Yoga at Alex Beach Pose

energy

The 5th Chakra is called the throat chakra or Vishuddha.

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The throat Chakra is situated between the cervical (neck) spine and the throat area. When this Chakra is open, we feel a sense of freedom to express ourselves, inner calmness and peace.

When it is unbalanced or blocked, our energy seems scattered , we may lack confidence or feel as though we can’t clear our throat. Sometimes people say, I feel like I have a frog in my throat, an uncomfortable uneasy feeling.

This is when we need to work on opening this particular Chakra.

The colour sky blue is connected to the throat Chakra and the physical areas of the body that are influenced by this chakra are

the Laryngeal nerve plexus, vocal cords, thyroid, parathyroid glands,larynx.

Asanas or poses to help free energy to the throat Chakra are:

1.cat/cow

2.hare

3.shoulder stand and head stand

4.fish pose.

Its time to get to know the 6th chakra!

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Ajna or spiritual eye chakra is centred between the eyebrows like a third eye, this is the chakra linked to our intuition.

When  his chakra is balanced we will hold strong sense of will power, concentration, memory and spiritual connection.

When we focus on the third eye we visualise the colour purple surrounded by blue blending outline this spills through to a  violet haze.

Ajna means command centre, so when we meditate, the inner gaze draws us through the spiritual eye to the space within the physical  body. This stimulates our awareness to a higher plane, increases grey matter within the brain as well as flooding the body with emotional wellbeing.

Physical areas influenced by this chakra are :Frontal lobe of the brain and eyes.

The mantra attached to Ajna is the sound Aum.

This chakra can be activated by

1. Focusing on the third eye while performing pranayama (breathing yogic breath).

1a. Nadi Shodana (alternative nostril breathing) or breathe retention and bandhas .

2. Headstand or (Shirsasana)

Usually a yoga class will bring us to the point of the third eye and it is just a matter of letting go and taking that journey through to that a higher plane,where the mind is truly rested and the body  feels replenished.

My words for what it feels like to enter this state, is we feel so relaxed, nothing else matters or is needed,  a whirling energy fills our entire existence and we feel FREE!

 

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Ready to Create Sauerkraut.

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A couple of easy steps that will have you creating your own fermented foods, whenever your heart so desires.

Place your cabbage in a processor or chop it roughly by hand, you will need a quarter of a cabbage of any colour and type. Once chopped, you can either whizz the cabbage up again so it looks like the above picture or you can leave it in larger chopped pieces- the choice is yours!

Boil 2 cups of water and wash out the jar you plan to use with some of the boiling water. Cool the rest of the water- once cooled, cover your cabbage with the remaining water.

Next, seal the jar with a lid and place it near the window on your kitchen bench. give it a shake or stir everyday. Your Sauerkraut should be ready in about 3 to 4 days. It should smell sour and taste sour too. If any mould grows on it throw it out .

After 3 or 4 days strain the remaining fluid off the cabbage and keep your finished Sauerkraut and the fluid you removed in the fridge.

You can drink the fluid and eat the sauerkraut daily for the same effect as a probiotic- helping your body to build up good gut bacteria, helping you to naturally breakdown food efficiently. If you have not had Sauerkraut before start off with a small amount until your system gets used to it.

Food you SHOULD be eating.

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This week we are talking about Fermented foods and the positive influence they have on our guts. One of my personal favourite fermented foods is Sauerkraut, which directly translates to ‘sour cabbage’, but wait! do not be deterred this finely cut cabbage is actually delicious! WATCH THIS SPACE for my homemade recipe coming to you this week.

In the meantime check out Wellbeing‘s article on belly bacteria & fermented foods at www.wellbeing.com.au.

C x