If you want to find balance in life, find balance in your middle.
We all need courage and commitment in our lives, and often we need it in reserve for challenging situations. Yogis have developed various ways to promote a courageous heart and spirit by looking at the solar plexus region of our bodies and investigating what makes it strong and how this can benefit our mind and soul.
It’s known as the seat of the ego, or core centre, where we assimilate all of our life experiences. In various healing modalities, as well as yoga, this area is often associated with the colour yellow, like the sun, and thought of as beaming rays of positive light, warmth and radiance into the rest of the body. It’s a warming idea, but to keep the area strong, we have to focus on it.
I like to think about the solar plexus as King’s Cross station where many trains are moving in and out all the time. Digest this for a second. Think about how the midsection connects the top and bottom half of your body and how, when we eat and drink, everything moves to that hub centre – “the jewel in the city”.
In my belief, yoga is about how I am in the now, the present; not the past. The navel region specifically relates to how we cope with feelings of insecurity, jealously, envy and power in all forms.
I encourage you to try the Fire Series with me. These practices will strengthen the body while promoting a sense of courage, strength, and energy.
Throughout my years of teaching, many students have heard me talk about these 7 exercises. Are you up for the challenge ? I hope so! Let’s keep strengthening the movement…
The first in a series of 7 yoga classes to bring you ‘fire’, a practice for strength, stamina, courage and focusing on reducing your ego.
PS: It’s not for the feint hearted but you knew that didn’t you ? That’s why we call it a challenge! 🙂
>>Learn more about the Fire Series >>
This post was written by Andrea Kwiatkowski, an Advanced Jivamukti certified teacher. She also teaches Yin yoga and Restorative yoga. Andrea is known for her deep philosophical message in her class, interweaving the teachings from the scriptures and making them practical for everyday living. She lives and teaches in Cambridge and runs retreats and workshops in the UK and abroad.
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