Human bodies are composed of a complex network of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual connections that determine our overall wellbeing. Chakras—as you may have heard—are energy centers that are located at different parts of your body. Even though chakras are commonly associated with Yoga, they’re a crucial aspect of spiritual Pilates as well.
Everything—living or non-living—is made of matter, and each unit of matter contains energy. These energy centers enable us to be living, breathing, functional beings.
Our chakras are affected by our day-to-day lives. One stressful moment or a happy laugh can harm or heal your chakras, which in turn affect your physical and emotional health. Any disturbance in your chakras manifests in illness, pain, or immobility. Movement is one way to restore energy to your chakras, and this is why Pilates helps unlock them.
Here’s how the process works.
More About Chakras
There are seven energy centers in our body that are aligned symmetrically along our spine. The lowest chakra is located at the very end of our spine near the tailbone and is called the root chakra. The top-most energy center is located at our crown and is therefore called the crown chakra. There are 5 other chakras that come in between the root and the crown.
Even though each chakra is focused on maintaining health in a particular part of the body, they don’t as independent energy centers. Their energies are co-dependent and an imbalance in one chakra can disrupt the functioning of another. This is primarily why one bad incident can lead to several negative incidents and outcomes at the same time.
Imbalances can result from unpleasant or traumatic experiences that have left behind painful reminders of themselves. If left unresolved, these past traumas or stressors can take a toll on your health by impeding the flow of energy between chakras. Chakras can restrict stagnant energy from flowing normally under stressful circumstances. Physical exercise or movement is needed to unlock the chakras and harmonize the flow of energy.
Here’s how Pilates helps do just that.
Strength
The muscles surrounding your spine need to be lengthened and stretched fully for chakras to activate the flow of energy. Pilates helps stimulate movement in the spinal area, which is the hub of all your chakras. In order to recover from past traumas and stress, you need to first accumulate enough strength to do that. This is the beginning of the healing process.
Flow
Pilates not only focuses mainly on core strength, but also prioritizes flow and fluidity of movement. It’s necessary to have a flow and rhythm in your movement in order to fully engage your mind, body, and spirit.
This requires an immense amount of trust that you need to put in yourself and your bodies to enable the mind-body connection. Once a relationship establishes between the physical and the mental, the chakras come into play and release the spirit.
Alignment
Any form of meditation or Pilates focuses on alignment. Without proper alignment, it’s impossible to engage the seven chakras that are located along the length of the spine. Once your movement and posture is aligned with the chakras, your body will begin recovering.
The man who pioneered this form of exercise—Joseph Pilates—introduced Pilates as a way of strengthening the spine through alignment-oriented exercises. As mentioned, it is the strength of the spine which initiates healing.
Are you ready to work your way through the 7 chakras and unlock your true potential?
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