Grounding Down with Shango (Root) Yoga Postures
MODULE ONE: SHANGO (ROOT)
Mummy Pose
Shango (Root) is located at the base of the spine. It is often represented by a red light. As we flow today, our movements will be geared toward inspiring that section of our bodies. You may even be compelled to imagine a fiery red light or spinning wheel at the base of your spinal column.
We will start this flow today lying flat on our backs. Bring your arms long by your sides.
Palms up to receive energy, palms down for balance.
Allow your body to completely relax into the ground. We will start to root ourselves in the cadence of our breath. Inhale, feel your belly rise, exhale and expel all the air out. Continue this pattern. Try to make your inhales at least 3-4 seconds, and each exhale the same. Acknowledge the pause between your inhales and exhales. This is called the Rule of Four Breathing. In Kemetic Yoga, this is one of the foundational elements of the practice. Taking your breath in four parts allows you to truly tune into the importance of your breath, or SHU. In Kemetic Yoga we believe that our breath is the main source of sustenance for life. Not food, not water, but the breath. Continue to indulge. As we lay here, we will set intentions for practice. If you came here today seeking inspiration for intention, I offer you finding your roots. A grounding that you can take off your mat to keep you at ease as you encounter the outside world. Let’s seal our intention with a unified breath. Inhale, feel your belly rise and find the pause. Open mouth exhale- allow the belly to deflate. Pause here. As we flow, remember to tune into the four parts of your breath. SHU.
Spider Variations
Start to bring subtle movement to your body. Come into a long morning stretch. Raise your arms above you. Bend your knees and plant the feet flat on the floor, pull your heels so close to the sits bones that you could tickle them with your fingertips. Extend your arms downward toward the feet. Inhale to spider pose variation one. Lift your belly in the air. Activate the muscles in your low back and squeeze your glutes to lift higher. Pause and breathe. Opportunity to tuck your shoulders even more by interlacing them underneath your sits bones in a bind. Take three more breaths in this posture. Bring sits bones down to the ground. Soles of your feet touch and open your knees like a book. Put one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart.
Breathe here.
Remind yourself of the rules for breathing, and come back to your red light. We will take five grounding breaths in this position. Root your tailbone toward the ground. Allow gravity to pull you closer to the center of the earth.
Bring your knees together and close them like a book. Thighs come to your chest, then start to rock right and left to find some release in your low back. Rock forward and use your momentum to come up to a seat.
Half Lotus
Come to your sits bones. Cross your legs. Right leg on top or in front of the left leg for half lotus. Inhale reach your arms in the air, exhale fold forward work your forearms down to something or perhaps to your fingertips. Bring your chin to your chest. Pay attention to the cadence of your breath. The inhale lengthens your spine, the exhale deepens your stretch. We will take five breaths year. Each breath takes you a little closer to the earth even if it is just a centimeter. As you inhale raise your arms up toward the ceiling, exhale bend forward to the right side grab for your right knee with the goal of bringing chest to thigh for head to knee. You may not be there yet, remember we all have something to look forward to. We will engage in five breaths here. The inhale lengthens your spine, the exhale takes you deeper to the mat. Lift up slowly, then walk your body over to the left side. Allow your forehead to drop closer to your knees, chest to thighs. With each breath you get a little closer, and your posture gets a little bit deeper. Engage in five breaths on the side. Whatever we do to one side, we repeat on the other side to bring balance to our minds and our bodies. Breathe here. Acknowledge the pause between your inhales and exhales. Lift up slowly and bring yourself back to the center. Inhale rise- exhale bring the hands to heart center and we’ll take a breath in unison. Inhale, fill your belly up - press it forward - exhale retract the belly, let all the air go. We will take this on the other side… rearrange your feet. Bring the left foot in front or on top of the right like. Inhale reach your arms above you, exhale come down to the middle. Pull your chin toward your chest to stimulate the thyroid gland. BREATHE.
Kemetic Child’s Pose
Shift forward to a table-top position on your hands and knees. Ease down to the ground to a committed child’s pose. Bring your knees wide and big toes touch behind you. Stretch your fingertips forward and create a pyramid shape with your hands. Rest your forehead down in the pyramid shape. As you inhale lengthen your spine, as you exhale sit your sits bones a little closer to your heels and ground yourself down toward the earth. Visualize your light. We will be here for three breaths. Find expansion with each breath cycle.
Pyramid Pose
Turn your toes and exhale to pyramid pose. Send your hips up and back. Settle your heels downward toward the floor to find length in the hamstrings. Ground yourself in the heels and the pads of your fingertips.
Where is the energy going? How does it feel? Where can you consciously direct the energy? Visualize the color red.
More about Shango:
Sacred Sound: LAM
Keynote: C
Vowel Sound: Uh
Sound Frequency: 194.18 Hz / 256 Hz / 396 Hz
Nature Sound: Thunder/Earthquake
