5

The Alchemy of Yoga

Diving deeper into the yoga practice means delving into the heart of our own psyche. To do this, we need the amalgamation of practices that utilizes the work of our physical body as the fuel for psychospiritual transformation—we need something that addresses both spirit and matter in an intimately connected way. This is an alchemical process of transformation that allows us to make our body the alchemical alembic, the beaker that holds the fire of transformation and turns it into pure gold, which is the light of pure conscious awareness.

The Alchemical Body:
Entering the Fires of Transformation

Now that we have set the playing field for our yoga practice through preparing our external world, it is time to venture inward. After all, bliss is located within, in the deepest part of the soul. Ironically, it is at this deepest part that we discover our greatest light.

At the beginning of a yoga practice, we work with dense bodies that make it exceedingly difficult for us to witness this light. We must re-fashion our bodily “container” in order to retain and sustain the connection to our bliss. To do this, we realign the energetic body so it carries the current of yoga and lights us from the inside out. Our energetic body is similar to our nervous system in that our energetic body carries prana everywhere just as our nerves carry electrical impulses to every cell and muscle.

Just as any misfiring nerves wreak havoc on our ability to function, energy (prana) flowing improperly also causes problems. The energetic system is composed of many channels that carry prana throughout the body to every part of us. These channels of the energetic body are known as nadi, which in Sanskrit translates as “river.”

Imagine your body filled with tiny rivers that carry your vital life force. If any of these rivers are blocked or knotted, energy doesn’t flow properly. When this occurs, we experience it in numerous ways on a variety of levels. Energetic blockages create tightness, tension, chronic pain, disease, mental stress, and anxiety. This is a system that cannot be quantified, measured, or understood through scientific reason. Like much of our spiritual experience, our energetic system is only felt, not seen. You experience your pranic system in the areas of energetic hot spots known as chakras.

The seven chakras have become very popular in yoga circles, and their images are commonly featured on everything from pants to candles to jewelry. Much more than aesthetic adornments though, the chakras represent levels of consciousness that, when accessed, offer tremendous insight into the denser parts of ourselves that are cleansed and elevated into a more enlightened state.

Everyone already experiences the chakras on a regular basis, but it is often misunderstood as simply pain, discomfort, or other energetic sensations. For example, when we are brokenhearted, we often feel tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, and perhaps even pain around the heart. Though there isn’t something necessarily medically wrong with us, our body is still generating physical sensations as a result of an emotional experience. This is the heart chakra acting up, if you will. It expresses physically the emotional experiences that we feel on an energetic level. When we become choked up and unable to say something important, this is yet another physical expression of an emotional state. Commonly, when we travel, we experience challenges with necessary functions, which is the result of not feeling grounded or at home and is the physical expression of an imbalanced root chakra.

The seven chakras

Our body expresses the truth that we carry inside. When we feel depressed, anxious, a sense of loss, or whatever we might feel, our body carries that feeling physically. Only when we change the underlying circumstance are we able to express ourselves differently. Each chakra is covered in the next section so you understand clearly how to work with them and how to lift your core set of beliefs and truths into higher states of awareness.

Once we learn how to read and understand what the energetic body is showing us, yoga creates both acceptance and resolution at every level. This transformation is an alchemical process in the vein of the age-old alchemists who performed mystical feats to turn lead into gold. Like the yogi, their work was not merely physical, but spiritual. Alchemists explained chemical reactions as the work of the spirit inside of matter. Their search for gold was not just the pursuit of worldly riches, but a desire for the ascension of consciousness. Similarly, the goal of the yogi is not just physical prowess, but spiritual union. We seek the grand transformation of enlightenment in order to turn our whole self into the golden opus of a modern-day yoga alchemist. The truth is that alchemists and yogis are one and the same.

Alchemy hints at ancient roots and ties to Egyptian mysticism. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the concept of spirit was lifted out of matter and alchemy was turned into mere chemistry. Fiery explosions were no longer viewed as the work of spirits, but rather as clearly logical chemical reactions. We do the same thing to our human experience today. We strip spirit from matter, and rather than reveling in the grand mystery of life, we try to measure consciousness with a measuring stick and make certain the countless uncertainties of life. Far from going backward, yoga practice moves us forward so that our current understanding of the world is infused with mystery. Through the alchemical process of yoga, we ensoul ourselves by uncovering the deepest layers of our psyche to revel in the mystery of life.

At each chakra, or level of consciousness, we revive the ancient process of alchemy in order to transform the dark material buried within. We illuminate and witness it with a higher level of consciousness, thereby enlightening ourselves and connecting with our personal bliss. Through the seamless blending of hatha yoga and alchemy, we turn our bodies into the alembic—the alchemist’s container. We then temper the body-as-container through the fires of diligent practice. We use the substrate of the physical body as our primary tool for refining and transforming our consciousness, just as the alchemist subjected the prima materia (the base material) to the alchemical process in order to create gold. Yoga and alchemy alike aim to bring about the symbolic marriage of opposites—which for hatha yoga is the sun and moon.

The Energetic Superhighway

The alchemical process of yoga represents a significant inward turn for us. So far, the practices in this book have been primarily external and help us deal with the outside world in the most elevated way possible. Now, we bring the outside in to discover the complex and fascinating world inside. The internal landscape of our bodies is filled with information and deeper truths that provide much interest for the yogi yearning to awaken. To navigate this internal landscape, we need to make an ally of the serpent resting at the base of the three most important nadi. The energy of this metaphorical serpent, known as kundalini, reflects the state of our consciousness. As she awakens, so do we.

The awakening of kundalini is catalyzed by the spiritual intensity known as tapas. Tapas literally means “to burn,” indicating that a great internal heat or fire is needed in our practice. The internal fire is created by our intense longing for the bliss that comes as the result of digging into our unconscious and transforming what we find. Tapas gives us the power of resurrection. We are born anew as we pull kundalini out of her sleepy state coiled at the base of our energetic body and encourage her to ascend the central energetic channel, known as sushumnah nadi. If kundalini is cold and coiled at the base of this channel, the process of awakening has not yet begun. When we wake her up with our tapas, we start the process of resurrecting our conscious awareness into a state of complete connection to our bliss.

The ida and pingala nadi through the chakras

As the energy of kundalini awakens, we are well on our way to the potential of an enlightened state of consciousness. As she ascends the central channel, she passes through the core of our energetic system. Wrapped around either side of the sushumnah nadi are two more key channels: the ida and the pingala.

The ida nadi begins on the base of the left side of the body and terminates at the left nostril. It represents coolness, femininity, and the power of the moon. The pingala nadi begins at the base of the right side of the body and terminates at the right nostril. It represents heat, masculinity, and the power of the sun. When hatha yoga speaks of yoking the sun and moon, it refers to our internal sun and moon of the ida and pingala nadi. Bringing these symbolic celestial bodies together represents a state of energetic balance within the yogi’s body.

As our consciousness lifts through sushumnah nadi, at each of the seven places where the ida and pingala intersect it, we find a chakra. We now have a complete picture of the internal energetic system, but what do we do with it? We apply the alchemical principles of transformation.

The alchemists were looking to turn lead into gold, and we do the very same thing metaphorically with our own body. Working this process of transformation at each and every energetic junction, we transform into a golden body of light from the bottom up. Because kundalini’s highway begins at the base of our spine, we start there with the lowest chakra and then move up one by one.

While this journey is sequential, it is not hierarchical. Each chakra represents a particular field of consciousness—a focus on certain qualities or attributes of life. Just because we begin the process at the chakra that represents security and home does not mean that the last chakra—total immersion in bliss—is more or less important than the first. Every chakra is important, and to balance all seven requires us to work through the emotional “hot spots” in all areas of our life and resolve them.

Turning Lead into Gold

The alchemical process at play at each of these junctures, or chakras, is as follows: First, we delve into the psychological content that addresses that particular junction and locate the complexes or challenges. Then, we become aware of the ways in which those complexes or challenges disempower us, and we take back our projections by empowering ourselves. Finally, with a greater level of objectivity around a chakra, we have elevated our state of consciousness.

This pattern—diving into the unconscious, determining what needs to be addressed, and lifting it into a higher state of awareness—creates an upward, spiral-like ascent just like the coiled nature of our energetic system (kundalini, ida, and pingala are all coiled). You also see the comparison here to the way in which we break our karmic loops and elevate our consciousness for greater objectivity. This works the same concept with an alchemical, energetic, and hatha yoga twist.

Using alchemical terms for this process allows for an even better understanding of the process that takes place within us. Delving into the unconscious is analogous to panning for gold, in which you place a plate of debris into the water and carefully wash all the contents to find the nuggets of greatest value. Sifting attentively through the debris is like the nigredo, or the blackening process of alchemy.

When we’ve retrieved the raw nugget, it must be processed and fired in order to transform it into something valuable. Psychologically and energetically speaking this is where the work of empowerment and resolution occurs. This is likened to the albedo, or the whitening process of alchemy. It is called whitening because of the white ash left after setting things aflame. Finally, when the gold has been cleansed and fired, we see it in a new light and it glistens and reveals its value to us, which is the state of rubedo, or the reddening that occurs in the last stage. This reddening is akin to the warmth of the gold that shines on its own, just as we do once we’ve lifted our unconscious contents into the light through this process. Like the ancient alchemists, yogis transform their unconscious and ascend to bliss via nigredo (attention to the psychological debris), albedo (burning and transforming the debris), and rubedo (witnessing the glow of the transformation).

The yoga alchemist journeys through the energetic body using yoga’s tools of asana, ritual, pranayama, chanting, and other practices. It is worthwhile to take the entire journey from bottom to top many times in order to locate the sources of the most worthy “nuggets” of transformation. As you work this process over and over, you find not only that it gets smoother, but also that you learn your body’s innate system of communication. Eventually, the discovery of “nuggets” ceases to be a surprise, and you feel the hints of energetic blockages long before they turn into disaster areas. The initial cleanup process is more challenging, but it provides you with a consistent template that you utilize throughout your lifetime to keep turning your dark spots into gold.

Practices to Balance the Chakras

With an understanding of how each chakra expresses a field of consciousness, this chapter features specific yoga practices to work through and transform the material we discover within. This series of practices is a menu from which you select what is most helpful, most necessary, and most transformative for you. Please feel free to think creatively here and incorporate whatever you discover in your repertoire to be most effective. This list is not exhaustive and is meant to be a template on which you build as your practice develops.

The practices incorporated in this chapter create the transformation you seek. The key is that you do them! Engage yourself in the practice on a consistent and regular basis, and remember, if there is something in this list you would prefer to avoid, then it is probably the thing you should do first and most often. Combine practices, engage with more than one chakra at a time, or stick with one chakra until you feel you have sufficiently brought it to the rubedo state.

Keep in mind that this work is life long. It likely feels daunting at first (sometimes more so in one chakra than others), but with diligent practice, your tapas burns through the stuff you’ve ignored for years. Once you release the old stuff, it is just a matter of keeping your internal house clean and the maintenance becomes more and more effortless. Eventually, realigning your energetic body with your yoga practice is as natural as brushing your teeth.

In the meantime, the work is a personal exploration of moving into the stuck places and being unafraid of what you find. Your objectivity allows you to witness what your practice reveals in order to keep moving through it and working the alchemical process of yoga. This is a journey, and it is your own. Keep your eyes open as you explore the landscape of your own internal energetic world so that you can map it and clear what needs clearing, nurture what needs nurturing, and release what needs releasing.

There are no rules here, but there are guidelines and a framework to follow. There is a series of practices specifically designed for each chakra. All include an asana practice for you to try because when sequenced properly, it aligns the energetic body so that the prana can flow in a balanced manner through the nadi. All of these asana practices are available as videos where I guide you through the practice with instruction and demonstration. Links to these are found in the resources section on page 233 of this book.

Each practice outlined here begins with a mantra to the presiding deity of the chakra to invoke the primal energy stored there. Also included is the seed mantra, or bija mantra, for each chakra to target its individual energetic vibration. These can be said aloud or silently, once or repeatedly. What follows is a physical practice or meditation that creates a physical connection to the energetic body and incorporates the bija mantra. Finally, there is an invocation to draw upon the corresponding planetary energy for each chakra. The invocations are powerful when recited aloud, but depending on your surroundings, you can also say them silently.

Follow the invocation with quiet reflection to feel the energy you have drawn upon in the energetic center. Witness how you feel after your practice of mantras, asanas, and invocations without any expectations. All feelings and responses are okay. Alter the invocation slightly or add another quality that you need help with if you feel called to do so. Follow your intuition here, and know that if you ask for something and state your needs clearly, it is generally and generously given. Try one or a few parts of each practice. Let internal wisdom guide you as you engage in the alchemy of yoga.

The Alchemical Journey through the Chakras

With an understanding of the alchemical process and the anatomy of our energetic body, we now make our way through each level of consciousness and find out what we face within each chakra. We all go through breakups, deaths of loved ones, job changes, abrupt moves, and various traumas that are stored in the physical and energetic tissues of the body. Everything we experience is written somewhere inside the body as tension, a holding pattern, a way of expressing ourselves, or postural adjustment. If we don’t release these things, they become problematic in the form of chronic muscle tightness, illness, bad posture, and so on. Our body, our psychology, our emotions, our energetic system, our physiology, indeed, our whole system expresses all that we see, feel, hear, touch, experience, and live.

Put succinctly: our body expresses the truth that we carry inside.

Over and over again I witness this fact in my students, colleagues, friends, family, and myself. For example, the core belief that we must sit and work all day long to appear busy creates poor posture. Either we blame poor posture on all of the sitting, or we look deeper and change the behavior that makes us want to appear busy. Without shifting the core behavior, the posture never changes. In another example, if someone says something unkind to us at a critical moment, these words become lodged in our system, and we express that physically.

While some reflection on the past is essential, it is not necessary to dig through our entire life history. Knowing the specific origination of a pattern is not essential in order to resolve it. We simply have to discover a pattern that lodges itself inside our body and apply the alchemical process of yoga to transform it. In doing so, we work through the blockages—all the knotted nadi—so that our energetic system flows smoothly and supports a consistent blissful connection. Our work isn’t to relive the past, but rather to work through it to stay rooted in the present. This process of self-reflection leads the way to our greatest healing.

The Alchemy of the Root Chakra

We begin at the field of consciousness of the root chakra, or muladhara chakra. This is, quite literally, our roots—the earth and feet on which we stand, as well as our family of origin and our historical roots. Patterns and beliefs set in place during childhood are lodged here and have a lasting effect with how we interact with the world. This chakra is located at the base of the spine. It also extends into the legs and incorporates our organs of elimination.

We feel the effects of muladhara chakra when we travel and experience constipation or gastrointestinal distress. We get literally backed up because we don’t feel at home on the road. Challenges in this chakra are felt in the legs, feet, and seat, and, potentially, on the level of circulation. This chakra is blocked when we are not grounded, safe, or stable; it is balanced when we have our most basic needs satisfied. Struggling to pay bills, constantly borrowing money, moving house all the time, or difficulty with your birth family are classic signifiers that there is personal work to be done in this area.

Everyone has issues with their birth family and no one gets through childhood unscathed. Most of us have to borrow money at some point, and we all move house from time to time. The fact that these things happen isn’t the imbalance. The imbalance is in the overall affect these things have on us. Does the apartment move generate anxiety? Does our birth family cause us such distress that we experience stomach upset every time we go home? When we borrow money, are we so nervous about it that we can’t sleep and our blood pressure rises? Everyone has issues to deal with in every field of consciousness, it’s a matter of how deeply seated those issues are, and how they manifest emotionally, physically, and psychologically.

When there is a stressor, and basically all of life is a stressor, are we resilient enough to deal with it gracefully or does it throw us off our center? If a stressor throws us off, we have a clear indication of internal resistance—a psychological complex—that represents a karmic loop. Karmic loops are the habitual patterns that become our ways of thinking, being, and living. The more we play into these loops and perpetuate our patterns, the harder they are to break. We become products of our own patterning.

Karmic loops live in the body as much as they exist in our mind. When we locate one physically, it points us to which chakra needs attention. For example, if the fear of moving is so great that we miss new opportunities in other destinations, then there is a hardened pattern, or karmic loop, that has formed. This loop presents resistance to the move, and this fear presents perhaps as knee problems or ankle sprains. We don’t necessarily need to know what created this loop in the first place, but we need to deal with it. To recognize that physical distress in the body is the outward expression of energetic imbalance is the first step in the alchemical nigredo process. We must then dig deeply within to uncover this ingrained pattern and bring it to the light.

As we “wash” the issue in the albedo phase with asana, meditation, ritual, pranayama, or other yoga practice, it generally gets worse before it gets better! Bringing our attention to the matter results in having to feel, experience, and move through the accompanying emotions. This process is a positive sign that lets you know you are on the right track. Addressing matters at the root chakra creates stability. This allows us to stand on the firm ground of the rubedo stage as we progress on the journey of the chakras.

PRACTICE

Root Chakra: Ganesh, Standing Poses, Saturn

To begin, offer a chant to the presiding Hindu deity of this chakra, the elephant-headed god Ganesh. Ganesh is often thought of as the remover of obstacles, but he is more accurately described as the revealer of possibilities. As yogis, we don’t look to anything outside of us for power, so we use this Ganesh mantra to invoke the energy within us that reveals our own possibilities.

Mantra to Ganesh: Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

Chant this mantra once, three times, or nine times. It is okay to do all of the mantras outlined in this section sitting in meditation, standing, out loud, or silently. You can even continue to repeat the mantra mentally as you do the asana practice outlined on the following pages.

Root Chakrasana Practice

Comfortable Seat / Sukhasana: Focusing on the root chakra through seated and standing poses is helpful not only for grounding, but for stability, security, and balance. Begin in a seated position with legs crossed. Prop yourself up in any way you need to. Feel the power of your legs on the earth and feel how the earth holds you. In today’s society, we typically sit in chairs away from the earth, so it is a special thing to sit on the ground and reconnect consciously and with awareness. Feel the weight of your seat and legs on the floor. Imagine you are seated on the earth in such a way that it actually holds you. Feel the earth enveloping your legs slightly. Imagine that your legs are like the roots of a tree buried in the ground.

Lift the Seat: Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out as you open your eyes. If you used something to prop yourself up for sukhasana, remove padding. Come to a seated position again with legs crossed. Place hands flat on the floor or on blocks next to the hips. Inhale, lift your seat and/or your feet up off the floor. Exhale and lower down to seated. Repeat three times.

Downward Facing Dog / Adho Mukha Svanasana: Move into downward facing dog, adho mukha svanasana. Inhale and come forward to plank pose. Exhale and press back to downward facing dog. Repeat three times.

Standing Forward Fold / Uttanasana: Walk feet in between the hands for uttanasana, or standing forward fold. Bring feet hip distance apart. Hold the elbows, or you can wrap the arms around the legs. Engage your ujayi breathing by constricting the back of your throat slightly so you can hear the sound of your breath as you breathe. Practice moving weight slightly back into the heels and then slightly forward into the toes. Find the balance point halfway in between the front and the back. Lift the toes up. Feel how that affects the arches of the feet. Release the arms, tuck the chin, bend the knees slightly, and one vertebrae at a time, roll up to stand.

Mountain Pose / Tadasana: Stand at the front of the mat in tadasana, or mountain pose. Spread the toes and then allow them to settle down. Exhale the breath. Inhale and raise the arms up. Press the palms. Gaze up. Exhale and move into uttanasana, keeping the weight even on the feet. Inhale and come to a flat back position as you look forward and exhale, either step or jump back as you lower to the floor for chaturanga dandasana, or four-limbed staff pose (yogi push-up). Inhale and go into upward facing dog, urdhva mukha svanasana. Exhale and move into downward facing dog.

Lunge to Straighten Leg: Inhale and step the right foot between the hands for a lunge. Exhale, straighten the right leg as much as possible, and place each hand on a block if necessary. Continue to breathe. Draw the right hip backward. Feel the weight of the feet on the floor. Inhale and bend the right knee, look forward. Exhale and step both feet back for downward facing dog. Repeat on the other side.

In downward facing dog, take a deep breath in. Exhale, bend the knees and look forward. Inhale, hop or step the feet between the hands to a flat back position with a long spine. Exhale, fold forward to uttanasana.

Chair Pose / Utkatasana: For chair pose, bend the knees deeply as you lift the torso and raise the arms up. Hold here and breathe. Feel the connection of the feet on the floor and the energetic connection of the tailbone to the earth. After a few deep breaths, exhale into uttanasana.

Vinyasa Transition: Inhale and come to a flat back as you look forward. Exhale and step or jump the feet back and lower down into chaturanga dandasana (four-limbed staff). Inhale and move into upward facing dog. Exhale into downward facing dog.

Warrior One / Virabhadrasana One: Step the right foot forward between hands, spin the back heel flat, and raise the torso and arms up overhead for warrior one, virabhadrasana one.

Warrior Two / Virabhadrasana Two: Exhale and open arms and hips for virabhadrasana two. Inhale, straighten the right leg, and exhale. Rebend the right knee for warrior two. Take one full breath here.

Triangle Pose / Trikonasana: Inhale, straighten the front leg and reach the right arm forward and then down for triangle pose, trikonasana. After five breaths, press into the feet and come up to stand.

Extended Side Angle / Utthita Parsvakonasana: Bend into the right knee for side angle pose. Bring either the right elbow to the knee or the right hand to the floor or a block outside of the right foot. Reach the left arm out and over the left ear, creating one straight line from left wrist to left ankle.

Pyramid Pose / Parsvattonasana: For parsvattonasana, or pyramid pose, inhale and bring both hands down on either side of the right foot. Exhale, straighten the right leg. You can step the back foot forward to shorten the stance. Inhale, lengthen the spine. Exhale, fold forward over the right leg and take five deep breaths here.

Inhale, bend the right knee, and look forward. Exhale, then step the right foot back as you lower chaturanga dandasana and move through a vinyasa.

Repeat the same series on the other side before moving on to the following poses.

Lifted Seat: Come to hands and knees on the floor, cross the shins and the ankles, and roll back in a seated position. Place hands on the floor beside you. Inhale and lift seat and/or the feet up. Exhale, lower. Repeat three times.

Come to a comfortable seated position with a long spine. Close the eyes. Return the attention to the legs and the seat on the floor. Pay attention to the breathing, maintaining steady, even breath.

Seated Twists: With legs crossed, twist to the right. Place the left hand on the right knee, right hand behind you and look out over the left shoulder. Repeat on the other side. Release, returning forward.

Seated Forward Fold / Paschimottanasana: Bring both legs out in front of you for a simple forward fold. Flex the feet. Reach the heart forward toward the toes. Without rounding the back or shoulders, bring the hands to the shins or feet. Take a few breaths.

Corpse Pose / Shavasana: From your forward fold, roll down onto your back for shavasana. Extend the legs out on the floor and allow the hands to rest palms up by the sides. Feel your body supported entirely by the earth. Remain in shavasana as long as you like, feeling the benefits of the root chakra practice.

Invocation to Saturn

When you are finished with shavasana, come to a seated position and finish the practice with an invocation to Saturn.

Saturn is the presiding planet of the root chakra. Its energy is that of pressure, doing the work, and learning things the difficult way. Saturn is also the bearer of karma, and it represents the familial background that influenced our entry into this life. In order to resolve imbalances in this chakra, we invoke the energy of Saturn. Remember, we’re not looking outside of ourselves for help; the planet itself isn’t invested in our well-being. There is, however, a similar energetic pattern within us that is the same as Saturn, and we look to that power within for balance and stability.

Invocation: Saturn, please assist me in standing
on my own two feet and getting the work done to
create a stable foundation for my life.

Saturn also helps with: alleviating depression, resolving past karma, softening relationships with father figures, releasing rigidity, cultivating patience, and reducing heavy work loads.

The Alchemy of the Sacral Chakra

The next step takes us to the svadisthana chakra (sacral chakra). Translated as “her favorite standing place,” the “her” in this instance refers to kundalini. This chakra harbors our emotions, sexuality, creativity, procreativity, and passion and is dominated by the water element. Emotional activity is located here and imbalances result in overly emotional reactions to inconsequential things, or misplaced emotions projected as a result of misguided thinking. This is something as benign as a crush on someone who is clearly not right or more serious like engaging repeatedly in abusive relationships. Creation in general is housed in this energetic center, whether that pertains to creating a family, a piece of art or music, or an idea for a project. This is the generative source within us that is largely inexhaustible. As such, this chakra represents life’s abundance in every sense of the word.

If our abundant, creative, or emotional activity is stymied, it stifles our passion for life. A lack of intimacy and creativity makes our worldview lose its shine and excitement, and in that state, it is very difficult to put our joie de vivre into anything. We feel this imbalance physically in the hips, low back, and the reproductive organs. Difficulty in our hip-opening asanas is one effect here, as is chronic low back pain, which affects millions of Americans. We blame sitting at our desk for eight hours a day, but one might also ask why we feel compelled to sit that long! Where is the lust for life that would make us get up and move around, dance a little bit, or pursue something exciting? A yogi looks past the surface condition to see the driving core pattern that causes the physical pain in the first place. Seeking out the core patterns of emotions and intimacy that manifest through our sacral chakra is the nigredo phase of our yoga alchemy. Remember, we don’t need to know what put these karmic loops in place, we simply need to find and examine them.

To do this, we must not shy away from the discomfort that they generate. If hip openers are uncomfortable, it is worthwhile to do more of them to give the hips—and the chakra—an opportunity to balance and release. Examining our dysfunctional patterns of intimacy is very uncomfortable, but finding resolution does not require reliving our early or traumatic sexual experiences. Instead, we witness their effects on our physical, mental, emotional, and psychological states without becoming emotionally involved. The ability to witness is cultivated in meditation where we are not participating in the emotion, but rather observing it. There is a level of objectivity that we must carry through this process. This helps us to understand the emotional pattern so that it is more clearly seen.

Once we locate the root of an imbalance within the sacral chakra, we then engage in various yoga practices to address it. This is our albedo, or whitening process. Through the fires of our tapas, we burn up the blockage and become free of it. We do this with great attention in our hip openers, through focused meditation on the sacral chakra, and with directed chanting and ritual around this area. Once our past patterns are resolved, we reach the rubedo stage where greater awareness allows for openness and balance in our creativity and intimate relationships.

PRACTICE

Sacral Chakra: Lakshmi, Hip Openers, Jupiter

The presiding deity of the sacral chakra is Lakshmi, the goddess of abundance. In images of Lakshmi, she gives of herself and her riches without ever asking for anything in return. When we invoke this energy, we access the abundance that we have within to continuously offer our own riches to the world. We do so as we create and manifest our life, our family, and our passion.

Mantra to Lakshmi: Om Shri Maha Lakshmiye Namaha

Try chanting this mantra once, three times, or nine times. You can even continue to repeat the mantra mentally as you do the asana practice outlined in the following pages.

Sacral Chakrasana Practice

The asanas that address the sacral chakra are those that open the hips. Begin in a seated position with your eyes closed. Draw the awareness to the lower back and the lower abdomen. Imagine the pelvis as a bowl of water. Throughout this practice our aim is to keep this bowl upright so that water doesn’t spill over one side or the other.

Star Pose / Tarasana: Sit on the floor with the feet together and the knees apart; create a diamond shape with the legs. Grab the ankles and bend forward for tarasana, or star pose. Aim the forehead to the feet; the back can round as the shoulders soften. Take a few deep breaths here.

Side Stretch in Tarasana: Bring the right elbow to the right knee. For a deeper stretch, bring the right elbow inside the right knee on the floor. Bring the left arm up toward the ceiling and over the left ear. Keep the left sitz bone rooted into the earth. Repeat on the other side.

Come to center. Use the hands to lift the knees up. Cross your legs at the ankles and roll forward, preparing for downward facing dog.

Downward Facing Dog / Adho Mukha Svanasana: Come to hands and knees and press back to downward facing dog. Reach sitz bones up toward the ceiling. Take five deep breaths in this posture.

Standing Forward Fold / Uttanasana: Walk the feet in between the hands for uttanasana. Soften neck and shoulders as you breathe. Soften knees, tuck chin, and one vertebrae at a time roll up to stand.

Mountain Pose / Tadasana: Come to tadasana, mountain pose, at the front of the mat with the feet together, toes and ankles touching. Explore the concept of the pelvic bowl. Tilt the hips forward like you are pouring the water out of the front of the bowl and then tip the hips back and imagine pouring the water out the other way. Go forward, tip the water out, and then tip it back the other way. Go slowly, less and less in each direction, until you find where center is so you feel like the bowl is holding the water steady. Find the center; this is your tadasana. Pull the lower belly in and up to keep the bowl steady.

As we move into our hip-opening postures, aim to keep this bowl in the same steady place that it’s in now. This bowl also contains our verve and passion for life. If we dump it out, we have less of that. We want to retain passion as we move through our postures. This helps us to create the metaphor in our asana practice that directly addresses the sacral chakra.

Sun Salutation A / Surya Namaskar: Bring the hands to prayer. Draw the shoulder blades down the back. Inhale and raise the palms up and press the palms as you gaze up. Keep shoulders down. Exhale, fold forward to uttanasana. Inhale, come to a flat back, and look forward. Exhale, step or jump the feet back as you come to chaturanga dandasana, or four-limbed staff pose. Inhale into upward facing dog, urdhva mukha svanasana. Exhale, downward facing dog.

Downward Dog Variation: Inhale and raise the right leg. Bend the right knee as you open up the right hip and look out underneath the right arm. Keep the left shoulder lifted. Inhale, re-extend the right leg. Exhale, bring the right leg down. Repeat on the other side.

Plank Pose: Come to plank pose with shoulders over wrists. Exhale, go into chaturanga dandasana. Inhale into upward facing dog. Exhale into downward facing dog.

Lunge to Straighten Leg: Inhale, step the right foot forward for crescent lunge. (Option to put each hand on a block framing the right foot.) Exhale, straighten the right leg as best you can. Continue to breathe. Draw the right hip back in space. Feel the weight of the feet on the floor. Inhale, bend the right knee, and look forward. Exhale, step both feet back for downward facing dog, placing hands to earth if using blocks.

Crescent Lunge / Alanasana: Inhale for crescent lunge. Raise the arms up overhead. Keep the back knee engaged and lifted. Imagine the bowl in the pelvis and create the same kind of alignment you found during tadasana, so water neither pours out the front nor back. Take a deep breath in. Exhale, bring the hands down to the floor. Step the right foot back as you lower for chaturanga dandasana. Inhale into upward facing dog. Exhale into downward facing dog.

Repeat both the lunge to straighten and crescent lunge on the other side.

Half Splits / Ardha Hanumanasana: Inhale, step the right foot between the hands. Exhale, bring the left knee down to the floor. Bring the hips directly over the left knee. Inhale, straighten the right leg, and fold forward over it. Draw lower belly in and up for five breaths. Inhale, bend the right knee, and look forward. Exhale, tuck the right toes, and step back to chaturanga dandasana, elbows in. Inhale into upward facing dog. Exhale into downward facing dog. Repeat on other side.

Low Lunge / Anjaneyasana: Step the right foot in between the hands for a lunge position. Exhale, drop the left knee down, and point the toes of the left foot. Sink the hips. As you inhale, raise the arms up and overhead. Keep the lower belly in and up to retain the power that you have in the sacral chakra. Keep the heart open and chest lifted. Take a deep breath in and then exhale the hands to either side of the right foot. Step back as you lower to chaturanga dandasana. Inhale into upward facing dog. Exhale into downward facing dog. Repeat on other side.

Splits Pose / Hanumanasana: Inhale, step the right foot between the hands for a lunge position. Prepare for ardha hanumanasana, half-splits pose, back the hips up over the left knee, extend the right leg, then fold forward over the right leg. Stay here and breathe. If you feel ready to move into the full version of hanumanasana, bring the right foot slightly forward. Use a blanket or a block underneath the right seat. Take a few breaths here with arms and chest lifted. Breathe steadily into the lower back and lower belly. Inhale, hands down on either side of the right foot, exhale, step back into downward facing dog. Repeat on other side.

Forward Fold / Uttanasana: Walk the feet forward into uttanasana. Bring the feet hips-width distance apart. Grab opposite elbows with opposite hands and swing the body from side to side to relieve tension in the back and hips.

Squat Pose / Malasana: Release the arms and bring the feet mat-width distance apart. Turn the toes out and come down into a full squat with the hands in prayer, spine erect. Take a moment here with the eyes closed for silent contemplation or repeat the mantra for the sacral chakra. Open your eyes. Reach forward with your hands for balance and have a seat.

Star Pose / Tarasana: Bring feet together with knees apart. Make a diamond shape with your legs. Grab your ankles. Fold forward so that the forehead moves toward the feet. Take deep, steady breaths here.

Corpse Pose / Shavasana: Inhale, sit up, and close your knees. Exhale, roll down onto your back for shavasana. Extend the legs out onto the floor and bring the hands by the sides, palms up. As you lay here and relax in shavasana, feel the sensations in the lower back and lower belly. Feel how that same sensation is moving all throughout the body. It feels good and easeful here. Remain in shavasana for as long as you like.

Invocation to Jupiter

When you are finished with shavasana, come to a seated position and finish the practice with an invocation to Jupiter. Jupiter is the presiding planet of the sacral chakra. As the jovial and hearty energy of Jupiter moves within us, we tap into our passion and creative drive. We align ourselves with the right relationships that facilitate this energy, and we keep a healthy perspective on our emotions. Jupiter’s main effect is expansion, so be prepared to let it open you up.

Invocation: Jupiter, please assist me in expanding
my self-awareness to generate passion, creativity,
and abundance in my life.

Jupiter helps with many things: cultivating grace, faith, confidence, and self-improvement; releasing the tendency to overextend or overexert oneself; and opening oneself to abundance.

The Alchemy of the Solar Plexus Chakra

The next level is the solar plexus, known as manipura chakra, or “jewel in the city.” It is the location of our inner fire, our drive, our fight, and our verve. This energetic hot spot houses our ego, or our conscious personality. Too much energy here results in egotism and arrogance, while too little energy results in shyness and withdrawal. If we follow the metaphor of the flame, it is easy to understand that a flame that burns out of control will burn a house down, while a fire that is not well stoked will leave everyone in the house cold. Ideally, we have a warmth and brightness that allows us to nourish and support ourselves and others. Our goal with the ego is not to destroy it through the yoga practices, but rather to temper it the way glass is tempered so it is strong and won’t break under pressure.

If the solar plexus is imbalanced, the results are digestive issues and adrenal fatigue. Many of us make matters worse by stifling indigestion with antacids and work through fatigue until we pass the point of exhaustion. Instead of getting to the root of why we work so hard, we press on, work harder, and wonder why we’re left sick, tired, and obese. The solar plexus chakra houses our beliefs about work, career, and social standing. If we’re perpetually competing to keep up, killing ourselves for the almighty dollar or feeling ashamed of our circumstances because of others’ opinions, this area provides lots of material in which to work the process of the nigredo.

As we reveal the hidden contents of this layer of consciousness, we realize that our life is not a competition. There is no winning or prize for finishing first. Quite the contrary! Those who enjoy life most are the ones who stay fully present and measure life by their own definition of happiness, rather than someone else’s. Approval-seeking behavior dangerously places our happiness in the hands of others, hindering our ability to create the happiness we seek. When we stop looking for the approval of others, we freely create our own life and personal path to fulfillment. This is particularly important today when old standards of living are actively questioned. People live more unconventionally and on their own terms now. This kind of living is absolutely in the spirit of the yoga practice because the yoga arises through forging a path for ourselves.

It is also important to maintain a healthy sense of self when things don’t go as planned. We all know people who come apart when they don’t get the right job, the right house, or the right date. Life is a fluid process, and when we let go of what we think our life should be and let it unfold before our eyes, we participate fully in our lives as they happen.

A vital aspect of the albedo process of the solar plexus chakra is learning to surrender control, because, in reality, we have very little of it. A good friend often says, “Relax! Nothing is under control.” We can’t control how other people see us, whether things turn out the way we want, if we get the promotion, or who loves us in the end. We sometimes control our breath, and with practice, we control some of our reactions and negative thoughts. Here, at the solar plexus chakra, we use twisting postures, a healthy diet, and other yoga practices as the means to heat up the internal flame and whiten the blackness we find inside. As a result, you are free of controlling your life in favor of living your life fully empowered in the rubedo state.

PRACTICE

Solar Plexus Chakra: Ram, Twists, Mars

Ram, the king and featured character of the Indian epic The Ramayana, is the presiding deity of the solar plexus chakra. As a king, he is confident, judicious, courageous, and compassionate. In the story, he leads an army to war and restores balance to his kingdom out of love for all those he serves. This is an excellent attitude to cultivate when invoking Ram’s royal energy for the solar plexus chakra.

Ram’s name itself is said to possess great power for those who chant it. Feel free to repeat rama rama rama as often as you like, out loud or silently, to bring awareness to this particular energy during the following practice to balance your solar plexus.

Solar Plexus Chakrasana Practice

Seated Twists: Begin in a comfortable cross-legged position. Twist to the right by bringing the right hand behind you and place the left hand on your right knee. Turn the body to the right, facing the right shoulder. Allow the breath to be steady as you take five deep breaths. Imagine that you are wringing yourself out like a sponge. Twist to the other side.

Downward Facing Dog / Adho Mukha Svanasana: Come forward onto hands and knees and press back into downward facing dog. Inhale into plank pose. Exhale, press back to downward facing dog. Repeat three times.

Standing Forward Fold / Uttanasana: Slowly walk the feet in between the hands to uttanasana. Soften the neck and shoulders. For a twist, bring the left hand to the outside of the right ankle and bring the right arm straight up. Keep the twist in the spine rather than the hips. Gaze to the right hand and take three deep breaths. Switch sides.

Mountain Pose / Tadasana: Fold forward completely. Vertebra by vertebra, roll up to standing.

Twisting Chair Pose / Parivritta Utkatasana: Inhale, bring the arms up, and gaze up. Exhale and fold forward to uttanasana. Inhale and bend forward to a flat back position and lengthen the spine. Exhale, fold forward to uttanasana. Inhale into utkatasana. Bend the knees deeply and raise the arms up. Bring the hands to prayer at the heart. Exhale, twist to the right by bringing the left elbow to the outside of the right knee. Gaze right and breathe. Lift the sternum up to the thumbs and stay for three breaths. Repeat on the other side. Inhale, reach the arms up for utkatasana. Exhale, dive forward with straight legs for uttanasana.

Vinyasa Transition: Inhale for a flat back and long spine. Exhale, step or jump the feet back as you lower into chaturanga dandasana. Inhale into upward facing dog. Exhale into downward facing dog.

Lunge Twist: Step the right foot between the hands for a lunge position. Exhale, bring the left knee to the floor. Keep the hips aligned over the left knee. Inhale, lift the torso, and bring the hands to prayer. Exhale, twist to the right, bringing the left elbow to outside of the right knee. For more of a challenge, tuck the back toes and lift the back knee for a standing balance. You can also open the arms. Move the twist into the center of the body. Inhale, bring the hands down to either side of the right foot.

Seated Spinal Twist / Ardha Matsyendrasana: Exhale, place the left knee on the outside of the right foot on the floor, and then have a seat for a seated spinal twist. Place the right hand behind you. Inhale, raise left arm up, and hook the left elbow on the outside of the right knee. Exhale, twist to the right, and gaze out over the right shoulder for five breaths. Inhale, release your twist. Exhale, counter twist the other way to unwind. Inhale, look forward.

Exhale, place hands on either side of the right foot as you lift the seat, and send the left leg back behind you into a lunge. Inhale, step both feet back to plank pose. Hold for five breaths. Exhale, lower to chaturanga dandasana. Inhale into upward facing dog. Exhale into downward facing dog.

Repeat the same lunge twist and seated spinal twist series including the flow on the other side. When completed, come onto hands and knees.

Twisted Child’s Pose / Parivritta Balasana: Bring the left arm underneath the right and the left shoulder and left ear to the floor. Keep the right hand on the floor in front of the face. Or reach the right hand up and back to grab the top of the left thigh. Press the tops of the feet into the floor to keep the hips aligned over the knees. Take five deep breaths into the solar plexus. Inhale, reach the right arm up. Exhale, place it down in front of your face. Inhale, come up onto hands and knees. Repeat on the other side.

Seated Twists: Exhale, cross legs at ankles, and roll back to a seated position. Place the left hand on the outside of the right knee, right hand behind you. Keep the spine long as you twist and turn your face over the right shoulder. Take three deep breaths. Repeat on other side.

Corpse Pose / Shavasana: Inhale to center. Exhale, bring knees into chest, and roll down onto your back in shavasana. Extend legs out onto the earth. Bring hands by your side with palms up. See in your mind’s eye the person that you are and the person that you will be. Remain in shavasana and enjoy the benefits of the solar plexus chakra practice for as long as you like.

Invocation to Mars

When you are finished with shavasana, come to a seated position and finish the practice with an invocation to Mars.

As the presiding planet of the solar plexus chakra, Mars is less the planet of war (unless you’re at war with yourself), but rather represents our drive, confidence, and focused energy for life. Mars helps us to accomplish our tasks in the world, but when activated too strongly can tend toward narrow-mindedness and arrogance. A lack of Mars energy leaves us listless and unable to engage properly in the world. With Mars in particular we aim for a balanced application of its qualities within us.

Invocation: Mars, please assist me in presenting myself
to the world so that I may serve others and express myself fully with confidence, clarity, and unselfishness.

Mars helps with many things: drumming up desire, steeling your will, pressing yourself into action, inspiring physical fitness, and softening aggression, anger, and selfishness.

The Alchemy of the Heart Chakra

Next up is the heart chakra, whose extension is the shoulders and arms. It is called the anahata chakra, meaning “un-struck,” as our heart needs no outside force to play its tune. The musical rhythm of our heartbeat begins the moment we come into this life and does not stop until the moment we leave it. Despite thoughts to the contrary, there is nothing that turns off this music. No amount of wounding robs the heart of its greatest capacity, which is unconditional love. A broken heart makes us think otherwise, and some even boldly announce that they never want to love again after a terrible heartbreak.

That almost never turns out to be the case. Eventually we slowly open up and give it another try. We are built to love, and the heart yearns to do it, no matter how much pain it goes through. Remarkably, it is the inevitable pain of heartbreak that allows us to feel the invaluable sentiment of compassion. Compassion isn’t merely the capacity to understand someone else’s feelings, but the ability to empathize with their pain. The prefix com- means “with” and the original meaning of passion was “suffering.” Compassion is the ability to understand the suffering of another. It is this ability to carry a little pain within our hearts that enables us to love even more greatly. The measure of our ability to love is only as great as our ability to completely feel pain. To numb one is to numb the other.

The only option for a life well lived is to love as hard as we can and to understand that the pain that comes along with loving others is the measure of the limitless capacity of our hearts. Both love and pain enrich our life experience. Yes, the pain is often unbearable, but isn’t it worth going through in order to experience the exuberant joy that love brings? As yogis, we push nothing away; we invite all of our human experience in with open arms and an open heart. When we attempt to avoid pain, the heart chakra speaks up in the form of shoulder and arm tension or injury, respiratory or cardiac issues, or, perhaps worse, the inability to forgive.

If we are incapable of forgiveness, then we cannot resolve issues of the heart chakra. We must be willing to look at the contents of our heart and be ready to accept what we see. We must be willing to forgive in order to experience freedom from fear, heartache, and suffering. It is difficult when we look into our hearts to locate the source of our emotional wounds, but we must strive for gentle detachment. We don’t need to recapitulate the blame, guilt, hurt, or shame; we need to witness it. We don’t need to reaffirm or relive our suffering; we need to release it.

Transformation of the heart chakra happens through backbends, some arm balances, chest opening, breathing more deeply, and with our various yoga practices. Most importantly, we need to work the process of the nigredo through forgiveness. We already have a practice for forgiveness from chapter 3 that allows us to let go of the past. Here, we work directly with residual hurt that prevents us from keeping our hearts open.

Living openheartedly is the way of the yogi and key to establishing a connection with personal bliss. As the middle energetic center (there are three chakras above it and three below it), the heart chakra is the toggle switch that makes balance possible everywhere else. It is central to our energetic body and its gifts are fundamental to our human experience. Balancing the heart chakra and bringing it to the rubedo state gives us the axis for a wholehearted life.

The first three chakras are known as the “mundane” chakras. Mundane, from the Latin mundus means “worldly,” not “boring.” There’s nothing boring about the world, anyway! Our earthly existence is full of interesting and varied experiences that are the substrate for our spiritual pursuits. In the first chakra, we secure a stable life with a home, financial security, and a solid family structure. In the second chakra, we create our family and find a creative outlet in the world. The third chakra focuses on our work and how we present ourselves as we create a lasting legacy. In the heart, we learn to love and be loved. For most people, these fields of consciousness represent a full life! As yogis, though, we want more. We explore all the fields of consciousness in order to achieve wholeness and balance at every level.

PRACTICE

Heart Chakra: Hanuman, Backbends, Venus

With his capacity for love, devotion, friendship, and courage, it seems obvious that the monkey god Hanuman rules the heart chakra. His lessons in humility and surrender are the gem of The Ramayana, and many people are inspired by Hanuman’s generous loyalty to his king, Ram. In the tale, Hanuman opens his chest to reveal his beloved friend, Ram, inside his heart. Invoking his energy inspires our own hearts to be filled with love, too.

Mantra to Hanuman: Om Hum Hum Hum
Hanumate Namaha

Try chanting this mantra once, three times, or nine times. You can even continue to repeat the mantra mentally as you do the asana practice outlined in the following pages.

Heart Chakrasana Practice

Come to a comfortable seated position and feel the rhythm of your heart by placing your right hand over your heart to locate the beat. Bring the hands to the knees. Inhale, arch the back, lift the chest, and look up. Exhale, round the back, and look down toward the belly. Repeat eight times, synching movement with breath. Come to a neutral spine. The following practice explores arm balancing and backbending as a means of opening the heart.

Downward Facing Dog / Adho Mukha Svanasana: Come onto hands and knees. Press back into a downward facing dog pose, adho mukha svanasana. Inhale to plank. Exhale, press back to downward facing dog. Repeat three times.

Crow Pose / Bakasana: Return to hands and knees. The extension of our heart is our arms and hands. Whatever we do with our arms and hands, we must do it with love. To practice crow pose, come into a shortened downward facing dog. Bring your knees to the back of your elbows. From here arrange a block, on its highest setting, in front of you so that hands and block form an equilateral triangle. Place your forehead on the block. Lift up one foot and then the other. Once the toes are off the floor, lift the head. Strongly hold yourself up with the power of your heart and hands. Bring toes down.

Vinyasa Transition: Step back into downward facing dog. Inhale to plank pose. Exhale to chaturanga dandasana. Inhale, upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. Inhale, plank pose. Exhale, lower all the way to the belly on the floor.

Cobra Pose / Bhujangasana: For cobra pose, bhujangasana, squeeze legs together and press the tops of the feet down. Use only the muscles of the back to squeeze the elbows together behind you. Breathe. Take five breaths in this pose. Release.

Locust Pose / Shalabhasana: Bring yourself down on your stomach. Interlace your fingers behind your back. Press palms together. Squeeze legs together. Inhale, lift up. Take five breaths in this pose. Release.

Bow Pose / Dhanurasana: Bend knees and reach back and grab ankles for dhanurasana, or bow pose. Inhale, lift up as you kick the feet back into the hands, and breathe. Take a breath in and lift up. Exhale, release down, and turn one cheek to the floor. Relax. Repeat.

Untuck the toes and place hands underneath the shoulders. Inhale, upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog.

Camel Pose / Ustrasana: Come to hands and knees and then stand up on knees for camel pose, ustrasana. Draw tailbone down. Lift lower belly in and up to support the lower back as you move into the backbend. Place hands on lower back and lift the chest slightly back. Stay here or, as you continue to arch back, reach hands for ankles or feet. You can also tuck the toes. If it feels comfortable, drop the head back. The heart is the highest part on the body here; let it be open. Breathe into the heart for five breaths. Inhale, come up. Exhale, take a momentary seat on your heels. Bring hands to prayer and close eyes. As eyes are closed, consider someone you love.

Stand on knees for another camel pose. Hold for five breaths. Inhale, come up from the pose. Exhale and go to hands and knees. Inhale, cross the knees and ankles, and roll down to sit first and then roll onto your back. Exhale and lie on the floor.

Bridge Pose / Setu Bandhasana: Bend the knees and place feet on the floor at hip-width. Bring shoulders underneath you to open through the front of the chest. Place hands flat on floor next to hips. Inhale, lift hips up. Exhale, roll shoulder blades down the back. Inhale, lift up onto the shoulders to create a shelf. Breathe. Inhale, lift hips up a little higher. Exhale, lift hips up, and lower down.

Wheel Pose / Urdhva Dhanurasana: If you are unable to do wheel pose, repeat bridge pose. Give 100 percent of your intention and attention to these next three backbends. Do them as an offering, as a gift. Bring hands to prayer with thumbs to the third eye. Close the eyes. Offer the first wheel pose to someone you love who supports you no matter what. As you think of that person, feel your heart get bigger. Place hands on the floor by your ears. Inhale, come all the way up into your backbend for five breaths.

Repeat, first bringing hands to prayer with thumbs to forehead. This time, picture someone who is going through a struggle and needs your help, someone to whom you can extend compassion at the moment. Maybe this is a person who has literally asked you for help and you had nothing to give at the time, but now you have this. See this person’s face in your mind’s eye as you come into your second wheel pose. Hold for five breaths.

For the last wheel pose, bring hands to prayer with thumbs to forehead, close the eyes, and prepare to offer your pose. Think of someone who has harmed you, harmed someone you love, or someone with whom you disagree. In order to be free and happy, make the choice now to extend compassion their way. See what is in them that is the same as what is in you because as yogis, it is not our job to judge, rather to love. See their face in your mind’s eye and make this last wheel pose the most powerful yet and take five deep breaths.

Release down and hug knees to chest. Do a few circles with the knees one way, then the other way.

Seated Forward Fold / Paschimottanasana: Roll up to a seated position. Extend legs out in front of you for paschimottanasana, or seated forward fold. Fold forward over your legs. As you fold forward, feel the energy of the backbend. Feel the energy of the heart moving through the spine, shoulders, arms, and hands.

Supine Twists: Inhale, come up. Hug knees to chest and roll down to your back on an exhale. Twist by dropping both knees over to the left side. Gaze toward the right for three breaths. Inhale, bring knees up, and twist to other side. Hug knees to chest and then extend legs out to shavasana.

Corpse Pose / Shavasana: Allow the feet to fall to either side of the mat and the heart to be open and available as you come to rest. Let any lingering tension in the heart or chest completely soften and fall away. Our heart is always sounding and resounding with love, compassion, and kindness. When we let that sound ring out, we become free. Remain in shavasana as long as you like to enjoy the benefits of opening the anahata chakra.

Invocation to Venus

When you are finished with shavasana, come to a seated position and finish the practice with an invocation to Venus.

Venus, the planet of love and beauty, is the obvious ruler of the heart chakra. Venus’s energy helps us access sensuality, pleasure, and an appreciation of aesthetic beauty in the world. Venus also generates harmony in relationships and balance in our worldly affairs as she mediates joy between two sides.

Invocation: Venus, please allow me to see, experience,
and feel the love and beauty that surrounds me in life while
opening my heart to love and beauty on the inside.

Venus helps with many things: elevating tastes, enjoying pleasurable experiences, developing intimacy with another, and softening vanity or greed.

The Alchemy of the Throat Chakra

To know ourselves as whole and complete (the state of yoga), we press on and move our energy upward into the throat chakra, or vishuddha chakra. Vishuddha, meaning “purity,” incorporates our throat, neck, jaw, tongue, ears, and thyroid gland. It is the center of our speech and hearing. As its Sanskrit name suggests, balance here is the work of purifying, or (en)lightening, our communication.

Blockages here result in physical trouble or pain in any of the related anatomical areas, but it is also very common to develop thyroid disorders, too. This is part of my own journey of healing and alchemy, and as I was once told, the most important work of the throat chakra is in speaking the truth about what is most important to you. If ever you have been shut down or told to be quiet, this is where that experience gets lodged. This delicate area is incredibly sensitive.

Though women have made great strides in recent decades in terms of rights and equality, we still seek an equal voice in matters of life and work. We internalize this struggle in many ways, and it often manifests in thyroid conditions. Around 10 percent of Americans (mostly women) will have a thyroid problem at some point in their lives. I spent more than a decade searching for an external cure for my thyroid issue. Ultimately, it was through healing the initial emotional wound that I was finally able to express a different truth—both inwardly and outwardly. Countless others have had the same experience, and I observe time and again that our bodies only express the truths we carry inside.

When a dysfunctional belief plants itself within us, our emotional, psychological, and physical forms shape themselves around it, and this is how we present ourselves to the world. At the level of the throat chakra, we need to uncover any beliefs that prevent us from confidently communicating our own needs. This is a core process that promotes healing and allows us to express our truth.

To express our needs, we develop a belief of worthiness—a belief that our needs and truth are worthy of expression. We all know people who don’t advocate for themselves or their needs, who tend to remain in a harmful environment or falsely present themselves to others. This is the friend who says home life is happy when it isn’t; the colleague who never asks to be challenged and so becomes bored and listless; or worse, the family member who hides his or her sexual orientation, gender identity, alternative belief system or otherwise. Everyone has the right to be his or her own person—wholly, without fear, judgment, or shame. Every person has a right to live a life connected to his or her own bliss, to feel worthy of connection, community, and love.

When we develop the courage to speak up about who we are and what we need, we empower others to do the same. While we work on our own yoga practice and earn our freedom, we unwittingly inspire the freedom of others, too. As we move into the nigredo process and uncover feelings of unworthiness and unmet needs, we work through them with postures like shoulderstand or legs-up-the-wall pose. We also sing, chant, and vocalize in order to set our voice free. Our voices may not be “pretty,” but they are vital. The power we build developing our voice not only balances the throat chakra, it empowers us to sing our truth to the world.

PRACTICE

Throat Chakra: Saraswati,
Shoulderstand / Plow / Fish, Mercury

Saraswati is the goddess of art, music, writing, learning, and teaching. She is the beauty and power of our voice, so her rulership over the throat chakra situates her perfectly to create clarity in our communication. We call upon her perfection and purity, as she is rumored to have been called into being by one perfect thought of the creator god, Brahma. Her purity and lightness aid in our efforts to make sure that all our communication has the same qualities.

Mantra to Saraswati: Om Shri Maha Saraswatyaiye Namaha

Try chanting this mantra once, three times, or nine times. You can even continue to repeat the mantra mentally as you do the asana practice outlined in the following pages.

Throat Chakrasana Practice

Come to a comfortable seated position. The following neck stretches can be done in any seat, including in a chair:

Place your right hand next to you. Slightly tuck the right hand underneath the right seat. With left hand, reach up and over so you almost touch the hand to the right ear and tilt the head to the left, stretching the right side of the neck.

Play with rolling the head slightly to the left, looking down, and rolling the head slightly to the right, looking up. Find different elements of stretch in the right side of the neck. Take three deep breaths. Gently release and repeat on the other side.

Roll the shoulders back and down. Reach the right hand in front of you, palm up. Bring fingers toward the floor and use the left hand to pull fingers toward you as you straighten the right arm. Lift the head up and back, feeling a stretch across the front right side of the neck for three breaths. Repeat on other side.

Do some simple neck rolls, bringing the head to the back, all the way to one shoulder, then the other, and then to the front. Repeat three times, then switch directions and repeat three more times.

Bring head to neutral. Take your right hand and place it just over the top, toward the back of the head. Pull head forward and down. Tuck the chin and allow the back of the neck to curl. Feel length right underneath the top part of the neck and the very bottom of the skull, the occipital region. This region holds a lot of tension and there are a lot of nerves that come from the front of the brain to the bottom of the neck, which affect the communication system. Take five breaths here and then switch hands for the same stretch and repeat.

Stretch the jaw muscles by opening up your mouth as wide as you can. Hold it open even wider. Then, slowly close your mouth. Repeat three times, each time seeing if you can open a little bit wider than the one previous.

Grab the ears with the fingertips and pull them gently away from the head. Take five breaths.

Shoulderstand / Salamba Sarvangasana: Support yourself with one or two blankets to keep the curvature of the neck. Place folded blankets so that the folded edge of the blanket is about one-third of the way down from the top edge of the mat. Bring mat up and over the blankets. Roll down onto the back so that the shoulders are at the rolled edge and the head is on the floor. Make sure the platform is long and wide enough to support the frame of your entire upper arms. The elbows should not be floating off of your platform. Making sure that there is space underneath the neck so you can remain in shoulder stand for ten breaths and reap all the benefits.

Roll the feet up and overhead for plow pose, halasana. When the feet touch the floor behind you, interlace the fingers. Use the straightened arms to rock the shoulders from side to side and tuck them underneath you. Lift the cervical spine up and away from the floor. Support your back with your hands. Lift legs straight up into shoulderstand pose, salamba sarvangasana. As you lift the feet up, draw in the tailbone. If you get tired at any point in shoulderstand, cross the feet at the ankles and use the strength of the legs to pull yourself up higher into the posture.

Plow Pose / Halasana: Bring the feet up and over the head into plow pose. When the toes touch the floor, interlace fingers behind the back, and bring the shoulder blades back underneath you. If the toes do not touch the floor, bring them to a block or a chair behind you. Hold here for five breaths. From plow pose, brace yourself with the hands by pressing them onto the floor as you extend your arms. Roll down one vertebra at a time onto your back.

Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose / Viparita Karani: Sit with your sacrum on three blankets or pillows. Place your seat on the blankets as you roll onto your back. Extend legs up the wall and tuck the shoulders underneath, allowing your chest to stay open. Tuck the chin slightly. This pose can be done as an alternative to shoulderstand and plow pose.

Fish Pose / Matsyasana: Remove any props that you’ve had underneath you. Come down onto your back and extend your legs. Tuck the hands underneath you and press down into the elbows, lifting the chest up and then allowing the head to drop back and rest on the floor. Tuck the shoulder blades underneath you, and then press them together to lift and open the chest. Open and release the cervical spine as you take five breaths here.

Inhale, lift the head. Exhale, release completely down onto your back. Hug your knees into your chest and do a few circles with the knees, first in one direction and then in the other.

Corpse Pose / Shavasana: Extend the legs out onto the floor. Shake the feet from side to side to release the hips and lower back. Finally, allow feet to fall open and relax. Look completely to the left side, over the left shoulder, almost bringing your left ear to the floor. Then, look completely to the right side over the right shoulder. Go back and forth in both directions as many times as you need until you come to rest in the center.

Invocation to Mercury

Once you find the center, allow the tongue to flatten and broaden at the back of the throat. Relax in shavasana as long as you like. When you are finished with shavasana, come to a seated position and finish the practice with an invocation to Mercury.

Mercury is the planet of communication. You may have heard stories of the god Mercury as the messenger who can travel between worlds. He is known for being quick, but also for being changeable. Invoking Mercury’s energy aids in our successful communication with others, learning new things and even short-range travel.

Invocation: Mercury, please guide my voice so that
I may clearly and efficiently speak the truth about what
is most important to me.

Mercury helps with many things: honest communication, learning new things, smooth travel, calming the rational mind, the ability to teach, and alleviating nervous or chatty energy.

The Alchemy of the Third Eye Chakra

When we are clear about ourselves and our needs, we then have the energetic support underneath us to ascend to the third eye chakra, ajna chakra. This “command center” is the energetic location of the higher self or what we might label the supraconscious self. At this energetic level we find complete objectivity, which allows us to see past boundaries—or otherness—and connect to the world around us. With the vision of the third eye, we have a sixth sense, an inner knowing that guides us beyond rational thought into the realm of decision making known as viveka. Viveka, or perfect discernment, is the ability to always wisely choose that which will lead us toward wholeness and connection.

As this energetic center is located at the third eye, between the eyebrows, it governs our sight, sinuses, and pineal gland. Any challenges in these areas represent a blockage in our ability to witness and observe the interconnectivity of our world. This field of consciousness allows for the experience of the alchemical opus, or the gold that comes as a result of transforming our darkness (prima materia) through the work of the practice. This isn’t so much a goal as a constant mental state that we can easily access with a little effort. Meditation is the key to getting there, but we don’t need to sit on a mountaintop and meditate for twenty-two hours a day for ten years to experience this state. In learning to realign our focus to the space between our thoughts, rather than focusing on the thoughts themselves, we access this elevated state of unified consciousness.

PRACTICE

Third Eye Chakra: Shiva, Kapalabhati / Meditation,
Sun / Moon

Shiva is the ruler of the third eye, and images of Shiva show him bearing three eyes as well. Before earning his place as the destroyer amongst the Hindu triumvirate alongside Brahma (creator) and Vishnu (preserver), he was simply the god of the highest self. Shiva’s original energetic quality was that of supraconsciousness, and invoking him leads us toward our all-knowing internal nature that resides in a state of oneness, or supreme bliss.

Shiva’s sacred mantra is said to be one of the oldest in the world, and it carries extraordinary power and efficacy. If you were to chant only one mantra in this book, make it this one, as it helps to self-correct any other energetic centers allowing you direct and swift access to this one, the third eye.

Mantra to Shiva: Om Namah Shivaya

Try chanting this mantra once, three times, or nine times. You can even continue to repeat the mantra mentally as you do the asana practice outlined in the following pages.

Third Eye Chakrasana Practice

Child’s Pose / Balasana: Come into child’s pose, balasana, by rolling forward onto hands and knees. Bring toes together and knees slightly wider apart. Sit hips onto heels. Reach hands toward front of mat. Turn palms up into a simple gesture of receptivity.

As you rest in child’s pose, place your third eye on the floor to see the sameness between you and the earth—how it nourishes and supports us. Take many deep breaths and imagine your third eye opening.

Skull-Shining Breath / Kapalabhati: Press up onto hands and knees and come into a comfortable seated position. To directly address the third eye, practice skull-shining breath, kapalabhati. Skull-shining breath helps to push the prana directly up to the third eye region in the upper portion of the nasal cavity. The action of kapalabhati is the same as a short, sharp exhalation, such as a cough, sneeze, or quick puff of air outside the nasal passage, done repeatedly. Don’t worry about the inhale; it arises naturally. If you feel like you are running out of air, take a deep breath and recharge.

If this is a new practice for you, place one hand on the belly so you can feel it move in and back quickly, as a short, sharp exhalation. Close the eyes. Turn the internal gaze to the third eye. Take a deep breath in and a comfortable deep breath out. Inhale to a comfortable level and exhale, exhale, exhale. Repeat 20 times. When you are done, take a deep breath in and a deep breath out.

Bring the breath to a comfortable level and then prepare yourself for a second round of kapalabhati with short, sharp exhalations. Take this one at your own pace; find a comfortable rhythm for yourself and repeat the exhalations 20 to 30 times. Slow down. Exhale all the air out and hold for a moment. Take a deep breath in and out.

For the last round, inhale to a comfortable level and begin short, sharp exhalations at your own pace, keeping the internal attention on the third eye. Repeat the exhalations 20 to 30 times again. Exhale the last round completely and then take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Remain here with eyes closed and notice how you feel.

Meditation: Rest your hands on the knees for a short meditation practice. Keep the internal gaze upon the third eye. Feel a focused amount of energy at the third eye point. Visualize an eye at this place slowly opening. These tools help to prepare the energetic body for this shift to remain in an open and aware state. Stay here for approximately 5 minutes.

Begin to deepen the breathing. With the internal focus remaining on the third eye, close the meditation practice with the sound of om three times.

When you are finished with your meditation, close the practice with an invocation to the sun and the moon.

Invocation to the Sun and Moon

This field of consciousness is presided over by both the sun and the moon. As the termination point of the ida and pingala nadi, the third eye is where our internal sun and moon are located. When our energy is situated here, we harmonize these energies and experience the union between all opposites within ourselves and the known universe. We know neither light nor dark, conscious nor unconscious, but rather reside in the space where we have complete awareness of both. This is the energetic state of hatha yoga—where sun and moon have come together in the great alchemical opus and we have transformed our psyches into pure gold.

Invocation: Sun and Moon, let me experience complete
transcendent union and please grant me the greatest
awakening possible to the extent that
it serves my highest good.

The Sun also helps with many things: strengthening our vitality, bringing clarity to our conscious personality (ego), creating healthy self-expression, and shedding light on anything needing clarity.

The Moon also helps with: recognizing, dealing with, and bearing all of our emotions; getting to the heart of the unconscious complexes and hidden desires; developing a sense of belonging; and engendering empathy or psychic connection with others.

The Alchemy of the Crown Chakra

At this stage, it is a very close transition up to the final chakra at the crown of the head known as sahasrara chakra, which is translated as “thousand-petaled lotus.” This delicate flower is said to be so rare that it blooms only once every hundred years. We challenge this notion by becoming a generation of yogis who develop a lasting and sustained connection to bliss, which, energetically, is experienced at the crown chakra.

Our belief that bliss is not possible, or that we cannot connect to a greater source of power, is the only thing that stops this from occurring. The work of the yoga practices, the balancing of the chakras, and the alchemical process of yoga inevitably results in bliss. This is the pathway, this is the practice, and this is the road map to your greatest potential.

PRACTICE

Crown Chakra: Source / Brahman,
Meditation / Shavasana, Universe

This field of consciousness represents a complete immersion in all that is so that we experience a state of complete oneness and sustained bliss. As such, there really is no “name” for the presiding force of this energetic center; it is beyond words or description. We could call it Source, or use the Sanskrit name, which is Brahman.

The mantra for this chakra is simply om. It can be a vocalized om, but for this chakra, it is more powerful to hear and feel the om within you. Closing your eyes and silently saying om in your mind allows this.

Crown Chakrasana Practice

Seated Meditation (10–15 minutes): To access the seventh chakra and to see the source to which we are connected, come to a comfortable seated position. Sit up tall. Close the eyes and rest the hands on the knees, palms down or palms up. Alternatively, you can rest the hands in your lap. Feel a sense of connection from the crown of the head to the ceiling, or through the ceiling to the sky, or even through the sky to the heavens.

Visualize a white light like a grand waterfall falling down from the heavens. Allow it to illuminate every cell of your being. Feel each atom enlighten and enliven with this brightness. Feel the white light saturate even the darkest corners of the mind. Feel the white light move behind the eyes, enlivening and even enlightening all that you see. Feel the white light pour down the back of your throat, purifying and even clarifying all that you communicate.

Feel the white light moving down the back side of your heart, over your shoulders, and over your chest. Imagine the presence of a small jewel hidden inside the heart that is shining at this moment. Breathe into it.

Feel the white light moving over the center of the spine, just below the diaphragm and on top of the belly. Feel enlightened and empowered. Feel the white light move over the sacrum and lower belly, filling your entire abdomen. No darkness is left behind. The flow of this white light never ceases; there is endless abundance. When feeling this flow of energy, we always have everything we need. It is an endless source of power for us.

Feel the white light move over the base of the pelvis and wash down over the legs to the toes. You can imagine it feeding itself back into the earth. This way, the cycle becomes complete as it pours down from the heavens into the crown of the head and then flows from your body into the earth. We become an endless flow, or channel, of perfect, always abundant, healing energy. Your body is the alembic within which great transformation occurs.

As this source moves through us, it corrects any imbalances we may be feeling. If there is a particular location within your body in which you feel particularly imbalanced, focus the energy of the white light in this place now.

Become completely saturated with this white light in such a way that you feel it pressing up against the inside of your skin. Observe a subtle pulsation within. The vibration connected with this white light is the sound of om. Take your right hand and place it on the crown of your head. Press down slightly. Feel the resonance of the sound of om as you chant it three times on an extended exhale. Experience the vibrations.

Release the hand from the crown of your head. As you take a deep breath in, gently open your eyes and finish the practice by bringing your hands to prayer and feel a sense of connection to the cosmos.

Invocation

Because this field of consciousness is an absolute level of awareness, there isn’t a specific planet that rules over it. The experience here is indescribable and the vastness of the universe is the only thing that can contain it. Meditation on the universe is one way to get connected with this cosmic energy, and I would also suggest looking at beautiful images of the endless fields of stars produced by NASA’s Hubble telescope. As Carl Sagan famously said, “We are all made of star stuff.” 8 Seeing a reflection of our own infinite nature in the stars above helps connect us to the promise of unlimited interconnectivity situated at this chakra.

As Above, So Below

The journey of the chakras represents the culminating experience of integration between body, mind, and spirit. By understanding how the chakras work, as well as how to access them through physical movements, meditation, ritual practice, and our uplifted intention, we create a bridge from our outer experience to our inner experience; quite literally honoring the quintessential alchemical notion of “as above, so below.” Human beings are not merely physical creatures; we cannot compartmentalize our spiritual practice to physical movements. We also cannot expect what is inside of us to live there forever with no physical or outer expression. What is within us must be expressed, and our expressions allow us access to the richness of our soul.

The practices in this chapter do this. We now have a working dialogue between inner and outer parts of ourselves, between the elevated consciousness and more base needs, and between our physical actions and our deepest needs, beliefs, and desires. This work is deep, powerful, and transformational. It holds the key to psychospiritual integration of body and soul. As we do the work, we are called to go even more deeply into the depths in order to restructure the landscape of what is within. The energetic pathway of the chakra is still our guide, and the practice of the next chapter shows us how to navigate into even more subtle areas of our internal experience and create an even stronger connection of above with below.

[contents]

8. Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, “The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean,” Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (PBS. Sept. 28, 1980. Television).