By Atul Vyas
A chakra is a chamber in the temple of the body that receives, assimilate, and transmits life force energy.
The second chakra’s sanskrit name is Svadhisthana means one’s own place. One assesses one’s own place through inner sensations. Because, it is internal one cannot see it any more but can only feel it. To occupy one’s own place here at second chakra is to fully feel your core rising out of your roots on its journey to lotus at the crown chakra.
Feelings bring consciousness into the body and simultaneously bring body towards your consciousness. It is the intimate connection between awareness and the body. The feeling function is of very crucial importance in yoga.
Feeling is also gateway between inner and outer worlds. We see sense some things, we hear it, smell it, touch it or taste it and this brings knowledge of out side world into inner consciousness. This knowledge helps us to move navigate through the physical world. When the feelings are pleasurable, we extend, when painful we recoil. Thus, feelings and sensation guide our movement from inside to outside and from outside to inside.
In a balanced second chakra, feelings move physiologically towards satisfaction of hunger and sex, while emotionally towards satisfaction in relationship and spiritually towards higher consciousness. Though there are many yogic poses to balance second chakra one of them is: Prishthasana or the lizard pose.
Technique
- Stand erect, and then bend forward bending your knees and touching the floor with palms
- Step the right foot back to a lunge, with hands on either side of the front foot
- Ensure that left knee is directly above your left ankle
- Now lower the right knee on the floor and bring the left arm to the inner side of the left leg and place the left palm next to the right palm on the inside of the left foot
- Breath normally and stay for five to ten seconds
- After this come back to normal standing position and repeat it on other side
Benefits
- Opens second chakra by opening the groins and stretching hip flexors
- Tones abdominal organs
- Opens hips
- Gives a good stretch to legs and groin area
Note of Caution
Those with hip or knee injury should avoid this pose.
Atul Vyas likes to be called a “Yoga Scientist”. He is a celebrity yoga trainer and has trained several top Hollywood and Bollywood stars. He has trained for years under many eminent yoga gurus including his illustrious mother Daya Vyas, the first lady yoga guru of India.
