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Sacred Circle Sundays|  Session 2 (Continuation of Session 1 )

UNDERSTANDING COLOR AND SOUND CONNECTION

Color essentially is a wave traveling thru space and depending on its wavelength we see its color. The color associated with Muladhara Chakra is RED. Wavelength of the red color is between 625 to 740 and it vibrates at 400-484MHZ (sound). Between the wavelengths and vibrating frequencies lies information in reference to levels of physical\ mental\emotional\spiritual wellbeing. Root Chakra with its slow wavelength  is dense and heavy connecting us to Earth.

Root Chakra reminds us of our deep connection with Earth, we come from earth, we are made of Earth, and we go back to Earth.

So much of our life is lived in our heads/mind, with mind controlling and spinning our lives. Constantly either living in the past or predicting the future, without acknowledging or living in the “Now”

Root Chakra is the foundation of our Energy Body. Muladhara is the seat of the Kundalini, the hidden energy in all of us, it is the seat of Shakti.

The four petals of the chakra ( each with its own letter/ sound) represent four significant functions of mind, intellect, consciousness, and ego. They also represent four human goals,

1. Dharma (righteousness)
2. Artha -(wealth earned in a righteous way)
3. Kama (Ethical Desire)
4. Moksha (liberation)

Yoga Asanas for Muladhara

Hero’s Pose| Virasna

Tadasan| Mountain pose

Warrior two| Virbhadra Asna 2

Recommended Activity

Rub essential Oil of your choice in your palms, with intention inhale deeply 6 to 8 breaths. Find crystal for Muladhara that speaks to you :), hold it in your palms and step out in to your garden/yard bare feet. Take a little stroll, find a spot where you can see or witness a tree. Find a comfortable stance, take time to dig your feet ,heel, and toes into the soil. Close your eyes, and let your awareness travel to your root chakra. Keep your awareness here, as you stay with your breath

Chakra Alchemy (by Cynthia)

Root ~ Muladhara

Signifies

Connection to survival instincts ~ Core need for survival ~ Security and livelihood

You can balance your mind, body, and spirit by aligning your seven chakras with the help of essential oils.

• Inhale from the bottle; diffuse; or place drops in your hand, rub together, and inhale
• Rub over unbalanced areas of the body

Ylang Ylang ~ The Inner Child

Helps in releasing emotional trauma from the past.

Dispels negative emotions: joyless, stressed, over-analyzing, sad, disconnected from inner child

Promotes positive aspects: playful, free, intuitive, emotionally connected, healing, joyful, innocent

Supports: low libido, infertility, hormone imbalances, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat/palpitations, adrenal/mental/heart fatigue, loss of will/apathy, anxiety, frustration, stress, fear, hair loss, colic/stomachache, emotional balance

Frankincense ~ Truth

Reveals deceptions and falsehoods.

Dispels negative emotions: abandoned, spiritually disconnected, distant from father, unprotected, spiritual darkness, misaligned

Promotes positive aspects: enlightened, loved, protected, wisdom, discerning, spiritually open, connected to father

Supports: cancer/tumors, seizures, trauma, Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, brain injury, depression, wound healing, wrinkles, scars, stretch marks, sciatica, back pain, headaches, immune system, cellular health, emotional balance

Cedarwood ~ Community

Brings people together to experience the strength and value of community.

Dispels negative emotions: inability to form social bonds, lonely, feeling separate from the human family, antisocial

Promotes positive aspects: emotionally connected, belonging, supported, social bonds, sociable, community oriented

Supports: ADD, ADHD, psoriasis, eczema, anxiety, stroke/seizures, urinary tract/bladder infection, gum issues, acne, emotional balance

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

Importance of yoga for Pole Dancers

I was fortunate enough to grow up with yoga being a way of life, however I was also not particularly fond of it. As a child I did not understand its importance. I went thru the practice mostly because it was expected and required. As a pole dancer and pole instructor over the years I have realized the immense importance of yoga especially for pole dancers. So many aerial yoga students state that their body needs it, their body craves it.

The main benefits for anyone practicing yoga are learning how to breathe, increased flexibility and strength as well as balance and coordination. I can not tell you how many times I have made students realize that they were holding their breath while learning a new pole move. Everyone does it, because our mind is so focussed on performing that we forget to breathe, Practicing yoga slowly helps us understand our breath, and how it allows us to flow effortlessly through life. Practicing yoga teaches us to focus on our breath, our prana, our life force.. Holding your breathe instead of breathing through the entrance into a pole move hinders your ability to even do it. In our classes you will hear your instructors reminding you to breathe. You would think that is an easy fix to do on your own but it takes practice. Something done repetitively, is something that becomes second nature and yoga focuses on breathing in each and every class.

We all know the importance of Flexibility for pole skills ; yoga has a way of moving you into poses that are beneficial not only for your flexibility but also your strength. A very simple example of this is Sun Salutations and Moon Salutations. We close our feminine divine flow with Moon Salutations with calm settling breaths and our warm-ups have variations of Sun salutations. Sun Salutations are a whole body toning and conditioning and each move has a breath associated with it, which becomes rhythmic almost like a dance within you.

One of the biggest challenges in any sport including pole dance  is coordination. Coordination is a key component in pole and any time you can practice slow, methodical movement such as yoga,  it will  help greatly. Coordination is a skill that is learned through practice. It isn’t built into the DNA for some people and not others. The actual definition of coordination is ‘the ability to use different parts of the body smoothly and efficiently’. This skill cannot be more important than in pole. When we work on pole combinations, recognizing unnecessary movements are key to smoother moves and transitions.  Yoga is about thoughtful, efficient movement. It’s about flow and transitions involving breath in a very intimate way, exactly what we strive to achieve in pole.

Balance is key, inside and out. Looking at some yoga poses we have all had a thought of tipping over 🙂 but we also know practice makes everything better. The most significant outcome of practicing yoga is mind body connection and at a deeper level with your soul.

If you have taken a class with me I have always equated pole dance with meditation. Even if it is for a few seconds we are completely immersed in learning a move with our full attention with our mind body and soul in that moment.  Life today is go go go, and sometimes we tend to bring the same to our pole practice too. The release, calm and relaxation a yoga practice brings is much needed.

If you haven’t tried it before, or if you tried it a long time ago, try it again. I am a big believer in yoga, especially for us. It’s no coincidence that we offer it at our studio. It compliments everything we do as pole dancers and it will help you get to the next level.

Love and Light Always

Neelam

Intentions and Making Resolutions

Intentions and Making resolutions, we have reached the beginning of a new year – a time of reflection and rebirth. This is the time that we set our intentions for the rest of the year through the making of resolutions. Unfortunately, these resolutions can sometimes be unkind toward ourselves, focusing on perceived flaws. Or they can be unrealistic – setting ourselves up for disappointment, which is also unkind. I’d like to take the month of January to discuss realistic resolutions, that come from a place of respect and compassion for ourselves and for our bodies.

Self love is important to me, and I know that it is important to Neelam, which is one of the reasons I was drawn to Aradia as an instructor. I’m very happy that this blog series can find a home here, where people are passionate about breaking cycles and healing.

Intentions and making resolutions: Eat Intuitively

The second resolution I’d like to discuss is EAT INTUITIVELY. What does that mean?

“Intuitive Eating is an approach developed to help people heal from the side effects of chronic dieting. An intuitive eater is defined as a person who makes food choices without experiencing guilt or an ethical dilemma, honors hunger, respects fullness, and enjoys the pleasure of eating.” – Be Nourished

I have personally suffered from eating disorders and health problems as a result of toxic diet culture, and discovering the intuitive eating movement was a life saver (literally) for me. We often make resolutions about healthy eating, but forget what healthy means. Mental and emotional health are part of our health, too, and they directly contribute to physical health. Also, wellness and diet culture promote a lot of ideas, fads, and trends about what is “healthy”, making it hard to keep up. And the information is often contradictory, or flat-out incorrect.

So I’d like to propose that you stop listening to the internet, and start listening to your body.

Intuitive Eating has 10 principles, which you can read about here. I’m going to talk about what’s worked best for me, in my own words.

Eat Only when Hungry

Learn to listen to your body. Hunger is your body’s way of telling you that it needs fuel, don’t ignore it. Conversely, wait until you are actually hungry to eat, not just because it is a scheduled meal time. This may mean that you are eating at unusual times, and that’s okay.

Stop Eating When Satisfied

We often interpret “full” as a stuffed, uncomfortable, lethargic feeling. When really we should feel satisfied and energetic. Learn to identify what satisfied feels like, and stop there. Even if it means you are hungry again in a few hours.

Savor Your Food

Take the time to really savor and enjoy your food. What does it look like? Smell like? Taste like? Eat without distractions, like television, so that you can really stay in touch with how your body is feeling. Try not to eat in a rush, or when stressed, which has negative effects on your digestive ability.

Reject the Concept of “Good” or “Bad” Food

Food is fuel, there is no moral value attached. Instead determine – how does this food make my body feel? Does it make me feel sick and tired? Or energetic and strong?

Honor Your Cravings – Food shouldn’t make you feel guilty or naughty, or that you’ve cheated or splurged. If you have a craving, satisfy it. Food restriction leads to negative mental effects and overeating. It is better to fully enjoy one scoop of your favorite ice cream, than to binge on diet food and snacks without ever feeling satisfied (and then probably going for the ice cream afterwards, anyway).

Progress, not perfection – and self compassion, always.

Lady Curvicorn

Aradia Instructor Lady Curvicorn has spent years researching self compassion and intuitive eating, and has used that experience to create a list of compassionate New Year’s Resolutions. We will be sharing her blog series with you throughout the month.