“Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices which, according to traditional Indian medicine, are believed to exist in the surface of the etheric double of man.[2] The Chakras are said to be “force centers” or whorls of energy permeating, from a point on the physical body, the layers of the subtle bodies in an ever-increasing fan-shaped formation.”
My yoga teacher didn’t explain it quite that way. She just said we’d be going through various chakras in the 8 weeks of the class and tying them in with our poses. Normally I don’t think a lot of this kind of thing. Or, rather, I think it’s fine and great for other people. I think, if I learn something that’s great. If something I learn helps me, that’s great. But I’m not going to change my life, I’m happy where I am, and I know that, so I take it all with a grain of salt, knowing that realistically I’m just playing in someone else’s garden.
This is my second course of yoga with this teacher and I’m really enjoying it. I started in the summer and will finish in October. I think I’ll keep going with it. My body is doing things I never thought possible. Poses that I would normally not dream of trying I try anyway and even if I can’t do them as long or as well as my classmates at least I do them, and that’s a huge mental boost.
Lately we’ve been doing a meditation which includes imaging that a red lotus blossom is at our perineum and within that a gold square. I don’t know what a lotus blossom looks like so I’ve been imaging a four leaf clover. Hey, they’re both plants.
In my quest to fill the space that was the family history project, I have decided to become healthier. I joined a gym. I’m working out. Of course there is Weight Watchers. Recently I have been making some rather unhealthy eating choices which have included, over the past several weeks, a slab of ice cream cake, a whopper, a dinner made up entirely of fried appetizers at Chilis, a small helping of fettucine alfredo and grand marnier strawberry shortcake. I’m sticking to the intent of the program, meaning I still record everything I eat as well as all of the exercise I get. I consider myself still “on program” – just making some unhealthy eating decisions. Most days and most meals, my decisions are healthy.
What really threw me was the marina sauce. I was going along fine and dandy until I went to lunch with some coworkers and got a perfectly reasonable size of spaghetti. I asked for some extra marinara sauce to dip bread in. I later looked up how many “points” (roughly – calories) marinara sauce was and realized I wouldn’t be able to remain in points and eat my planned dinner. I had plenty of “fun” points left for the week but this was my first day of the week and if I don’t stay on track the first couple days of the week I really lose steam. So, instead of going home and eating my reasonable dinner I went home and ate two pieces of pizza, my dinner, and then a slab of ice cream cake.
The exercise has been good. I’m at the gym or walking every other day, even if my stamina isn’t great. In any case I feel good about it. And I’ll be working at staying away from reckless bouts of marinara sauce in future (and fried appetizers).
I’m due to receive bound proofs of the family history project this week. If I approve them, the printing shall commence.
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