Pilates for Chakra Health

06 May 2021

How Posture Relates to Chakra Alignment and Therefore Your Relationship to the World and People Around You

You may notice as you sit in your make-shift work from home office or go on your routine morning walk, that your neck and back begin to feel achy and your body feels a little out of sorts. You may begin to wonder if you pulled a muscle or slept in an odd position the night prior. The culprit is likely poor posture. When your structural alignment is off, gravity wins, and forces your muscles to work overtime. Have you ever wondered why you feel so good after a Pilates class? The Pilates method is specifically designed to fix your alignment, which makes for an energetic body with muscles working effortlessly to put a pep in your step. An upright body and perfectly stacked spine deflects gravity with ease. This efficiency feels good.

Posture is easy to see and understand on a physical level in terms of muscle balance and alignment, but let's think deeper. You have seven major chakras that run the length of your spine. From the root chakra at your tailbone to the crown chakra at the very top of your head, these living, breathing energy centers are located in the astral body along the spine. The word Chakra derives from the Sanskrit word for wheel and can be translated to describe spinning vortexes of energy in the body that reflect ourselves as well as our interaction with the outside world. Several philosophies, mystic traditions, and religions have used the idea of chakras throughout history and claim that they are connected to one’s overall health as well as the evolution of consciousness.

So what happens if our structural alignment is off?

Energy blocks can show up in different way

- Physical - Pain or tension in the body
- Mental - Exhaustion, anxiety, or poor focus
- Spiritual - Dullness, tiredness, or depression

Symmetry is the answer.

When the body is properly anchored, symmetrical contractions result. Improving your alignment will not only lend a helping hand in eliminating neck and back pain, but will assist you in obtaining a positive flow of energy within yourself, and even to the world. Science is just beginning to uncover the depths of power of the human mind-body connection. Physical pain might show up emotionally, as much as painful experiences from the past get stuck inside our physical bodies. Luckily we have a powerful tool to heal. Movement is one of the many ways you can restore your chakras, and move stagnant energy around. Pilates at its very heart was developed to move stagnant energy out of the body, and remains one of the best forms of movement out there to restore your physical, mental, and spiritual health.