First Chakra - Root

Studying the individual chakras begins with the root chakra, called Muladhara in Sanskrit.
The root chakra is located at the base of the spine at the tailbone in back, and the pubic
bone in front. This center holds the basic needs for survival, security and safety. The root
chakra is powerfully related to our contact with the Earth Mother, providing us with the
ability to be grounded into the earth plane. This is also the center of manifestation. When
you are trying to make things happen in the material world, business or material
possessions, the energy to succeed will come from the first chakra. If this chakra is blocked
an individual may feel fearful, anxious, insecure and frustrated. Problems like obesity,
anorexia nervosa, and knee troubles can occur. Root body parts include the hips, legs, lower
back and sexual organs. The colors used for this chakra are red, brown and black. The
gemstones are Garnet, Smoky Quartz, Obsidian, and Black Tourmaline.

Feminine Adi Shakti Primal Power Mudra - The Yoni Mudra represents getting in touch with
female energies. Symbolizes a woman's vulva.

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photo © Joe Desy

Yoni

How to form the Yoni mudra: Hands form an almond shape with joined thumbs extended
upwards. Fingers are joined at tips extended downwards.
Yog-Nidra is an ancient tantric method, which can open new capacities of mind. Stress, frustrations,
insomnia, and psychosomatic diseases which have become a part of modern man's life, are being caused
by our unstable mind. Unknowingly, we hurt ourselves and hold people and situations responsible for our
turmoil. Yog-Nidra gives us an opportunity to understand our mind and cuts through its blind
conditionings. Yog-Nidra means sleeping consciously. It is a kind of deep sleep in which you don't loose
consciousness. It is a more efficient and effective form of psychic and physiological rest and rejuvenation.
Normally, when people sleep, they do not unburden totally. They carry their frustrations, conflict, pain, and
turmoil with them, hence, sleep never goes deep. Due of this, there remains great tension in mind and
body. The practice of Yog-Nidra not only relaxes but restructures and reforms our whole personality from
within. We burn old sansakaras, habits and tendencies in order to be born anew with every Yog-Nidra
session. Yog-Nidra means sleep with a trace of awareness. It is a state of mind in-between wakefulness
and dream. At this moment, your intellectual mind is operating but when you relax, the sub-conscious and
unconscious levels of mind open up. If you practice Yog-Nidra, then the nature of your mind can be
changed, diseases can be cured and your creative genius can be restored. The sub-conscious mind and
the unconscious mind are the most powerful forces in the human being. Sub-conscious mind is a very
obedient disciple and it immediately carries out the orders that you put to it.

In Yog-Nidra, the most effective means of training the mind is found in sankalpa (resolution), which you
make for yourself during each practice. Anything in life can fail you but not your sankalpa. It is an
important stage of Yog-Nidra and a powerful way of reshaping your personality and giving a new direction
in life along positive lines. When conscious mind and body is in deep relaxation, at that time whatever
sankalpa (resolution) you will make, it will get fulfilled. The resolution you make at the beginning of the
practice is like sowing a seed and the resolution at the end is like irrigating it.

Yog-Nidra is a practice which brings the deeper layers of the psyche into conscious experience. This
brings deeper relaxation on all levels; physical, psychological and mental. This induces direct affect on
glandular functions which means a better health and higher levels of energy.

During practice of Yog-Nidra your consciousness travels through one layer to another. Sometimes, it goes
very deep and then you have exploding fantastic experiences and sometimes it won't go too deep.
Experiences such as levitation may occur while consciousness transverses through sub-conscious mind.
Temporary dissociation takes place in-between mind and body, and this is the time when you will have
wonderful experiences.

In Yog-Nidra, you do not have to concentrate, rather you move your consciousness from one part of the
body to another; concentration will rather create obstruction. Just hear the instructions aware fully and a
deep relocation will occur at physiological, psychological and emotional levels. Sometimes, you will be
close to your senses and then you will glide away; when consciousness is suspended for a few moments,
periodically, which means that it alternates between sub-conscious and unconscious states.

So relax and just listen aware fully. When deep relaxation happens, our gland functions become better
and makes our body healthy.

Yog-Nidra releases all types of tensions-muscular, emotional and mental. When muscular tensions are
released, it heals nervous system and endocrinal imbalances. When emotional tensions are released, we
come out of all dualities: love-hate, pain-pleasure to name a few, which are more difficult to release. But
when these emotions are repressed, we loose our sanity and stability. Mental tensions are a result of
excessive mental activity. Yog-Nidra is a science of relaxation which enables us to dive deep into the
realms of sub-conscious mind thereby releasing all tensions. Yog-Nidra is for all seekers and those who
wish to experience higher states of consciousness, best of health and a powerful method to heal oneself.
Anandmurti Gurumaa has presented this ancient method of Vinayasa and yoga which is a greatest boon
for all human beings, in an entirely contemporary way.