This week winds up the show and tell about hip opening, grounded, earthbound poses. Next week’s Sphinx Yoga considers a different type of grounding – a review of some of the leading yoga mats with help from a very special assistant, my yogini cat Stella. Seriously, fur stickiness and surfaces that easily scratch, along with how well the mats work outdoors, weigh into the evaluations. But that’s next week.
Before moving on, it would be a gross omission to leave out the root and sacral chakras that anchor us to the earth in yoga and in life, and that hip opening poses address. The base or first chakra is Muladhara, which is located at the base of the spinal column, and is associated with red. The second or sacral chakra is Svadhishthana, which is located near the sexual organs and below the navel, and is associated with orange.
These chakras correspond with our instincts, desires, sexuality, digestion, elimination, creation, and earth foundation. There is a strong relationship between the first two chakras and what in the West is associated with Taurus and the earth signs, as well as the sign opposite from Taurus, Scorpio.
Click to enlarge the photos below. For longer captions with tips on the poses, including of the Sphinx in fire log pose above, see below and the full May 2 Moonday, of which this Sphinx Yoga post is a section.
Sphinx Yoga 