the right class for you
kim on 12:43 pm January 18th, 2007 / 3 Comments »
so i’m back in the saddle after living out of a suitcase for a month. i’ve found that traveling is oppositionally correlated to sustaining a regular blog. this is an interesting first chakra issue: when you are not grounded (and can you be, traveling? that is my question to the energy practitioners out there.), it is difficult to manifest anything, especially from your creative source.
this entry, and the ones coming up for the rest of the month, are devoted to explaining not just the types of classes we have at boundless, but our teachers and their approach. and mine. i will first start with the types of classes to answer the many questions we always receive at the beginning of every year: how should i get into yoga? how many times a week should i practice? what should i wear? what type of yoga do you teach at boundless? should i do the intro to yoga series or the beginning classes? what, in god’s name, is a “challenge” class, and how do i know if i’m up for that? can i do an open hatha class if i am a beginner? and so on.
i am recounting questions our front-desk sirens, teachers, and i have received. i’m sure there are more. start posting, start asking, and i’ll respond daily (or every other day, as i continue to unpack the suitcase) with answers explaining what class is right for you at boundless.
On January 18th, 2007 at 12:52 pm Sankarman Said:
Welocme back, Kim. I don’t travel much so whenever I do it is such a pleasure. It sort of opens up the mind, liberating it from the confines of the routine and the familiar, bringing out fresh thoughts, feelings and ideas. maybe if I do travel a lot it will take away the freshness. but as it is even a trip to Baltimore gets me excited sometimes. i don’t know if this contradicts or agrees with what you are saying.
On January 19th, 2007 at 8:44 am yogi beer Said:
you didn’t say what kind of classes . . .
On January 20th, 2007 at 12:49 pm amplexuslotus Said:
i have to agree with sankarman. travelling is a fantastic way to open heart-mind and soul and yes manifest too! however, i think it depends on if you enjoy travelling to begin with. if someone is very home-oriented, overly patriotic or neurotic and controlling then leaving home for only a few days will be unsettling for them.
i am quite grounded when i travel for it is then that spirit demonstrates for me so perfectly how i am continually lovingly supported wherever i go. no matter where i am i am home. i find new friends in these new places. i discover new things about myself and the world i live in through new eyes. in my travels i have become profoundly aware that all is one and just how deeply i am connected to all living things. for me this feeling of oneness is very beautiful and empowering. for others it may be a horrifying realisation because it uproots all their preconceived notions of self and other and in essence is a challenge to their ego.
i believe this is why i frequently manifest wonderful experiences, people, places and even material items when i travel because of the way i feel. i am relaxed, happy and excited. neuroscientist, candace pert, writes about how our feelings affect our molecular structure. this is inextricably connected to our ability to manifest according to our deepest desires with precision and ease. i believe the reason many people manifest improperly is due to their inability to surrender and relinquish control. if someone is consistently creating chaos in their life or feeling angry, depressed and discouraged i ask them 3 questions:
1) what are you afraid of?
2) what and/or whom do you love?
3) why do you believe things aren’t working out?
manifesting what one claims they don’t want is an indicator intentions aren’t being clearly defined; that the person is more than likely blaming others for having problems/challenges; the individual is incapable of “letting go and letting God”. while we can and do control everything which we create in our lives – we cannot control exactly how it will come into being. this is something which many people have trouble with and this is firmly tied to how well the individual can relax.
it could be you have first chakra issues even when not travelling. some questions to ask yourself are things like, “do i feel supported?”; “am i living more in my head than extending myself out into the real world?”; “am i relying on theory only or fantasy too much?”; “do i harshly judge or fear new people?”; “am i optimistic about change and/or when thinking about the future?”; “am i generous towards others or do i always regret sharing, giving or paying for services rendered?”; “do i practice what i teach/preach?”; “do i trust others?”; “am i a person to be trusted?”; “do i have issues with food and/or money like, for example, becoming angry when i must pay for something, if payment is delayed to me or do i become emotional and irrational when hungry?”; “do i tend to be jealous and envious of others?”; “do i manipulate people and situations because i fear not remaining in control?”; “am i often sick in an attempt to receive extra attention and as a way to feel taken care of by others?”; “do i have healthy drives and instincts?”; “do i honor and appreciate my friends and colleagues?”; “am i holding onto to anger (even if residual) towards my mother/father?”; “do i respect the boundaries of others?”; “am i respectful of other people’s time and talents?” …………
perhaps you simply do not like all the freedom, excitement and newness which travel offers because you feel there is a lack of control. other possibilities would be if you are holding onto beliefs, ideas, people, things etc…which are no longer serving the highest good in your life. you may feel that you, your family, your place of origin, your culture, education, profession, beliefs and/or religion to be better than those of others. it could even be you are unconsciously focused on negative familial relationships and this is why you find travelling to be an obstacle to manifesting.
if you are familiar with kahuna magic there are ways to meditate and conduct self-analyzation so as to discover the answers to why you feel ungrounded. in order to do this procedure effectively, you must be willing to let go of the ego in order to receive truthful answers. or you may have a kahuna practitioner or even a gestalt therapist probe for the reasons you’re feeling insecure that you cannot be truthful with yourself or if you cannot bring yourself into a deep meditative state. more often than not any imbalance or weakness in muladhara is very strongly anchored to something going on in manipura. in my experience it typically it has to do with one’s integrity (or lack of), personal code of behavior and sense of honor.
also the thing to remember is you are manifesting all the time regardless of whether what is coming into being is exactly as you wish it to be. even our mis-creations are our manifestations whether we will accept ownership of them or not. more importantly, people tend to focus on the negative and often only recall problems and challenges instead of their successes. it is very important to be mindful of this and to learn to change one’s point of view by expressing genuine sincere appreciation not only towards others but towards the self. i would also ask to consider if you are feeling blocked from your “creative source” then how do you believe you are creating? do you believe you stop creating during certain periods in your life? all of life is vibration moving creating and procreating and according to some law of attraction experts co-creating (although personally i am not convinced we co-create).
to strengthen the first chakra i recommend working through manipura exclusively before engaging in meditations, chants or focusing on asanas specifically for muladhara. i know this is contrary to what many other people who work with the chakras may recommend. however, i have found that when manipura is imbalanced it is urgent to work first with the ego and balance and strengthen the 3rd chakra before any of the other chakras can ever hope to be rejuvenated and brought into harmony.