Kegel Exercise

The Wheel

The Half-Locust

The Locust

Head to Knee

Yoga Nidra

There is a separate page devoted to each of the following postures in the Postures series (you will find this title in the navigation menu on every page, upper left). This page is only a short rundown of specific postures for the Root Chakra. You can click on the links below to get the full instructions for each posture. There are many other reasons for practicing these, which are given in detail.

The first example (Kegel) is not a Yoga posture, but is an invaluable stretch for the muscle that encircles the vagina and anus in women and the base of the penis and anus in men. It is the pubococcygeus (aka PC muscle). It stretches from the pubic bone to the coccyx, and can be strengthened with the Kegel exercise.

Gray's Anatomy in scientific terms: “the pubococcygeus arises from the dorsal surface of the pubis along an oblique line extending from the lower part of the symphysis to the obturator canal. The medial margin is separated from the muscle of the other side by an interval known as the genital hiatus which allows the passage of the urethra, vagina, and rectum.” In other words, there is a lot going on down there and just like every other muscle in your body, this one also needs to be stretched and strengthened—especially since it is right at the hammock of the Root Chakra.

The Kegel Exercise

This simple exercise helps to unblock the Root Chakra, too. It helps women in childbirth, improves bladder control and enhances orgasmic intensity for both sexes. Horses, dogs and cats all use this muscle when they wag their tail, which is a funny bit of trivia found online.

Men who have a problem holding back during sex can improve their stamina by doing the Kegel exercise. Women can improve the strength of their uterus to help prevent it from dropping as they get older (which eliminates pain during intercourse), or after childbirth. The muscles are toned in this area with the Kegel exercise.

Pat Chicon, RN, Msn, Np, a phenomenal holistic nurse practitioner/wise woman herbalist, naturopath, and much more (!) in Lambertville, NJ (closer to Pennington and Hopewell), taught me so much as her client and also in the wonderful workshops she led. She talked about the importance of the Kegel exercise, but was not thinking about Chakras when she said this. That's my idea—it just makes sense. But she did tell me to do it on a daily basis. (If you live anywhere near Pennington and are trying to find a holistic healthcare professional, you are in luck. She is listed, so just give her a call and tell her Kathryn sent you!) This exercise is the same for men and women.

How To Do Kegel Exercises

• To learn how to feel the PC muscle the first time, sit on a toilet and begin to urinate. Before you are ready, try to stop the urine from flowing. When you do this, you are actually using this muscle. Many people squeeze the muscles around their anus and miss the area referred to. It takes practice.
• Start by squeezing the muscles between your genitalia and your anus. If you need to look in an anatomy book to get this right, by all means do so at a library or online. Count 3 seconds. Then release and relax. Keep repeating this until you feel the muscle is getting tired.
• Try to do 3 to 5 sets of counting to 3 and releasing. Then you can lengthen the time as the muscle gets stronger.
• Practice this many times a day. When you feel proficient at finding the exact muscle and you see the results, you can choose for your own body how many times a day you should do this and how long to count. Some people prefer to squeeze 5 to 10 seconds.
• Relax in between.
• If it helps you to breathe with this, exhale and squeeze, and then inhale and relax the entire area.

You can do this without anyone even being aware of it. So, you can be working on your Root Chakra while doing other chores or while sitting in long meetings. And now to the Yoga postures for the Root Chakra. Remember, these links (as always, are turquoise) take you to the detailed instructions for each posture.

 

The Wheel—Chakrasana
This is how it looks when danced to music on my DVD, Yoga Nata. The book, and this site, provide preliminary exercises to make it easier for you.

Half Locust—Ardha Shalabhasana
This is the preliminary stretch for the final posture, The Locust (shown next). Some teachers call this The Grasshopper. This is a powerful stretch. If you take your time doing this one and wait for your body to be strong enough for the final movement with both legs, you will feel the benefits even more, and it will be so much easier. On the same page:
Locust—Shalabhasana
One of the top postures in Yoga. If you have kidney problems, this is the posture to do every day. The blood flows through the legs down into the kidneys to flush out toxins.

Head to Knee Pose
If you are trying to lose inches around the middle of your body, this is a great exercise. This is also a wonderful stretch to do with rhythmic breathing techniques, which are provided on this posture's page.

Yoga Nidra
An entire series is devoted to Yoga Nidra (The Complete Yoga Relaxation) on this site, so this link goes to the first page of that series. This link is on every page of this site as a main category (top left).

Anything that heightens the sense of being grounded with the body is good to do to help open this Chakra. Being outside and stretching the body in a beautiful nature spot is ideal for this. Nature is the most positive way to feel grounded. Just remember to wear a hat and cover your body if the sun is strong above. It is written in many ancient texts to not practice Yoga in the heat of the sun, or cover your body if you do. Feel that your feet are like the roots of a tree growing from within the earth itself. This will help you to be more balanced. If you can find some shade, it would be more comfortable to practice.

 

The Sun Salutation is a great series to do in the early morning when the sun is high and bright. And the Moon Salutation is very soothing to do at night, especially if you can do the poses in the moonlight!

The Chakra system is like a barometer that registers various degrees of heat and cold. The barometer drops when the temperature gets colder until it reaches the point of freezing. If it were possible, it would retreat within its own little container at the bottom of the glass tube. But when the temperature climbs to a very high temperature, it rises with it the fluid in the tube. If it were possible, it would push it through the cap of the tube.

This is similar to the function of the Kundalini. It plays its emotions between the end of the spine and the uppermost part of the skull. When one experiences this rising, it is like a fire entering between the eyebrows, the Third eye. This is the cosmic fire, whose flames are playing high in the tube, known to us, as the spine. It is an unforgettable experience. The Kundalini fire is the cosmic fire, the altar upon which the fire burns. It stands at the root of the Tree of Life.

 

If you want to review the Muladhara Chakra, the links are provided below. If you are ready to continue to the 2nd Chakra, that link is also provided below, or in the images in the right column.