The practices of Shivakti Tantra Yoga are for everyone who wish to develop the skills to cope successfully with the challenges of living in this day and age. These practices help balance the glandular system, strengthen the nervous system and enables us to harness the energy of the mind and our emotions, so we may be in control of ourselves, that we are "Master over our responses", rather than being controlled by our "reactions", thoughts and feelings.
When you’re out of Center, one thing is certain: you’re not breathing properly. Life is a balancing act.
Our breath is the breath of life. Breathe like It matters and place your hand over your heart, repeating a simple mantra. One that I feel covers it all is: "I am blessed, protected, guided and grateful."
In these especially chaotic times, we all need to find the methods which work for us to help find our center and to get grounded. Just as there are practices which elevate, excite and inspire (like Kundalini Yoga & Shamanic breath-work), there are practices that calm, center, ground and help you reclaim your power and repose in your pure essence nature.
Being centered and balanced, grounded and aware doesn’t mean negating your emotions or thoughts. It simply means you do not become reactive to stressors and you don’t feel overwhelmed by them and learn to discern the story from the truth of your essence. It also means not being influenced by others.
Being centered means you have a reference point, a place to come back to when life’s challenges make you lose your balance and you emotionally "react" instead of intentionally "responding". We need to be the "Master Controller" of our nervous systems so that others can not simply push a button to get a jarring reaction.
Being centered does not mean not having emotions. It means self-awareness in identifying your emotions and reactive processes and focusing on balancing them. It’s about being aware of sensations and thoughts when they arise, allowing them to pass and coming to terms with difficult situations. Being centered and grounded also means to take action, to set your intention and act according to your plan with compassion, sense of resiliency and love.
Being centered means finding balance between hope and disappointment, between happiness and sadness, desire and apathy, good and bad. Being centered feels like being balanced, in your own sanctuary of equilibrium. It’s about understanding that every event is a combination of good and bad.
We will explore personal centering techniques and practices, the three gunas, as well as how to assist others in grounding and centering.
