Typically, when I think of something I wish to cultivate within my life the word “happiness” comes to mind. Now, happiness is absolutely wonderful! However, happiness is also an external feeling based on outer circumstances. So we could say “it’s sunny outside and it’s making me happy,” or “this yummy food makes me happy.” These are phrases I have literally said myself and I am sure some of you can relate. There’s nothing wrong with these phrases. However, I believe when we reflect on the types of emotions and feelings we wish to cultivate in our lives, we often mistake happiness for joy.

Joy is an internal feeling that is independent of outer circumstances. Joy does not fluctuate with the weather nor does it get swayed when we don’t like our meal. Joy is consistent and is part of the foundation which sets the lens for which we view the world. We can be unhappy and joyful at the same time. We can feel less than satisfied with our external situation while still feeling joyful and secure at our core. In fact, this principle is what allows us to take risks and make changes in our lives when we feel unhappy and know we are worthy of what we truly desire.

So, the next time someone asks you what you wish to cultivate or manifest in your life…don’t go after happiness. Go after joy and trust that happiness will come. Do keep in mind that happiness will come and go, joy is a force which when established has a hard time being rocked.

Peak Pose: Ardha Chandra Chapasana (Half Moon Bow)

If you ask me, Ardha Chapasana emanates a feeling of joy. It does require that you get comfortable on one leg and steady in Ardha Chandrasana before heading towards this variation, but once finding freedom you might feel inclined to go after this back bending posture.

Supporting Pose 1: Open Wing

Open wing does an amazing job at opening the chest and the front of the hip which is of course necessary for Ardha Chapasana.

1. Lie on your belly with the right arm stretched out to the side about in line with your shoulder.
2. Roll over onto the right side of your body while crawling the right fingertips out so it feels like you’re lengthening the arm while you roll.
3. Take your left arm behind your back and allow the left shoulder blade to roll towards the spine.
4. Take your left leg behind the right leg with the sole of the foot on the floor. Allow the weight to roll back slightly onto the left foot to widen the front of the left hip.

*Points 3 and 4 are variations which are geared towards Ardha Chapasana. If those are too much, the left hand can stay on the ground in front of the torso and the left leg can stay stacked on top of the right. The legs could stay straight or they could bend.

Supporting Pose 2: Reverse Triangle (Viparita Trikonasana)

Reverse triangle gets the integrity of the legs going while lengthening the sides of the body.

1. From Warrior II, straighten the legs.
2. Tip the torso towards the back leg while firming the sacrum slightly forward to keep the front of the pelvis broad.
3. Sweep the arms back so the back arm rests on the back leg and the front arm stretches alongside the ear.
4. Press through the ball of the front foot while reaching through the front arm.

Supporting Pose 3: Crescent Lunge with Bound Hands to Foot (Anjaneyasana)

Any chance to connect the hands to the foot before the peak pose is a good option in my opinion! This shape sort of mimics the shape of Ardha Chapasana and can really teach the importance of back bending to grab the foot as opposed to just bending the knee like a quad stretch to catch the foot. After all, the peak pose is a backbend!

1. From low lunge, place the back knee to the floor. Fold the mat or place blankets under the knee for added support.
2. Press the sacrum forward and draw the shoulder blades back and down as you swim the arms towards the back of the room.
3. Bend your back leg and catch the foot with your hands.
4. Gently kick the foot into your hands to further firm the upper back in and allow the pelvis to move forward away from the anchor of your hands/foot.

Peak Pose: Ardha Chandra Chapasana (Half Moon Bow)

How to:

1. From Triangle Pose, come onto one leg and enter into Half Moon with the top arm straight to the sky and the top leg aiming towards the back of the room.
2. Press the sacrum forward and start to move the top leg back in space, already entering into the beginning stages of a backbend.
3. Swim the top arm behind your back and firm the shoulder blade IN to broaden the corner of the chest.
4. Bend your leg at the knee and connect your hand to your foot.
5. Gently kick the foot into the hand to further firm the upper back in and allow the pelvis to move forward in space bowing your torso away from the anchor of your hand and foot.
6. The gaze can stay at the wall in front of you or the gaze can turn up towards the sky.

As we make our final stop through our rainbow journey of the chakras, we land on the seventh chakra. In Sanskrit, the seventh chakra is called Sahasrara and is translated to: a thousand-petaled lotus. The physical location of seventh chakra is the crown of the head and actually extends beyond the confines of the physical skull to expand the energy up and out ✨.

The seventh chakra is where we deal with:

• Consciousness
• Awareness
• Universal identity
• Higher power
• Transcendence
• Divinity
• Meaning
• Unity. This the ultimate force towards transcending our physical selves and merging with the divine (or however you define a higher power).

The topics that are faced here, such as consciousness itself, are mysteries that cannot be accurately explained…only experienced. Think about it, how does one explain consciousness? How does one explain transcendence? How does one explain divinity? The fact that we cannot explain concretely these matters marks the very reason why many people do not complete the journey of the rainbow bridge in one lifetime…but that doesn’t stop us from trying, right?

To fully understand and experience the magic of Sahasrara, one would have to fully surrender to the fact that to be known means to let go of what is known. Sahasrara is about developing and expanding our capacity for universal intelligence, which is always present whether we are tuned into it or not.

As Anodea Judith stated, our operating system is located at seventh chakra. This means that we derive meaning from our experiences which develop our belief systems which ultimately govern the rest of our chakra system. As our consciousness evolves, our belief systems and operating systems continuously become updated thereby revealing the feedback process from chakra one through seven and vice versa. In order to allow change and upgrades in the direction of manifestation and transcendence, we have to be fully open to the fact that everything is subject to change.

Supporting Pose #1: Easy Seat with Arms Behind the Back (Sukhasana)

When prepping for a more complex peak pose, I like to use other more familiar poses to teach the elements of the peak. In this case, you’ll sit in an easy seat with your arms behind the back. This will help to firm the upper back in, which is vital for shoulder stand.

How to:

1. Sit on the floor or blankets with the legs crossed at the shins/ankles.
2. Take your hands behind you to the floor or edge of the blankets. If you’re using blankets, you can literally grab the back edge of the blanket and press down.
3. As you press your hands down, firm the upper back in by drawing the shoulder blades towards one another and widening your chest.
4. Lift the chest up and throat slightly up to open the front side of the body.

Supporting Pose #2: Wide Leg Forward Fold with Hands Clasped (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Wide leg forward fold can practically teach ANYTHING. In this case, we’re going to use this pose to create integrity in the legs (huge for shoulder stand) and we’ll clasp the hands behind the back to firm the upper back in again (yes, this is a very important element as you can tell).

How to:

1. From a low lunge, straighten your legs and walk your hands and pivot your feet to the right. Ensure the feet are parallel to one another.
2. Inhale to lift your chest halfway and as you do this, lift your toes and kneecaps to create integrity within the legs.
3. Bring the hands behind your lower back and clasp them together. Use the clasped hands to help draw the heads of the shoulders back and the shoulder blades towards one another.
4. As you exhale, fold to bring the crown of the head towards the floor and clasped hands up and overhead.

Supporting Pose #3: High Lunge with Back Knee Bent

High lunge with the back knee bent will help to teach an element we haven’t touched on yet that is important for shoulder stand…firming the sacrum forward. The bent back leg will create more space to move the pelvis in the direction of a posterior pelvic tilt so that the hips and shoulders create one line.

How to:

1. From low lunge, bring the torso upright to reach the arms up and overhead and look straight ahead.
2. Do your best to bring the arms alongside the ears by firming the upper back in to draw the arm bones back.
3. Slightly bend the back knee and press the sacrum forward so that you can lift the frontal hip points towards the navel. You can keep the pelvis in this position, or you can try to straighten the leg while maintaining the alignment of the pelvis.

Peak Pose: Shoulder Stand (Salamba Sarvangasana)

Shoulder stand is a wonderful pose to sequence towards 7th chakra. Not only does it reverse blood flow from toes to head, but it’s also in the true inversion family meaning that it is meant to calm the nervous system and prepare the body for rest and surrender. It also seems quite easy to set up, but takes patience and a deep understanding of body and alignment.

How to:

1. Place 2-3 blankets towards the middle of your mat.
2. Fold the bottom edge of the mat over the blankets with a few inches from the edge of the mat to the edge of the blankets. The mat will create a more stable ground for your shoulders.
3. Lie down with your upper back on the mat/blanket pile and your head on the flat mat.
4. Measure a thumbs distance between the top of your shoulders and the edge of the blanket and adjust yourself accordingly. This will be your foundation for the pose.
5. Enter plow pose from here by pressing your arms into the ground and taking the legs overhead and the feet towards the floor behind you.
6. Take your hands to your upper back with the fingers facing the pelvis. Walk your elbows together behind the back and firm the upper back in. Think about getting your hands as high up as possible.
7. One by one, take your legs to the sky. Firm the sacrum in, press the thighs away, straighten the legs, and spread your toes.
8. Continue to firm the upper back in, walk your hands towards the shoulders, and reach the balls of the feet up.

*The blankets are necessary for proper alignment of the shoulders, neck, and head. Good thoracic mobility is also necessary for proper alignment of the pose. A belt around the upper arms can assist the firm in action of the upper back, but this pose deserves a lot of time and attention to enter safely and efficiently!

We arrive now to our sixth chakra, otherwise known as our Third Eye chakra. In Sanskrit, this chakra is known as Ajna chakra and it means: to perceive. This energy center which is located between the eyebrows is the home of our intuition and imagination.

As mentioned in last week’s post, we are now in the more ✨ ethereal ✨ realms of the chakra system. Meaning we are now more concerned with: thoughts, mental images and symbols, and divine connection. It’s within these ethereal realms where we bring our earthly self towards the divine. It’s within these realms, particularly sixth chakra, where we can start to perceive things that are unseeable and make meanings/interpretations that contribute to our experience and perception of life.

Our Third Eye chakra governs:

• Intuition
• Dreams
• Pattern recognition
• Interpretation
• Imagination
• Archetypes
• Vision.

From Ajna chakra, we are able to see and gather information on our past and present to create a vision of the future. It’s our vision of the future which determines what actions to take in the present moment, which will ultimately lead to our manifested future. If you need to read that again, go ahead. 😉

Our third eye allows us to perceive our inner landscape so that we can become conscious of patterns which no longer serve us, gain wisdom from noticing said patterns, and create deeper meaning to expand our perception of ourselves and the world around us. It’s almost like our third eye gives us psychic abilities lending us proper direction in a world that can feel chaotic and overwhelming.

*Practices like journaling, story telling, meditation, and modalities to strengthen our ability to turn inward and trust ourselves can increase the potency of our third eye.

Supporting Pose #1: Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

Sphinx Pose is a great option for teaching tripod headstand as it gives the ability to teach proper activation of the biceps and a firming in of the upper back necessary for the peak. The biceps must isometrically wrap inward in tripod headstand to support the rest of the frame. If the arms are just hanging out, (which I often see), it is much easier to fall out of the pose.

How to:

1. Lie on the ground on your belly.
2. Take your forearms to the floor with the elbows more or less beneath the shoulders (a little ahead of the shoulders is okay).
3. Face the fingers directly forward as you would in downward facing dog.
4. Extend the legs behind you and press the sacrum down into the ground.
5. Draw the shoulder blades together to firm the upper back in and widen the chest.
6. Energetically pull the elbows back and wrap the biceps in towards one another. This will make very little to no movement to the external eye but the hope is that you feel like you are pulling your chest forward and a firmness to the inner arm which supports the chest and head.

Supporting Pose #2: Wide Leg Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Wide leg forward fold is a good option in prepping for tripod headstand, especially if you are entering the pose from a straddle position. This pose teaches the practitioner to straighten the legs and how to pull the crown of the head to the floor by using the legs and arms. The technique of wrapping the biceps in which we covered above in sphinx pose should be employed here.

How to:

1. From low lunge, straighten the legs, walk the hands, and pivot the feet to face the long edge of your mat.
2. Ensure all four corners of both feet are pressing into the ground and lift the kneecaps in order to firm the legs and fold.
3. Place the palms flat onto the ground with the fingers and toes facing the same direction. If you are working up to flat palms on the ground and can’t reach the floor fully yet, use blocks beneath the hands.
4. Walk the hands back so the fingertips are in line with the medial arches of your feet, while keeping the fingers in the same direction and spread your fingers as you would in downward facing dog.
5. Bend your elbows and use the biceps by isometrically wrapping them inward to pull the crown of the head to the floor.
6. Once the crown of the head is on the floor, broaden the shoulder blades and firm the upper back in at the same time. We are looking for a firmness to the upper back, not necessarily retraction or protraction of the shoulder blades but somewhere in between.

Supporting Pose #3: Standing Split (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)

Standing split is yet another pose where students have the ability to employ the biceps wrapping in as the head is drawn downward. It also teaches good action of the legs in helping one fold (the leg on the floor) and in helping the leg find both firmness and lightness to lift (the leg that’s lifted).

How to:

1. From low lunge (with the right leg forward), bring the hands to the ground directly around the front foot. Bring flat palms to the ground or blocks.
2. Take the weight onto the hands and the right leg and lift the left leg into the air behind you.
3. Firm the bottom leg but lifting the kneecap and use that leg to bring the nose towards the knee. Firm the top leg by toning the thigh, spreading the toes, and reaching through the ball of the foot. The more clarity within the back leg, the easier it will be to control your bodily movements. *Be aware if the left leg/hip is opening — try to maintain an internal rotation of the back leg to keep the hips more or less squared.
4. Bend the elbows and wrap the biceps inward to bring the crown of the head in the direction of the floor.

Peak Pose: Tripod Headstand (Sirsasana B)

Bringing the crown of the head down and allowing the focus, energy, and blood of the body to move towards the head is a good option for incorporating sixth chakra work into your asana practice. This pose requires a deep understanding of the body as there are many nuances to learn to enter the pose safely and effectively. Trust, patience, and space to move through the steps leading up to tripod headstand are sure to support your journey here.

How to:

1. From wide leg forward fold as described above, press the hands, feet, and head down into the ground. Maintain a firmness to the upper back and a wrapping in of the biceps (again, this should manifest as a firmness to the inner arm near the armpit) as you start to transfer the weight into the upper portion of the body.
2. Pull the lower abdominals in as you shift your hips above your shoulders and hover the feet wide and above the ground by keeping the thighs firm and reaching through the balls of the feet.
3. Once your feet are in mid-air move slowly as you bring the feet in a semi circular motion to meet above the hips. Once the feet are together, reach the balls of the feet UP and keep spreading the toes.
4. Pull the front ribs in and fill out the lower back so the spine is stacked well and you can maintain balance.

Sources: Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith

We officially enter into the more ✨ ethereal ✨ realms of the chakra system. As mentioned in previous posts, there are 7 total chakras. The first 3 (Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus) are considered the earthly chakras while the last 3 (Throat, Third-eye, Crown) are considered the ethereal/airy chakras with the middle chakra, or the heart chakra, being the bridge to tie them together.

Our fifth chakra is our throat chakra, or Vissudha chakra. Once we’ve left fourth chakra, our heart, we are now asked to take what is within the heart center and express it to the world.

The main concerns of fifth chakra are:

• Voice
• Vibrations
• Communication
• Truth and lies
• Creativity

Symbols in the form of words, images, and thoughts are also a major component of fifth chakra.

Everything vibrates with a particular frequency which can be intentionally affected. Have you ever felt like you’re on the same wavelength as another person? Or have you ever experienced something that you referred to as a coincidence? This type of synchronization, or being in resonance with another or the universe, is the work of fifth chakra. We tend to resonate most profoundly when we ourselves are in alignment and when we are living in full expression.

A solid foundation, understanding of one’s emotions, a sense of self, balance, and intimacy are all required in order to freely express oneself creatively and effectively. And once this happens, we start to prepare to not only express ourselves but to really trust ourselves which is the work of fifth chakra.

Supporting Pose #1: Supported Fish (Matsyasana)

Firming the upper back in is important for bridge pose. It’s important to remember that our upper back should have movement so that there is not too much pressure on the lower spine.

How to:

1. Set up your blocks with one block on the horizontal medium height and the next block on the vertical high height.
2. Lie down so that the horizontal block is going across the upper/mid back (around where a bra strap would fall) and the skull resting on the vertical block. The head should be in a more or less neutral position with the chin slightly tucked.
3. Reach the legs long towards the front of the mat and stay for ~2 minutes.

Supporting Pose #2: Crescent Lunge with Clasped Hands (Anjaneyasana)

Crescent lunge is an appropriate pose for backbend prep as it helps to open the front of the hip. Hands clasped behind the back is an appropriate variation as the hands are behind the back in the peak pose.

How to:

1. From low lunge with the right leg forward, place the back knee to the ground.
2. Press the sacrum forward and roll to the top of the left kneecap.
3. Reach the arms behind the lower back and clasp your hands.
4. Press your knuckles down and back to firm the upper back in and lift the chest.

Supporting Pose #3: Half Moon Bow Pose (Ardha Chandrasana Chapasana)

Half moon can teach the practitioner to open the front body by pressing the sacrum forward. The bow pose variation is perfect as it teaches all necessary elements of a backbend with the arm behind the back.

How to:

1. From triangle pose with the right leg forward, go forward to take the weight of the body onto the right leg and stretch the chest forward.
2. Straighten both legs so that the standing leg is straight and the top leg is straight and aiming towards the back of the room.
3. Take the bottom hand to the ground or to a block. I like using a block because it helps me to take the chest forward as opposed to down towards the floor.
4. Reach the top left arm behind the lower back and simultaneously bend the left knee to catch the left foot with the left hand.
5. Kick the left foot into the hand, firm the left shoulder blade in, and press the sacrum forward to come into the backbend.

Peak Pose: Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Bridge pose is a wonderful pose to tend to fifth chakra. The compressing of the throat area almost massages the area bringing fluid to the throat to lubricate the muscles and surrounding tissues in order to support healthy expression.

How to:

1. Lie on your back with the knees bent and soles of the feet flat on the ground.
2. Press the backs of the shoulders into the ground to widen your collarbones. It might help/feel good to bend your elbows at 90 degrees to press the backs of the arms/backs of the shoulders into the ground.
3. On an inhale, lift your pelvis off the ground. Try to keep your toes moving directly forward.
4. Straighten your arms along the floor and then walk your shoulder blades together on the back. You can interlace your hands along the ground under your lower back if that feels okay for you.
5. Ensure the only places touching the floor are your feet, shoulders and arms, and back of the skull. *The neck should not be flat to the ground. The natural curve of the cervical spine should be present.