After a long week of school and work, I enjoy nothing more than to attend my favorite Friday night yoga class. It’s a way to unwind, let go of stress and find my balance once more.
It’s energizing and revitalizing in a way that hits me to the core. The breath work and energy that are necessary to effectively achieve yoga poses brings power to my mind and body— a power that I rarely find in any other sort of physical activity.
The best part is that this particular class I take is led by a very enthusiastic and mindful yogi named Nicole, who combines yoga and meditation to give us the best use of our brains and bodies.
We begin the class with an internal centering as we sit up nice and tall and find our breath. From there, she brings us into different poses that help us balance our chakras—from the core chakra to our crown chakra. Each pose is designed to not only open up each individual chakra, but to find balance within them as well.
Since each chakra represents a different aspect of our being, it is easy to disrupt their balance with stresses and worries within our lives. For example, the fourth chakra is the heart chakra and it is found in the center of our chest. Matters dealing with the heart, both physical and emotional, can disrupt and throw your heart chakra off kilter. By doing poses that open our chest and stretch all of those internal and external muscles while breathing deeply and evenly, you are slowly able to bring it back to balance.
Somehow, Nicole manages to guide us through the poses in a way that releases all that tension. My body feels much lighter after every class and I am able to think more clearly, feel more balanced and am much more happy. Maybe an evening of yoga will do it for you, too.
