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Chakra Balancing with Toning and Hand Mudras

Chakras, Mudras, and Sound Healing

Learn an Elemental and Chakra Meditation with
Hand movements, Color, Sound, and Intention

The major chakras are spinning wheels of energy that span from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. They guide the wellbeing of our bodymind and LifeForce energy.

Chakra energy can be balanced, excessive, or deficient. Being out of balance can negatively influence your actions, relationships, as well as your physical, mental, and emotional health. Use my Chakra Chart to determine if your energy is in balance or not. You’ll get a variety of helpful strategies to improve your wellbeing.

Yoga Mudras are yoga positions, gestures, and seals for your hands and fingers that facilitate health, healing, psychological balance and spiritual transformation. They are effective, easy to learn, practical and powerful. Mudras can be a powerful and effective way to help gain balance and have better health by either increasing or decreasing chakra energy.

Sound healing can also be used for chakra balancing.

Elemental & Chakra Meditation with
Hand Movements, Color, Sound, and Intention

See how the fingers and the thumb are associated with specific chakras and their associated sounds with this color-coded hand diagram.

Bija sounds encode the 5 elements into sound and increase and attract energy. They are lam, vam, ram, yam, ham, Om, and silence. They are pronounced with a ‘U’ sound and rhyme with hum. Vowel sounds decrease and disperse energy.

Experiment & Discover | Hum. Play a variety of sounds, tones, notes, and musical instruments. Use your intuition. Tune in and trust your direct experience by listening and noticing your physical and energetic response.

Mudra Hand Meditation | Tone & touch the thumb to each fingertip on both hands. Try starting on the ring finger (4^th finger) for the first chakra. The index and thumb are used for both the 3^rd and 4^th chakras. Join fingertips and thumb for OM. Reopen hand for silence. Alternatively, try starting with the OM and descend from the crown chakra to the root using the associated finger and sounds.

Tuning Fork Meditation | Listen to unweighted tuning forks associated with the chakra notes. Touch a weighted OM fork to fingertips and center of palm on both hands. Treat both hands.

OM | Find out about the purpose, meaning, symbolism, and benefits of OM.

Learn about chakras and their influences | Get your Complete Chakra Chart
Chakra Balancing with Sound Healing. Use the Elemental Chakra Tone Chart to balance your chakra energy by either increasing or decreasing their energy with sound, color, and special mantras. The Vedic (Yoga) and Tibetan notes and tones are given. It’s fun.
How to balance chakra energy with toning and hand & finger movements called mudras.
Get info related to chakra elements, directions, sounds, senses, and other attributes
Chakra Energy Flow Meditation
Understanding OM | AUM
Book a Musical Sound Bath session

Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices - Book & CD set

Awaken joy, peace and inspiration with this yoga meditations book. Yoga Meditations contains a wide variety of mind-body practices, such as: * Guided relaxation exercises * Breathing practices * Yoga Nidra * Meditations and guided imagery * Affirmations * Yoga postures and meditations for each chakra * Yoga wisdom for contemplation Get a FREE Wholesome Energizers CD in every book! CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...

Chakra Chart

Finally! A complete Chakra Chart with all the chakra names, locations, colors, sounds, yoga postures, breathing techniques, psychological & energetic influences and more. There's handy tips for using the chart on the reverse side. It's 8 1/2 by 14" and laminated. CLICK on the blue title link above to find out more...

Chakra-Based Guided Meditations

Real Relaxation Yoga Nidra takes you into a deeply relaxing and powerful restful state of being fully aware while being in the state of deep yogic sleep. It helps with balancing chakra energy, and can improve immunity, heart health, relieve stress and give you inner peace and balance.

Get it from Amazon, iTunes, Spotify & other online stores

Chakra Chart of Elements, Directions, Sounds, Senses, Attributes +

Chakra Chart of Elements, Sounds, Directions, Senses, Attributes, and Koshas
Composed by Julie Lusk – Jan 2024

Ancient and modern cultures, countries, and teachings have acknowledged and honored the directions, elements, seasons, and the chakra energy centers and their sounds to help provide them with meaning and purpose. See more below the chart.

Chakra	Vedic Sounds Activating Dispersing	Elements Bhuta	Direction	Senses Indriya	Attributes	Koshas Sheaths	Other
Root Muladhara	Lam (as in Lum) O (as in toe)	Earth Prithivi	Below Down	Smell Gandha	Ground Central	Anna Physical	Present
Sacral Svadhisthana	Vam (Vum) OO (two)	Water Apas	Left East	Taste Rasa	Flow	Anna Physical	Ida Nadi
Solar Plexus Manipura	Ram (Rum) Ah (awe)	Fire Agni	Right West	Sight Rupa	Energy – Action	Prana Energy	Pingala Nadi
Heart Anahata	Yam (Yum) AA (play)	Air Vata	Inward Central	Touch Sparsha	Feeling	Prana Energy	Sushumna Nadi
Throat Visuddha	Ham (hum) EE (speak)	Ether Akasha	Back North	Sound Shabda	Hearing	Mano Mental Emotional	Past
Third Eye Ajna	Om Mmmmm	Light Jyotis	Front South	Light Joytis	Vision – Witness	Vijnana Intuition	Future
Crown Sahasrara	Silence Ing (wing)	All Pervading ———– Maha Bhuta	Up – All Up – All	Beyond Senses	Space	Ananda Joy ———– Atman True Self	Timeless

Through the ages, philosophers, scientists, religious organizations, mystics, shamans, and native peoples from the Americas, Asian countries and other areas have used their perspectives personally and collectively to understand, honor, and respect our place in the world around us. This has been expressed prayerfully and ceremonially, scientifically and soulfully.

Some identify four directions while others focus on six. Sometimes five elements are recognized. There are 118 elements on the periodic chart. It’s summer in one hemisphere while it’s winter in the other. It’s daytime in one part of the world whereas it’s nighttime elsewhere.

Making sense of these variations from reputable sources was both thought-provoking and daunting. It finally dawned on me that there are many right ways to do this. Just because one system says the east connects to the earth and the west with water while other systems say something else doesn’t necessarily make one right or better and another wrong.

The point is to feel these influences and use these connections to better understand these relationships for balancing health and wellbeing personally and collectively.

Don’t be fooled by seeing this information boxed into columns and rows. The lines are there to help clarify the information. Think of it as an intermingling and as a gradual blending. It’s somewhat like how the colors in a rainbow gradually transform from one shade to another and at the same time a color can stand on its own. Ultimately, there is no separation. We are in a unified field of oneness that is as directionless and timeless as it is spacious. http://JulieLusk.com

I compiled this Chakra Chart from my in-depth studies and understanding of yoga combined with the knowledge I’ve gained from my other interests. It is fluid and changeable. It is neither conclusive nor comprehensive. Use it if it helps. Go for something else or come up with your own. Get my Complete Chakra Chart.

Learn about chakras and their influences | Get your Complete Chakra Chart
Chakra Balancing with Sound Healing. Use the Elemental Chakra Tone Chart to balance your chakra energy by either increasing or decreasing their energy with sound, color, and special mantras. The Vedic (Yoga) and Tibetan notes and tones are given. It’s fun.
How to balance chakra energy with toning and hand & finger movements called mudras.
Get info related to chakra elements, directions, sounds, senses, and other attributes
Chakra Energy Flow Meditation
Understanding OM | AUM
Book a Musical Sound Bath session

Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices - Book & CD set

Chakra Chart

Chakra-Based Guided Meditations

Get it from Amazon, iTunes, Spotify & other online stores

Yoga Nidra FAQ on Setting Intentions & Sankalpas

This article is a yoga nidra FAQ on setting intentions & sankalpas for making durable positive changes effectively.

Yoga nidra is rapidly gaining in popularity these days, mostly because it’s so blissfully exhilarating. Yoga nidra (pronounced nih-drah) means “yogic sleep” and is an ancient yoga practice with benefits supported by modern-day science. It’s a powerful experience of progressively relaxing and restoring physically, energetically, mentally, and emotionally that naturally opens us to accessing our intuition, unconditional joy, and deep restorative peace. It’s very refreshing too. In fact, one hour of practice is equivalent to four hours of sleep. See more documented benefits of yoga nidra here.

The yoga nidra process also makes it completely possible to clear out useless habits and bring about positive and durable changes to your lifestyle and positive personality changes by using a sankalpa at the start and the end of the practice. A sankalpa is a special intention, a self-selected resolve that you choose yourself. It’s a sacred vow and promise you make in support of your highest truth. Sample sankalpas are “I am courageous,” or “I have confidence,” or “My life is worthwhile.” It’s a quality that helps you become or do something worthwhile with your life. Likewise, it can be a reflection of your True Self such as “I am conduit of love,” or “My true nature is peace.”

How yoga nidra helps you make behavior changes and enables you to develop positive personal qualities.

“Our day-to-day frame of consciousness (beta brain waves) makes it extremely difficult to make and maintain our good intentions because they crash into our long term conditioning, habits, and social pressures,” as reported in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (New Harbinger Publications, 2015). “Through no fault of your own, your mind is simply not very receptive to making these changes. During yoga nidra, we knowingly, consciously, and consecutively experience different types of brainwave levels that are receptive to change that include alpha, theta and delta frequencies and are associated with levels of consciousness. The level reached during yoga nidra depends on the depth of your experience. When we implant a resolve in the subconscious mind, useless thoughts and behaviors can be weeded out and the conditions are created for significant and transformative change to take root and grow.” Success is fortified by staying with the same sankalpa from practice to practice until it becomes a reality and takes root. Consistency counts.

Setting Intentions & Sankalpas

Time is set aside at the beginning of yoga nidra for a sankalpa to reveal itself naturally instead of intellectually. Making intellectual sankalpas rarely yield results. In other words, one that you “should” make or one to please others. Instead, have one that resonates and rings true with you. Go for a balance between letting it come to you intuitively and thinking it through. Furthermore, you could have one specific to help with weight loss, getting more exercise or stopping an unhealthy habit, but it’s advised that you pick a grander quality instead. In doing so, the behavior change is likely to happen anyway and you will also reap many more benefits. For example, if you choose kindness as your sankalpa, true self-kindness will lead to eating better and exercising more by being kinder to yourself in support of your health. In addition, kindness will naturally bring on generosity, patience, and other positive qualities.

Word your sankalpa positively, in the present tense, clearly, and concisely. Keep it consistent. Back it up sincerely with gratitude and inner will. If using “I am” seems too challenging or too mindboggling, try adding “more and more” to it. For example, “I am content, more and more.”

Sample Sankalpas:

I am kind.
I am trusting.
I am accepting of my feelings. Or, I accept unhappiness as part of my human experience.
I have abundance.
I am grateful for a peaceful nature.
I embrace all of who I am.
I enjoy life fully.
I welcome health and wellness.
My true nature is joyful.

Using a Sankalpa during Yoga Nidra.

A sankalpa is first silently said at the beginning of your yoga nidra experience and with your whole heart. It helps if you use your senses to imagine what it would be like if it were already true. Once again, repeat your sankalpa several times near the end of yoga nidra. Namely, when you are totally at ease and in the fertile delta brainwave state, and before coming back to full awareness. This is when your brain is most receptive.

Outcomes

I had my doubts about the effectiveness of using a sankalpa, especially when writing Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, so I put it to the test with a variety of students. Much to our delight and satisfaction, results started rolling in. Find out for yourself by reading their stories in the book. Better yet, try it yourself. Please let us know about your experience.

How to Experience Yoga Nidra:

Like all worthwhile things, regular practice yields the best results. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

Listen to Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation | Audible – iTunes – Amazon
Read about it and get free audio downloads in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (New Harbinger, 2015).
Experience yoga nidra on video/audio.
Attend a virtual yoga nidra class held weekly on Zoom.
Take a yoga nidra teacher training course and earn a certificate.
Get yoga nidra downloads here.

Resources: Books, Recordings & More

Get yoga nidra downloads here.

NEW! Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation

Experience peace and deeply restorative rest that heals your body, mind & spirit. Features 24 Yoga Nidra scripts written by author Julie Lusk and 12 of the world's master teachers. Enjoy 6 levels of relaxation for a joyful meditative experience. Learn to use yogic sleep to revitalize your inner reservoir of intuitive understanding and unconditional joy. Audiobook available. CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...

Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief - Print Book & Audio download

Yoga Nidra can stop tension in its tracks with a wonderfully, powerful & unique state of deep relaxation, mental clarity & insightful awareness. These practical, empowering relaxation exercises, meditations that soothe and visualizations that renew are based on classic yoga and backed by modern science. They’ll help you unwind, replenish, and feel refreshed with durable peace and unconditional joy. CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...

Yoga Nidra Essentials CD

Find your calm spot. Brighten your energy. Enjoy a more meaningful life. Experience 6 levels of relaxation. Reclaim optimal health for your body, mind & heart. Laura says "My focused mind easily. I was 100% worry-free. It's wonderful." By Julie Lusk, 6-time author. Digital downloads available.

Author: Julie Lusk, M.Ed., E-RYT 500

Disclosure

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Sleep Solutions – Yoga Style

July 11, 2018 by Julie Lusk

How’s Your Sleep?

Are you getting enough sleep? Are you tired of being tired? Could you be suffering from sleep deprivation? Well, you’re not alone. Most of us don’t get enough sleep. I don’t know about you, but it’s just irresistible to stay up late, even when I must get up early the next day.

Our busy lives make it so tempting to skimp on sleep. Lots of us have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Have you ever felt half-awake and half-asleep all night, here’s an explanation of why that happens with suggestions to help.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 7 hours of sleep in every 24 hours for adults. It’s nine to 12 hours for children 6 to 12 years old and teens need eight to 10 hours daily on a regular basis. Establishing good sleep hygiene habits are important to getting a full night’s sleep.

Benefits of Sleep

Getting enough sleep helps normalize mood, improves concentration, memory consolidation, and helps pain management. It improves performance and lowers the risk of having an accident. Sleep is good for your skin and your sex drive. It lowers cortisol, the stress hormone, resulting in better appetite control and weight loss. Getting enough sleep helps regulate glucose levels, supports heart-health and contributes to a healthy immunity. Recent NIH research reveals that sleep is needed to remove the daily buildup of waste and neurotoxins from the brain. Researchers are very interested in this since these neurotoxins are elevated in Alzheimer’s patients. It is thought that the glymphatic system rinses and flushes these neurotoxic molecules from the brain nightly during deep sleep. This clearing process seems to be more effective when sleeping on one’s side, according to a study conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Here’s more information on side-sleeping.

Sleep Solutions – Yoga Style

The art and science of yoga has plenty to offer including postures, breathing techniques, meditation practices, and lifestyle recommendations for sleep improvement. To further ease one’s mind, yoga’s wisdom teachings are helpful for gaining a healthy perspective on everything from handling life’s ups and downs to living with more meaning and purpose. Furthermore, it addresses age-old questions like “Who am I?” and “What is my true nature?”

Students often say that they get their best sleep on the nights they attend yoga class. Having a regular personal home practice is ideal. Here are some of the many ways that yoga supports healthy sleep.

Yoga Postures: A vigorous practice is fine early in the day. However, start winding down the evening with a practice that focuses on slow, mindful movements. Focus your attention on postures that reduce physical tension. Doing so has the added benefit of calming the mind and emotions. Good ones to try include the child pose, gentle spinal twists, legs up the wall, and shavasana. Restorative yoga works wonders as well.
Yoga Breathing: The Triangle Breath is a favorite for balancing oneself and is described in my book, Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (NHP, pg. 175). It is effective for increasing your energy when feeling tired, calming your nerves when feeling anxious, and promotes sound sleep. There are three parts to triangle breathing. The important thing is for the exhalation, inhalation, and the retention to be equal in duration. Therefore, adjust the rate of counting to four more quickly or more slowly depending on your lung capacity and comfort. Breathe through your nose; only use your mouth for breathing to the extent necessary.

Part 1 – Breathe out through your nose to the count of four.

Part 2 – Breathe in through your nose to the count of four.

Part 3 – Hold your breath to the count of four.

Repeat the whole process for a few minutes or until the desired effect happens.

Yoga Nidra: Yoga nidra means “yogic sleep” and has many documented benefits for your body, mind, and spirit. It happens when your bodymind is in deep sleep but with one big difference – you remain consciously aware. How? A series of techniques are used systematically to relax physically, energetically, mentally, and emotionally. Yoga nidra awakens intuition, unconditional joy, and a timeless, spacious sense of being. Get more on the stages of yoga nidra and how to practice it here.

Yoga nidra can also be used as a natural sleep aid at bedtime. It eliminates layer after layer of tension and stress, allowing you to drift comfortably off to sleep and stay asleep. It’s like drinking a cup of comfort. More on this here.

Watch this short video on how yoga nidra helped her insomnia.

One hour of yoga nidra practice approximates four hours of sleep. This is due to the series of brain wave states experienced during yoga nidra (Saraswati 1998, Kumar 2008). Therefore, yoga nidra can help address sleep deprivation and renew your energy. The conscious experience of deep sleep is what makes it so restorative and unique. Due to the fertile brainwave states experienced, it’s also entirely possible to make positive behavior and personality changes. See the yoga nidra FAQ on setting intentions and sankalpas here. Remember, yoga nidra is not intended to be a substitute for sleep.

How to Experience Yoga Nidra:

Like all worthwhile things, regular practice yields the best results. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

Listen to Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation | Audible – iTunes – Amazon
Read about it and get free audio downloads in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (New Harbinger, 2015).
Experience yoga nidra on video/audio.
Attend a virtual yoga nidra class held weekly on Zoom.
Take a yoga nidra teacher training course and earn a certificate.
Get yoga nidra downloads here.
Get a book or audio below.

Sweet Dreams!

Sleep Well | Yoga Nidra CD

Use deep relaxation, soothing flute music & ocean waves to go to sleep. "I slept like a log." Downloads available. By Julie Lusk, Yoga Nidra Meditations author.

Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT 500, has more than 35 years of expertise in stress relief, yoga, relaxation training, guided imagery, and meditation as an international author, recording artist, and workshop leader. Julie is the author of Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, Yoga Meditations, two volumes of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, and Desktop Yoga®. Her audio downoads and CDs include Wholesome Relaxation, Power of Presence, Blue Moon Rising, and many others. Learn more at WholesomeResources.com

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