As I mentioned previously, our bipedalism (walking around on two legs), makes us unique in comparison to other creatures. In fact, throughout all know animal history (even back to the dinosaurs), most mammals were oriented to all fours. One of the main reasons for this is that it protected their vital organs. But as upright humans, we don’t have that luxury, and while this postural alignment was critical to our evolutionary process, it does mean that our entire front side is exposed and leaves us “unprotected”. And it’s part of the reason psychologically that we do things like curl up into a ball when we’re vulnerable or hurt.
But, this energy center is also our power center and our core generates much of our strength. As teachers we have the unique privilege of helping our students understand that power. Whether it be by simply sensing the belly through the aid of the breath or really tapping in to our inner vibrations with poses like plank or boat.
Assignment: In what ways can we bring pranayama and asana practices together in a studio class to cultivate the power of the solar plexus? Submit below.