The first pillar of the Alkaline Method™ is Anchor.
Being anchored means having a firm basis or foundation. In the context of the Alkaline Method™, it requires detachment from who you think you are, the “ego”.
Detachment means to let go and be anchored right where you are here and now. Don’t change who you are but BE who you are.
Asanas are the physical poses in Yoga. Asanas allow you to connect breath with movement in order to connect the mind to the body.
We practice asanas to release our physical form, our bodies, to ready the soul to take a seat in the body.
Becoming Anchored in Your Physical Practice
The physical body is where we start in our Alkaline Method™ Yoga because it’s where we can make the most “conscious” change.
We start with the body because it’s easier to alter physical motion than it is to alter the mind.
By using the Alkaline Method™, we encourage you to find the courage to be exactly where you are and be who you really are.
Being anchored in your Yoga practice means knowing exactly where your base of support is. For example, if you are in a downward dog, your base of support is both hands and both feet. You should evenly distribute your weight between these 4 points of contact.
In order to be anchored properly we need the other five pillars in the Alkaline Method™ but this is where we start.
Bodies of Yoga
There are 3 bodies in the practice of Yoga.
1. Physical Body
We use our physical bodies to function in the physical world when we are awake.
2. Subtle Body or Astral Body
The subtle body is interconnected with the physical body, it’s our energy body.
The breath as well as the mental, emotional, and intellectual energies reside in this body.
3. Causal Body
The causal body is our “core”, it’s also called the seed body.
This is the spiritual body where you are infinitely connected to everything else.
Think of a seed that took root and became a tree. The roots connect to the soil underneath, which is the earth that also connects to everything else.
We get called to explore these three bodies at different phases of our lives. Many people explore themselves through the practice of Yoga.
Yoga starts in the physical body. But in due time, as you connect the breath to the body in the subtle channels, you recognize any dormant emotions that have caused upheavals throughout life.
As you work through this, you can continue on your path to enlightenment.
This practice isn’t religious. With whatever religious beliefs you have, you can enhance your experience by tapping into yourself in this way to amplify your spiritual path in Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.
At the end of the day, religion is simply the exploration of seeking higher truths. Judgements toward other religions can only separate us from the truth.
The Subtle Body and The Ego
Detachment from our ego means letting go of who you think you are and exploring who you really are. Typically, we think about anchoring to the Earth or the floor with the pull of gravity.
But being anchored mentally, emotionally, and intelligently means connecting with yourself enough to be ALIGNED with the CORE of who you are as you find POLARITY in your being, learning to BREATHE through self exploration, and finding BALANCE and equanimity in all areas of life.
This is how all pillars of the Alkaline Method™ work in conjunction with one another.
Attachment to our “ego” is what keeps us living lives void of higher meaning. When we are living in “form” as our ego, we separate ourselves from the “whole”.
This creates unnecessary suffering and striving, as we constantly seek something that will never satisfy our core craving for connection.
We need to detach from our formed identity, which we refer to as the ego. The ego is the psychological component of the personality that is represented by our conscious decision-making process. Ego really means self.
When we have inflated egos, our self importance or self worth is emphasized. When we have deflated egos, it means self importance or self worth is lessened.
Because we are social beings, we are wired for connection. From an early age, our self value is influenced by the opinions of others, mostly our caregivers and teachers.
Because there’s so much psychological misrepresentation, many of us are mislead into thinking that in order to “fit in” we must be a certain way.
Add traumatic experiences to that, we have so many repressed emotions that are left dormant until they are triggered.
Remember, we hold emotions in our subtle body which can affect our physical body. Many people experience symptoms and/or disease in their physical body if this is left unexplored.
Becoming Anchored in the Causal Body
Many of us have religious backgrounds, but some may have non religious backgrounds.
All wars were due to judgements against religions and this alone signifies our human existence in history. We must realize that religious beliefs do not separate us, but they leave room for understanding our differences.
The spiritual path is one that requires so much work on our layers of bodies. We can’t just focus on one body, as we need the physical form to exist in this world, the subtle form to create, and the causal form to find our way home.
That home may look different for us with different religious backgrounds. But how about if we explore our spiritual path without so much attention on being right or wrong?
Enlightenment provides infinite understanding that we are all connected, sharing an experience in this space and time. Once we recognize this we can be united in compassion and love vs separation and hatred.
This is the path, the healing path back home. Each of us is on our own self healing journey, whatever that may look like. The practice of Yoga brings you back to this truth.
When you are in a state of imbalance, it will manifest in your physical body.
Alignment
Next week, I’ll explain the second Pillar of our Alkaline Method ™, Alignment.
I hope you are on this path with us. We are all just sharing our experience together for the ultimate healing to take place.
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Thanks everyone, talk to you next week.