*ajna* wisdom within: chakras + vagus nerve healing

Hello beautiful souls! Fall is officially here, but it still feels like summer over here! Autumn temps and colors and yummy baked treats will soon arrive! This summer, in our yoga classes, we traveled to our most beloved national parks, from Yosemite and Yellowstone, to Olympic and the Arches, we found so much healing in the outdoors! I think that was my favorite series yet! Everyone seemed to enjoy each one so much! I knew another series awaited to bring much needed healing during uncertain times, or big life changes. This summer was a whirlwind of bittersweet moments as we prepared to send our daughter to college! Phew, I was not prepared for the dizzying array of emotions of letting her go, especially to a school several states away, in NY. But she is thriving, and my heart is happy! If you are feeling the same lately, with the state of the world, or closer to home, maybe job transitions, or family growth and shifts, juggling too much in this fast-paced world, you might be feeling swept away at times, like me, and desperately need to feel a deep grounding. Our society celebrates exhaustion, fast pace, constantly on the go, hurried days, full schedules. I'm the exact opposite. It's a lot, too much, and it feels like we're getting swept away, in flight, scrambling to find a safe place to perch and rest, only to get swept away again. One day our body is going to tell us when to rest either with injury or illness. Let's do what we can to prevent that!

I've always loved the chakras, and I've taught chakra classes before, but this time, we are connecting each chakra to the vagus nerve in specific ways, traveling up the chakras, from the root to the spine, to shift from our busy minds, endless to-do lists, and worries, and back into the body, where we are rooted, grounded, and at home, while releasing stored tension through vagus nerve stimulation! Join me for the next few weeks, on Fridays for a gentle flow, and Sundays for a warm, more energetic flow. Last week, we dove into the fifth chakra, our Vishuddha, Throat Chakra, and we found so much healing here, speaking our truth, expressing ourselves unapologetically, strengthening our communication, listening, and using our voice for good energy center! This week, we arrive at the sixth chakra, our Ajna, Third Eye chakra! 

Our Ajna, Third Eye Chakra is our swirling energy center in the center of our forehead, between the eyebrows, indigo or deep blue in color, with light as its element. This is where we find our intuition, our wisdom, judgment, and our connection to the divine or universe.   

🪬Ajna’s Connected Crystals: Lapis Lazuli, Sodalite, Labradorite, Flourite, Azurite.

Connected essential oils: lavender, peppermint, rosemary, spruce, thyme, clary sage, juniper berry.

When *In Balance*:

We trust our own intuition, able to learn from all experiences good & bad, open to new ideas & guidance, open to potential, remain objective, able to detach from things which no longer serve us.

When *Out of Balance*: 

We are judgmental, driven by our ego, live in fear or blame, are prejudiced, put others down for following their dreams, feel stuck & can't see our future, difficulty accepting the truth.

We opened in our Child's Pose, with knees opened wide, third eye grounded to the earth, to the soil beneath us, hands extended long overhead. We closed the eyes, and moved into our Pranayama practice, 3-part breath, deep inhales through the nose, filling up to the belly, allowing the belly to take up space, into the chest, expanding the ribs, filling the lungs, all the way to the crown, adding in an extra sip of air at the top, with each round, and then long, slow exhales through the mouth, releasing all our past events, and future to do lists, letting them wash away, becoming truly present! We took time just for ourselves, present in this space, in this moment. Nowhere else to be, nothing else to do, but simply be. We slowed down the chatter of the mind. We reached the right hand forward, and thread the left arm under the right, threading the needle. Unravel through center, and thread the needle with the left hand forward, right arm underneath, our Ajna still connected to the earth, a reminder that we are always connected, woven throughout the tapestry of every speck of soil, plant, animal, sun, moon and stars, and every other human being.

We rolled forward onto our bellies, grounding the entire body, discovering peace, relaxation throughout the length of the body from the crown to the toes, with our left cheek melting to the earth! The head and shoulders melt down to the earth beneath, each vertebrae of the spine grounds, hips and pelvis heavy, arms and legs soften. Safe in this childlike, prone position, connecting the heart to the earth. We shift from being in the mind, to being in our body beginning our sensory scan. Even though the eyes are closed, we notice what we see beyond the lids, finding peace in the darkness, knowing light is always nearby. We notice what we hear in the room, the hum of the furnace or air conditioner keeping us comfortable, the breath of our neighbor, pinpointing an instrument in the music. We notice what we smell, notes of lavender hovering overhead, tapping further into our Ajna chakra. Inhale as the chin floats through center, right cheek meets our mat, melting back into the earth. We scanned to our taste, noticing the last thing we may have eaten, or a sip of cup of tea, coffee,  lingering in the mouth, separating the teeth, the tongue falling from the roof of the mouth. Lastly, we noticed our sense of touch, what we feel against the skin, the warmth of the air against the skin, the softness of our clothes, the stickiness of our mat, supporting us, cradling us, serving as our anchor, as we shed the layers that accumulate on the body and mind from daily life, bringing us back home to ourselves, lighter, more free.  

We found our Ujjayi breath followed, even lengths of inhale and exhale through the nose, our grounding, stabilizing breath. Inhale the hands plant under the shoulders, forehead to the earth, fingers spread wide, inhale we lift up into our Low Cobra, exhale we melt, inhale lift, exhale melt. Hands plant outside of the mat, tent the fingers, elbows to the sky, inhale we lift, long thru the throat, exhale left ear taps the mat, inhale thru center, exhale right ear taps, 2 more rounds, inhale we lift up into the forearms into our Sphinx pose, drip the chin, inhale lift up, exhale gaze over the right shoulder, thru center and to the left, thru center, melt down, hands long by the hips, palms to the sky, inhale we lift the chest, gaze, hands, feet, into our Locust, exhale melt down, 2 more times up into our Locust, and melt to the earth. Form a little pillow with the palms, forehead to the pillow, and slowly rock the pelvis right to left, massaging the solar plexus, relief for the low back. Hips come thru center, inhale right knee lifts, flex the right foot, Half Frog. Inhale right arm extends forward, left arm threads under the right, we open up to our backs, Supine Twist. Roll back to the belly, pelvic rocks left to right, and Half Frog to the left, ending in our Supine Twist.

We rolled to our backs, facing the back of our mats, lengthened long, reaching the hands overhead, toes reaching forward, full body stretch, exhaled hugging the knees into the chest, rocking side to side massaging the low back, circling through the ankles. Right knee stays hugged into the chest, left leg long to the earth, left hand grounds the left hip, inhales reach the right knee out to the right, exhales bring it back through center, a few rounds, knee thru center, extend the right leg to the sky, walk the hands up the leg, third eye toward the right knee, exhale melting back down, right hand reaches for the right heel, Half Happy Baby, right sole of the foot to the sky, and cross the right knee over the midline to the left, Supine Twist. Through center, knees hug in, release, plant the feet, palms plant, hips lift, into our Bridge pose, chest toward the chin, core toward the spine, exhale lower the hips, and honor the left side, meeting with a rock n roll along the spine into our comfortable seat, and spin around to face the top of our mat.

We formed our Ajna Mudra, hands meet in prayer, then form a triangle, lifting our mudra to our third eye chakra to connect to this powerful energy center. Release our mudra, and rub the palms together to create some heat, healing energy, and cupped the hands to the eyes, sending healing energy to the soul. We floated the hands up to the crown, sending healing energy to the mind, calming the chatter, the constant activity. Sometimes the mind gets stuck in the past, ruminating over things that have been, or the mind travels too far forward into the future with worry, but it is here, in this moment, that the body is always present. We bring the left hand to the forehead, and  the right hand to the base of the skull, stimulation to the vagus nerve, we tell the brain that the body is safe here. Hands float to the heart, we set an intention for our class, for our day, our week ahead. We released it, reaching the hands to the sky and to the right for a twist, peeling the right shoulder back to open the chest 5% more. We arched the right hand to the sky and toward the left knee to open the side body, and then brought it to the left knee, crossing the arms, arching the back and dripping the chin. We twisted to the other side, and then came through center, planted the fingers behind us, opened the chest, arching the spine into a backbend, gaze to the sky, shoulder blades draw toward one another, and then walked the hands forward into a fold. We unraveled the legs and melted the hips back into a child’s pose, walking the hands to the right, hips melt back and to the left, through center, hands wander to the left, hips draw back and to the right. 

We moved in yummy ways, with a yummy warm up flow of Cat-Cow, adding in organic movements, hips swaying side to side, child’s pose waves, listening to what the body needs! We could stay in Childs pose for the rest of class! Coming into our neutral spine, we melted down into the forearms, into our Puppy pose, inhale we lifted the gaze while extending the right toes to the sky, exhale nose to knee, curl the back, extending 2 more times, third eye grounds toward the earth! Right leg crosses over to the left of our mat, gaze follows over the left shoulder. Inhale the right leg floats thru center and out to the right of our mat, exhale sink the hips back, 1-leg Childs Pose. Inhale we roll forward into he palms, and float up, hands reach overhead, exhale right hand to the right leg, left hand overhead, cartwheel the hands around, left hand grounds, right hand overhead, hands melt to the top of our mat, knees in through center, a round of cat cow in the forearms, and then honor the left side with our Puppy kicks!

Our first flow spiced up our energy, kept us warm, and rooted to the earth as we flowed into our downward dog, lifted high into the toes, rolled forward into plank, creating waves as slowly as possible, into pranam, low cobra, downward dog, into our tadasana, rooting the feet into the earth, feeling that grounding energy all the way up to the crown. We moved through side bends to the right and left, thru center, inhale cactus the arms, exhale cradle the head, arch the back, forearms together, inhale one more round, exhale sit deep into our Chair, hands release back, interlace the fingers, exhale forward fold. Hands release, right hand down, right knee bends, left hand high, thru center, left hand down, left knee bends, right hand high, thru center, move thru your flow or skip it, to meet in Downward Dog. Inhale right leg lifts, exhale right knee to left elbow, inhale high, exhale right knee to left elbow, inhale high, exhale knee to chest, right knee down, little pushup, third eye toward the earth, left toes high, and down, right foot forward, we rise Warrior I. Inhale cactus the arms, exhale hands reach back, chest leans forward, back heel lifts, into our Lightning Bolt. inhale left knee lifts forward to meet the right, hover, exhale left foot back, 2 more times crunch in, on the third left knee floats up through center into our Pillar, left over right Eagle legs and arms, inhale lift the thumbs to the Third Eye, exhale crunch in, 3 times, unravel into our Warrior 3, left leg floats back, hands to the heart, exhale left toes tap out to the right, inhale float, exhale toes tap, third time, left foot steps to the back, Exalt your Warrior, left hand down, right hand high. Cartwheel the hands around, right elbow to right knee left hand overhead, melt into the right foot, Skandasana, walk the hands forward, melt the Third Eye. Inhale thru center, WideLeg fold, reach for opposite shins, Sailors Knot, head and shoulders hang heavy. Inhale release the bind, we rise up 5 pointed Star, exhale into our Goddess, arms out to a T, right over left Eagle arms, inhale we float into the right foot, into our Tree with our Eagle arms, thru center, we float into the left foot into our Tree, thru center, straighten the legs, we melt forward with our Eagle arms, swaying our Ganesha Elephant trunk side to side, removing negativity, obstacles from our path, clearing the way forward.

As we sway to the left foot, unravel the bind, hands plant, right toes high, Standing Splits, curtsy taps right toes out to the left, 3 times, and melt into a Seated Twist, left knee over right, right arm wraps around the left knee we twist to the left, thru center, left leg high, third eye melts forward, left hand stays around the left ankle, right arm extends out behind us, heart opener in our Heron, thru center, left foot down, Standing Splits, right toes high, right knee into the chest, float the hands at the heart in our Flamingo, right foot steps back, right hand down, Twisted Lunge, left hand high, exhale thread the needle, left hand under right arm, 3 times, and melt to the right foot, Skandasana, melt the Third Eye toward the earth, walk the hands to the top of the mat, right foot to the outer edge of our mat, into our Dragon, rocking forward and back, choosing to melt the left knee, down into the forearms, or open out to the right into a twist binding for the back foot, or into our Cross pose, right shoulder under the right knee, arms float out to a T. Wherever we are, right foot steps back to meet the left, heels drip to the left, Sideplank, right hand high, thru center, to the right Sideplank, left hand high, thru center, we move thru our flow, meeting in Tadasana to honor the left side. 

Our Somatic practice gives us tools to regulate our nervous system, to stimulate the vagus nerve that begins at the base of the brain and runs down the neck, and throughout the body touching every organ system, communicating between body and brain! 80% of these messages are from the body to the brain, so when we intentionally stimulate the vagus nerve, we're telling the brain that the body is safe, not under threat. We agitated emotions stuck in the body, to help them release, and to serve as a reset button. I usually alternate between these tools each week! We rubbed the palms together to create some healing heat, and we brought the fingertips to the crown, massaging the fingertips all over the crown and behind the ears, even the base of the skull, directly into our vagus nerve. We moved into the temples, massaging circles here, relieving migraines, we dripped the fingers to the jaw, the hinge where we open and close the jaw, the perfect release for jaw clenchers like myself, and maybe you too. We pulled down on the ear lobes, pulled the middle of the ears out to the sides, up to the top of the ears pulling toward the sky. With one hand to the base of the skull, pressing into the vagus nerve, the other hand brought the index and middle fingers to the hairline at the forehead and began rolling the fingers down the forehead, between the eyebrows, down the bridge of the nose to the tip, repeating 3 times, and switching out the hands. We brought our fingertips to the base of the skull, pressing into our vagus nerve, and melted the fingertips toward the ears, along the jawline, and down the front of the neck to the collarbone. We repeated this 2 more times, releasing tightness in the throat. We tapped into the collarbone, with slow rythmic taps, all fingers in unison, into one of our acupressure points in the body. We brought this tapping to the sternum, center of the chest. We slowly tapped here, some of us hold tension here, creating tightness in the chest, shallow or rapid breathing. The tapping sends messages to the brain that were not in danger, to slow down the heart rate, and encourage deeper, longer, slower inhales and exhales. We can continue tapping with the fingertips or Bilateral Butterfly taps using cupped hands over one another on the chest, activating both hemispheres of the brain, continuing as we inhaled, paused to bring the hands to the heart, stacked on top of one another, and as we exhaled we audibly hummed a "OM" sound connecting to our Third Eye Chakra, activation of our inner wisdom! Our bee breath🐝! If you hold tension here in the chest, this is a nice release! Humming is a somatic release, also good for respiratory infection season to break things up in the lungs, and humming has shown to reduce anxiety better than sleep! We crossed the arms at the chest, and squeezed into opposite shoulders, down to the biceps and triceps, and into the forearms. We brought the hands to the shoulders again for a squeeze, and swiped the hands down the arms, chest, abdomen, low back, and legs, making sure anything heavy or unwanted that is still tethered to the body is fully released, we send it all out into the wind to be carried far away. On the way up, we formed fists, pounding into the body, until in Tadasana, swaying the arms left to right, ending in Tadasana. We noticed the effects, feeling heat, cool, tingling, maybe even a yawn, all signs we've moved closer toward regulation in the nervous system. The goal is not to simply feel calm, it is to use these tools off of our mat to hold larger capacity for stress, to better cope with stressors and triggers, sitting with these difficult emotions, for longer periods, allowing ourselves to FEEL, rather than run from them or mask them with unhealthy things. We can help ourselves come out of a state where we feel stuck or stagnant in a fight or flight or freeze state. We need these states at certain times of our lives, for survival, but we don't want to live there. We can pendulate in and out as needed using these important tools. We released everything from last year, last month, yesterday, that we need to let go of, swipe it away, let yourself be free of it, so we don't carry this heaviness any longer! Allow it to melt down your back! Let it drift into the breeze, the water, no longer needed in this moment! We found lightness, balance, and freedom

Our final flow began in Tadasana, inhale the hands reach overhead, exhale Swan dive forward fold, melt into the shins, sit back onto the heels into our Hero pose. Inhale hands reach up, exhale right hand down to the right of our hips, left hand overhead, thru center to the left, thru center, inhale cactus the arms, exhale cradle the head, arch the back, forearms together, and again, hand plant in front of the knees, lift the hips, press into the tops of the feet, arch the back, exhale melt down, one more round, inhale lift the hips into our Downward Dog, melt down into the forearms, into our Dolphin pose, third eye toward the earth, walk the feet in toward the elbows, and back out, right leg lifts, and steps forward, into our Lightning Bolt, hands reach up, then back palms to the sky, chest leans forward, left knee down, Low Lunge, palms overhead and melt back behind the neck, hips melt, palms down, tip the hips back, Quarter Split, melt the Third Eye, inhale forward, heel toe the right foot out, into our Dragon, opening the heart to the right. Inhale hop the left foot forward behind the right foot, shin melts down, pivot to the long side of the mat, Cowface pose, right knee over left, anchor the sit bones, spine extends, crown to the sky, Eagle the arms, we fold forward. Inhale we lift, unravel the arms and right leg out to the back of our mat, left foot into the right thigh, sidebend, right hand reaches for the right foot, left hand overhead. Cartwheel the hands around, left hand down, right hand overhead, hips lift, Rainbow Arch. Right hand down, top of the mat, right foot back of our mat, left leg unravels to the sky, 3 Limb Dog, left knee to chest, left foot forward, we rise up into our Lightning Bolt to honor the left side!

After our Rainbow Arch on the left side, we ground the hips, pivot to the back of our mat, Straddle pose, V-shape extend the legs, inhale we lift, exhale we fold forward. Inhale help the knees inhale, plant the feet, palms behind us, fingers toward the heels, inhale lift the hips, Reverse Table, rocking forward and back or side to side, Third Eye freely opens to the sky. Exhale lower the hips down, inhale Butterfly pose, soles of the feet together, peace fingers with our hands, hook the big toes, inhale we extend the feet out, balance in our Straddle, micro bend in the knees, and roll to the back into our Happy Baby, rocking side to side, grounding to the mat, reconnecting to the soil beneath us, back to the Earth. We lengthened long, hugged the knees into the chest, extended the arms and legs out into our Star, coiled inward into a cow face, right over left, hugged the thighs together and reached for shins gently pulling the knees toward the chest. This lengthens the IT band, and helps to soften where the sciatic nerve travels, releasing any pain we may have there. We released our shins, planted the bottom foot for a supine twist! We honored the opposite side! We lengthened long, hugged the knees in, lengthened long again, and formed our Crescent Moons once more, honoring our Sun, warm, active right side, and our Moon, cool, yin, restful, left side, coming full circle in our practice, embracing the balance. We made time to come into any final poses we needed before our final rest, such as legs up the wall, bridge, plow or wheel, or coming into Savasana early! 

🙏🏻We made it to our PEAK POSE: Savasana! Together, we completed a full body cleanse! We found meditative peace, a calming of the mind, opened our Vishuddha, found insight into ourselves, found our voice, we experienced growth, fearlessness, release, and freedom. Yoga helps us shed what we no longer need, so we may see our most purest selves! We connect to divinity! To slow down means to heal! That is why savasana is the peak pose, the most important pose, the goal, the pinnacle. To find peace. In the stillness! We surrender. We discover ourselves again without the layers, the armor, the walls. They all come down, revealing our divine self.

🪬 I loved creating our Ajna + Vagus Nerve Healing playlist! Listen here!! 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7b1AVP3bJmPqTBao8fym0y?si=K5NtqucPTfWTA0cRztARYg&pi=u-cuwLZE0cSzCA

🍃Come practice with me on Fridays for a gentle flow at 11:30, and on Somatic