourish our throat chakra by activating our glandular system & directing the life force energy of prana to this center for activation. If this is your first time in Halasana, or you have a tight back, grab a chair to place behind your head for the feet to rest on, please do so now. You can also grab a block or a folded up blanket to place under your hips for support in this posture.
Let’s begin.
1. Lie down on your mat after doing some gentle warm ups.
2. Breath in, and draw your knees in towards your chest, holding your knees with your hands, while gently guiding your shoulders and head towards the earth.
3. Allow your entire back body to feel as though it were melting into the earth.
4. On an exhale, allow your feet to draw up towards the sky, keeping your head and shoulders rooted on the earth while breathing deeply, start to lift your lower back off of the earth, either placing a blanket or block underneath of your tailbone or walking your hands towards your mid back, fingers facing upwards. Shimmy your shoulders underneath of your chest a little more, while walking your hands as close to your shoulder blades as possible. Keeping your gaze at your toes or the sky directly above your head, start to breath deeply in and out through your nose while slight constricting the throat.
5. Visualize your throat chakra in the center of your throat as a swirling 16 petaled blue lotus flower. Every breath in you see your flower grow brighter and brighter, and with every exhale you see it spin faster and faster. As it spins, you may notice old energy leaving this energy center as dark and oily drainage. This is completely natural and to be expected during this meditation. Breathe slowly and rhythmically. Syncing your breath with your visualization will enhance this sadhana or spiritual practice.
6. Stay with the visualization for 15-20 breaths, and then slowly release your hands to use them as breakers while you unwind your spine vertebrae by vertebrae back down to the Earth. Stay in Savasana or Corpse Pose for a few minutes to allow this posture to marinate.
7. Feeling grateful for this time that you have taken to connect with yourself, smile softly, and blink your eyes, slowly coming back into the room to continue on with your day, a little more centered, calm, and happy.
Stay tuned to our weekly emails over the next 3 weeks to journey through yoga asana and the remaining 3 chakras!
Namaste,
Alana
Owner & Director of the Explorations of Self Travel Community
5 Steps to Manifesting Your Dream Lifestyle
Alana’s love for yoga came from firsthand experience with just how powerful the practice is. “In 2009, Yoga found me. Inside the studio, she experienced a deep sense of belonging, but the most profound part was what happened after. “I felt as though I was at true peace. I finally knew what the word meant. Until that moment, I had just understood it cerebrally. There is something profound to be said about Peace dropping into the heart.”