Hero at Home: Big Wheels Keep on Turning

I admit it. It was difficult if not daunting to sit down and write about being a Hero at Home, our Sunday Blog theme, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. And then I realized that what makes a hero a truly extraordinary person is not because they do one special act in their lives—though those are important—but because real heroes make compassionate, helpful choices a way of life everyday.

Vishnu, 
Cambodia, Khmer culture
, Sandstone
, 1999.30
Crow Collection of Asian Art


In Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®, we refer to making good choices everyday as being OHMazing™. We encourage kids to stand tall and proud and say, I am OHMazing™, and Somos OHMazing™which means "we are OHMazing™" in Spanish.

Vishnu is a hero from the Hindu culture who is known for his commitment to protect the earth. As seen in this image, he holds several tools to assist him in his heroic work. One of these tools is a chakra, a wheel or disc. There are numerous interpretations about Vishnu's chakra and how he used it. 

Starting today and continuing for 6 additional Sundays, I would like to reflect on the internal wheels in our bodies, also known as chakras. Here I would like to start a conversation with you about how we can activate these centers to make heroic—or OHMazing™—choices. These ideas are appropriate for heroes of all ages.

There are seven main chakras:

1. Muladhara, Base or Root Chakra (perenium/ovaries/prostate)
2. Swadhisthana, Sacral Chakra (last bone in spinal cord, the coccyx)
3. Manipura, Solar Plexus Chakra (navel area)
4. Anahata, Heart Chakra (heart area)
5. Vishuddha, Throat Chakra (throat and neck area)
6. Ajna, Brow or Third Eye Chakra (pineal gland or third eye)
7. Sahasrara, Crown Chakra (top of head/soft spot on newborn)
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Muladhara/The Base Chakra: This first chakra is located at our perenium or seat. It is represented by the color red governs our ability to be truly grounded, sense of survival, and flight-or-fight response.


Cultivating these feelings of groundedness can be acheived many ways, including via mindful breathing and healthy posture.

The first, or root, chakra is represented as a yellow
square, with 4 red petals.

Flower Power: Making good choices often requires a moment to pause and decide how to handle a situation. Using our base chakra to be a hero often means balancing our sympathetic and parasympathetic systems through our breath, prana, or life-force. 

Flower Power breath is one of our most powerful tools: 

• pretend to pick a flower
• bring imaginary flower to your nose
• inhale deeply and feed your sympathetic—active—nervous system
• exhale slowly and engage your parasympathetic—calming—nervous system allowing  your imaginary flower to open

 

During a recent Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®
Instructor training in Crested Butte, Co, we practiced
engaging our Muladhara Chakra off the mat.

Root to Rise: whether sitting or standing, exhale and extend your base chakra or tail bone toward the earth to "root." On your next inhalation, extend the crown of your head toward the sky to "rise." 



There are many elements of yoga, and I mean the 8 Limbs of yoga, that invite us to nurture this grounding, first chakra. Share your practice below!

by Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., with assistance by Jordan Barger
Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. She is a teacher with over 20 years of experiences leading learners of all ages in creative problem solving, self-reflection and empowerment.