Have you ever asked yourself why you practice yoga? Not the reasons that the ‘experts’ tell you but what YOU personally get out of it.

It might be for your physical body, perhaps you want to be strong and flexible.

It might be for your energetic body, perhaps you yearn to be full of vital life force.

When I first started practicing Yoga in the late 80’s it was with the Iyengars who were very strict about alignment and the way one should fold blankets. There was certainly no sound or chanting! I always refer to that part of my yoga journey as my army days:)

I knew in my heart that there was more to yoga than the angle at which my foot was pointing.

Yoga Nidra is a Sanskrit term meaning “yogic sleep”. 

It’s a deep relaxation technique sometimes referred to as body scan meditation. It is often prescribed as an effective way to calm the nervous system and promote deep quality sleep. For this reason it is popular with those who experience insomnia.

If you’ve been to my yoga classes or workshops you will know that I always begin by inviting you to create a Sankalpa, which is to set an intention. I love this ritual because it’s a reminder that your yoga doesn’t just happen on the mat.

When all our chakras are balanced we can access the liberation found at the crown chakra, Sahasrara. This is where we experience total connection, deep peace, unconditional love and tranquility.

Ajna the third eye chakra is our centre of intellect, wisdom, intuition and insight. We can develop these qualities with meditation, in particular visualisation which can be very powerful as a way to change our cognitive wiring to transform unhelpful mind states into more supportive ones.

The elements of vibration and sound resonate here as we express ourselves to the world. Vissudha is the centre of communication and the intention here is to express ourselves clearly, truthfully and authentically.

The heart chakra is the centre of connection and compassion. It’s from the heart space that we relate to other sentient beings, to nature and to the cosmos. It represents our innate sense of compassion and unconditional love.

Manipura relates to the fire element that lives in the solar plexus. When this chakra is well balanced this person will have good self-esteem and plenty of energy to get things done.

The second major energy wheel in the body is the sacral chakra known as Svadhisthana. The flavour here is quite different from the first chakra Muladhara, which is focused on security, stability, and acquiring possessions. By contrast, the focus at Svadhisthana is the pursuit of pleasure and fun.

When we work with the Chakra system we often begin at the base with the root chakra Muladhara because that’s the foundation of our being and our support. Just like a tree that needs deep roots sinking deep into the earth to get its nutrients, we too need that connection to Mother Earth to feel whole and connected.