Building self-trust is about doing what we say we’ll do! Simple, right?
Well not always…. and especially when it comes to our yoga practice. We may experience physical difficulties with our asana practice that cause frustration, or we may experience fear or mental blocks. There’s also the question of physical strength, especially core stability. Then our motivation dwindles and, before we know it, our promise to ourself to “keep practising” is out the window; sadly this sabotages all remaining trust, just like that!
Building Trust is a two-part series which offers an accessible exploration of some inversions, backbends and arm-balances. The first 3 weeks will be a chance to strengthen our foundations, build core-stability and refine techniques. You can expect some fun poses woven into sequences designed to build strength and confidence.
We’ll then look at some of the energetics of becoming stuck in our practice; working with the third and fourth chakra as well as some mindset tools to release fear. Fear is a primitive survival mechanism – it should never be ignored but we can learn to work with it to build unshakeable self-confidence.
More about our third & fourth chakras…..
Anahata Chakra (Heart)
Anahata means unhurt; it’s the fourth chakra and is our centre of love, compassion, empathy and forgiveness. But if our heart chakra becomes blocked then it can affect us both physically and mentally. The heart chakra directly links to our physical heart, lungs, chest, arms and hands so high blood pressure, poor circulation and lung infections are just a few examples of physical problems.
Mentally a blocked heart chakra can lead to addiction, feelings of unworthiness, lack of self-belief, jealousy and an inability to trust yourself or others. You may become defensive or isolate yourself ¬(through fear of intimacy) and you will have a tendency to play the role of victim or rescuer.
When we work to bring our heart chakra back into healthy alignment we are more resilient of challenges and more able to be in a state of flow so that problems and conflicts are resolved with ease. We are more able to see the beauty, kindness and love around us and feel a deep sense of gratitude. We can then direct this love back towards ourself so we feel more at ease and self-accepting.
• Location: Cardiac Plexus
• Function: Love, compassion, wisdom, trust, forgiveness, generosity, openness
• Colour: Green or pink
• Element: Air
• Stone: Rose Quartz
• Asana : Setubandhasana (Bridge), Ustrasana (Camel),& Matsyasana (Fish).
Manipuri Chakra (Solar Plexus)
This is our third Chakra – located between the bottom of the rib cage and our navel. When this Chakra is balanced, we feel in control of life and have a strong sense of purpose and belonging. However, when blocked it can lead to feelings of extreme self-doubt and even shame. Rebalancing this chakra allows us to regain confidence, and helps us to express our authentic self. In turn this means we feel more energetic, productive and focussed! we feel more energetic, confident, productive, and focussed.
• Location: Between the bottom of the rib cage and navel
• Function: Self-esteem, self-confidence, action, power, strength & pleasure
• Colour: Yellow
• Element: Fire
• Stones: Yellow stones (Amber, Citrine, Quartz, and Topaz)
• Asana: Paschimottanasana (Forward Fold), Bhujangasana (Cobra) & Dhanurasana (Bow).
