9 Shapes: Yin Yoga for the Sacral Chakra.
By: Anna Bek
“create some space by breathing into your hips”
1. Come to lay on your backside with the soles of the feet together, bringing the supports of the blocks behind both the shoulders and the head. The block between your shoulders should run vertical along the spinal column on the medium height. The block behind the head can be on the highest hight or the middle height as it feels right for you. Rest here as you drop into the practice for 5 minutes.
2. Ease your way off of the blocks and onto your backside. Bend the knees, rise the hips, and place the block on the low or medium height at the base of the spine. Extend your legs out in front of you. Stay for 3 minutes.
3. Bend the knees, rise the hips again and remove the block from beneath you. Take the hands to the outer edges of the feet and draw the knees to the outer ribs as they track down towards the earth. Connect the sacrum to the earth. Breathe into your hips and hamstrings. Be here for 3 minutes.
4. Take the figure 4 on the right side by placing the right ankle on top of the bent left knee. You can thread the hands through to reach for the back of the left thigh or you can reach around for the front of the left knee. Rest the head. Find stillness for 5 minutes.
5. Hug the knees into the chest and as a transition, begin to roll forward and back to your table top position on hands and knees. Step the right foot forward between your hands then curl the back left toes under, lift the back knee, and slide it back in space so your weight is not on the kneecap. Rest your hands underneath your shoulders or on blocks. Let your right knee be slightly out to the right side from your hip. Stay in the intensity for 3 minutes.
6. Keep your left palm on the mat and your right hand to the inside of your right knee. Begin to roll onto the outer edge of the right foot as you draw the right shoulder back in a twist. Try to place the hand and focus on the twist instead of pushing the knee out. This one is deep at 3 minutes for the hold.
7. Roll back onto the sole of the right foot and slowly walk the right foot over to the left side of the mat. Ease your way onto your right side seat with your front shin parallel with the front edge of the mat. Sweep your left knee around to the side so it stay at a bend. Fold over the shin down the front edge of the mat. If this is too much in the hamstrings, scoot the right knee over towards the left so you fold over your knee. If you'd like to go deeper, slide the right knee to the right side and fold over your foot. Nice long 5 minutes to breathe here.
8. Come back onto your hands, rolling back onto the right side seat. Sweep the left foot around and on top of the bent right knee. Be sure the right ankle stays in a 90 degree angle on top of the right knee. You may slowly start to fold forward to where you feel the sensations. Again 5 minutes.
9. Sit back up, take your hands behind you and extend the legs full wide in a straddle. Find length in the spine first and begin to fold forward with a flat back until you feel the inner thighs catch. You may choose to place blocks stacked underneath the torso or you can come to the forearms or the belly. 3 minutes in stillness.
Repeat the entire sequence on the left side. Then slowly extend both legs forward to make your way onto your backside. Resting in savasana is a time to let go of any breath and fully surrender. It is an opportunity to integrate and absorb the benefits of the practice. Stay in savasana from 6 minutes or longer.
The Svadisthana Chakra or Sacral Chakra holds the key to unlocking and harnessing the energy you need to be innovative and to make change. It rules creativity, emotions, joy, and the energy you need to be innovative to make change. When it is blocked by emotional trauma or chronic stress, you are unable to connect with your passions and may be unable to embrace deep self love. We connect to this space by using the shapes to get into the body, by breathing into the tightness, and allowing ourselves to surrender.
The seed sound or Bija Mantra of the Sacral Chakra is VAM. While lying in savasana, try placing your hands on top of your lower belly and repeat the mantra this in a rolling style for several minutes.
Connect with the color orange throughout the day as a reminder of the work you have done to heal this area of your life.
“inhale your future, exhale your past”
Want to continue to open your hips with Anna?
Join her in spain this october 19 - 25, 2019 for all things yin and cacao!
About Anna:
Anna Bek is a yogi, DJ, and storyteller with a nomadic spirit. She helps bring people back into their natural rhythms through sacred movement, ancient philosophies, self-care, and sound. By cultivating positive habits, she is empowering others to turn routine into ritual, finding creativity in the mundane. She enjoys crafting soundscapes to help motivate the movement and realign specific chakra points with live and prerecorded sounds. Each yoga session with her is tuned to a unique rhythm and intended to connect like-minded beings to elevate consciousness and inspire change.