David Glover
Thank you very much to David Glover who led 26 people in a thorough and contemplative class entitled “Exploring the Chakras.” We started with a lying centering exercise, tuning into where we feel intuitively each chakra is situated in the body with hand on heart and chest to encourage deeper breathing. Then moving arms rhythmically (“release your inner ballerina”) and moving onto circling wide into hips, creating awareness and space in the pelvis. Knees to chest then head to alternate knee using core muscles and feeling the heat in manipura.
Wide-legged child brought awareness to the sacrum space and was followed by cats and downward dog sequence, lifting pelvic floor and abs but also flowing upwards to open the chest and become aware of vishuddhi. We were then encouraged to tuck toes and sit back to heels, arms raised overhead, fingers interlocked. Standing poses started with a strong “Iyengar “ tadasana, lifting upwards on each out breath, connecting all the elements from earth to sky. Then swaying palm tree, a back bend and flat back forward bend was followed by a chance to just take stock. We moved onto trikonasana twist to opposite leg, bending knee to come up and an adventurous Cossack squat (or simpler kneeling with leg out to stretch inner thigh.) David’s version of trikonasana helped us really open the heart space by visualising our upper arm as a fern, curling down and then unfurling up again. Again bent knee to come up (“no strain, no strain”) Shoulder and neck release exercises helped us to prepare for a mindful tree balance reaching up through the ajna centre to the crown of the head. With a soft focus we raised arms and collected divine energy energy bringing it down through the ajna centre and throat to the heart.
A meditation on the qualities and associations of the chakras was followed by relaxation and Om
chants to conclude a thoughtful and soothing session. David’s knowledge, plus his unassuming and
witty style helped the class to flow beautifully and be thoroughly enjoyable. One participant
mentioned the link to the word intimacy i.e. contemplation and insight via the chakras being “Into
Me See”
Recommended books: “Asana, Pranayama, Mudra and Bandha” – chapter on meditation; “Yoga and
Kriya” ; Jenny Boam’s postures for chakras.
Author: Judith Lynch