Benefits of Yoga: What are the Energy Systems & Chakras?
Benefits
Yoga has endless benefits mentally, physically, and spiritually. The style of yoga you choose to practice will help you grow and strengthen in one or all of these areas. It’s truly up to you which direction you want your practice to take you. The beauty is that yoga accepts all, wherever you are physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Being open and honest with your desires and needs, and allowing them to surface while experiencing these thoughts and emotions, creates the space for growth and opportunities to explore your whole self, mind, body and spirit. Yoga has been this tool for me and for many of my clients. Who would have ever thought that an exercise could provide an exploration of how your body and mind work from the inside out while getting healthier?
Because there are over 22 styles of yoga the possibilities are endless! With proper instruction, the benefits of any style of yoga include:
increased flexibility
strengthening and elongation of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons
increased balance
cardiovascular stamina
expanded lung capacity
increased circulation
strengthened immune system
Help with digestion
Yoga increases energy, and can help improve sleep and relaxation, help with arthritic pain, back pain, and recovery from surgeries or injuries.
And...not to mention the good ol’ “yogi butt”, and shapely arms and strong core (abdominals).
Yoga has been around for centuries and is one of the most underutilized tools in the Western culture. Granted, it has been growing and becoming more and more accepted as a form of healing and health, however, its healing qualities are still under scrutiny. It’s up to you to decide how it makes you feel and whether you are benefiting from it.
I am happy to share from my personal experience, and over 20 years of teaching Yoga, that I have seen exponential benefits in myself and my clients. These benefits include: flexibility, increased strength, recovery from injuries, blood pressure normalizing, sleeping better, arthritic relief, energy increasing, being able to handle the day more calmly, and the list goes on and on and on.
Energy Systems
Yoga and its teachings mention energy systems and chakras quite often. The energy systems I am referring to within Kundalini and Vinyasa Flow are the Central Nervous System(CNS), the Peripheral Nervous System(PNS), the Vagus Nerve, and the breath, called Pranayam in Yoga. You can learn what my clients share about my support in their yoga practices here if you would like to do so.
CNS and PNS
The CNS is involved in both conscious and unconscious sensations, and is the source of voluntary motor control. The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord. The cerebrospinal fluid of the central nervous system contains tiny sacs attached to the skull and vertebrae of the spine. The cerebrospinal fluid of the brain filters salt, sugars, water , and other nutrients from the blood, and is reabsorbed by the blood.(Kundalini Research Institute Yoga Teacher Training Manual, Level 1, as taught by Yogi Bhajan, PHD)
The PNS is the nervous system outside of the skull and spine. The PNS is connected to our autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic, the “fight or flight” response, and parasympathetic nervous system, the “brake”, it slows breathing, stimulates digestion, relaxes the nerves, and shifts circulation toward the core of the body..(Kundalini Research Institute Yoga Teacher Training Manual, Level 1, as taught by Yogi Bhajan, PHD)
Yoga affects both the CNS and PNS by increasing the energy moving through particular nerve pathways. When you exercise, do an activity, or challenge your brain, such as yoga, it helps to increase the interconnection of brain nerves that we lose as we age.
When doing yoga, both of these systems are affected and stimulated to communicate more effectively. The brain and the spine nervous systems control how we feel, think, move, and how well our organs and circulation function. Yoga can help connect your mind into how your body is feeling. Our bodies are always telling us how we feel, it’s up to us to either listen or ignore these important messages.
Vagus Nerve
The Vagus Nerve is also involved within these energy systems. The vagus nerve extends from the brainstem, into the facial muscles, inner ear, throat, lungs, diaphragm, and passes through the belly. Most of the vagus nerve fibers are sensory nerves, which means that they communicate messages from your body back up to your central nervous system. So, when doing yoga, you influence the functioning of the vagus nerve through movement and breath.
The Vagus Nerve contains all the communication of our systems so we don’t even have to think about this process. How we are breathing, the rate of our heartbeat, the way we digest our food, how our blood flows, and even how we speak.
When doing yoga, you influence the functioning of the vagus nerve through movement and breath. Meditation, chanting, humming, deep diaphragmatic breathing, and the postures within yoga classes help to activate this nerve.
It can be easy to not even think about our nervous systems and how they can affect our well being. But, the health of your nervous system is what keeps you alive, thinking, breathing, and moving. Doing yoga covers all of the bases required to activate the CNS, PNS, and the Vagus Nerve. How great is that? And you don’t even have to think about it!
Kelli Butler instructing at her studio.
Breath~Pranayam
The many ways you can utilize your breath in meditation through breathing exercises are keys to learning how you can become more in tune with your emotional state at any given moment.
Breathing exercises help to activate and stimulate your nervous systems, organs, heart rate, circulation, and brain connections. At first, they can be overwhelming, frustrating, stressful, and confusing.
We were never taught how to breathe properly. Did you know that when you inhale you should push your belly out and when you exhale draw the belly in? Most of us do the opposite. This is why breathing exercises can bring anxious and uncomfortable feelings. But, as you practice and gently move through the exercise, over time, they become more natural. You can feel the energy moving through you. I remember as a novice, and my beginning clients feeling overwhelmed and even scared at times, but we kept at it and grew to love them!
Meditative breathing exercises are very helpful if used on a daily basis. As you learn how to use these techniques, you often feel more calm, balanced, energetic, and rested. Each Pranayam exercise will have a different effect. Learning what you need and when is up to you as you work with your yoga instructor.
All of these energy systems are affected when doing both styles of yoga. In Kundalini yoga, most of these classes are created to truly hone in on creating balance within these systems. The intentions are to experience ease and balance within your physical, mental, and spiritual bodies.
These unique classes support this balance. Over time, and with continued practice, the benefits can become more visible and more pronounced. When practicing Kundalini Yoga, the longer you continue the practice, the more you can experience the particular benefits you are trying to develop.
Physically, it is dependent on your physical health and well being. How you take care of yourself outside of the classes directly correlates to your benefits and experiences. You are unique, there is only one you and this makes it difficult to articulate and to even determine exactly what your experience may be as you move through your yoga journey from beginner forward.
When it comes to yoga, going into the classes with an open mind, heart, and being non judgemental toward yourself and others will allow for personal growth physically, mentally, and spiritually. It may sound a bit mysterious but once you take several classes and get into a groove, it will begin to reveal all of its gifts. Be patient, be gentle, be consistent, and allow yoga to breathe into your body where it is on that day. Every day is different.
Chakras
The Chakras are “energy wheels”within your body that run along the length of the spine. I realize that if you are learning this for the first time, this may sound a little “new age” and different from what you are familiar with. Please know that I work with clients from a variety of spiritual backgrounds, such as, Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Muslim, Buddhist, etc., as well as clients who do not identify with any spiritual background.
Chakras are not a “religion”, they are simply energetic systems within the body. They are referred to as the subtle body energies because even though they are very subtly “felt”, they can create an imbalance within your body physically, mentally, and spiritually.
The seven Chakras run from the base of the spine which is the Root Chakra. As we move upward along the spine the second Chakra is the Sacral Chakra, then the Solar Plexus Chakra, just below the belly button, the Heart Chakra, the Throat Chakra, the Third Eye Chakra, the space between your eyebrows, and the Crown Chakra, the top of your head, the “soft spot” when you were a newborn.
Each one of these revolves like a wheel along your spine rotating in a clockwise direction. When balanced, they will run at a medium pace. Sometimes, they can be blocked for various reasons, illness, trauma, relationships, instability, and insecurities. It depends on each individual and no one person has the same issues, challenges or trauma in their life. In yoga we say you “carry your issues in your tissues.” Your personal experiences will be unique to you.
Each Chakra carries so much information about your body and how it reacts that I could easily write a book on each one individually. My work book, “Growing with Yoga: A Guide to Your Chakras” will be out in 2022. This is a book that helps people understand the Chakra energy system in a straightforward, easy to understand manner . If you would like to sign up on the interest list, you are welcome to do so here. It will have breathing exercises, yoga postures, gentle exercises, and descriptions on each individual Chakra, how they work within your body, and how to create balance within each one.
Until then, know that when doing yoga you are touching these energy wheels. If you would like personal support to learn more about your unique Chakras, I will guide you through each individual Chakra, and simplify their meanings so we, together, can determine how they are showing up for you in your life and body, and you can heal and move forward.
Yoga is not to be interpreted as a medical cure, it is a tool that offers information about your body and where you may need to heal, get curious about, or seek professional help. Yoga is there to teach you about your physical human body and its connection to how you may be feeling emotionally, physically and spiritually.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of yoga, the energy systems, and the Chakra Systems I invite you to connect with me. Each Chakra has its own unique signature and benefits. The yoga exercises you do for each Chakra differ. It’s really quite amazing! The more you learn about your body and all the unique gifts it has to offer, the more you will be open to respecting and loving yourself. Afterall, you only have one life and one body, so let’s get to know it!
May Love Surround you Always,
Kelli
Contact info:
Cell: (626) 367-2607
Email: KBfitUBfit@gmail.com
