August 1, 2025 • 41 mins
Come and listen to our Host, Gia-Raquel Rose, as she shares with you on our "Boss Babe Summer: Leveling Up in Life & Career" Podcast Series.
Mix motivation, business tips, and interviews with female entrepreneurs on how to use summer energy to plan ahead, reflect, or pivot.
Gia-Raquel Rose, owner of Airs Above Yoga, LLC and a real estate sales associate in Tewksbury, New Jersey has had a love for horses stemming from early childhood. Growing up in “horse country” afforded her the privilege of beginning to ride from the tender age of four. It was a childhood illness, which brought her riding aspirations to an abrupt halt. It took twenty years before she was able to reunite with her long lost passion for horses and their ability to heal. In that time, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication from Arcadia University and became a twice two hundred hour certified yoga instructor in both Hatha and Vinyasa. It was the loss of her mother, Rose, to breast cancer, which ultimately shifted her trajectory from the corporate world to the internal work for which yoga, as a practice, is renowned.
Your power center deserves attention. The solar plexus chakra—that fiery, yellow energy center just above your navel—holds the key to your personal strength, confidence, and ability to pursue your passions without apology. When balanced, it allows you to take up space in the world unapologetically; when depleted, you might find yourself constantly saying "sorry" for simply existing.
In this deep exploration of Manipura (solar plexus chakra), we uncover the fascinating connection between your power center and other energy systems in your body. Did you know you have a primary chakra that influences your personality? For those with a dominant solar plexus, you might recognize yourself as goal-oriented, achievement-driven, and occasionally prone to overcommitment. Understanding this energetic blueprint offers profound insights into your natural tendencies and potential growth areas.
We journey through powerful yoga postures specifically designed to balance this crucial energy center. From the challenging Navasana (Boat Pose) that directly targets your core to the expansive Ustrasana (Camel Pose) that creates length and openness, each asana serves a purpose in your energetic maintenance. The Warrior series takes center stage as we explore how these poses embody the essence of the solar plexus—radiating strength from your center outward into all aspects of your life. For women especially, maintaining core strength isn't just about aesthetics; it's fundamentally important for structural support and long-term wellbeing.
Ready to claim your power and speak your truth? Join me in this empowering practice that honors both the fiery and receptive aspects of your third chakra. Remember: true strength begins at your center and emanates outward into everything you do. Subscribe to the podcast for more chakra wisdom, and visit airsaboveyoga.com to continue your journey toward balanced, embodied living.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Divas that Care Radio Stories, strategies and
ideas to inspire positive change.
Welcome to Divas that Care, anetwork of women committed to
making our world a better placefor everyone.
This is a global movement forwomen, by women engaged in a
collaborative effort to create abetter world for future
generations.
To find out more about themovement, visit divasthatcarecom
(00:25):
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After the show.
Right now, though, stay tunedfor another jolt of inspiration.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Namaste and welcome to the Divas that Care Network.
I'm your host, gia Raquel Rose,owner of Heirs Above Yoga, and
you're listening to Above theGround podcast, if this is your
first time.
Tuning in our network is goinginto its 15th year and is
listened to in over 30 countries.
I would like to personallythank you for giving me the gift
of your time.
As always, it is my honor tohold space with you and as we
(00:55):
move into a new sequence, we aregoing to be talking about ways
to empower yourself, really kindof diving deep into the
feminine energy and specificallythat empowering energy right,
getting fired up it's summer, atleast where I am right now it's
hot, right and we are going todive into I can't call it my
(01:19):
favorite because I sayeverything is my favorite we're
going to dive into Manipura, thesolar plexus chakra.
For this sequence, and thereason that we're doing that is
a few fold, the first of whichis, if you didn't know this,
because I don't know if I'veactually delved into it, but
it's kind of fun.
If you were ever into, you know, quizzes in magazines.
(01:39):
Back in the day, when magazineswere a thing, tangible ones,
like when I was growing up,there was always like Cosmo
quizzes, and you know just superfun ways to spend time, you
know, on the beach, on vacation,wherever you might find time
for yourself with a group ofgirlfriends.
Taking quizzes was always partof my socialization growing up.
(02:01):
Now that I am a little bitolder, I am getting into the
spiritual side of them.
And as I talk about the chakrasall the time in the chakra
system and how they come intoplay for just different aspects
of your life, your purpose, yourwell being, little, little
known fact that you actuallyhave a primary chakra and even a
(02:23):
secondary chakra to your, yourpersonality, to you know, your
blueprint, your soul print, ifyou will, when you enter into
this incarnation.
And so there are different ways.
There are tons of, like I said,quizzes online for you to kind
of figure that out for yourself,and I encourage you to do so,
right, like with yourgirlfriends, or just on your own
, or or your guy friends, right?
(02:44):
No gender, no judgment,whomever, everyone has it.
It's not for women specifically,uh, but I am going to talk
about a little bit of the morefemale empowerment vibe for
myself, who does identify assuch, um, and also because I
happen to be a primary solarplexus, third chakra, chakra
type.
So those are typically that is,your power center.
(03:07):
So those are the kind of goaloriented type A achievers, if
you will.
So definitely someone who'salways striving, kind of always
pushing, always for the nextthing, which can tend to lead to
burnout.
Or for me, definitely,definitely I am guilty of
overcommitment, for sure I am ayes, I can make that happen, yes
(03:28):
, I can get that done kind ofperson, and I will.
I will put the blame for thatright directly on my solar
plexus chakra.
But basically we're going totalk about asanas to to fuel
your inner fire, to get that,that, that flame stoked, and to,
you know, kind of empoweryourselves and do that from the
literal center of your core.
(03:50):
That is where the chakra isplaced.
So when we talk about again Iwill go over this, I've gone
over before but I think everytime we talk about our different
chakras, it's always good to doa quick overview so that people
that may not have listened toprevious episodes still have
some sort of realm of what we'respeaking about.
So chakra system traditionallyI'm going to say traditionally
there are seven, going from theroot of your spine up through
(04:12):
the crown of your head.
They are essentially the colorsof the rainbow and they begin
with the root chakra, which isbasically at the base of the
spine, the base of the pelvicbowl, and it is the color red.
Up from there is your sacralchakra, and that is the color
color orange and that sits justbelow the belly button, at the
(04:33):
well.
For women it sits right at theseat of creation right, and for
men to a certain extent as well,but it sits, you know, at that
sacral area just above the rootchakra.
Above that case in point, isour solar plexus chakra and that
is the color yellow, so redorange, then yellow.
Moving up from there, we haveour heart chakra, as I like to
(04:55):
call the bridge between thelower embodiment chakras that
really truly sit in the body,body, and then, as we move up,
as I talked about last time, westart to work into the upper
chakra systems, which are thethroat, which is like a blue
color, but you know, we start tomove up through the different
shades right.
So it's a little bit more of asomeone says turquoise, but a
(05:19):
lighter blue just generallyassociated with it, because
above that is the sixth chakra,that is your third eye chakra,
and that is more of an indigo.
It's a darker blue, it's adeeper, richer blue and above
that, obviously, is your crownchakra.
It's above the head, it is.
It is what I would call and, asI did last time, last sequence,
I called it our kind of ourabove chakra, where it doesn't
(05:41):
necessarily have an exactphysical point, and that is our
connection with source divine.
Whatever you'd like to.
However you'd like to phrase it, that particular chakra is
usually associated with a violet, sometimes a white, even
sometimes gold.
But that's the general theme,so that you have an idea, and I
will dive into them individuallyor put them together as we move
(06:04):
through our different sequences.
But for at least now you havesome sort of thesis of relation
for why we're talking about thesolar plexus chakra and each
chakra, as mentioned, isresponsible for a certain aspect
right, the divine intuition,your speech, your communication,
(06:25):
your, sometimes you can evensay you know your defense of
yourself comes from the throatchakra.
Hopefully we don't need todefend, but you know there are a
lot of.
Their throat chakra turns outto be a rather important one.
I'm going to save that foranother time, but it is a very
important one Overall for yourcommunication and for you know
your sense of self, the heartchakra.
(06:47):
Obviously I feel like itdoesn't really need too much,
too much diving in, because weall know the heart is our, our
seat, where we, where we lovefrom, where we receive love from
our solar plexus chakra,against that power center.
So that's where we're going tofire ourselves up and if it's
weakened, that's where ourliteral sense of self can feel
out of balance.
(07:07):
We may not feel as strong, wemay not feel as powerful, we may
feel subdued, we may feelcontained.
You know, an unbalanced or outof alignment Solar plexus chakra
can really have some I'm goingto use the word ego, but not in
a negative way some effects onon the ego, on the it, if you
(07:28):
will.
And then below that we have oursacral, that's our seat of
creativity, and again, our root,which is our seat of safety.
The I am right, the I am is atthe root chakra.
I belong, I am safe that thoseare some things that go in
alignment with that.
But again, now that we havesome kind of area from which to
(07:49):
derive information, we have somerelational idea.
We're going to delve into thesolar plexus chakra.
So it is the color yellow.
So, as I've said in the past,there are ways to support our
chakras, whether it be throughfood, whether it be through
crystal use, whether it bethrough Bach floral ess, it be
through crystal use, whether itbe through Bach floral essences
tons of different ways.
It can be through scents, itcan be through aromatherapies.
(08:12):
So there's so many differentways to support your chakras.
You can deep dive into any ofthem and again, like I said,
taking a chakra quiz, I willtell you, I will share with you
how I, how I was able to definemy chakra.
You can create, and you cancreate kind of a chakra wheel if
you will, and allow a pendulumand your own energy, if it's
cleansed and purified, can showyou.
(08:33):
That's one, one lovely way tokind of have fun with your
friends and try that out.
And you can just kind of writethe chakras and allow, even if
you, whether you say one, two,three, four, five, six, seven,
use the colors, put them in acircle and allow the pendulum to
go back and forth.
That's one way that you can doit.
Otherwise, I encourage you todeep dive onto the interwebs so
(08:57):
that you can find out whichchakra type you most strongly
align with and then, potentiallywhat your secondary chakra type
is.
Generally, um, kind of likeastrology, you have your sun
sign, your moon sign and yourrising sign.
With your chakras you have kindof a a top tier, the ones that
are, uh, most in alignment foryou.
Now, to that end also, thechakras kind of mirror each
(09:18):
other, so they are connectedwith the heart being again at
the bridge.
So your crown chakra is relatedto your root chakra.
Your third crown chakra isrelated to your root chakra.
Your third eye chakra isrelated to your center of
creativity, intuition andcreativity.
And your throat chakra, as Imentioned, is related to your
solar plexus chakra.
So that's why, when we talkabout, they're all
(09:39):
interconnected, right,everything is in balance and
alignment.
If one chakra is out or out ofalignment, or overcharged or
undercharged and I use that word, I use the word charged to say
that you can have overdevelopedchakras, you can have imbalances
and one can be kind ofaggressive and taking energy
(10:01):
from the one near it.
That's just one, one option.
It can just be underdeveloped,there can be energy not flowing
properly.
So it's always good.
Yoga is a wonderful way tobring balance and alignment to
your chakras and I highly,highly encourage you to have a
practice that kind ofincorporates different postures
(10:22):
to support each chakra, so thatwe are constantly re bringing
ourselves back into balancebecause it doesn't matter, you
can have a bad day, you can have, you can wake up wrong, you can
have an injury, you can.
You know, anything can throw youout of balance and that doesn't
mean it's like the end game foryou, it's just something to be
mindful of and something to beaware of.
And a physical manifestation ofthat in the lower chakras, even
(10:46):
even in the upper as well, likeheadaches are, you know, fairly
case in point, directly related, can be directly related to the
upper chakras, right, if there,if there are physical symptoms
that are they're coming up inyour body, it can be a direct
relation to a chakra imbalance.
Or even the inverse is true,where the potential chakra
(11:06):
imbalance or the potentialinjury can affect the chakra.
The chakra can kind ofcontribute to the body screaming
for help.
Overall and comprehensive viewof your wellness.
(11:27):
I encourage you to do sobecause I do think that they
play a massively important rolein overall wellness and
well-being.
And so, when we're talkingabout the relation between the
solar plexus chakra and thethroat chakra, again think of
your truest sense of self.
They are the centers, they areabove and below the bridge of
your heart, they are your solarplexus, kind of is that seat of
fire, but the throat is the seatof expression of it, right?
(11:50):
So when we're talking aboutempowerment, we're talking about
feeling strong, and not comingfrom a space of control, not
coming from a space of influence, but coming from a space of
certainty, coming from a spaceof self-awareness, coming from a
space of the ability to feelstrong, safe, good and big, but
(12:19):
in a good way.
Make yourself bigger, take upspace, right.
That's what we're always sayingto our females, to our girls.
I remember being I'm going toshare a brief little anecdote.
I was at a grocery store andthe girl behind the checkout
counter had dragonfly earringsand I've always said, and I
always will say, the dragonfliesare my tiny little spirit
guides and when I see them outand about in the world, I
(12:40):
believe that I am on the rightpath.
And that's just me sharing alittle, a little tidbit about me
.
But when I saw her behind thecounter, she, she, I think she
was saying that she keptapologizing, and I just looked
at her and I said you don't needto apologize to me.
Please don't apologize to me,stop apologizing.
I said you didn't do anythingwrong, you did nothing to
(13:01):
apologize for.
I was like, just take up thespace, take up the space, just,
you're all right, it's okay,it's okay.
And she looked at me and shekind of half smiled.
And there was a woman behindher and she looked at me and she
smiled and I said just juststop apologizing, stop it.
And I said that to anotherfriend of mine and it's inherent
(13:22):
, I think a lot and I'm going tosay for women and as women,
that we feel the need to excuseour existence like we're in the
way, or that we are somehowhaving needs, having
requirements, having boundaries,having a sense of self which,
(13:43):
let's face it is coming fromthat solar plexus chakra is like
an affront that we should, youknow, almost like children, be
seen and not heard, fit intosome sort of box.
No, that is not a thing.
Okay, I think we have passedthat point in our existence and
I am here to share the fact thatI will take up that space and I
(14:04):
encourage you to do the samesafely, right?
I mean, this is not trying to,you know, flex for no good
reason.
Or you know, there's an elementof the feminine receptive
quality to taking up space,right?
It doesn't mean that it's notforce, it's not masculine, and
when I again, we're talkingabout the traditional principles
of masculine and feminine,we're not talking about gender
(14:26):
or identity and nothing likethat.
In yoga, traditionally speaking,there is the masculine and
feminine aspects, the duality ofthe left and right hemispheres
of the body.
This comes into Ayurveda, thiscomes into yoga.
So please don't take anyoffense by this.
This is just the traditionalway that it's been taught, right
?
So when we're talking about our, our power center, we're
(14:48):
talking about being strong, asin our receptive energy, as
women, or being strong as men,and I will touch on the yoga
asana for that as well.
You can be soft and strong, youcan take up space and still not
impose.
You can, you can be a vessel ofreceptivity and you can still
(15:12):
hold space, take space, be spaceand be strong and be true to
yourself and and and let that beokay and not apologize for it,
and that's.
You know, one of the mainthings that I think we tend to
do is we don't even do anythingwrong.
We wind up saying, oh, I'msorry, no, no, no, you apologize
(15:34):
if you, you know, do somethingterrible, or you, you know you
do something unintentional,unconscious, right, but we need
to break the habit ofapologizing because we, unless
you really need to, unless youreally really messed up or you
did something, you know, pardonme is fine, if you're walking
(15:56):
past someone, you don't need toapologize for being there.
Stop apologizing for being youand I'm going to leave.
I'm going to step off my soapbox and now dive into the asana.
So when we're talking aboutagain, what I love about the
chakra system is it can berather literal, so it's a little
point and shoot, and what Imean by that is I will get into
this on the nutrition but we canalign the color of the chakra
(16:17):
with the foods that support thatchakra Solar plexus think
yellow, think yellow peppers,think banana.
That is all I'm going to sayabout that right now.
When it comes to thephysicality and the yoga asana
aspects of it, think core, thinkcore strength, think core
building, think empowering,think building that fire, think
building heat in the body.
(16:38):
So what I will say, as I wasjust talking about the receptive
and cooling feminine aspect, iswe are with our core, with our
solar plexus chakra going totend to fall towards a little
bit more of the masculine aspectof the, of the stoking of that
inner flame, of that fire, right, and the reason for that is
because generating heat andbuilding up the core is is a one
(17:01):
of the things that, frankly, aswomen, we need to do very, very
it's.
It's imperative for us, aswomen, to have a strong core and
remember the core is your backtoo.
I love everyone always kind ofthinks, thinks of the core and
and they, like, visualize sixpack abs in their mind.
Our core and I've said this formany, many years, honestly it
kind of begins at our innerthighs and it goes all the way
(17:23):
up to essentially just below ourarmpits, right, like just add
the solar plexus.
That's our core and it includesyour back muscles, especially
for women.
The back muscles are huge foreveryone, but for women again,
I've said it before, I'll say itagain we have extra weight on
our front.
It is life-giving, supportiveweight on our front, but it
drags us down right.
(17:44):
So we need to strengthen evenmore so than men who don't have
that added weight, and we'retalking about our core strength
in men who don't have that addedweight.
And we're talking about ourcore strength.
We have a lot of internal organs.
Men have external organs.
So when we have those internalorgans, supporting them with
strength and balance key betweenboth hemispheres, right and
left of the body bringing theminto balance, bringing them into
unison, is only going to helpsupport our body structure.
(18:06):
And so when we talk about ourcore strength, it is imperative,
as women, to have this in ourinherent plan for a successful
well-being practice.
I don't care if it's yoga, itcan be, pilates, it can be.
I mean, I don't love a sit-upbut I'll take it as long as it
(18:26):
doesn't hurt your lower back.
It's whatever works for you.
Zumba is fine, but I'm going totalk about yoga because it is
what I, what I love and how Ipractice, and how I practice
self healing and overallwellness, but I anything that
resonates with you.
The bottom line is, as females,our bodies need extra support
(18:47):
physically because we tend to bea little bit more receptive and
we don't have necessarily thesame body chemistry as male
counterparts.
It is.
It is imperative for us tocounterbalance our repetitive
motions and our different way ofhormonal changes, the way that
(19:08):
we carry weight as we go throughtransitions in life.
It's imperative for us tomaintain our strength, to
maintain our body structure sothat we can age as gracefully as
possible and with as muchstrength and balance as possible
, because things are going tohappen and life is going to
happen all around us and there'sno way for us to prevent that
(19:30):
or predict that is going tohappen all around us and there's
no way for us to prevent thator predict that.
What we can do is try to againbe that very strong, very
centered vessel and keep it aspristine as we possibly can for
ourselves and for the peoplethat we love in the world around
us.
So, to that end, specific yogaasanas that are going to target
(19:51):
that core.
We all know it, we all love itBoat pose.
Now, what I'm going to say aboutboat pose is it can be, if done
improperly.
It cannot be pleasant on thelower back.
I will, as always, I say thisand I'm behind on it, so I will
be the first to chastise myselfon that one.
I will apologize for beingbehind on that, because it is
(20:14):
something that I did withoutintent, but that needs to be
rectified Now.
That being said, when we'retalking about boat pose, it is
essentially balancing on thesits bones, which is the base of
the pelvis, keeping your legs,I'm going to say, parallel to
the floor, from the shinparallel to the floor, and
(20:34):
creating a V with the torso andthe legs.
And traditionally speaking, thelegs are straight up, but a lot
of times you need to work up tothat.
What happens is, as the legsstraighten and lift, the people
that aren't properly executingthe pose will start to tilt
backwards and they will wind upon their sacrum.
(20:55):
They will lose the coreengagement and they will dump
all of that balance air quotesfor those who are listening into
their lower back, which is notwhere we want it right.
Think of boat pose as having amagnet between your torso and
your thighs and keeping yourbody as upright as you extend
(21:18):
your legs as possible.
So this is a heating,challenging posture.
It fires the core, it fires thehip flexors and it engages the
quads.
One of the main things to thinkabout here is to keep the legs
together.
So, again, as I mentioned, youdon't think of your thighs when
you think about your core, butit does start from keeping the
(21:39):
thighs locked together,internally rotated, so you feel
as though the inner thighs arerolling behind you and squeezing
.
You can put a block just aboveyour knees to help to get this
sensation.
Squeeze it, and it's hard.
You, when you start to practiceboat pose, you'll notice that
your your knees are going towant to come away from each
other and in line with your hips.
And if you have x, you know,maybe you have wider hips.
(22:01):
I know I do.
It can be different fordifferent body types, but I will
say that that is one way tokind of start to create these
muscle memories in a way thatsupports the posture and the
asana.
When we are talking about havingthat upright position, we want
to not think of the corecrunching and rounding, but we
want to think of lengthening andbalancing.
(22:22):
So the way that I like to showpeople how to come into it is to
sit on the mat, bring yourknees into your chest and wrap
your arms behind your thighs.
You can take your hands behindyour thighs and you can actually
grab the backs of the thighswith the fingertips below the
knees, never behind, directlybehind the kneecaps, and you can
help to create that internalrotation as you do so.
(22:43):
Once you do that, the trick togetting the balance aspect of
this is to begin to take thetoes off the floor so that
they're hovering.
And once you have the toes offthe floor, you'll notice that as
you start you'll start to rockback a little bit, and you want
to not do that.
So you want to find the placeas far forward as you can before
(23:04):
your toes hit the floor, andthat's where you want to balance
from.
And once you have that, thenyou can begin to extend those
shins so they become parallel tothe floor.
Once you have that, you canrelease the hands.
Now you're just a V, with aplateau of shin in alignment
with the floor, and once you'recomfortable there, then you can
begin to extend one leg at atime and eventually get to both.
(23:27):
So Navasana Boat Pose is one ofthe.
It's a challenging one, I'm notgonna lie.
It's not an easy one.
If you have lower back issuesand you're working on your own,
potentially without a yogainstructor, then I encourage you
to do some research and be very, very mindful of your lower
back.
Another variation for this tohelp you lift up out of that
(23:48):
lower back is, instead of takingthe arms traditionally straight
out in alignment with the legs,parallel with the shoulders and
the floor, you can lift thearms up overhead.
This helps to keep that line ofenergy tracking upwards and
instead of rolling backwards androunding through the spine, it
can also if done improperly itcan it can contribute to you
(24:09):
rocking back if you don't havethat kind of magnetic feeling
between your torso and thighs.
So just different variationsfor you to play with.
The other thing you can do, asyou're starting to learn, is
take your feet to the wall.
Now I will say the one thingabout this is you need to know
how to balance on those sitzbones before you take the feet
to the wall, because having yourfeet on the wall will naturally
(24:29):
press your hips back so thatyou end up rolling too far past
where you're supposed to be andonto your sacrum and thus losing
the whole point.
So it's a very nuanced posture,which is why I promise that I
will get a video out there sothat you guys can see it.
In addition to that, when wethink about our core, we're
(24:49):
coming from that fiery aspect,right?
So we're talking about that,that sun sal about our core.
We're coming from that fieryaspect, right?
So we're talking about that sunsalutation, right?
We're talking about thatmasculine energy, that right
side of the hemisphere, creatingheat, and sun salutations are a
traditional, wonderful way tonot only build that heat but to
strengthen your core.
And one of the reasons why isbecause two of the postures
(25:11):
involved in a sun salute,whether traditional A or
traditional B, are going toincorporate your plank, any
plank up plank which is nottraditionally part of your Surya
Namaskar, but up plank, orregular plank, forward plank,
which is going to come into thatvinyasa flow very regularly.
(25:34):
I'm sure we're all familiar.
It's also what I love aboutplank, a traditional plank, not
an upward plank, but atraditional plank is save your
wrists and shoulders, buttraditionally it's very, very
safe for the lower back.
If you've done properly and youreally have to again squeeze
your inner thighs together,engage the.
It's very, very safe for thelower back.
If you've done properly and youreally have to again squeeze
your inner thighs together,engage the lower abdominals,
(25:56):
draw the lower abdominals in.
You can almost in a plank.
If you have any lower backissues and you're worrying that
you're hollowing the lower backand letting that belly sag
towards the floor, you can kindof almost round and actually
press the floor away and letyour shoulders round a little
bit.
Now, that's for a plank closetraditionally not necessarily
when we're talking about theflow of a sun salute so.
(26:20):
But there are different ways todo it.
What I like about it is thatfor core exercises it's
generally quite safe for thelower back.
It's also very easy to buildupon.
You can start with doing aplank on your knees.
This is another way to buildChaturanga, but we will save
into that because that's gettinga little bit advanced.
But it's a great way to beginto build up core strength safely
(26:41):
for your lower back, and theyare very much intertwined.
If you have a lower back, lumbarspine herniated, bulging,
anything like that, you need tobe very, very careful with your
core work, which is why Iprefaced at the beginning when I
was talking about this and saidI don't love sit-ups.
Crunches are okay.
I don't love sit-ups.
Crunches don't necessarily takeinto account a lot of the lower
(27:04):
abdominals.
So you know they're all rightand every exercise has its place
and any exercise is better thanno exercise, but being safe is
the most, is paramount, I'msorry.
It's paramount and as someonewith multiple different injuries
and someone who has come backfrom different injuries, I have
to say it is very, veryimportant that you do these
(27:27):
exercises appropriately.
I'm always happy to help you todo that.
You can reach out to me on mywebsite.
You can reach out to me onInstagram, facebook, anything,
please, if you have anyquestions.
I'm always happy to work withanyone and help them achieve
their goals from a place ofsafety and security.
Now, that being said, when we'retalking about up plank, it is
(27:47):
the reverse, so you can buildupon that.
Much like forward plank can bedone on the knees as a way to
build strength, to get the heelsextended behind you.
Up plank can be done as areverse tabletop, where your
knees are bent and your handsare under your shoulders and
your hips and your knees andyour shoulders are all in a line
.
That's one way to do it.
(28:07):
Traditionally speaking, thelegs are extended again, those
inner thighs are glued togetherand squeezing together and as
you press up the hips, I like tohave my shoulders rotated a
little bit outwards and my palmsjust beneath them or slightly
behind them, with the fingertipsout to the side.
That's what feels best for myshoulders.
You can have the fingertipspointed forward.
(28:28):
I don't love that for theshoulders.
You can have them rotated allthe way back, which which, if
you can support it and you havevery open shoulders, will help
to open up the pectoral musclesas well.
But when you're practicing anup plank, that can be a little
bit aggressive if you have anykind of shoulder injury.
So just be mindful of that.
But that's another great way tofire up the core.
Way to fire up the core as wetalk about stoking this inner
(28:55):
fire.
Other postures when we thinkabout our solar plexus chakra
again, I love that the chakrasystem can be very literal, so
think about postures thatdirectly correlate to that body
part.
Well, if it's sitting justabove the belly button and let's
say we want to come from alittle bit more of a heating
place, right, we talked aboutour sun salutes.
(29:15):
We've talked about our planks.
We talked about our boat pose.
Now we're going to talk aboutour.
The same pose in a coupledifferent ways.
And why is that?
We're going to talk about camel.
We're going to talk about bow.
Essentially, camel and bow.
Your body is in the sameposition, right, you are either
(29:36):
on your knees and camel pose,with your heart center lifting
up, and it's also spoiler alerta heart chakra pose.
Now, why is that?
Because it's opening the heart,it's a heart opener, it's a
chest opener, but it's alsobeginning to lengthen through
the core as well.
So you can call camel and youcan call bow, both solar plexus
chakras as well, because theyare in bow pose.
(29:58):
You're literally resting, yourbody, is grounding your solar
plexus chakra into the earth asyou lift from your chest and
your your legs behind you.
In theory, your pelvis may ormay not start to come off the
ground, but in an effort toprotect that lumbar spine, I am
always of the mindset that thepelvis stays glued to the ground
, um, and so you're beginning toagain fire up and lengthen.
(30:21):
So when we talk about any areaof the body, remember two things
, the first of which is, in yoga.
A little known secret is thatany aspect of the body, any
muscle group you are trying tolengthen, the opposing muscle
group needs to strengthen, andthe reason for that is because
it is going to support themotion and allow the body to be
(30:44):
receptive and safe enough torelease.
If it is not, that's whereinjury occurs.
So, as a basic example, we'regoing to use bow pose.
Right, we talked about our corereflecting our back as well.
It's not just the front, it'snot just the belly button and
it's not just your six pack abs.
When we're talking about ourcore in an exercise such as bow
(31:10):
or camel, essentially the sameposture you are opening and
lengthening.
So in boat pose you'recontracting and in planks you're
contracting, you're engagingyour core.
Plank, I will say, you're alsoengaging the back at the same
time, which is one of thosereasons why I love plank so much
, because it's a super strengthbuilding asana.
(31:31):
When we're talking about camelor bow, we are now talking about
the solar plexus.
Now is the receptive.
Now we are doing the opposite.
We are no longer contracting it, now we are expanding it, we
are lengthening it.
What has to happen for that tobe safe to occur?
Your back has to engage your.
The opposing muscle group foryour core is essentially I mean
(31:54):
mainly it's your lats.
It can go down to yourquadratus lumborum, but
essentially it is the middle ofthe back.
So it is so important again forus women, for posture, for our
strength, to be able to open theheart center, open through the
upper abdominals and engage ourshoulder blades down our back,
create that strength through thelats, even down through all of
(32:20):
the muscles that support thespine.
Those are engaged, they aredrawing in.
I always cue my clients withthink, the bottoms of your
shoulder blades reaching to yourhips.
You are engaging down, you'recreating the support for those
abdominal muscles to open.
A tight muscle is a weak muscle, so we want to create
(32:43):
suppleness, we want to have thesame amount of give and take in
in each muscle group for it totruly be in balance again, which
is kind of what yoga is is allabout.
So we've talked a little bitabout the contraction, we've
talked a little bit about the,you know, the extension, the
opening of this muscle group andthis chakra center, our solar
(33:05):
plexus.
What I'd like to leave you withis essentially the postures
that are going to kind of be thereceptive, feminine, cooling
aspect of it.
Right, because we've talked allabout fire, all about heat, all
about engagement, all aboutstrength.
How do we release, stimulateand receive in this area of our
(33:27):
body to create balance?
We twist.
Solar plexus chakra, again,similarly to the heart, is going
to benefit wildly from twists.
The reason for that is a fewfold again.
So think about when you twistand I've said this before, I'll
say it again You're rigging outyour body right, you're it's.
Twists are great for your organs.
They're great for digestion,they're great for not only
(33:49):
suppleness through the back,because again, when we talk
about twisting, we're talkingabout the thoracic vertebrae.
Well, your solar plexus stillsits in that kind of thoracic
cavity.
Now it's below it a bit, butthere are floating ribs that sit
below our sternum and our heartcenter right.
So below that is your solarplexus and because of that our
(34:09):
thoracic spine, again, is notmeant to really bend, it's meant
to twist.
It's the way that it's built.
So when we're talking abouttwisting, you're stimulating
your digestion, you'restimulating your the, the
manipulation of the organs insuch a way you're stimulating
your lymphatic system.
You are.
Twists are just honestly,they're wonderful for your body.
(34:30):
100 wonderful for your body.
And when it comes to the core,it's a way in the solar plexus,
it's a way to again create spacethrough contraction in a way,
but also through opening,because while one side's doing
one, the other side's doing theother and you're going to do
both on each side and it's goingto, it's going to create
balance, it's going to restoreand it's also going to be one of
(34:53):
the most cooling and receptivekind of less heating, less, less
strenuous ways from a reclinedspinal twist before our
Shavasana all the way up throughsome of the more heating ways.
For example, two of the mostheating asanas that are also
twists are going to be yourrevolved triangle and your
revolved half moon.
(35:13):
Half moon is a balance aspectand it is where you have the
opposing hand on the ground,generally on a block for most
people with the opposing foot,the opposite foot is extended
out behind you and the oppositearm is twisting away from that
extended leg.
So it's a.
It's a.
It's a one of my challenge mostchallenging postures.
(35:34):
I will be very honest.
And then you have revolvedtriangle.
You could even do a revolvedextended angle if you have any
sort of you know hamstringissues or you want to be just a
little more gentle, and that'sgoing to be the same thing.
So it's the opposite hand andfoot right.
So let's say you have yourright foot forward, your left
hand's going to be kind of justin front, your left leg is going
(35:56):
to be back behind and you'regoing to twist towards the front
leg Again.
When you're doing thesestanding postures, it's going to
create a little bit more heat.
But when you're doing thereclined even even like a Lord
of the Fishes which I know I'veused for other, for other asanas
as well, and for other even forother chakras.
(36:17):
When we were talking about atwist for the solar plexus
chakra, what I love about it isI always keep my twist.
Very similarly, you aretwisting from the belly button
up, not from the belly button up, not from the belly button down
.
Your hips and your lumbar spineare not meant to twist, so you
want to keep them as stable andstationary as you can.
Can they give a little bit offorce?
They can, but you don't want totwist those vertebrae.
(36:38):
It's not going to make youryour the discs back there very,
very happy.
So you want to keep it from thebelly button up and that is a
great way to remember that it isgiving love to your solar
plexus chakra as well.
Finally, because we talked aboutthe sun salutes, I can't leave
us without mentioning ourwarriors.
Why are our warriors importantfor our solar plexus chakra?
(37:00):
Your warrior one, your warriortwo, your warrior three, two,
your warrior three.
The reason is because, whilewarrior postures are wonderful
for you know, you can arguablysay that a warrior posture is,
is is beneficial for almost allchakras, and I think that that's
(37:20):
a fair thing to say.
What I love about it for oursolar plexus chakra is that it's
kind of centered around it,right.
So if you're in a warrior one,your feet are on those two train
tracks.
They're in line with your hipsand it can turn into a backbend,
but it is a strengthening pose.
(37:41):
Your legs are in two separateplaces and you are lifting your
heart center up to the sky.
And what is giving it that lift?
Your power center, your solarplexus.
It is an empowering pose.
If you're in a warrior two,you're facing width wise on your
mat and you are in a heel to anarch alignment, but you're
still supporting your trunk,your torso, that strength of
(38:04):
your arms out.
That power is coming from thecenter and radiating out in all
directions.
Your warrior three stillradiating out in all directions,
and now you're aiming yourpower center towards the floor.
So now you're incorporatingbalance into your core and
everything is coming out fromthere.
(38:25):
And so what I love aboutwarriors and their direct
relation to the solar plexuschakra is that it all starts
from within and comes without.
It starts from your core, andall limbs that leave your body
are coming from that place ofyour inner fire.
They are stable because of you.
(38:45):
They are stable because of yourtrunk.
They are stable because of thestrength within you.
They are stable because you areable to give them that life, to
give them that space, to holdthat space for them.
So I have to just show somelove to the solar plexus chakra
and say that anytime you arepassionate about something,
(39:11):
that's your solar plexus chakraspeaking to you.
Anytime you feel drive, focus.
Anytime you set your mind tosomething and you follow through
with it, it is thanks to yoursolar plexus chakra, to your own
internal fire, to your owndrive, to your own energy center
(39:33):
and to again, while it mightnot be the bridge that the heart
is coming from that receptiveplace, it is the fire just below
your heart.
It is the fire that keeps yougoing.
And if it's feeling less, lessin, less flame ridden, then I
(39:53):
encourage you to practice someof those heating ass postures
that we talked about.
If it's feeling like maybeyou've got a little bit too much
drive but you want to settledown a little bit, then I
encourage you to practice someseated or reclined twists.
And if you just want to bringbalance and tap into your own
inherent strength male or female, it does not matter.
(40:15):
Be that warrior, be that warriorfor yourself.
Take up that space.
Remember that it is directlyrelated to your throat chakra.
They are connected, they're allconnected, but those two have a
special relationship.
So remember to speak your truthand to embody your truth, and I
hope that this, that thisconversation, helps you to do
(40:37):
that and to know how strong youtruly are.
And with that, I just want tosay how much I appreciate each
and every one of you for sharingthis space with me, and I ask
that you please feel free toshare the same with your loved
ones For more goodness.
Follow me on all the socials,at Above the Ground Podcast or
visit my website,airsaboveyogacom.
As always, please don't forgetto check out my other episodes
(40:59):
and my amazing sisters on theDivas that Care Network.
You can find us on Spotify,odyssey, apple, amazon,
iheartradio or anywhere else youmay feel guided.
Again, my name is Gia RaquelRose, owner of Heirs Above Yoga,
and you are listening to Abovethe Ground podcast, where every
day is a good one.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
Thanks for listening.
This show was brought to you byDivas that Care.
Divas that Care Connect with uson Facebook, on Instagram and,
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To find out more about themovement, visit divasthatcarecom
(00:25):
.
After the show.
Right now, though, stay tunedfor another jolt of inspiration.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Namaste and welcome to the Divas that Care Network.
I'm your host, gia Raquel Rose,owner of Heirs Above Yoga, and
you're listening to Above theGround podcast, if this is your
first time.
Tuning in our network is goinginto its 15th year and is
listened to in over 30 countries.
I would like to personallythank you for giving me the gift
of your time.
As always, it is my honor tohold space with you and as we
(00:55):
move into a new sequence, we aregoing to be talking about ways
to empower yourself, really kindof diving deep into the
feminine energy and specificallythat empowering energy right,
getting fired up it's summer, atleast where I am right now it's
hot, right and we are going todive into I can't call it my
(01:19):
favorite because I sayeverything is my favorite we're
going to dive into Manipura, thesolar plexus chakra.
For this sequence, and thereason that we're doing that is
a few fold, the first of whichis, if you didn't know this,
because I don't know if I'veactually delved into it, but
it's kind of fun.
If you were ever into, you know, quizzes in magazines.
(01:39):
Back in the day, when magazineswere a thing, tangible ones,
like when I was growing up,there was always like Cosmo
quizzes, and you know just superfun ways to spend time, you
know, on the beach, on vacation,wherever you might find time
for yourself with a group ofgirlfriends.
Taking quizzes was always partof my socialization growing up.
(02:01):
Now that I am a little bitolder, I am getting into the
spiritual side of them.
And as I talk about the chakrasall the time in the chakra
system and how they come intoplay for just different aspects
of your life, your purpose, yourwell being, little, little
known fact that you actuallyhave a primary chakra and even a
(02:23):
secondary chakra to your, yourpersonality, to you know, your
blueprint, your soul print, ifyou will, when you enter into
this incarnation.
And so there are different ways.
There are tons of, like I said,quizzes online for you to kind
of figure that out for yourself,and I encourage you to do so,
right, like with yourgirlfriends, or just on your own
, or or your guy friends, right?
(02:44):
No gender, no judgment,whomever, everyone has it.
It's not for women specifically,uh, but I am going to talk
about a little bit of the morefemale empowerment vibe for
myself, who does identify assuch, um, and also because I
happen to be a primary solarplexus, third chakra, chakra
type.
So those are typically that is,your power center.
(03:07):
So those are the kind of goaloriented type A achievers, if
you will.
So definitely someone who'salways striving, kind of always
pushing, always for the nextthing, which can tend to lead to
burnout.
Or for me, definitely,definitely I am guilty of
overcommitment, for sure I am ayes, I can make that happen, yes
(03:28):
, I can get that done kind ofperson, and I will.
I will put the blame for thatright directly on my solar
plexus chakra.
But basically we're going totalk about asanas to to fuel
your inner fire, to get that,that, that flame stoked, and to,
you know, kind of empoweryourselves and do that from the
literal center of your core.
(03:50):
That is where the chakra isplaced.
So when we talk about again Iwill go over this, I've gone
over before but I think everytime we talk about our different
chakras, it's always good to doa quick overview so that people
that may not have listened toprevious episodes still have
some sort of realm of what we'respeaking about.
So chakra system traditionallyI'm going to say traditionally
there are seven, going from theroot of your spine up through
(04:12):
the crown of your head.
They are essentially the colorsof the rainbow and they begin
with the root chakra, which isbasically at the base of the
spine, the base of the pelvicbowl, and it is the color red.
Up from there is your sacralchakra, and that is the color
color orange and that sits justbelow the belly button, at the
(04:33):
well.
For women it sits right at theseat of creation right, and for
men to a certain extent as well,but it sits, you know, at that
sacral area just above the rootchakra.
Above that case in point, isour solar plexus chakra and that
is the color yellow, so redorange, then yellow.
Moving up from there, we haveour heart chakra, as I like to
(04:55):
call the bridge between thelower embodiment chakras that
really truly sit in the body,body, and then, as we move up,
as I talked about last time, westart to work into the upper
chakra systems, which are thethroat, which is like a blue
color, but you know, we start tomove up through the different
shades right.
So it's a little bit more of asomeone says turquoise, but a
(05:19):
lighter blue just generallyassociated with it, because
above that is the sixth chakra,that is your third eye chakra,
and that is more of an indigo.
It's a darker blue, it's adeeper, richer blue and above
that, obviously, is your crownchakra.
It's above the head, it is.
It is what I would call and, asI did last time, last sequence,
I called it our kind of ourabove chakra, where it doesn't
(05:41):
necessarily have an exactphysical point, and that is our
connection with source divine.
Whatever you'd like to.
However you'd like to phrase it, that particular chakra is
usually associated with a violet, sometimes a white, even
sometimes gold.
But that's the general theme,so that you have an idea, and I
will dive into them individuallyor put them together as we move
(06:04):
through our different sequences.
But for at least now you havesome sort of thesis of relation
for why we're talking about thesolar plexus chakra and each
chakra, as mentioned, isresponsible for a certain aspect
right, the divine intuition,your speech, your communication,
(06:25):
your, sometimes you can evensay you know your defense of
yourself comes from the throatchakra.
Hopefully we don't need todefend, but you know there are a
lot of.
Their throat chakra turns outto be a rather important one.
I'm going to save that foranother time, but it is a very
important one Overall for yourcommunication and for you know
your sense of self, the heartchakra.
(06:47):
Obviously I feel like itdoesn't really need too much,
too much diving in, because weall know the heart is our, our
seat, where we, where we lovefrom, where we receive love from
our solar plexus chakra,against that power center.
So that's where we're going tofire ourselves up and if it's
weakened, that's where ourliteral sense of self can feel
out of balance.
(07:07):
We may not feel as strong, wemay not feel as powerful, we may
feel subdued, we may feelcontained.
You know, an unbalanced or outof alignment Solar plexus chakra
can really have some I'm goingto use the word ego, but not in
a negative way some effects onon the ego, on the it, if you
(07:28):
will.
And then below that we have oursacral, that's our seat of
creativity, and again, our root,which is our seat of safety.
The I am right, the I am is atthe root chakra.
I belong, I am safe that thoseare some things that go in
alignment with that.
But again, now that we havesome kind of area from which to
(07:49):
derive information, we have somerelational idea.
We're going to delve into thesolar plexus chakra.
So it is the color yellow.
So, as I've said in the past,there are ways to support our
chakras, whether it be throughfood, whether it be through
crystal use, whether it bethrough Bach floral ess, it be
through crystal use, whether itbe through Bach floral essences
tons of different ways.
It can be through scents, itcan be through aromatherapies.
(08:12):
So there's so many differentways to support your chakras.
You can deep dive into any ofthem and again, like I said,
taking a chakra quiz, I willtell you, I will share with you
how I, how I was able to definemy chakra.
You can create, and you cancreate kind of a chakra wheel if
you will, and allow a pendulumand your own energy, if it's
cleansed and purified, can showyou.
(08:33):
That's one, one lovely way tokind of have fun with your
friends and try that out.
And you can just kind of writethe chakras and allow, even if
you, whether you say one, two,three, four, five, six, seven,
use the colors, put them in acircle and allow the pendulum to
go back and forth.
That's one way that you can doit.
Otherwise, I encourage you todeep dive onto the interwebs so
(08:57):
that you can find out whichchakra type you most strongly
align with and then, potentiallywhat your secondary chakra type
is.
Generally, um, kind of likeastrology, you have your sun
sign, your moon sign and yourrising sign.
With your chakras you have kindof a a top tier, the ones that
are, uh, most in alignment foryou.
Now, to that end also, thechakras kind of mirror each
(09:18):
other, so they are connectedwith the heart being again at
the bridge.
So your crown chakra is relatedto your root chakra.
Your third crown chakra isrelated to your root chakra.
Your third eye chakra isrelated to your center of
creativity, intuition andcreativity.
And your throat chakra, as Imentioned, is related to your
solar plexus chakra.
So that's why, when we talkabout, they're all
(09:39):
interconnected, right,everything is in balance and
alignment.
If one chakra is out or out ofalignment, or overcharged or
undercharged and I use that word, I use the word charged to say
that you can have overdevelopedchakras, you can have imbalances
and one can be kind ofaggressive and taking energy
(10:01):
from the one near it.
That's just one, one option.
It can just be underdeveloped,there can be energy not flowing
properly.
So it's always good.
Yoga is a wonderful way tobring balance and alignment to
your chakras and I highly,highly encourage you to have a
practice that kind ofincorporates different postures
(10:22):
to support each chakra, so thatwe are constantly re bringing
ourselves back into balancebecause it doesn't matter, you
can have a bad day, you can have, you can wake up wrong, you can
have an injury, you can.
You know, anything can throw youout of balance and that doesn't
mean it's like the end game foryou, it's just something to be
mindful of and something to beaware of.
And a physical manifestation ofthat in the lower chakras, even
(10:46):
even in the upper as well, likeheadaches are, you know, fairly
case in point, directly related, can be directly related to the
upper chakras, right, if there,if there are physical symptoms
that are they're coming up inyour body, it can be a direct
relation to a chakra imbalance.
Or even the inverse is true,where the potential chakra
(11:06):
imbalance or the potentialinjury can affect the chakra.
The chakra can kind ofcontribute to the body screaming
for help.
Overall and comprehensive viewof your wellness.
(11:27):
I encourage you to do sobecause I do think that they
play a massively important rolein overall wellness and
well-being.
And so, when we're talkingabout the relation between the
solar plexus chakra and thethroat chakra, again think of
your truest sense of self.
They are the centers, they areabove and below the bridge of
your heart, they are your solarplexus, kind of is that seat of
fire, but the throat is the seatof expression of it, right?
(11:50):
So when we're talking aboutempowerment, we're talking about
feeling strong, and not comingfrom a space of control, not
coming from a space of influence, but coming from a space of
certainty, coming from a spaceof self-awareness, coming from a
space of the ability to feelstrong, safe, good and big, but
(12:19):
in a good way.
Make yourself bigger, take upspace, right.
That's what we're always sayingto our females, to our girls.
I remember being I'm going toshare a brief little anecdote.
I was at a grocery store andthe girl behind the checkout
counter had dragonfly earringsand I've always said, and I
always will say, the dragonfliesare my tiny little spirit
guides and when I see them outand about in the world, I
(12:40):
believe that I am on the rightpath.
And that's just me sharing alittle, a little tidbit about me
.
But when I saw her behind thecounter, she, she, I think she
was saying that she keptapologizing, and I just looked
at her and I said you don't needto apologize to me.
Please don't apologize to me,stop apologizing.
I said you didn't do anythingwrong, you did nothing to
(13:01):
apologize for.
I was like, just take up thespace, take up the space, just,
you're all right, it's okay,it's okay.
And she looked at me and shekind of half smiled.
And there was a woman behindher and she looked at me and she
smiled and I said just juststop apologizing, stop it.
And I said that to anotherfriend of mine and it's inherent
(13:22):
, I think a lot and I'm going tosay for women and as women,
that we feel the need to excuseour existence like we're in the
way, or that we are somehowhaving needs, having
requirements, having boundaries,having a sense of self which,
(13:43):
let's face it is coming fromthat solar plexus chakra is like
an affront that we should, youknow, almost like children, be
seen and not heard, fit intosome sort of box.
No, that is not a thing.
Okay, I think we have passedthat point in our existence and
I am here to share the fact thatI will take up that space and I
(14:04):
encourage you to do the samesafely, right?
I mean, this is not trying to,you know, flex for no good
reason.
Or you know, there's an elementof the feminine receptive
quality to taking up space,right?
It doesn't mean that it's notforce, it's not masculine, and
when I again, we're talkingabout the traditional principles
of masculine and feminine,we're not talking about gender
(14:26):
or identity and nothing likethat.
In yoga, traditionally speaking,there is the masculine and
feminine aspects, the duality ofthe left and right hemispheres
of the body.
This comes into Ayurveda, thiscomes into yoga.
So please don't take anyoffense by this.
This is just the traditionalway that it's been taught, right
?
So when we're talking about our, our power center, we're
(14:48):
talking about being strong, asin our receptive energy, as
women, or being strong as men,and I will touch on the yoga
asana for that as well.
You can be soft and strong, youcan take up space and still not
impose.
You can, you can be a vessel ofreceptivity and you can still
(15:12):
hold space, take space, be spaceand be strong and be true to
yourself and and and let that beokay and not apologize for it,
and that's.
You know, one of the mainthings that I think we tend to
do is we don't even do anythingwrong.
We wind up saying, oh, I'msorry, no, no, no, you apologize
(15:34):
if you, you know, do somethingterrible, or you, you know you
do something unintentional,unconscious, right, but we need
to break the habit ofapologizing because we, unless
you really need to, unless youreally really messed up or you
did something, you know, pardonme is fine, if you're walking
(15:56):
past someone, you don't need toapologize for being there.
Stop apologizing for being youand I'm going to leave.
I'm going to step off my soapbox and now dive into the asana.
So when we're talking aboutagain, what I love about the
chakra system is it can berather literal, so it's a little
point and shoot, and what Imean by that is I will get into
this on the nutrition but we canalign the color of the chakra
(16:17):
with the foods that support thatchakra Solar plexus think
yellow, think yellow peppers,think banana.
That is all I'm going to sayabout that right now.
When it comes to thephysicality and the yoga asana
aspects of it, think core, thinkcore strength, think core
building, think empowering,think building that fire, think
building heat in the body.
(16:38):
So what I will say, as I wasjust talking about the receptive
and cooling feminine aspect, iswe are with our core, with our
solar plexus chakra going totend to fall towards a little
bit more of the masculine aspectof the, of the stoking of that
inner flame, of that fire, right, and the reason for that is
because generating heat andbuilding up the core is is a one
(17:01):
of the things that, frankly, aswomen, we need to do very, very
it's.
It's imperative for us, aswomen, to have a strong core and
remember the core is your backtoo.
I love everyone always kind ofthinks, thinks of the core and
and they, like, visualize sixpack abs in their mind.
Our core and I've said this formany, many years, honestly it
kind of begins at our innerthighs and it goes all the way
(17:23):
up to essentially just below ourarmpits, right, like just add
the solar plexus.
That's our core and it includesyour back muscles, especially
for women.
The back muscles are huge foreveryone, but for women again,
I've said it before, I'll say itagain we have extra weight on
our front.
It is life-giving, supportiveweight on our front, but it
drags us down right.
(17:44):
So we need to strengthen evenmore so than men who don't have
that added weight, and we'retalking about our core strength
in men who don't have that addedweight.
And we're talking about ourcore strength.
We have a lot of internal organs.
Men have external organs.
So when we have those internalorgans, supporting them with
strength and balance key betweenboth hemispheres, right and
left of the body bringing theminto balance, bringing them into
unison, is only going to helpsupport our body structure.
(18:06):
And so when we talk about ourcore strength, it is imperative,
as women, to have this in ourinherent plan for a successful
well-being practice.
I don't care if it's yoga, itcan be, pilates, it can be.
I mean, I don't love a sit-upbut I'll take it as long as it
(18:26):
doesn't hurt your lower back.
It's whatever works for you.
Zumba is fine, but I'm going totalk about yoga because it is
what I, what I love and how Ipractice, and how I practice
self healing and overallwellness, but I anything that
resonates with you.
The bottom line is, as females,our bodies need extra support
(18:47):
physically because we tend to bea little bit more receptive and
we don't have necessarily thesame body chemistry as male
counterparts.
It is.
It is imperative for us tocounterbalance our repetitive
motions and our different way ofhormonal changes, the way that
(19:08):
we carry weight as we go throughtransitions in life.
It's imperative for us tomaintain our strength, to
maintain our body structure sothat we can age as gracefully as
possible and with as muchstrength and balance as possible
, because things are going tohappen and life is going to
happen all around us and there'sno way for us to prevent that
(19:30):
or predict that is going tohappen all around us and there's
no way for us to prevent thator predict that.
What we can do is try to againbe that very strong, very
centered vessel and keep it aspristine as we possibly can for
ourselves and for the peoplethat we love in the world around
us.
So, to that end, specific yogaasanas that are going to target
(19:51):
that core.
We all know it, we all love itBoat pose.
Now, what I'm going to say aboutboat pose is it can be, if done
improperly.
It cannot be pleasant on thelower back.
I will, as always, I say thisand I'm behind on it, so I will
be the first to chastise myselfon that one.
I will apologize for beingbehind on that, because it is
(20:14):
something that I did withoutintent, but that needs to be
rectified Now.
That being said, when we'retalking about boat pose, it is
essentially balancing on thesits bones, which is the base of
the pelvis, keeping your legs,I'm going to say, parallel to
the floor, from the shinparallel to the floor, and
(20:34):
creating a V with the torso andthe legs.
And traditionally speaking, thelegs are straight up, but a lot
of times you need to work up tothat.
What happens is, as the legsstraighten and lift, the people
that aren't properly executingthe pose will start to tilt
backwards and they will wind upon their sacrum.
(20:55):
They will lose the coreengagement and they will dump
all of that balance air quotesfor those who are listening into
their lower back, which is notwhere we want it right.
Think of boat pose as having amagnet between your torso and
your thighs and keeping yourbody as upright as you extend
(21:18):
your legs as possible.
So this is a heating,challenging posture.
It fires the core, it fires thehip flexors and it engages the
quads.
One of the main things to thinkabout here is to keep the legs
together.
So, again, as I mentioned, youdon't think of your thighs when
you think about your core, butit does start from keeping the
(21:39):
thighs locked together,internally rotated, so you feel
as though the inner thighs arerolling behind you and squeezing
.
You can put a block just aboveyour knees to help to get this
sensation.
Squeeze it, and it's hard.
You, when you start to practiceboat pose, you'll notice that
your your knees are going towant to come away from each
other and in line with your hips.
And if you have x, you know,maybe you have wider hips.
(22:01):
I know I do.
It can be different fordifferent body types, but I will
say that that is one way tokind of start to create these
muscle memories in a way thatsupports the posture and the
asana.
When we are talking about havingthat upright position, we want
to not think of the corecrunching and rounding, but we
want to think of lengthening andbalancing.
(22:22):
So the way that I like to showpeople how to come into it is to
sit on the mat, bring yourknees into your chest and wrap
your arms behind your thighs.
You can take your hands behindyour thighs and you can actually
grab the backs of the thighswith the fingertips below the
knees, never behind, directlybehind the kneecaps, and you can
help to create that internalrotation as you do so.
(22:43):
Once you do that, the trick togetting the balance aspect of
this is to begin to take thetoes off the floor so that
they're hovering.
And once you have the toes offthe floor, you'll notice that as
you start you'll start to rockback a little bit, and you want
to not do that.
So you want to find the placeas far forward as you can before
(23:04):
your toes hit the floor, andthat's where you want to balance
from.
And once you have that, thenyou can begin to extend those
shins so they become parallel tothe floor.
Once you have that, you canrelease the hands.
Now you're just a V, with aplateau of shin in alignment
with the floor, and once you'recomfortable there, then you can
begin to extend one leg at atime and eventually get to both.
(23:27):
So Navasana Boat Pose is one ofthe.
It's a challenging one, I'm notgonna lie.
It's not an easy one.
If you have lower back issuesand you're working on your own,
potentially without a yogainstructor, then I encourage you
to do some research and be very, very mindful of your lower
back.
Another variation for this tohelp you lift up out of that
(23:48):
lower back is, instead of takingthe arms traditionally straight
out in alignment with the legs,parallel with the shoulders and
the floor, you can lift thearms up overhead.
This helps to keep that line ofenergy tracking upwards and
instead of rolling backwards androunding through the spine, it
can also if done improperly itcan it can contribute to you
(24:09):
rocking back if you don't havethat kind of magnetic feeling
between your torso and thighs.
So just different variationsfor you to play with.
The other thing you can do, asyou're starting to learn, is
take your feet to the wall.
Now I will say the one thingabout this is you need to know
how to balance on those sitzbones before you take the feet
to the wall, because having yourfeet on the wall will naturally
(24:29):
press your hips back so thatyou end up rolling too far past
where you're supposed to be andonto your sacrum and thus losing
the whole point.
So it's a very nuanced posture,which is why I promise that I
will get a video out there sothat you guys can see it.
In addition to that, when wethink about our core, we're
(24:49):
coming from that fiery aspect,right?
So we're talking about that,that sun sal about our core.
We're coming from that fieryaspect, right?
So we're talking about that sunsalutation, right?
We're talking about thatmasculine energy, that right
side of the hemisphere, creatingheat, and sun salutations are a
traditional, wonderful way tonot only build that heat but to
strengthen your core.
And one of the reasons why isbecause two of the postures
(25:11):
involved in a sun salute,whether traditional A or
traditional B, are going toincorporate your plank, any
plank up plank which is nottraditionally part of your Surya
Namaskar, but up plank, orregular plank, forward plank,
which is going to come into thatvinyasa flow very regularly.
(25:34):
I'm sure we're all familiar.
It's also what I love aboutplank, a traditional plank, not
an upward plank, but atraditional plank is save your
wrists and shoulders, buttraditionally it's very, very
safe for the lower back.
If you've done properly and youreally have to again squeeze
your inner thighs together,engage the.
It's very, very safe for thelower back.
If you've done properly and youreally have to again squeeze
your inner thighs together,engage the lower abdominals,
(25:56):
draw the lower abdominals in.
You can almost in a plank.
If you have any lower backissues and you're worrying that
you're hollowing the lower backand letting that belly sag
towards the floor, you can kindof almost round and actually
press the floor away and letyour shoulders round a little
bit.
Now, that's for a plank closetraditionally not necessarily
when we're talking about theflow of a sun salute so.
(26:20):
But there are different ways todo it.
What I like about it is thatfor core exercises it's
generally quite safe for thelower back.
It's also very easy to buildupon.
You can start with doing aplank on your knees.
This is another way to buildChaturanga, but we will save
into that because that's gettinga little bit advanced.
But it's a great way to beginto build up core strength safely
(26:41):
for your lower back, and theyare very much intertwined.
If you have a lower back, lumbarspine herniated, bulging,
anything like that, you need tobe very, very careful with your
core work, which is why Iprefaced at the beginning when I
was talking about this and saidI don't love sit-ups.
Crunches are okay.
I don't love sit-ups.
Crunches don't necessarily takeinto account a lot of the lower
(27:04):
abdominals.
So you know they're all rightand every exercise has its place
and any exercise is better thanno exercise, but being safe is
the most, is paramount, I'msorry.
It's paramount and as someonewith multiple different injuries
and someone who has come backfrom different injuries, I have
to say it is very, veryimportant that you do these
(27:27):
exercises appropriately.
I'm always happy to help you todo that.
You can reach out to me on mywebsite.
You can reach out to me onInstagram, facebook, anything,
please, if you have anyquestions.
I'm always happy to work withanyone and help them achieve
their goals from a place ofsafety and security.
Now, that being said, when we'retalking about up plank, it is
(27:47):
the reverse, so you can buildupon that.
Much like forward plank can bedone on the knees as a way to
build strength, to get the heelsextended behind you.
Up plank can be done as areverse tabletop, where your
knees are bent and your handsare under your shoulders and
your hips and your knees andyour shoulders are all in a line
.
That's one way to do it.
(28:07):
Traditionally speaking, thelegs are extended again, those
inner thighs are glued togetherand squeezing together and as
you press up the hips, I like tohave my shoulders rotated a
little bit outwards and my palmsjust beneath them or slightly
behind them, with the fingertipsout to the side.
That's what feels best for myshoulders.
You can have the fingertipspointed forward.
(28:28):
I don't love that for theshoulders.
You can have them rotated allthe way back, which which, if
you can support it and you havevery open shoulders, will help
to open up the pectoral musclesas well.
But when you're practicing anup plank, that can be a little
bit aggressive if you have anykind of shoulder injury.
So just be mindful of that.
But that's another great way tofire up the core.
Way to fire up the core as wetalk about stoking this inner
(28:55):
fire.
Other postures when we thinkabout our solar plexus chakra
again, I love that the chakrasystem can be very literal, so
think about postures thatdirectly correlate to that body
part.
Well, if it's sitting justabove the belly button and let's
say we want to come from alittle bit more of a heating
place, right, we talked aboutour sun salutes.
(29:15):
We've talked about our planks.
We talked about our boat pose.
Now we're going to talk aboutour.
The same pose in a coupledifferent ways.
And why is that?
We're going to talk about camel.
We're going to talk about bow.
Essentially, camel and bow.
Your body is in the sameposition, right, you are either
(29:36):
on your knees and camel pose,with your heart center lifting
up, and it's also spoiler alerta heart chakra pose.
Now, why is that?
Because it's opening the heart,it's a heart opener, it's a
chest opener, but it's alsobeginning to lengthen through
the core as well.
So you can call camel and youcan call bow, both solar plexus
chakras as well, because theyare in bow pose.
(29:58):
You're literally resting, yourbody, is grounding your solar
plexus chakra into the earth asyou lift from your chest and
your your legs behind you.
In theory, your pelvis may ormay not start to come off the
ground, but in an effort toprotect that lumbar spine, I am
always of the mindset that thepelvis stays glued to the ground
, um, and so you're beginning toagain fire up and lengthen.
(30:21):
So when we talk about any areaof the body, remember two things
, the first of which is, in yoga.
A little known secret is thatany aspect of the body, any
muscle group you are trying tolengthen, the opposing muscle
group needs to strengthen, andthe reason for that is because
it is going to support themotion and allow the body to be
(30:44):
receptive and safe enough torelease.
If it is not, that's whereinjury occurs.
So, as a basic example, we'regoing to use bow pose.
Right, we talked about our corereflecting our back as well.
It's not just the front, it'snot just the belly button and
it's not just your six pack abs.
When we're talking about ourcore in an exercise such as bow
(31:10):
or camel, essentially the sameposture you are opening and
lengthening.
So in boat pose you'recontracting and in planks you're
contracting, you're engagingyour core.
Plank, I will say, you're alsoengaging the back at the same
time, which is one of thosereasons why I love plank so much
, because it's a super strengthbuilding asana.
(31:31):
When we're talking about camelor bow, we are now talking about
the solar plexus.
Now is the receptive.
Now we are doing the opposite.
We are no longer contracting it, now we are expanding it, we
are lengthening it.
What has to happen for that tobe safe to occur?
Your back has to engage your.
The opposing muscle group foryour core is essentially I mean
(31:54):
mainly it's your lats.
It can go down to yourquadratus lumborum, but
essentially it is the middle ofthe back.
So it is so important again forus women, for posture, for our
strength, to be able to open theheart center, open through the
upper abdominals and engage ourshoulder blades down our back,
create that strength through thelats, even down through all of
(32:20):
the muscles that support thespine.
Those are engaged, they aredrawing in.
I always cue my clients withthink, the bottoms of your
shoulder blades reaching to yourhips.
You are engaging down, you'recreating the support for those
abdominal muscles to open.
A tight muscle is a weak muscle, so we want to create
(32:43):
suppleness, we want to have thesame amount of give and take in
in each muscle group for it totruly be in balance again, which
is kind of what yoga is is allabout.
So we've talked a little bitabout the contraction, we've
talked a little bit about the,you know, the extension, the
opening of this muscle group andthis chakra center, our solar
(33:05):
plexus.
What I'd like to leave you withis essentially the postures
that are going to kind of be thereceptive, feminine, cooling
aspect of it.
Right, because we've talked allabout fire, all about heat, all
about engagement, all aboutstrength.
How do we release, stimulateand receive in this area of our
(33:27):
body to create balance?
We twist.
Solar plexus chakra, again,similarly to the heart, is going
to benefit wildly from twists.
The reason for that is a fewfold again.
So think about when you twistand I've said this before, I'll
say it again You're rigging outyour body right, you're it's.
Twists are great for your organs.
They're great for digestion,they're great for not only
(33:49):
suppleness through the back,because again, when we talk
about twisting, we're talkingabout the thoracic vertebrae.
Well, your solar plexus stillsits in that kind of thoracic
cavity.
Now it's below it a bit, butthere are floating ribs that sit
below our sternum and our heartcenter right.
So below that is your solarplexus and because of that our
(34:09):
thoracic spine, again, is notmeant to really bend, it's meant
to twist.
It's the way that it's built.
So when we're talking abouttwisting, you're stimulating
your digestion, you'restimulating your the, the
manipulation of the organs insuch a way you're stimulating
your lymphatic system.
You are.
Twists are just honestly,they're wonderful for your body.
(34:30):
100 wonderful for your body.
And when it comes to the core,it's a way in the solar plexus,
it's a way to again create spacethrough contraction in a way,
but also through opening,because while one side's doing
one, the other side's doing theother and you're going to do
both on each side and it's goingto, it's going to create
balance, it's going to restoreand it's also going to be one of
(34:53):
the most cooling and receptivekind of less heating, less, less
strenuous ways from a reclinedspinal twist before our
Shavasana all the way up throughsome of the more heating ways.
For example, two of the mostheating asanas that are also
twists are going to be yourrevolved triangle and your
revolved half moon.
(35:13):
Half moon is a balance aspectand it is where you have the
opposing hand on the ground,generally on a block for most
people with the opposing foot,the opposite foot is extended
out behind you and the oppositearm is twisting away from that
extended leg.
So it's a.
It's a.
It's a one of my challenge mostchallenging postures.
(35:34):
I will be very honest.
And then you have revolvedtriangle.
You could even do a revolvedextended angle if you have any
sort of you know hamstringissues or you want to be just a
little more gentle, and that'sgoing to be the same thing.
So it's the opposite hand andfoot right.
So let's say you have yourright foot forward, your left
hand's going to be kind of justin front, your left leg is going
(35:56):
to be back behind and you'regoing to twist towards the front
leg Again.
When you're doing thesestanding postures, it's going to
create a little bit more heat.
But when you're doing thereclined even even like a Lord
of the Fishes which I know I'veused for other, for other asanas
as well, and for other even forother chakras.
(36:17):
When we were talking about atwist for the solar plexus
chakra, what I love about it isI always keep my twist.
Very similarly, you aretwisting from the belly button
up, not from the belly button up, not from the belly button down
.
Your hips and your lumbar spineare not meant to twist, so you
want to keep them as stable andstationary as you can.
Can they give a little bit offorce?
They can, but you don't want totwist those vertebrae.
(36:38):
It's not going to make youryour the discs back there very,
very happy.
So you want to keep it from thebelly button up and that is a
great way to remember that it isgiving love to your solar
plexus chakra as well.
Finally, because we talked aboutthe sun salutes, I can't leave
us without mentioning ourwarriors.
Why are our warriors importantfor our solar plexus chakra?
(37:00):
Your warrior one, your warriortwo, your warrior three, two,
your warrior three.
The reason is because, whilewarrior postures are wonderful
for you know, you can arguablysay that a warrior posture is,
is is beneficial for almost allchakras, and I think that that's
(37:20):
a fair thing to say.
What I love about it for oursolar plexus chakra is that it's
kind of centered around it,right.
So if you're in a warrior one,your feet are on those two train
tracks.
They're in line with your hipsand it can turn into a backbend,
but it is a strengthening pose.
(37:41):
Your legs are in two separateplaces and you are lifting your
heart center up to the sky.
And what is giving it that lift?
Your power center, your solarplexus.
It is an empowering pose.
If you're in a warrior two,you're facing width wise on your
mat and you are in a heel to anarch alignment, but you're
still supporting your trunk,your torso, that strength of
(38:04):
your arms out.
That power is coming from thecenter and radiating out in all
directions.
Your warrior three stillradiating out in all directions,
and now you're aiming yourpower center towards the floor.
So now you're incorporatingbalance into your core and
everything is coming out fromthere.
(38:25):
And so what I love aboutwarriors and their direct
relation to the solar plexuschakra is that it all starts
from within and comes without.
It starts from your core, andall limbs that leave your body
are coming from that place ofyour inner fire.
They are stable because of you.
(38:45):
They are stable because of yourtrunk.
They are stable because of thestrength within you.
They are stable because you areable to give them that life, to
give them that space, to holdthat space for them.
So I have to just show somelove to the solar plexus chakra
and say that anytime you arepassionate about something,
(39:11):
that's your solar plexus chakraspeaking to you.
Anytime you feel drive, focus.
Anytime you set your mind tosomething and you follow through
with it, it is thanks to yoursolar plexus chakra, to your own
internal fire, to your owndrive, to your own energy center
(39:33):
and to again, while it mightnot be the bridge that the heart
is coming from that receptiveplace, it is the fire just below
your heart.
It is the fire that keeps yougoing.
And if it's feeling less, lessin, less flame ridden, then I
(39:53):
encourage you to practice someof those heating ass postures
that we talked about.
If it's feeling like maybeyou've got a little bit too much
drive but you want to settledown a little bit, then I
encourage you to practice someseated or reclined twists.
And if you just want to bringbalance and tap into your own
inherent strength male or female, it does not matter.
(40:15):
Be that warrior, be that warriorfor yourself.
Take up that space.
Remember that it is directlyrelated to your throat chakra.
They are connected, they're allconnected, but those two have a
special relationship.
So remember to speak your truthand to embody your truth, and I
hope that this, that thisconversation, helps you to do
(40:37):
that and to know how strong youtruly are.
And with that, I just want tosay how much I appreciate each
and every one of you for sharingthis space with me, and I ask
that you please feel free toshare the same with your loved
ones For more goodness.
Follow me on all the socials,at Above the Ground Podcast or
visit my website,airsaboveyogacom.
As always, please don't forgetto check out my other episodes
(40:59):
and my amazing sisters on theDivas that Care Network.
You can find us on Spotify,odyssey, apple, amazon,
iheartradio or anywhere else youmay feel guided.
Again, my name is Gia RaquelRose, owner of Heirs Above Yoga,
and you are listening to Abovethe Ground podcast, where every
day is a good one.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
Thanks for listening.
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Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!