There are as many different types of freedom as there are ways to experience freedom. Many can relate to the feeling of freedom a day off work brings, or a long awaited vacation. Some may experience the financial freedom of making that last car or mortgage payment. Others may know the freedom of letting go of a habit, belief or relationship that no longer serves them. Known as moksha in Sanskrit, freedom is associated with the crown chakra. This seventh chakra, located at the top of the head,...

How often do you find yourself caught up in “either/or” thinking? You might notice yourself thinking everything in life is either a success or failure, that your way of doing things is always the right way, or that there has to be a winner and a loser. This approach of seeing life as a play of opposites is termed dualistic thinking. When we look at life through a dualistic lens, we tend to miss a lot of goodness in between. Energetically speaking, one’s ability to hold space for opposites is...

Truth be told, how often do you honestly respond to the question “How are you?” For many of us, the response “fine” or “good” might simply come out of habit, without much thought to how we are really feeling. Some may face the common struggle of verbalizing thoughts and feelings. Our ability to communicate openly and honestly is ruled by the fourth chakra, known as Vishuddha in Sanskrit. Located at the throat, this chakra is known for its...

It is not uncommon to treat your friends and loved ones gentler than you treat yourself. In fact, research demonstrates 84% of people are kinder to their friends than they are to themselves. In the energetic body, the seat of love and compassion resides in the heart chakra, known as Anahata in Sanskrit. Located at the center of the chest, Anahata chakra governs the thoracic spine, heart, lungs, arms and hands and thymus gland. At the mental-...

As we experience warmer temperatures, the sounds of birds singing, and the first spring blooms, we may also feel the desire for our own inner and/or outer transformation. Whether it is decluttering your home, engaging in a new self-care practice, starting a new hobby, or cultivating a new friendship, how do you spark the inner fire of “Yes I can.” In the energetic body, the fire of transformation is governed by the solar plexus chakra, known as...

The oxford dictionary defines nourishment as “the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition.” Have you given much thought as to what aids you to personally grow and be in good health? Truth be told, it is far too easy to live day to day on autopilot, without giving this question much thought. As human beings, the energetic seat of our self-nourishment resides in the sacral chakra. Translated as “one’s own dwelling place” in Sanskrit, the...

When it comes to support, everyone experiences it in different ways. You may feel professionally supported by your supervisor or colleagues, personally cared for by loved ones, spiritually backed by your faith community. Energetically, we all contain a base of support via the root chakra, known as Muladhara in Sanskrit. The root chakra is located at the base of the spine. The main theme of the first chakra is security. If you are familiar...

On a daily basis, you are probably pretty aware of your levels of energy. We often comment on having a lot of energy, or feeling like we could use more energy. That being said, how conscious are you of how you take care of your energetic body? The energetic body is more subtle than the physical body. According to the yoga tradition, the more subtle, the more powerfully we can affect deep in our system. The energetic body is shaped by the interactive undercurrents of breath, movement, feeling,...

In our modern society, there is no shortage of routes to receive information. From cell phones to computers to smart watches, it is no wonder you might often feel like your senses are on overdrive. Sensory overload occurs when one or more of our five senses becomes overstimulated. For example, one’s sense of hearing may become overloaded when music is too loud or their vision may be impaired from overexposure to bright lights. In the yoga tradition it is said that the senses are governed by...

The topic of many conversations as of late is that of feeling fatigued. Defined by Oxford as “extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness.” You might identify any number of current stressors contributing to this state. Whether your particular brand of fatigue is related to zoom, e-learning, social distancing, overwork or dealing with physical illness, the outcome is the same. Feeling chronically tired, hopeless, experiencing impaired decision-making, and aching...