As one of the oldest belief systems in the world, it’s worth looking at the theory of Yoga and Hinduism and the basics of how energy operates. Strands of this theory can be found replicated in belief systems throughout the world and bear a striking resemblance to creationist theories the world over. Here, I attempt to give a bird’s eye […]
Yoga Energy Theory
The Heart Connection
Where do we think? Or more importantly, how are we taught to think? In modern life, it is all about our brain. We rationalise everything. We analyse everything. We allow our brain to control almost every facet of our lives, from our waking to sleeping. It tells us we need to have this and that, it tells us not to […]
Yoga and the Chakras
Amidst the Instagram world of picture perfect poses, it’s easy to lose sight of the underlying meaning of Yoga and the Chakras. Immersed in class or our own practice, we start and finish with various asanas (postures) and it can become consuming to go deeper into a pose, to reach that bit further or to hold it a bit longer. […]
Tigers Eye
Tigers Eye is a (metamorphic) mix of rock, iron oxide deposits and red jasper, the latter giving the red layers that can be seen on closer inspection and the iron oxide giving it various hues of brown. Its formation gives it a chatoyant effect, meaning it changes colour in different light and angles. It resembles a tiger’s (or cat’s) eye […]
Sahasrara – Crown Chakra
The Crown Chakra, or Sahasrara, is located at the very top of the head and it is through this chakra that we connect with not just higher realms, but with the greater universe and humanity. It is our mental and spiritual energy and is connected to our pineal gland, the fabled gland with which we ‘see’ with our inner eye. […]
Ajna – Forehead Chakra
Ajna is the center of our awareness and intuition. It is our spiritual home and where we come to know who we are. Our intuition, fantasy and the power of the mind in terms of visualisation are all themes related to Ajna. The word Ajna itself means “to know or perceive.” This chakra is often called the third eye chakra […]
Vishuddha – Throat Chakra
Vishuddha or our throat chakra, is our fifth chakra and has the role of purifying awareness and giving us that sense of inner clarity. On a day to day basis, it is that piece of us that learns from our experiences rather than going on to make the same mistake over and over. This especially applies to our negative experiences […]
Anahata – Heart Chakra
The Anahata Chakra is our Heart Chakra and lies at the center of our chakra system. It is the turning point between the three lower chakras (our ‘earthly’ chakras) and the three higher (spiritual) ones. It is interesting that the Anahata chakra is all about the power of love – almost as if love is the way we progress from […]
Manipura – Solar Plexus Chakra
Located between our navel and solar plexus, the Manipura Chakra is our self esteem, confidence and self assurance. After overcoming the negatives of Svadhisthana (2nd chakra), the third chakra gives us a new lease of life in facing the world. ‘Mani’ in Sanskrit means ‘jewel’ and ‘pura’ means ‘city’ – thus the jewels of the city refer to the common sense […]
Swadhisthana – Sacral Chakra
Swadhisthana, the ‘residence of the self’ or Sacral Chakra is located in the lower abdominal near the base of the coccyx or tailbone. The name derives from Sanskrit where ‘Swa’ means ‘one’s own‘ and ‘adhisthana’ means ‘dwelling place‘. It is commonly thought of as the center of self, one’s own home but name also implies a sense of pleasure (‘swad’ […]