Australian Yoga Journal - May June 2017

THE TUNE-YOUR-CHAKRA

PRACTICE

ARE YOU 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.

KEY WORDStability

BIJA MANTRAam (pronouncedlum)

ASANAStanding, 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 can help you move into a

more peaceful, balanced state.”

ASKDid you have stability when you

were growing up? What was your

financial situation? When you think

of your childhood; what

comes up?

VIRABHADRASANA IIWarrior Pose II

Stand on your mat with your feet about

1 metre 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

52

may/june 2017

yogajournal.com.au