Throat Chakra 101

 

Like John Mayer says... say what you need to say! But also don't forget to listen too!

Location: throat... see, this is really not rocket science!

Color: Blue

Physical: throat, mouth, neck, ears

Balanced: good communication skills, content, mediator, artistically inspired 

Unbalanced: over-talkative, arrogant,  holds back self expression, inconsistent opinions, 

Yoga: legs up the wall, fish, shoulder stand... check this post

Oil: peppermint, breathe blend, spearmint, wintergreen

Stones: aquamarine, lapis lazuli, sodalite, blue lace agate

Nutrition: it's all about the fruit... blackberries, grapes, and especially blueberries

Affirmations: I can speak up for myself, I speak from the heart, I listen to acknowledge others, I can express myself 

Heart Chakra 101

 

Feel the love! 

Location: where your heart is sillies! 

Color: Green

Physical: heart, lungs, thymus 

Balanced: unconditionally loves, compassionate, nurturing

Unbalanced: possessive, over dramatic, fears rejection, feels unworthy of love

Yoga: think heart openers... camel, cobra or updog, wild thing... check this post for more.

Oil: sandalwood, rose

Stones: green aventurine, jade, emerald, peridot, unakite, watermelon tourmaline, or even a little rose quartz for good measure! 

Nutrition: I'm always preaching for y'all too eat your greens, now I'm making it even more important.  Kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, celery, avocado, zucchini, and green fruits too... pears, apples, kiwi, grapes.  Caring for your heart chakra is delicious! 

Affirmations: I love myself for who I am, my love for myself is unconditional, my love for others is unconditional,  I am grateful for all the love in my life. 

Solar Plexus Chakra 101

 

This is THE chakra that made me believe in chakras, because the struggle was real.  I could associate so many imbalances that expressed themselves physically with how I was feeling emotionally and it all came back to the solar plexus chakra. 

Location: above the navel

Color: yellow

Physical: digestive system, hello my gutsy girls! Stomach, upper intestines, liver, and pancreas too.

Balanced: respects self and others, spontaneous, in tune with personal power

Unbalanced: poor self esteem, insecure, overpowered, fearful, arrogant, controlling, judgmental, workaholic 

Yoga:  I fell in love with yoga as a way to remain active but calm my tummy at the same time.  To help balance this chakra specifically think core strength and twists…. plank, boat, bow, seated twist, twisting lunge.  Check this post for more info.

Oil:  lemongrass is my all-time fave, but also lemon or cheer blend

Stones: citrine and yellow opal are my faves, but really anything yellow

Nutrition: lemons, pineapple, yellow peppers, corn, bananas, yellow squash 

Affirmations: I am authentic, I have the power, I am strong, I stand up for myself, I honor myself

Sacral Chakra 101

 

Now that we’ve established that we are safe and secure (see root chakra here) we can move on to considering how we actually feel.  Apparently we always want what we can’t have, just as soon as we are holding on and grounded we want to change and flow.  We naturally move towards pleasure, and thus away from pain, and this is what the sacral chakra is all about.  It is the center for all things feel good and sweet in life!

 

Location: In the lower abdomen, near the reproductive organs

Color: Orange

Physical: consider the location, but also remember this is the water chakra, so anything fluid: the reproductive organs, bladder & kidneys, and circulatory system, but also sacral plexus

Balanced:  in tune with your own feelings, creative, trusting

Unbalanced: emotionally unstable, manipulative, oversensitive, hard on yourself, guilt, addictive personality

Yoga: This is my most favorite way to work on this chakra.  This chakra is all about the flow, just like yoga.  The word emotion literally has the word motion in it.  For me it’s all about using the movement to filter the emotions through your body.  I love to use the poses to work through the feelings and toward the happy.  And just a reminder, this is not only reserved for negative emotions either.  Yoga is a fabulous way to embrace the good too.  Check this post  but here are some good ideas to work on this chakra specifically…. pigeon, happy baby, frog, triangle, dancer

Oil: it should make you feel creative….orange, tangerine, grapefruit, or citrus bliss blend are great choices

Stones: carnelian or topaz

Nutrition: all things orange, especially oranges (duh!), melons, papayas, mangos and pumpkin, but also hydrating fully with fresh clean water.

Affirmations: My life is flowing as it should, I am worthy of love and pleasure, I have a right to express myself creatively, I’m embracing change and moving towards happiness and 

Root Chakra 101

 

Let's start with the root chakra.

Our root chakra is our center for survival and stability.  If we don't feel grounded, centered, and secure with our basic needs none of the higher chakras can be happy and we really can't be then either, so this one is super important.  It is quite literally the base, think of it as a solid foundation on which to build up.

Location: base of spine

Color: red

Physical: bones, teeth, adrenals, fight or flight response, spine 

Balanced: safe and secure, calm strength, reassuring, in tune with abundance 

Unbalanced: fear, anxiousness, materialistic, lethargic, restless, spacey, chaotic, ineffective, greedy

Yours not quite on track? Here's some suggestions...

Yoga: Check this post .. but think grounding poses... child's pose, lotus, warrior 1, tree...

Oil: think woodsy and grounding... cedar wood, cypress, patchouli 

Stones: think red.... jasper, garnet, 

Nutrition: eating clean and nourishing food... again, think red...  peppers, apples, cherries, strawberries, etc, and also think proteins for strength...meats and beans.

Affirmations: I am safe, I am grounded, I am rooted, I am centered, I have enough, I am enough

10 Roads To Happy Chakras

A dear friend and I just did a reiki training yesterday.  Awesome! Eventually I'll do a post on it.

The reiki attunement was such an amazing experience!  And it kicks off an energetic cleans that works its way up through the chakras.  As this cleanse takes place for me and moves into each of my chakras I'm going to post that info for you guys that I talked about here.

But first I want to share/remind you of some ways to check in and bring balance to your chakras.  I want you to keep these ideas in mind as we work our way through your basic chakra system.  Remember definitely keep an open mind, but otherwise only keep want sounds and feels good to you. 

 

I can't stress enough how life changing it has been for me to take a good hard look at my chakra system!  Being a #gutsygirl I focus SOOOOO much on my physical body.  And while that's so important for everyone, it's just the vehicle that drives your #soul around.  There is so much more to your entire beautiful self!  Checking in with my #chakras helps me make sure my entire being, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual, is functioning in top notch condition! 

These are some ways that I do just that! 

10 roads to #happychakras...

1. #Nutrition

2. #Aromatherapy

3. #Yoga

4. #DailyQuestions & #Journaling

5. #Affirmations

6. #Meditation

7. #Nature 

8. #CrystalHealing

9. #SacredSpace & #ColorTherapy

10. #SoundTherapy

#holistichealing #holistichealth #fillyourtankfirst #selflove #grateful #happy #blessed 

 

Here my gorgeous friend and I are being the playful Yogis that we are in the yoga room where we did the reiki training.  I am participating in an instagram 10 day yoga challenge through #yogabycandace and the #wildthing was the pose of the day.  So we snapped this cool picture to represent our sunny Sunday morning learning new things in the city.  Awesome reminder of an awesome memory! #namaslay 

Why love inversions?

 
This moment was one of my favorites of all time! Anyway... 

Do you love inversions? Hate them? More of a love hate thing?? 

I used to be scared of them.  Not scared to get hurt, but scared to fail, and that's the worst and most useless kind of scared.  I needed to get over it!!

I always tell the kiddos just try.  So I listened to my own words and I fell in love.

Why??

Here's 10 good reasons...

YES, there are tons of reasons that this physiologically helps your body... draining lymph fluids, circulation, balance, coordination... but I want to focus more on the mental side... 

And yes, of course they just look cool and photograph well... but there is soooooooo much more than that. 

1.  Perfect for teaching you the classic life lesson that when you fall you get up and try again... always try again! 

2.  Overcoming fears feels damn good!

3.  The kiddos (and some big people too) are so inspired by them.  I love sharing inspiration with them for their yoga!

4. Knowing you can hold yourself up physically makes you realize you can mentally too.

5.  My core can be a hot mess inside with all my digestive issues, and that tries to get in my head sometimes, but every time I do an inversion I prove that that core is way stronger than I think.  You are always stronger than you think and the proof is right here.

6. I said "I don't give a shit" to what people think of me.  Am I happy with my yoga? Yes! Do I do these to "show off"? Absolutely not! Previously, I didn't share because I didn't want people to think that about me.  But I realized even the people who can't stop and open their mind to the beauty of all these why's are inspired too.  Remember jealousy is flattery.

7.  It forces you to tune into your breathe, which is always, always, always important.

8.  It actually really challenges me.  Yoga has always been something that I was just naturally good at.  Like I was born and built to do it.  I don't care who you are, inversions are always at least a little bit challenging.  And that's a refreshing way to stay humble and grateful for what your body and mind can do.

9.  It forces you to stop and focus.  That's what you see in the picture below.  I was frazzled and overwhelmed... get inverted and I am balanced and centered again just like that.

10.  Sometimes you just need to change your perspective, and what better way than by hanging out upside down! 

 

Right here I have a full shop and full heart... but a full brain too! 

When I lose it, I find my zen by my vehicles, and usually upside down! 🙃 🏎

Just like I said above, it forces me to take a brain break, to focus and breathe, to find gratitude and balance. 

#yogi #zen #balance #strength #breathe #focus #gratitude #pontiac #g8 #liquidred #cargirl #stillplayswithcars #shinebykat

So, friends, be afraid, but don't let it stop you!  Try it, fall down, try again. Use a wall, who the hell cares?! Just do YOUR inversions... That's what it's all about! 

Here is a PERFECT example!

Look at this beautiful mama and her baby! I got the pleasure of teaching them both how to do that.  She didn't think she could do it, but I assured her she totally could and after walking her through it for not even five minutes she did it!  Now she has this precious picture of this amazing moment with her son!  So yes... just try damn it!!