Yoga_Journal_Singapore_FebruaryMarch_2017

54

february / march 2017

yogajournal.com.sg

THE TUNE-YOUR-CHAKRA

PRACTICE

READY TO RELEASE what’s not serving you

anymore and chart a new path forward? Get your

journal and yoga mat handy. “As you answer

the questions for each chakra on these pages,

write down who and what come up for you and

let yourself feel the range of emotions that may

surface,” says Mari. Then, chant the bija mantra—a

seed sound that activates the energy of the

chakra—as you practice the corresponding pose,

and again note what’s been revealed. “Each mantra

is like the passcode to the chakra,” says Mari.

“Each sound helps awaken our consciousness to

what we’ve packed away in the recesses of our

body. The mantras combined with the poses and

your awareness create these openings so that the

things you haven’t yet dealt with can emerge.”

If you’re working on a specific issue, you can

go right to the related chakra; or, you can work

through all of the chakras as a sequence, starting

with a seated meditation.

VIRABHADRASANA II Warrior Pose II

Stand on your mat with your feet 3 to 4 feet

apart, your back foot turned in about 45 degrees

and your front heel in line with your back arch.

Raise your arms to shoulder height as you bend

your front leg toward a 90-degree angle. As you

stretch your hands away from your midline, feel

the stability in your legs and feet. Stay here for 8

to 10 breaths, then repeat on the other side.

MULADHARA CHAKRA

KEY WORD Stability

BIJA MANTRA Lam (pronounced lum)

ASANA Standing, balancing poses.

“How your beginnings began determines

how you operate in the world,” says Mari. “Working

with this chakra can help you see if you’re always

in survival mode and on guard—and help

you move into a more peaceful, balanced state.”

ASK Did you have stability when you

were growing up? What was your financial

situation? When you think of your

childhood, what comes up?