We have two large emotional centres at the front of the body. The first is in your abdomen. This is your body’s central gravity point (the “hara”, as it is called in Japan). The second is located at the bottom of your sternum, the heart region.
Abdomen and relaxation
The abdominal area represents relaxation: an experience that arises through breathing, from within. We need activity from the transverse abdominal muscle to properly regulate breathing. The feeling of relaxation that comes from your belly is therefore different from what you experience when relaxing after a long day, which usually ends in sleep.
The heart region: space and lightness
The second centre represents space and lightness. The chest area is active when we relate to, or come into contact with, our environment. We can harden ourselves in space, as military poses show, with our chests out. Or we can, for example, withdraw from space by letting our shoulders hang, with a sunken chest. The first pose looks ambitious, the second bleak and depressed. The heart centre is relaxed when your upper back is straight and your sternum is relaxed. Through breathing, you will then also experience the feeling of space.
Heart and abdomen in balance
When your chest and abdomen are in balance with each other, your yoga exercises are guided by feelings of relaxation and space. If you practice this on the mat, you also learn how to apply it in daily circumstances.
Because experiencing relaxation and space in your body is an important aspect in yoga, I pay a lot of attention to the connection between these two gravity points in our classes.
Interested?
Are you interested in Critical Alignment Yoga and would you like to experience its benefits? The exercises are easy to learn and can be done at home. Join one of the classes in this studio and find out for yourself.
Hope to see you soon!