Integration

Look back at week one. That intention got the ball rolling. Has it shifted?

If you journal once… Look back over the past weeks since Week Two. Was there one that felt more challenging than the others? Why do you suspect that is? Here they are with their corresponding chakras:

1. Root-to-Rise. The Root Chakra.
   Connects us with all that grounds us and makes us “who we are” — namely, families-of-birth and families-of-choice, as well as early influences like teachers and mentors.
2. Ignite Your Passion. The Sacral Chakra.
   The things that turn us on and drive us. Our passions both physical and emotional. And, yes, even sexual.
3. Who Am I? The Solar Plexus Chakra.
   Your sense of self. Your identity. We explored our “labels,” but it’s so much more than that; it’s our security in our self-identity and confidence in our “right-ness.”
4. Listen to Your Heart. The Heart Chakra.
   The Heart Chakra definitely includes love and compassion for all beings everywhere, but it also extends to our sense of self-compassion. What most intrigues me about the Heart Chakra is that it’s the central “hub” for the lower/earthier chakras (1-3) and the upper/airier ones (5-7). So when our hearts aren’t open, we can never be truly integrated.
5. Find Your Voice. The Throat Chakra. Our sense of self-expression. Oftentimes our politeness and sense of what is “appropriate” can block our ability to communicate freely. This doesn’t just mean speaking (although that’s a big part): it also means expressing our values in meaningful ways without fear.
6. Trust Your Gut. Third Eye Chakra.
   Our Third Eye is our intuition. There are a lot of unknowns out there, but if we are open and grounded and trust our own instincts, we will invariably do what is right. It’s true. We get in the most trouble when we second guess ourselves or don’t listen in the first place.
7. Bliss Out. The Crown Chakra.
   This is the only of the seven primary chakras located outside the physical body. It’s just above your head, and it is your connection to the Divine. The crown is the most ephemeral, in my opinion, but it’s often the easiest to awaken. Just think about the last time you hugged a favorite pet or bumped into a truly dear, joyful friend. That feeling is truly what the Universe/God/Goddess/Divine holds for us at all times.

Subsequent Entries… If you have explored the last seven weeks — and the blocks that emerged — to your satisfaction, then it’s time to look forward. When have you felt the most connected and alive? It can be a single instance or something that’s come up more than once. For me, as an actor, I have had many moments on stage that I describe as feeling the “most myself,” even though I’m pretending to be someone else. There have been times when I’m teaching a class that I’ve had the same sensation: “this is exactly where I’m supposed to be right now. This uses all of me in the best way.” Identify those experiences for yourself. How can you capture that feeling more often? How can you live in that space, even when the circumstances don’t align as perfectly?

If you have completed the journal prompts above, then simply let yourself write for ten minutes without any rules or restrictions. Consider the prompts, your previous journal entries this week, and just let your pen go!

Many thanks to The Mercedes Club, Hell’s Kitchen, NY, for letting me record these yoga flows in their gorgeous yoga studio.

If you prefer to meditate on your own, unguided: We have been meditating on the seven chakras. They don't function independently of one another: they form an integrated and elaborate energy system. Allow yourself these minutes to go within and experience the fullness of your YOU-ness.