Mariela’s Sunday Thoughts: Hips don’t lie
This past Tuesday was one of those perfect weekdays. I spent the morning at the studio, taught my class, took Ashley’s Sculpt class (and made it out alive!), and then I headed home to do some work (yes, I have a full time job that has nothing to do with Grounded). For the first time in a long time I felt I had the energy to do it all, and it felt great.
After my last meeting of the day, I decided to cap the afternoon back at the studio and I signed up for Jamie’s Functional Mobility class.
I remember the first time I met Jamie. We were both working at the same studio, I was new to town. It was 2019 and I was doing what I always do when I arrive at a new place: take as many yoga classes as possible.
So on a cold March evening, I walked into Jamie’s class.
Up until then, all the classes I had taken in Sandpoint had been very workout-focussed: a million chaturangas, quick transitions, no holds, all work, very little play. However, Jamie offered the slowdown I didn’t know I needed. She guided us through a long, delicious warm up. She broke down the simplest of movements so we could savor them. She made an emphasis on feeling the body, rather than moving through poses.
I was blown away. Her knowledge and respect for the practice got me hooked, and when I thanked her for the class and walked away, I knew we’d become friends.
Jamie was one of the first teachers to tell me “find the space and I’ll follow you” when I started telling the story of what eventually led me to create Grounded.
And I’m so glad she did.
This Tuesday’s class, Jamie announced, would focus on the hips. I didn’t think too much of it, and I just started following Jamie’s guidance. We were only a few minutes into the practice when I felt it: it was time.
In Yoga, the hips are deeply connected with svadhistana, the sacral chakra. It is our energetic center for creativity, deep emotions, and, when balanced, we can connect with ourselves and the world in a peaceful, nourishing manner.
The hips also hold and carry what we tend to avoid – negative feelings, uncomfortable thoughts. In the yogic practice, it’s not uncommon to find that these postures will evoke emotions without a clear origin. As we physically work the hips, the stagnant energy trapped in svadhistana gets released and we experience the emotions that we for so long pushed down. These emotions will come to surface and, hopefully, get released.
As I was on my mat, circling the hips, moving through hip CARS, noticing every single muscle involved in the movement of the pelvis, all the emotional pain I had been pushing down since March started coming to surface. Svadhistana was awakening, and all I could think about was how right Shakira had been all along.
A simple journaling (or thought/meditation) prompt to connect with svadhistana:
Morning: sit or lay down in a quite space. Set a timer for five minutes (make sure the alarm is a calming sound). Close your eyes. Bend the knees, heal-toe the feet together, and open the knees wide (baddha konasana/ supta baddha konasana). Bring one of your hands to your belly, the other one to your heart. Breathe deeply through the nose and out through the mouth, as slowly as you can, until the alarm goes off. Notice the sensations, feelings, thoughts, or memories that arise. Maybe journal about them.
Evening: once you’re in bed, close your eyes, lay flat on your back, think of an orange-colored flower. Clearly see it. Focus on the flower and only the flower. All you’ll see is the orange flower. Breathe deeply, expand your entire abdomen with every inhalation. Allow yourself to fall asleep to this.