5 Element 4/19
Circling Hips
photo:
Abydos Temple, Egypt
Sushumna Nhadi Breathing
Dear Anahata Yogi,
This passage covers the movement ‘Circling Hips’. A simple but powerful movement not to be underestimated.
This week we will shift the breath-energy practice and practice breathing up and down ‘Sushumna Nhadi’, the central energy channel associated with the central nervous system.
In the previous exercises you have familiarized yourself with breathing ‘up and down’ the body. Now use that same sensation of breathing up and down and focus it on your Sushumnha Nhadi and spine.
Imagine, visualize, feel at the center of your body, at the location of your spine a luminous energy channel. The stronger you allow yourself to see and experience it, the stronger it will imprint in your mind. Allow your Sushumnha Nhadi to be as beautiful as you like.
Inhale, imagine energy rise up Sushumna, from the base of your spine to the crown of your head.
Exhale, imagine energy descend down Sushumnha, from the crown of your head to the base of your spine.
With each cycle of your breath, your conscious awareness cycles up and down your spine, strengthening the connection between body to mind and mind to body.
Sushumnha Nhadi breathing is a centering practice and also a foundational energetic practice. Most of the ‘more advanced’ breath-energy practices are founded on Sushumna Nhadi breathing. The 5 Element form focuses on this breath in the moving meditations because it is said to clear the energetic channel and pathway for your multidimensional Divine Spirit to integrate into your physical body. The more you practice the more you will experientially understand as your body transforms and inner-senses that were dormant start to wake up.
Sushumna nhadi
In yogic philosophy the mind and brain are not disconnected from the body. The brain has a beautiful tail, the spinal chord that descends into the body. The body is therefor a storehouse, a library of information. To access the information stored in the body, we clear the Sushmna nhadi ‘communication channel’ with breath and intention.
All the chakras are located along Sushumnha Nhadi. Sushumna Nhadi is said to be like a great river and the chakras (energetic vortexes) are the great lakes that lie along the river and are supplied by the river. There is no point on activating or clearing the chakras if the Sushumnha Nhadi is clogged. Just like there is no point in cleaning or filling a lake if the river that supplies it is polluted or blocked.
Breathing up and down the spine is also a way of gauging how each chakra is functioning in relation to each other. Focusing on a chakra, is something we do at a later stage of the Anahata Tradition system and we do this by using the language of the 5 Elements (and sound) as each chakra is represented by an element.
The exception is of course, Anahata chakra. As Anahata is the center chakra, it’s location is a physical and energetic point of harmony and balance in the 7 chakra system (not only a symbolic point of balance). Once the Sushmna Nhadi channel is clear and strong enough, it’s possible to work with the subtler layers of the chakras and also subtler layers of Anahata chakra.
Pelvis . Hip socket . red blood cells . movement . water
The area of the hips and pelvis represent the element of water in the body. As many of our physical movements (walking, sitting, cycling) start from pivoting the top of the thigh bone (femur) in the hip socket. By circling our hips we create circulation in the hip socket, lubricating it and improving the flow of synovial fluid to ‘re-mineralize’ this important joint. The simple, gentle movement also improves the flow of lymphatic fluids in the lymph glands located at the groin.
But did you know that the marrow of the flat hip bones (ilium) is where our body produces the most red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body? Stimulating the circulation of the blood in the area of the hip and lower spine therefor also improves our body’s oxygen circulation and retention!
To Do
This week practice Sushumnha Nhadi Breathing (inhale energy rises up your Spine, exhale energy descends) even when you aren’t doing the 5 Element movement.
Practice the movement ‘Circling Hips’ . You may do it standing, or sitting.
Mantra : ‘I center myself, connect body with mind through Sushumna Nhadi Breath.’
Going to your Nature Spot is optional.
GO TO YOUR NATURE SPOT
Go to your nature spot and breath earth energy into your heart and your heart energy into the earth, up and down through your legs.
Connect with the quality of each element and their location represented in the physical body.
Earth, strength, stability and support in the legs.
Water, movement, agility and the ability to flow around obstacles in the hips and pelvis.
Fire, creativity and transformation in the belly.
Air, communication, connection and vitality in the chest arms and throat.
Akasha, mystery and surrender in the head.
