Since completing my yoga teacher training in 2018, I’ve become more curious about subtle anatomy and the chakras.  And long before this, I’ve recognized deep connections between our energetic body and our physical body.  This is one of the reasons I created the Building a Healthy Spine for Life series with IDM TV.  In this series, I combine not only the physical postures and mobility activities that promote a healthy spine but also address the spiritual, emotional, and energetic dimensions.  A part of this energetic dimension is the chakra system.

The first class of the Healthy spine for Life series is named Ground into Power.  One of the themes of this class is the chakra system – more specifically the lower three chakras.  This 20-minute class builds on the grounding power of the Root, Sacral, and Solar chakras.  By first engaging the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles and taking a moment to visualize the chakra centers of the Root, Sacral, and Solar centers we allow our body to ground into power. In this blog post, we will dive deeper into the chakra system, particularly the lower three chakras.

The chakras are energetic centers each connected to an area of our spiritual body housing growth, emotion, and vitality. When these energy centers are in alignment, we can feel an increased sense of flow, ease, and vitality in life.  The chakras form a vertical line from the base of our spine, running up our spinal cord to the area of the crown.  Within the tradition of yoga, chakras are part of subtle anatomy.  They are part of our spiritual and energetic field.  The chakras provide a framework for better understanding our unseen experience and also function as stepping stones to transformation.

The lower three chakras are named Root, Sacral, and Solar or in Sanskrit: Muladhara, Swadhistana, and Manipura.  The lower three chakras in combination can be thought of as forming our identity and relationship with ourselves.  The upper three chakras represent the relationship we have with the external world.  In between the lower three and upper three, there is the heart chakra. The heart chakra represents the bridge between the lower three and upper three.  To stay in integrity and authenticity, connecting to the central heart channel is key.

The lower three chakras are closely related to the physical structures of our lower back, pelvis, and abdomen.  The lower part of our spine includes the lumbar spine, sacrum, pelvis, and coccyx.  The health of the muscles, bones, and joints of our lower back is closely related to our ability to control our core, abdominals, and the health of the organs in this area including the lower digestive tract, urinary, and sexual organs.

The Root chakra is in the area between the coccyx and lower pelvis area.  This area represents our connection to the earth, our sense of self, and our identity.  A mantra for the Root Chakra is “I am safe”.  The color of the root chakra is deep red, which I always feel represents the color of the earth or soil.  The Root chakra represents our trust in ourselves.  The safety we feel within our body.

The energetic Sacral chakra is in our pelvis and lower abdominal area.  The sacral represents the power of creativity and the seat of emotions. A mantra for the Swadhistana chakra is “I am creative”. Creativity can help us to create new experiences and access flexibility.

The Solar plexus represents our willpower and our ego – represented by the color yellow.  The solar plexus is located at the level of our belly button.  A mantra for the solar plexus is “I am strong”.  Physically in this area, we have our abdominal core muscles – which form a shield in protecting this area of our body.

These lower three chakras represent the relationship with our physical selves in the world. Our identity.  So how can we build this trusting relationship with ourselves? How can we foster a feeling of safety in our bodies?  Here are two questions to ask yourself and perhaps even to journal on:

• Are you keeping your word to yourself?  We may make plans with friends or loved ones to go to lunch or meet for coffee – and set up an appointment or date.  When we make plans with other people, we will likely keep our plans.  Yet if we decide to go to the gym or set aside time to meditate or finally start that project…we may not be as consistent at keeping an appointment with ourselves. Keeping our word to ourselves is so important in building trust with ourselves. If we make a commitment to ourselves and show up for ourselves, we build trust in ourselves that we have our own back.
• Whose opinions matter to you the most? Do certain people in your life come to mind?  What about the idea of asking yourself what your present self, future self, and past self/inner child’s opinion might be? Maybe you are facing a decision or at a crossroads…consider how thinking about the decision or problem might look from your perspective at different times of your life?  Would your past self be amazed and proud of where you are now?  How are you approaching this day-to-day in your life right now?  Could you ask your future self what decision would be best for her if she could speak with you?  Asking yourself these questions can provide a bridge to building that trusting relationship with yourself.

And make sure to check out my new series “Building a Healthy Spine for Life” streaming now exclusively on InnerDimensionTV.com for a few practices to help you on your journey of self-discovery and trust!

By Christine