Organic Energy

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5. Organic Energy (O/E)

What it is

Anusara School of Hatha Yoga; Anusara yoga

Anusara is … Expansion!

Organic Energy is an extension from the inner body that radiates out in all directions symbolically representing the ultimate purpose of spirit to expand freely in the most creative and joyful way possible.

Feeling Elements

Physical (Create….):
expansiveness, fullness, length, extension, flow, energy, breadth, anchored and solid, open and safe to expand

 Emotional (…so as to feel…):
expansive, liberated, rooted, grounded, electric, artisticly expressive, radiant, free, blissful, empowered, uplifted, joy, Shri

Why we do the alignment

• To carry the expansive qualities of the heart out to the extremities of the body
•  To create an electric expansion from the Focal Point out to the extremities fully grounding the body and anchoring the foundation of the pose, making it more solid
•  Serves the ultimate purpose of spirit to expand freely in the most creative and joyful way possible
•  To create expansion, length and breadth, opening in the body, and a freedom of movement in the joints
•  To create a concentric expansion from the core lines to the edges of the body
•  To connect you back into the earth
•  To relax and soften from the midline out

Alignment Steps & Commands

Hips and Legs
•  Expand away from the Focal Point evenly in all directions
•  Press the heels, back waistline, tail bone and sits bones downward grounding into the earth and expand down (Ankle and Pelvic Loops)
•  Bend the knees slightly and press strongly down into the balls of your feet (Dog)
•  Lengthen the connective tissue in the hips and legs, especially the hip flexors & iliopsoas.

Upper body:
•  Extend from the Focal Point out through the core lines of the arms to the fingertips
•  Move the arms away from each other
•  Press strongly into the base of the knuckles and fingertips
•  Expand the shoulder girdle, top chest and upper back circumferentially and laterally
•  Expand the ribcage and shoulder blades laterally
•  Lift the roof of the mouth, chest and pelvic floor, lengthening the neck (Kidney and Skull Loops)
•  Extend out through the crown of the head and into your feet

Direction of Flow

1. Focal Point out to the extremities along the core lines
2. Expand the extremities away from the midline
3. Expands from the core lines of the extremities to the surface of the skin

Physical Effects

•  Lengthens and expands the entire body
•  Softens from the midline out: core lines to the surface of the skin, bone to muscle, muscle to skin
•  Pelvis and tailbone move down; sacrum in and up
•  Spine lengthens and moves up
•  Focal Point to periphery flow creates a lengthening of the extremities and freedom in the joints
•  Expands the arms and legs away from each other
•  Lengthens and stretches the muscle of the legs
•  The joints of the hips, legs, knees, feet, and toes extend and open
•  Laterally expands the legs apart and pelvis out from the midline
•  Grounds the legs into the earth
•  Stretches and lengthens the arms and fingers
•  Expands the shoulder girdle, top chest, ribcage, upper back, and shoulder blades
•  Expands the arms concentrically from the core lines to the skin

Energetic Effects

•  The grounding action creates a rebounding effect with the earth in which the energy of the earth rises up to meet your energy flowing down
•  It is a liberating energy of creative expression
•  It is an expression of beauty and joy (sat-chit-ananda)
•  It channels the flow of Shakti through the body.
•  Creates freedom, ease and levity
•  It is an aspect of “non-doing”
•  Connects the heart and body to Spirit, the individual to the Universal.
•  Active OE: A powerfully expansive force which moves out from the core to the periphery creating a radiation out in all directions
•  Passive OE: Occurs when one relaxes and allows gravity to pull down and
•     spread the body out.

Alignment Relative to Other UPAs and Loops

•  OE balances the action of ME so that every part of the body participates evenly in the expression and performance of the posture so that energy can flow freely
•  OE helps to open up and extend the body; if a Loop gets smaller in the pose, then it indicates that OE in that part of the body is lacking and so there is a misalignment which is causing undue compression
•  Along with ME, OE initiates the energetic flow of the alignment Loops
•  Utilizes all the preceding alignments to create an attitude and physical containment that both holds and directs the big inside-out energetic flow
•  When pelvis and tailbone move down from the actions of I/O Spirals the sacrum and spine move up
•  Helps to initiate Ankle Loop
– Heel grounds into the earth
– Leg lengthens away from the Pelvic Focal Point
• Helps to initiate Skull Loops
– Back of the head lengthens away from the Focal Point, the whole torso lengthens

Poses most effected

Standing poses
•  Trikonasana
•  Parsvakonasana
•  Parsvottanasana
•  Ardha Chandrasana
•  Virabhadrasana I,II,III

Forward bends
•  Uttanasana
•  Pachimotonanasa
•  Prasarita Padottanasana

 Arm balances
•  Bakasana
•  Vasisthasana
•  Visvamitrasana

Backbends
•  Setubandha Sarvangasana
•  Urdhva Dhanurasana

Miscellaneous
•  Down dog
•  Hand stand

 Inversions
•  Sirsasana
•  Sarvangasana

Seated poses
•  Dandasana

Specific verbal prompts to create this action

•  From the Focal Point in the pelvis press down into the earth and up through your torso, head and arms.
•  Root to rise!
•  Extend out from the Focal Point along the core lines of the body.
•  Pulse out with a liberating expansion from all sides!
•  Connect deep into your feet and press up and out through your head.
•  Stretch the arms long like bolts of lightning!
•  Shine out!
•  Press strongly into the ball of the feet and the base of the knuckles in your hands.

Exercises

Hanging one-legged-dog at the wall
•  Facing away from the wall come into downward facing dog
•  Lift one leg high up onto the wall
•  Press strongly into the wall through the ball of the foot
•  Lift the second leg from the mat an press the foot towards your hands

 

 

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