The Desert Song Yoga & Massage Center Blog

Our theme this month at Desert Song is ENERGY, which is one of my favorite topics. I have been on a journey, so to speak, in understanding all the aspects of energy for more than twenty years. I am fascinated by it’s essence, experience, effects and how we use it in our daily lives. Let’s face it, EVERYTHING IS ENERGY: from the subtlest forms such as thought and feelings to the more gross levels of our physical body and worldly foundations around us.
Prior to moving to Arizona, I lived on the East coast and had a mirage of health considerations. I was not the health nut I am today, and had a rather intense younger life, which resulted in ulcers and a nodule on my thyroid gland by the age of 17. I took medicine for my ulcers, had my thyroid nodule removed surgically and put no effort into inquiring why I had developed these health problems in the first place. It was not in my conscience yet that my symptoms reflected stuck energy that eventually manifested into my physical body. I became more interested in the topic of ENERGY when I began to practice yoga in college. Yoga was my first holistic look at my life. I moved from a very unhealthy, intense person to someone who for the first time became healthy and happy. I would enter yoga class tired, upset by someone or something that happened before I arrived and be transformed during class to a relaxed, energized and motivated yogini. It was so interesting and perplexing how a 90 minute class could unravel my body on a physical level and affect me in a mental and emotional way simultaneously.
My interest increased when I decided to become a yoga instructor and subsequently learned about the Indian science of Ayurveda, which delves more deeply into the energies of the body, most specifically the charkas (energy zones), nadis (meridians), koshas (energy fields) and prana (life force or energy) itself. It was the early eighties at the time, so there were few people who practiced yoga or talked about “energy”. I read every book I could find at the library and the bookstores. I was on a mission to explore the subtle effects of energy through bodywork
I eventually became a licensed massage therapist and worked on hundreds of people before I received my certification. During that period of time, as I was giving deep therapeutic massages, I witnessed two main things. First, by the end of the treatment, my client felt healed, relaxed and energized. Secondly, I was in pain and sometimes nauseous. My hands looked and felt like they were getting arthritis. This was devastating to me because I loved doing the work. I finally got the courage to speak to one of my mentors and she agreed to watch me massage and give me feedback. What she discovered was that I was not releasing the energy from my body as I massaged it out of my clients body. She shared a video with me that was photographed through a kirlian camera. A kirlian camera allows one to see the energy field or aura around the subject as they move. The video filmed a woman giving a massage and it showed how the woman was moving the energy off the body in long sweeps at the end of the extremities of the person’s body. Long spirals of light current flowed into the atmosphere off the person’s limbs. I was awestruck. The very next massage I gave I used these final sweeping motions off the client’s body, and to my delight I had no pain or discomfort after the massage. Not only was I not tired but I felt more energized after the massage than before I began.
At that point I proceeded to take workshops and classes in Therapeutic Touch, Jin Shin, Polarity Balancing, Chakra balancing and many yoga retreats and workshops that focused on energy healing and cultivation. This science of energy awareness changed my life.
Today my interests along with the asana practice and bodywork have centered on working with the chakras. Chakra means wheel or vortex. There are seven main chakras in the body. Chakras are spiraling vortexes of energy located in the core of our body. Five are located on the spine and the other two are found in the skull. There are said to be thousands of nadis (meridians), which move through our body, some interacting with certain chakras and correlating within the physical body, most specifically aligned with our nerves and nervous system. The chakras act as conductors filtering energy from the universe around us to the inner realm of our beings.
Chakra work can give us clues to understanding how we process life. The base chakra is called the Muladhara, meaning root or support”. The element associated with the root chakra is the earth. This chakra represents our physical world or earth. To be balanced here would mean you feel a strong foundation in your life, within your home, finances, family, job, etc. Muladhara chakra regulates your feet, legs and base of your pelvis. Nowadays with the recession looming over us daily, many people are experiencing root chakra imbalances, such as broken ankles, knee problems, sciatic nerve problems, constipation, etc. It is astonishing how prevalent root chakra ailments have become in the past four months. Seated postures, standing warriors and lunges, squats, postures that bring the front body on to the floor, such a cobra (bhujangasana) or locust (salambasana) are helpful postures to practice to promote balance in Muladhara. Using visualizations to sense rooting into the earth is also useful.
The second chakra, Svadhisthana, meaning “sweet abode” is locate below the navel between the pelvis bones and is associated with the element of water. This chakra is associated with the sexual and reproductive organs. When balanced in this chakra, one opens to passion, the ability to thrive in life, sensuality and creativity. Governed by the element of water, it influences how we experience our emotions and our physical health and well-being. Some imbalances of the second chakra would reflect in symptoms of infertility, impotence, urinary tract infections, menstrual problems, etc. Some postures that are useful would be hip openers, twists, squats and abdominal exercises, including Kapalabhati breathing, relaxing in water and being more fluid and adaptable in life. In the last two years, several women have approached me concerning menstrual problems and infertility. With focused exercises, such as restoratives, hip openers and deep forward bends, breathing techniques and some specific daily rituals like self massage, especially the belly, Epsom salt baths, dancing and playing to embrace the second chakra, successful outcomes have been realized.
The third chakra is Manipura, meaning “lustrous jewel”. The element of this chakra is fire and reflects the will or personal power of an individual. It defines our sense of self. Some attributes are self-confidence, strong self worth and personal power. This chakra governs the digestive organs such as stomach, liver, spleen, kidney, small intestines, etc. When out of balance, some symptoms that could arise include ulcers, acid reflux, gall bladder or liver problems and inflammations. As with balancing any chakra, postures would be chosen depending on whether the chakra needed calming or more stimulating effects. If inflammation were a factor, cooling postures and breathing techniques would be performed to balance the region. Awhile back, I had a very stressful personal situation arise which I had no control over, diminishing my personal willpower (third chakra) and I started experiencing acid reflux. The pain was so intense I thought I might be having a heart attack, since I had never experienced this before. I intuitively began to do cooling, controlled breaths and focused on softening my belly. Slowly I regained a sense of control and in a short period of time it relaxed the acid reflux. Sometime later, after I felt the ease return to my body, I performed postures such as warriors and abdominal strengtheners to realign and strengthen my Manipura chakra. I meditated on my strength, resilience and ability to cope. The acid reflux has not returned, even though the situation has not changed. These are the chakras that have been most affected by our recession. People are losing their homes, their financial savings, their jobs and their health. Many of the participants shared similar symptoms of imbalance in the first three chakras. We must realize that everything is energy, which begins with more subtle aspects, such as thoughts and emotions, and if focused on for an extended period of time, this subtle energy will manifest in a physical way, exhibiting symptoms in the body. As energy moves from the base chakras up the spinal meridian called the “Sushumna”, it becomes lighter and transforms through the heart chakra or Anahata, meaning, “unstruck”
The element of the fourth chakra is air, which is a more expansive vibration of energy than the base chakras. The heart chakra regulates our heart, lungs and thymus gland. It is at the heart chakra that we transition into the three upper spiritual chakras. The heart chakra energy softens, unifies, transcends the ego and allows a sense of love and connection to develop within us and with one another. It is the heart chakra that allows us to heal, forgive and spiritualize our experience of life. This is the chakra that moves us to an elevated way of thinking and living our lives. When we follow our hearts, we are guided to what is natural and true for us and we respect and honor another’s truth. Someone who is balanced in the heart chakra lives in a state of joy and acceptance. Some imbalances in the heart chakra may manifest in various heart conditions and congestive lung problems. It is often said, “he died of a broken heart.” Working with your practices to move energy around the heart and chest can be extremely helpful and healing. Our sorrow, low confidence, mistrust and the like often settle in the heart and cause havoc. Choosing postures and breathing techniques that gently open the heart and lungs can be beneficial in shifting the emotions through or “clearing the air.” The heart chakra energy is love, the most powerful energy there is. When we can truly love from that place within ourselves, we transform not only ourselves, but also make the world a little brighter.
There are three chakras above the heart chakra: Vishuddha (throat, sound), Ajna (brows, thought) and Sahasrara (crown, spiritual connection). These three chakras are said to be the spiritual chakras. As we heal, transform and elevate to these chakras, we open to the oneness of life based on the belief that there is no separation between us. The source of all existence connects each of us in an intimate way and we experience Samadhi (bliss) within ourselves and with all of life. The chakra work opens a window to our psyche, giving us valuable information on how to proceed on our path to our wholeness and spiritual renewal. Our yoga, tai chi, meditation and massage practices give us the ability to observe and be sensitive to the subtle energy in and around us, then tools to balance and rejuvenate ourselves through these practices. See our offerings this month in workshops, classes and bodywork that will encourage a summer that will balance, energize and restore your energy.

Blessings,
Mary Beth