Energy Yoga: Awakening the Shakti Within
Energy yoga is an ancient healing practise that connects you to a divine energy you can find within yourself. Its purpose is to awaken your shakti, a cosmic force that helps you reach unlimited possibilities. By activating the shakti, you can achieve a life full of joy and boundless love.
Discovering Energy Yoga
More and more people are starting to practice and take interest in energy yoga all over the world. However, its origin is unknown. But the concept of energy has been around for many years and through several generations. In fact, it has been mentioned in several ancient Vedic texts that date as far as 1000 B.C.
Energy yoga is particularly associated with Yogi Bhajan, a yoga teacher credited for bringing and introducing the energy yoga practice to western countries around the 60s. Those who practice energy yoga believe that its energy is one that resembles a coiled snake because it lies quietly at the base of every person’s spine, sleeping and in peace.
Practising energy yoga is believed to activate this energy and wake up the coiled snake so it can move up the spine and crawl outward to activate all the other inactivated chakras. Specifically, energy yoga is expected to reach the following chakras or energy centres throughout your body:
- root chakra
- sacral chakra
- naval, or solar plexus, chakra
- heart chakra
- throat chakra
- third eye chakra
- crown chakra
A person practising energy yoga should be able to balance all chakras to achieve overall wellness. Ultimately, the goal is to achieve spiritual enlightenment. With regular practice, one should be able to utilise all energy centres in the body for a more meaningful life.
What Are the Advantages of Practicing Energy Yoga?
You have probably heard it all before – your life will never be the same once you discover energy yoga. Supposedly, it’s because it can transform your life by reinforcing your willpower and calmness to help you make wiser and more sound decisions. Whether it’s true is up to you and how you intend to commit to the practice. But, assuming that you’re planning to make this a part of your life, here are the benefits you can expect to enjoy:
Stronger Nervous System
Energy yoga strengthens and tones the nervous system. And the more control you have over this mechanism, the more you can control how you react to any situation. If you are easily rattled by minor accidents or overwhelming events and yes, even the inevitable drama among families and friends, then energy yoga should change that for you.
Clearer Mind
If you experience some fogginess when trying to think, energy yoga might help you to clear it up and untangle difficultly formed thoughts so you can concentrate better, be more alert, remember more things and make sound decisions.
Sharper Intuition
Do you find yourself doubting that gut feeling only to find out that you were right all along? Energy yoga will enable you to find the quietness inside you so you can pause and listen to your body’s message, and the reason behind that gut feeling. Finding this stillness will allow your heart’s yearnings to come through, loud and clear, so you can decide for your own good.
There are many more reasons to consider practising energy yoga. So, consider trying out some classes to find one that resonates with you.
Is Energy Yoga Like Other Yoga Practices?
Yes and no. Energy yoga is similar to other yogas in that it utilises breath and posture for relaxation and flexibility, but unlike other yogas, meditation plays a central role within exercise sets. Meditation in energy yoga can include repeating mantras and singing as well as the more traditional breath-work and calm mental focus.
Energy yoga is a practice that’s highly spiritual. What this means is that even though it involves a lot of challenging body movements, the physical aspect is not the primary focus like in vinyasa or Hatha, which are known for being particular about the physical poses.
Energy yoga is repetitive and involves precisions. Unlike other types that put heavy emphasis on the flow of breath, energy yoga normally involves singing, chanting and patterned breathing.
