Who the hell are you?

No really think about that - and make sure you're reading that question like this: Who the hell are you? (Instead of how we usually think of it "Who the hell are you?")


Why do I ask this? --- think about the two contexts of those same five words: in one instance, it is a question directed outward, and in the other, it is a question directed inward.

We've all heard the term "giving away your power." Well, in the sense of Chakras (which is the kick I'm on for this holiday season) the third chakra - which is located at the soft spot between your belly button and your solar plexus, and is called the MANIPURA - is our sense of self. Our sense of self-worth. Our sense of power. It means "city of gems," which seems entirely random, unless you dig a little deeper (which I always love to do). It is our own individual "city of gems;" a place of resource and power.

Where last week's sacral chakra svadisthana (the lower abdomen, where the base of the spine connects to the hip bones), is about pleasure and enjoyment, and the first chakra muladhara was about our primal selves (survival, or fear, if that survival is compromised), the manipura goes a bit further. Our sense of self is awakened, and along with it, an ability to choose - to use willpower, and be proactive, instead of reactive or inactive.

Sooooooo, realistically, there's no way to realize and actualize everything that the chakras represent in one week's time. But, like I allllllways say, hang on to what works for you, be willing to learn a bit at a time, and as my Minneapolis yogi hero Laurel Van Matre would say,

ITS ABOUT SHOWING UP.

Hope to see many of you on Sunday :)

Yoga with Calley at Yoga Garden Minneapolis:

Sundays @ 10:00am - Abbreviated Ashtanga (great for beginners!)

Bandhas, breath, chakras, sex organs?

I've always kind of enjoyed being that friend / relative / person who says the thing that you're not supposed to say because its sooooo unCOUTH. But see, that's the thing with yoga - its supposed to be about dealing with real feelings, emotions, physical characteristics, etc. no matter what they are. Its good to unbutton every once and a while in life. (Hey, if we can adopt "It's 5:00 somewhere," we can use the word procreation when talking about yoga - especially around the holidays when its getting nice and cold outside... and everyone is warm inside... yeah you get it.)

So on that note, this Sunday in class (12/7/2014), we'll briefly talk about the second chakra - SVADHISTHANA, or the LOWER ABDOMINAL / SACRAL CHAKRA - which means "dwelling place of the self," and is directly governed by - you guessed it - the sex organs. It's also about emotions, sociablity, and movement.
Why talk about this? Welll...

READ LAST WEEK'S POST

Yoga with Calley at Yoga Garden Minneapolis:

Sundays @ 10:00am - Abbreviated Ashtanga (great for beginners!)

Getting Your HEART Ready for the Holidays

I've been thinking a lot this week about the true meaning of the "holiday season" in our culture. We all know that the grinch's heart grew three sizes when he figured out that its not about greed, but about love. We all know that having our loved ones and/or family around us is the ROOT (alluding, alluding...) of what this time is supposed to be about. But the thing is, there's a few other elements tied in with these concepts of love: Expectation - a byproduct of the human experience; & Consumerism - a byproduct of capitalism.

Now, obviously can't get rid of either of these other factors - nor should we worry that its necessary. If yoga is about anything, its about finding balance, health, and happiness with the truth in front of you, whatever that may be. But often, the thing we forget in this season, is that can't nobody feel the love, if you
A) are doing it begrudgingly; and
B) have not been careful to take care of your own needs and heart.
Its easy as pie to get wrapped up in what you want, what your mother wants, what your partners' mother wants, what your boss wants, and then there's all the stuff.... gifts, decorations, baking, parties... we forget that a very important part of the pie is L O V E. So, for the next four weeks in my blogs and Sunday class, we'll be gearing up and getting you prepped to give and receive the love, unleash the power of BREATH, and get your body, mind, and heart ready with some tools to make it all happen.

Ok it's TERMS time.  If you don't care about the terms, skip down to the next fun colored section.

This is a timely little project, as I was just thinking its about time that I mention to my class the importance of both the bandhas, (or energy centers, often most easily thought of as a muscle group for starters) and the controlled breathing aspect of yoga, called pranayama. Which got me thinking how the heart center is activated by the breath. Which made me realize, well, if we're focusing on getting the heart ready for the holidays, I should talk about the heart chakra.  Except that the chakras (which are considered energy "wheels" or circles in constant motion which govern different parts of body functions and how they interact with the outside world) are "realized" from the bottom up, meaning its best to start with number one, get a concept of what the freakin thing is, start to feel it and think about it & understand its importance in life and health, and then move on up to the next chakra.

And wouldn't you know it -- the heart chakra is the 4th chakra, and there are four weeks till Christmas, and five weeks till New Years, and the fifth chakra is at the throat, which governs the intake and release of air. And when thinking of the throat region in terms of Vayus, which is another concept of how air and breath move through the body - the throat Vayu (called conveniently the Pranic Vayu) governs all the rest of the vayus, or air, throughout the body. Oh the circle of life. 

AND SO!  For the next four weeks - we'll spend a few minutes at the beginning of each class activating and getting familiar with the bandhas, practicing controlled pranayama, and thinking about how these help us to realize our chakras, one at a time, all the way up the heart (for loving yourself and others), and the throat, which is the access point for the breath, and source to facilitate allllll the other stuff.

So!  Tomorrow is the ROOT CHAKRA called MULADHARA. It means "foundation," influences the excretory and reproductive organs, and is ruled by the element of Earth.

Come to class over these next four weeks, and get ready to TREAT YOUR HEART WELL, so that you are goooood and ready for the holidays :)

I found this beautiful 

painting of Muladhara from 

California artist 

Jennifer Mazzucco!

Yoga with Calley at Yoga Garden Minneapolis:

Sundays @ 10:00am - Abbreviated Ashtanga (great for beginners!)