Class Theme- Week 4 November 2015- Earth Energy

Muladhara Chakra, is our root support, located at the base of the spine.  Grounding energy, its element is earth.  The vayu associated with it is apana, our downward, expelling energy.  This first Chakra signifies our right to exist and have our basic needs met.  Where this support is missing, we experience fear.  If we consider the attributes of a well grounded person, we see someone comfortable in their own skin, with a sense of vitality and contentment with their life choices.
 
When building any stable structure, we need to start from the ground up.  Foundations are dug deep into the earth:  we may not see them, but their integrity and strength are fundamental to realising the full potential of what rises up from it.  Soil conditions vary, impacting the choice of materials and their ability to load bear.  Creative solutions may need to be found to stay true to the vision of the edifice, or compromises may need to be made.
 
What was the ground like when you dug your own foundations?  What circumstances and environments promote your sense of security, safety, being nourished and loved?  What throws you off balance- physically, mentally, and emotionally?  What protection or defences do you deploy to regain or maintain your ground?  What consequences do they have?
 
Through yoga, we can bring awareness to our own grounding tendencies and their implications.  Do we keep digging in, reluctant to expand upward?  Or do we neglect stability as our attention is drawn to creating? 
 
In our asana work, we play with our grounding- first shallow foundations, then deeper.  Learn to notice the difference, and the impact it has.  How light or heavy does it feel, how stable?  As we strengthen our roots, feel a lightness come into the pose higher up.  The downward energy feeds into upward flow.   Keep your ground, as you reach for the sky.  Balance, harmony, unity.