41% of yogis are between 35 and 54 years old according to Ecoreuil. It is also during this age group that we are most able to recognize the existence of the chakras and their usefulness for feeling good.
Chakras are energy points located along the spine. There are thousands of them but seven are recognized as the main ones. They are fed by vital energy and can be too closed or too open, leading to physical, emotional and/or psychological blockages.
Discover everything you need to know about the chakras in yoga nantes .
The main principles of the chakras
According to traditional Indian medicine, the chakras, numbering 88,000, are energy centers that influence our physical and mental health. Opening your chakras is not the only option: a chakra can also be unbalanced if it is too open.
The energy centers are represented by lotus flowers and are all associated with a color, a vibration, a stone, an element and organs.
- The root chakra (Maladhara) located at the level of the coccyx. Associated with the Earth, the color red, the mantra Lam, the note Do and organs such as the bladder or the colon,
- The sacral chakra (Svadhisthana) located at the level of the pubis and associated with the reproductive organs. Linked to Water, the color orange, the mantra Vam, the note Re and linked to emotions,
- The solar plexus chakra (Manipura) located two fingers above the navel. Associated with the digestive system, Fire, the color yellow, the mantra Ram and the note Mi,
- The heart chakra (Anahata) located at the level of the heart. Associated with feelings of love, Air, the color green, the mantra Yam and the note Fa,
- The throat chakra (Vishuddha) located at the level of the throat. Associated with the thyroid, Ether, the color sky blue, the mantra Ham and the note Sol,
- The frontal chakra (Ajna) or third eye located between the eyebrows. Associated with decision-making, Psychism, the color indigo blue, the mantra Om and the note La,
- The crown chakra (Sahasrara) located at the top of the skull. Associated with Vibration, the color violet, the mantra Ham So and the note Si.
All energy points are also related to the nadis (vibration). There are three principal ones among thousands by which the vital energy circulates: Sushumna, Ida and Pingala. Finally, Kundalini is divine energy or life force. The Kundalini is mainly used to be able to reach a high level of consciousness.
Why balance your energy points through yoga?
Taking yoga classes improves your general state of health and makes you feel more relaxed on a daily basis to manage a stressful professional life and a rich personal life.
Balancing your chakras through yoga allows you to unblock knots so that you no longer have physical pain or emotional blockages. Your chakras are out of balance when you experience physical pain, severe fatigue, or intense feelings of frustration.
Each chakra is associated with organs and states of mind:
- The root chakra: if it is unbalanced, you can suffer from digestive problems or pain in the lower body (legs, feet, back). Psychologically, it will rather be a feeling of anxiety and insecurity developed or a side head in the air,
- The sacral chakra: associated with carnal pleasures and the reproductive organs. Rebalancing this energy point allows you to feel better about pleasurable activities. If it’s out of balance, you can either go overboard or experience a low libido,
- The solar chakra: linked to the digestive system, it is the center of self-confidence. Rebalancing it allows you to say goodbye to digestive problems and regain confidence in your abilities or let go of excessive anger,
- The heart chakra: associated with feelings of love and empathy. Rebalancing it allows you to improve your relationships with others, whether romantic or friendly,
- The throat chakra: linked to communication and the externalization of your emotions. If it is unbalanced, you will tend to talk a lot, without listening to others or, on the contrary, failing to express yourself. Rebalancing it allows you to express yourself clearly and with respect for everyone,
- The third eye: associated with decision-making and the psyche, its balance allows you to listen to your intuition without it governing your life,
- The crown chakra: it is the most complicated energy center to open. It is almost always underdeveloped. In balance, it allows you to be fully in tune with your unconscious and subconscious, no longer fearing death and physical pain. We arrive at the Dalai Lama stadium!
The chakras can become unbalanced after a shock or be out of balance since your childhood. Regaining their balance takes time and requires regular investment.
73% of apprentice yogis do it to reduce their stress level. Working your chakras through reindeer yoga would also reduce the risk of having a malignant tumor, of declaring a cardiovascular disease and of having an infectious disease.
How to open your chakras in yoga?
There are different ways to balance your energy centers: use of stones, Reiki, practice of qi gong, diet, acupuncture, use of essential oils or Bach flowers, shiatsu, acupressure, hypnosis…
However, the most effective and fastest way to work your chakras is still the practice of yoga . Indeed, it can be difficult to believe in the existence of chakras. It’s a very abstract concept that requires a lot of open-mindedness. In yoga lyon , the chakras can be worked on without even mentioning it.
And even if you don’t believe it, you’ll probably feel better after a yoga session dedicated to balancing a particular chakra.
- The vibrations in yoga make it possible to bring into resonance the organs of the body, associated with an energy point and a note. That’s what the Tibetan singing bowls often used in yoga classes are for,
- The mantras associated with each chakra also allow certain organs to resonate in order to rebalance them and regain well-being and plenitude,
- The yoga of sound only focuses on the vibrations of the vocal cords inside the body to release tensions and work on the breath,
- Breathing exercises ( Pranayama) allow you to relax and eliminate tension. Each yoga posture must be performed while taking care of your breathing (part of the posture on an inspiration, the other on an expiration). The advantage is that these breathing exercises can be reproduced everywhere as soon as you feel your heart racing and stress taking over. Before going on stage for a dance performance, I often practice square breathing. It’s an effective way to fool your body and therefore your brain: by lowering your heart rate, stress disappears as if by magic!
- Meditation is also beneficial for the work of the chakras, the release of body and mind tensions. A short accompanied meditation is generally offered at the beginning and end of the yoga session, but you can also try the adventure on YouTube with the meditations dedicated to the opening of the chakras.
Yoga sessions are entirely dedicated to the harmonization of a chakra . It is indeed more effective to concentrate on a particular chakra during a whole session in order to make it regain its balance.
The best yoga postures to balance your energy centers
Hatha yoga is particularly recommended if you want to balance your energy points . By working postures slowly and gently, he allows his vital energy to circulate correctly.
Thus, certain yoga postures (asanas) are more associated with the opening of this or that chakra:
- The first chakra: the chair, the garland, the clamp, the posture of the tree, the posture of the child,
- The second chakra: the cobbler, the cobra, the boat, the basin dance, the cow’s head,
- The third chakra: the warrior 1 and 2, the grasshopper, the sun salutation, the chair,
- The fourth chakra: the bridge, the camel, the fish, the cobra,
- The fifth chakra: the lion, the candle, the half-bridge,
- The sixth chakra: the child’s pose, the cat stretch, the candle, the dancer, the cross-legged forward bend,
- The seventh chakra: the posture of the corpse, the posture on the head (handstand).
Explore your chakras through the practice of yoga. You have everything you need to be able to gently open your energy points and rebalance them as needed. Do not hesitate to take yoga classes in order to acquire good practices and not risk injuring yourself in the realization of the postures.