We are rhythmic beings. Cyclical beings. We move in rhythms and cycles just like all things in nature. In yoga we see all life and energy as having Prakriti, a true nature; a true creative movement and balance within our rhythmic cycles. This true nature is composed of three qualities, which we call the three gunas: rajas, sattvas, and tamas. The three gunas can be broken down as such:
rajas - creation; activity, change, development, movement, agitation, passion, aggression
sattvas - preservation; balance, harmony, equanimity, openness, awareness, clarity
tamas - destruction; inertia, inactivity, lacking life, heaviness, steadiness, rest and recovery
Again, we need all three of these qualities within our internal and external natures to have balance in life. All of nature consists of a delicate balance of these three qualities. Sometimes, often, these three qualities get thrown off balance for a variety of reasons that we will simply call life; life happens; shit happens. When life happens we need to cultivate (create) from a place of steadiness (sthira) and ease (sukha). See pt. 1 of this blog post for more on sthira and sukha and some practices to cultivate it.
Currently in our world we are in a huge state of imbalance. When this happens nature moves. Well, it is always moving, but we are seeing and feeling this movement much more now as she tries to come back into her natural rhythm, her prakriti. And so we too are feeling unstable and unbalanced. Our natural rhythms and routines that we are accustomed to are being put on hold, changed altogether, or maybe, just maybe we are being nudged to look within and come back to our original state of being. Maybe some of you don’t even know what that is, and that is okay. This time that we are being given to slow down, be inside or be alone in nature when you can, can be seen as a beautiful gift to find what really nourishes you, supports, you, and drives you in this life.
Likely many of us are feeling more rajas (movement and change; mental or physical, anxious) or more tamas (detached, unclear, down, depressed) right now as our world is rapidly moving and we are being asked to stand still in a sense. To bring more sattva (calm, balance, steadiness and ease) back into our lives, I offer the following practices during this time. I will be leading some online classes over the next few weeks that will explore these themes in our yoga practice in different ways. You can follow me on Instagram @RachelJennine for the latest in live classes while we re-calibrate our true nature.
~Finding our true rhythm: practices to create balance, steadiness and ease~
Walking Meditation - (can be done indoors or outdoors). Walk slowly and mindfully with a steady breath. You may even take one step as you inhale, one step as you exhale to really slow you down and pay attention to the moment and sensations of breathing and walking. Focus on the sensations of your feet as they place themselves on the ground (from the heel rolling to the arch to the ball of the foot) and as they leave the ground.
Tap into your root chakra (mulhadhara) which is our center of stability, home, safety and security.
-Through meditation :come into a tall, comfortable seated position on the ground or in a chair. Focus on the sensation of your root; your sit bones on the firm support beneath them. Notice their solidness and heaviness here. Imagine a sense of warmth and red light emanating from this area in your body, rooting you to the ground and earth below you. Stay present with your natural rhythm of breath and feel your shoulders lengthen down away from your ears, releasing towards the earth below. Feel the solidness of your body here.
-Through color: surround yourself with the color red. Red flowers, create red artwork, wear red clothing. Red is the color of our root chakra.
-Through food: eat foods that are grown in the earth; root vegetables such as potatoes, radish, carrot, beet, parsnip, onion, garlic, etc.
- Through yoga asana: Focus in your postures on the places where your body connects with the ground. Really bring your awareness into pressing into the ground and feeling strong. Asanas for grounding include: tadasana (mountain pose), padmasana (lotus pose/meditation pose), savasana (corpse pose) balasana (child’s pose), virabhadrasana I (warrior I).
Explore what you are taking in to your system through your 5 senses
-reflect or journal on what you eat, touch (what are you interacting with), watch, listen to, smell, and how you direct your energy and attention. Note how different thoughts you spend your time on/pay attention to, actions, and the ways in which you move your body and how these things make you feel. Do they make you feel light, energized, and motivated (rajas)? Do they make you feel tired, low energy, hopeless (tamas)? Do they make you feel calm and at ease, blissful, in harmony with yourself and with life (sattvas)?
~Most of all remember to be kind, compassionate, and patient with yourself and with others. We are all going through a transformation right now, which will include waves of destruction, creation, and preservation that will look and feel different for all of us.
Be well, be compassionate, be patient, be kind.
Sending you all love and health.