Awakenings: The Internal Yoga Experience

The 7 Major Chakras

As our yoga community becomes more grounded in their yoga practice Shakti teachers are more and more frequently being approached by yogis and yoginis who want to share yoga experiences that are more energetic in nature than the usually touted benefits of yoga. Many yoga practioners come to yoga as a means of becoming more flexible, to strengthen, to reduce stress or even to lose weight. Yoga asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing practices) are able to bring all of these benefits as a result of their impact on our muscles, organs and nervous systems. Those who continue with their yoga practice however, often discover that yoga has all this to offer and much more. They discover that yoga also attunes the body and mind to experience more subtle energies that were previously untapped or inaccessible.

The yoga explanation for such experiences centers on the yogic concept of pathways and centers of energetic flow in the body. These are refered to as the nadis and the chakras. You may have heard your teacher referring to them in your yoga classes. The earliest description and meaning of the chakras is found in the Vedas, which are ancient sacred texts written near the end of the third century BC.

The 72 000 Nadis in the Human body

The term chakra refers to an area of physical and psychic energy. The seven major chakras are located at various points along the spine. They are usually drawn in specific colours and often in the shape of petaled flowers. In addition to the most well known seven chakras there are also many other energy points and junctions along the nadis in the body. The nadis, like the Chinese meridians, are channels in which the subtle vital energy, or prana, flows. Each of the seven chakras pictured above has a specific impact on our physical, mental and emotional well-being. They are part of a complex energy network that is thought to roughly correspond to the nervous system. The health of this intricate network impacts on our physical body via the endocrine system, the nervous system and the circulatory system. The health of these physical systems in turn also impacts on the health our energetic bodies.

As we cleanse our physical bodies and mental patterns in our yoga classes and with our lifestyle choices we sometimes receive signs that we are also cleaning up our chakras as well. When these energy centers are cleansed we are able to function more effectively and live with more joy. Some people experience these awakenings as seeing colors or images, hearing sounds or feeling tingling sensations during their savasanas and meditation sessions. For others this awakening may also come with an over all sense of well-being or even a rush of mental clarity that acts as a stimulus for making changes in their personal and/or professional lives.

These experiences can be doorways to deeper self understanding, and peace. Sharing them can also help to bring understanding and meaning however since everyone around your office water cooler may not be particularly receptive to hearing about your internal yoga journey it might be more helpful to connect with other yogis who may be just as excited about sharing their own stories. If you are unaware of any fellow yogis that you would be comfortable bringing this up to, your yoga teacher may be able to bring some insight or be able to direct you to some reading resources on this topic.

Yoga is often described as a lifestyle, a philosophy and a pathway to transformation, so as you continue to enjoy the many physical and emotional benefits of your yoga practice remain open for even greater opportunites to expand and experience as your journey unfolds.

 Curried Coconut Spinach & Squash Soup

October may have brought cooler temperatures but pick up a fresh coconut the next time you pass by this section of the supermarket and you will discover that simply buying one makes you feel closer to the tropics. I know because I recently rekindled my romance with fresh coconut, however to be truthful our history had consisted mostly of my sipping  coconut drinks form beneath the awnings of Thai beachside restaurants or snacking on it's crunchy dried form in between yoga classes in Northern India. Since returning to Canada the coconut and I had grown apart but that all changed a few weeks ago as I walked through the grocery store and on impulse piled several of the hairy orbs into my grocery cart. 

Coconuts are rich is protein and other vitamins and are used throughout the world to treat a wide variety of health conditions. Modern research has shown that not all saturated fats are alike and coconut oil is unique in its structural make-up due to its medium chain fatty acids. It is in fact the closest to those found in human breast milk that nature provides. Which is why coconut oil is used extensively in baby formula and also in sports drinks and energy bars, where it is usually described as MCT (medium chain tryglycerides). The medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil are more easily digested than fats found in other oils because they are processed directly in the liver and immediately converted into energy. There is therefore less strain on the liver, pancreas and digestive system and, being easily digested, they also tend to improve the absorption of other nutrients.

Of course you can buy coconut milk in a can and use it for a variety of recipes (including the curried coconut soup recipe below) but where is the fun in that? If you have the time get acquainted with this mysterious and exotic fruit by making your own coconut milk, shredded coconut or snack size coconut chunks. If you have kids this is an extremely fun (and educational) rainy day activity.

Enjoying fresh coconut water in Nasik, India

Coconut Water

If you have visited a tropical country you may have drunk coconut water from the coconut itself. In this setting the familiar brown coconut that you see in the supermarket is still concealed inside it's green outer casing. The vendor simply chopping out a clean hole with a machete-like knife before popping a straw inside and passing it along to you. And if you finished the wonderfully sweet juice while still in the vicinity of the vender's stall you may have even had your coconut cut in half right in front of you to expose the sweet and tender meat inside, to be scooped out and eaten on the spot. An experience that feeds every sense to be sure. 

Coconut Water 

It is definitely a little less exotic to get to this sweet drink on your own here in St. John's but you can scrape out the largest of the three eyes to get as much of the shell out of the way and drill a hole with a cork screw large enough to get a straw inside and have your own tropical drink on Canadian soil. If you can't seem to get away from all the shell bits then you may have to just admit defeat on the coconut water front and drain it out before moving on to the real treat.

Coconut Milk 

Coconut milk is often mistakenly thought to be Coconut water but it actually has to be made using the white meat on the inside after the coconut water has been drained. Freshly made, this milk is simply delicious. You can use as you would the canned versions in recipes, add it to smoothies or to simply drink it as is. Freshly made coconut milk is far superior to canned coconut milk in flavour and texture.

Instructions for coconut snack chunks, shredded coconut, and coconut milk:

-Pierce the softest eye of a fresh coconut, drain the liquid inside and place the coconut on a rack and bake in a 325F pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes.

-Remove the coconut from the oven, let it cool a bit and crack it with a hammer so that the shell breaks into several pieces. (The most fun part!)

-Remove all the coconut meat from the shell, peel off the brown skin and cut the meat into very small cubes. (You can keep these cubes, as is, and use them as healthy snacks bites or shred for recipes)

-Place the meat in a blender, add hot water to just cover all of the meat and blend until finely grated.

-Place a sieve covered with cheese cloth (or do as I did and use your peas pudding bag) over a bowl and pour the coconut meat and water into the sieve squeezing handfuls of the coconut meat to extract as much liquid as possible into the bowl.

-Discard the squeezed coconut meat and refrigerate the coconut milk that has been extracted. 

-Refrigerate the milk and use within 1 or 2 days. I get about 3 cups from two coconuts.

Curried Coconut, Spinach and Squash, Soup

This months recipe combines the wonderful flavour of coconut milk with the most prominent vegetables of the Halloween season. You can use a number of types of squash or even pumpkin for this tasty treat to warm your belly after an evening trick-or-treating.

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 1 large onion, diced

· 4 tsp minced ginger root

· 3 large garlic cloves, minced (I use a garlic press.)

· 1 tsp salt

· 1 tsp dried chili peppers

· 1 tsp coriander

· 1 tsp cumin

· 1 tsp turmeric

· 1 (14.5) oz can vegetable broth

· 1 ¾ cups mashed squash (14 ounces) See instructions below for baking/preparing your squash

 - 2 bay leaves

 · ½ can (about 7 oz) unsweetened coconut milk (Shake the can very well before you open it. Freeze the other half for another soup)

 · 2-3 cups fresh spinach washed well. Shake off excess water. (If you are a spinach lover like me add a couple of extra cups)

Instructions: 

Sauté onion and ginger root until soft. Add garlic, salt, and spices and sauté one minute. (Be careful not to burn the garlic!) Add the veggie broth, squash, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and for about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Add coconut milk and blend in. Add greens and simmer until done, about 3-5 minutes.

Serve with toasted shredded coconut sprinked on top.

Notes:

-How to bake your Squash: Wash your squash and stab each a few times with a knife, then place the squashes on a baking sheet and bake them at 250 degrees for about 4 hours or so, depending on size. You can check doneness by poking them with a knife. When they are done, cut them in half and scoop out the seeds, then remove and mash the flesh. Make sure to remove the lumps so the soup will be smooth. You can use a food processer to do this. Make lots and freeze so you can eliminate this step the next time you make this yummy soup

· Full fat milk is tastiest and Thai Kitchen is a great brand if you didn't have time to make up your own cocnut milk. 

 Maple Pumpkin Mousse, Yogi Tea & Gratitude

Meaghan and I at the Torbay Road Grand Opening September 2009

October is the month of thanks and as I was putting together this months newsletter I thought that I would look back through the old newsletters and see if there were any great Fall recipes or articles that those new to the studio may not have read. What I found was not just a couple of great ideas to please the palate but a reminder that this month two years ago I was writing up the first ever Shakti Yoga Newsletter and our journey of meeting beautiful yogi souls and sharing our love of yoga with the shakti yoga community was just beginning. It just made sense that this would have happened in a month dedicated to thanksgiving. So much has happened in the last two years. It is hard to believe that we have expanded to two studios and will be holding our first yoga teacher training in the new year but most importantly we have watched our community grow into a cohesive, dedicated group of yogis and this is what it is really all about. I cannot tell you how many times in the past two years that I have been touched by the personal journeys of our students. I have been inspired to go deeper into my own yoga studies, I have been motivated to push past my own challenges by hearing about and observing you do the same in your lives and I genuinely feel that my capacity to experience love and feel compassion for every person that I meet in my day to day life has been expanded upon because of you. At this age and point in my life I have come to realize becoming more flexible or mastering the next challenging pose is not what yoga is all about. What has been happening at Shakti Yoga Studios over the past two years is what it is all about and we would like to thank each and every one of your for being part of this experience. The divine in me bows with gratitude, love and respect for the divine in you, or as we say in class, namaste.

And I almost forgot, here are the links to those older newsletters. Enjoy!

Click here for our Oct 2010 recipe for Maple Pumpkin Mousse. This decadent dessert is the most delicious use of a pumpkin that I have ever tasted! Your friends and family will think you have become a gourmet. This month's newsletter also has a tasty recipe for toasted pumpkin seeds.

Click here for our Oct 2009 recipe for yogic tea and reap the health benefits of these Indian spices as you warm up your insides on a blustery October day. The aroma alone will have you feeling stronger and healthier!

 The Shakti Experiment

Check out our resident bloggers most recent entry for the Shakti experiment blog at www.theshaktiexperiment.blogspot.com  as Kate writes on blueberry picking, baking, her Summer of yoga experiences and a topic relevant to us all, fitting a yoga practice into a busy Fall schedule.