Hero at Home: Big Wheels Keep on Turning, part IV

Rebuilding faith in Split, Croatia.

by Beth Reese

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
~ Steve Jobs

One of the ways we can keep growing and moving forward with grace is to take care of ourselves. Chakras are the "wheels" in our bodies representing energy centers. Today I will continue to reflect on these internal wheels in our bodies and how we can activate these centers to make heroic—or OHMazing™—choices. These ideas are appropriate for heroes of all ages.

First we explored the first chakra, Muladhara. Next, we focused on the second energy center, also known as Swadhisthana or Sacral Chakra. Then we encountered the third chakra, Manipura, which is located at our spine directly behind the naval area.

Padma-sundara is shown by a circular flower
with twelve green petals. The intersecting triangles
represent the union of female and mal

Today we will investigate our fourth chakra, Anahata, our heart center. Anahata is connected with our thymus, located in the chest. The thymus is part of our immune and endocrine systems. The thymus is the site of maturation of the T cells which fend off disease and are adversely affected by stress. The heart chakra also governs compassion, love, group consciousness, and a sense of oneness.

One yoga pose or asana that assists in opening our heart and strengthening the muslces that surround our heart center is cobra/bhughangasana/culebra.

• • 

    Yogiña Remy extends her heart center or
    Anahata Chakra forward as she moves into
    cobra/bhughangasa

• Lie on the floor on your stomach with forehead gently resting on floor.
• With tops of feet on floor, stretch your toes and legs to wall behind you.
• Place compassionate hands on the floor underneath your shoulders.
• Open and lead with heart. Squeeze elbows into your sides.
• Press legs into floor.
• Squeeze legs together and try not to harden muscles of your bottom.
• Inhale press hands into floor pushing head and chest off floor. Try to pull chest forward while you lift
• Try to move your head back so it is stacked over your shoulders.
• Feel stretch throughout your whole spine, but LOWER self if you feel any crunching in lower back (and try to squeeze legs together more).
• Exhale softly lower chest and shoulders back to earth.

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. With her doctorate degree in art museum education, Reese is the visual arts columnist for the Corpus Christi Caller Times, a visiting instructor at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, and the author of several articles and book chapters as well as co-author of the book, Experience Art: Teaching and Learning through Works of Art. Her teaching credentials also include windsurfing and skiing.