Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers & Paul Grilley

Author:Sarah Powers & Paul Grilley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 2020-09-14T16:00:00+00:00

Breath Retentions and Chakra Visualizations

The meridian channels within the body get their vitality from the vortex centers along the central channel called chakras. These centers are considered cauldrons of energy by the Taoists, places where psychic forces and bodily functions merge. The chakras collect, transform, and distribute energy throughout the system. They are the junction between the form body and the energetic, formless dimensions. They are the lungs of the energy body, and each vibrating disk has specific functions that affect our overall well-being in various ways.

Yogis suggest that our basic physical and mental health is dependant on the natural functionality of each chakra. Although their fundamental capacity depends on our constitution, they can be activated and enlivened by mental concentration. As they are the source or wellspring of the energy body, when they lack full vibrancy and are impaired, our physical and mental health will suffer.

When we are already sick, revitalizing the chakra that is responsible for that function will have a direct effect on our body’s capacity to rebalance. There are many ancient and often secret practices that affect the chakras. These disciplines are called awakening the chakras and should only be attempted under the guidance of a qualified master. Here we will focus on simple concentration and visualization techniques that are safe to do while in Yin poses to improve specific basic functions of the chakras and the meridians they nourish.

Chakras are generators of prana, intersection sites where heightened pranic activity takes place; the prana is then channeled via the meridians to all the regions of the body. Amplifying chakra activity is accomplished through the use of mental concentration and visualization. It has already been mentioned that refined prana will gather at places in the body on which we focus without distraction. This process is enhanced if we concentrate on particular areas after we have completed the inhalation or exhalation process—in other words, during the suspension of breath. If we are interested in affecting one of the chakras below the ribs, it is best to concentrate on this area during forward bends as the area is being pressured by the pose, as well as at the end of an exhalation, concentrating the effect in the lower abdominal region where these chakras dwell. The practice of holding the breath after exhalation is called langhana, which refers to a capacity to reduce, and has a beneficial effect on the organs in the abdominal region as well as the lower chakras. If you have issues with your digestive, eliminative, or reproductive organs, or with the kidney, spleen, or liver chi, you should practice this method during the Yin yoga sequences for those three meridians.

If we are interested in affecting one of the chakras above the navel, it is best to focus on them during backbends, after a full inhalation, when the chi is more concentrated in the chest and upper regions. This practice is called brmhana, which refers to the capacity to expand. This practice has an energizing and warming

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.