If you have a well-balanced manipura (inner fire) you will generally have good self-esteem and be highly motivated and energetic. The Warrior Postures of yoga can be used to cultivate the presence of your inner warrior as they stimulate the fire centre and strengthen your more dynamic qualities, the more yang aspect of your being.
Lighting a fire is sacred in many religious traditions. In India the ancient vedic fire ceremony, sometimes called Agni Hotra, is performed to bring prosperity, peace and healing to the land. In ancient Greece the living flame of the goddess Hestia was tended constantly and never allowed to die out. It represented the energy of all of life and the memory of this flame lives on today in the tradition of the Olympic flame. To the Aboriginal people of Australia fire is also sacred. It is the foundation of Aboriginal law and culture and is considered to be the portal to the Dreamtime.
Our inner fire is represented by the third chakra, located at your solar plexus, and called manipura, which in Sanskrit poetically translates to “city of jewels”. This fire centre converts matter into energy, creating light and heat. On a physical level, this refers to our metabolism and the processes of digestion and assimilation in the body. On a psychological level the manipura chakra is related to the rational and logical aspects of our psyche. The transformational nature of fire also relates to our vitality, our personal power and ability for dynamic action.
If you have a well-balanced manipura you will generally have good self-esteem and be highly motivated and energetic. Should this energy centre be over-active you may find yourself more concerned with power and be highly competitive in all areas of life. If under-active you may find your energy levels are low, you may lack self-esteem and direction in life and in some cases you may even experience depression.
Sense of self
The third chakra is also considered to be our self-esteem chakra. “Before anyone sets out to transcend the ego, he must have consolidated a strong ego in the first place,” says Dr John E Nelson, a psychiatrist and international speaker and writer on transpersonal psychology. Eastern philosophies and religious traditions emphasise transcending the ego, yet we need our ego to be healthy to navigate through life effectively and if we don’t have a strong, healthy sense of self the result is often poor relationships, low self-esteem and possibly mental illness. A robust and well-developed ego enables us to function well in the physical world, preparing us for growth and expansion into the higher centres.
One way to cultivate a healthy ego is to focus on what is called the inner warrior. For women, contacting the warrior self means getting in touch with the masculine qualities of her subconscious. Connecting with and cultivating this positive inner male energy can be helpful in a woman’s life if she needs more focus, especially when she needs to formulate ideas, create change, manage her finances, plan for her future and act with courage. Activation of the third chakra helps to create this connection.
Digestive fire
As explained by Ayurveda (a holistic system of healing that originated within the Vedic tradition of India) agni or the “digestive fire”, is the process that is responsible for the digestion of our food in the gastrointestinal tract and also for the processes of metabolism and assimilation. Agni is important because good digestion and assimilation is vital for vibrant health and energy. Low vitality, disease states and depression are a result of low agni.
This inner digestive fire can burn low if it is not well fed. Skipping meals, unrelenting stress and the excessive demands of a busy life can all add to the burden of toxins your body carries. It is not only food that is digested; all information and sensory stimulation must be assimilated and digested. This process of digestion creates the heat and light that illuminates our path.
Balanced agni results in more energy, a feeling of mental clarity, lightness in the body and mind and a positive outlook. Ayurveda offers specific nutritional guidelines for your particular body type to stimulate and balance the digestive fire. The manipura chakra is directly connected to the digestive system and many yoga texts talk about the fire of manipura as being the digestive fire. The Sitting Spinal Twist specifically stimulates the digestive system and energises manipura.
Warrior poses
According to Mahatma Ghandi the most important quality on the spiritual path is courage. The warrior postures can be used to cultivate the presence of your inner warrior as they stimulate the fire centre and strengthen your more dynamic qualities, the more yang aspect of your being. The main qualities associated with the warrior archetype are vitality, focus and concentrated will. People who embody the warrior spirit have courage, the willingness to do what is necessary and the potential to be a powerful force for good when evolved into a more aware spiritual warrior.
One of the main principles in practicing yoga is to energise all of the charkas in a balanced way. Building too much fire in the belly may make you irritable and unbalanced. So, when working with the fire centre you will need to also practise postures that ground you and open your heart. This will ensure your emotions remain calm and your energy is directed constructively.
The benefits of warrior poses are many: they are strengthening, energising, grounding and expansive. When you create a firm foundation with strong legs, your connection to the earth is established. As the spine lengthens and the breathing is deepened, energy is built in your third chakra and that energy can move easily to the chest, stimulating the heart chakra. The back bending movement of the upper spine in Virabhadrasana 1 fuels the sacred fire, burning off impurities and opening anahata or the heart chakra. Practicing these postures can help you to build the energy to fulfil your life goals, give you confidence in the face of challenges and also develop the heart qualities of courage, empathy and wisdom.
It’s helpful to say this dedication of intention prior to practising the following poses: “May I have the wisdom to use this energy for the benefit of others.”
Setting this intention to give to others directs the energy we build to the heart and we will feel not only revitalised but also more open to giving and receiving.
Sequence
Instructions for the Inner Warrior sequence
Virabhadra is the name of a fierce warrior in Hindu mythology, an incarnation of Shiva. The name of this pose refers to the spiritual warrior who bravely does battle with self-ignorance (avidya), the ultimate source of all our suffering.
To keep the knees safe in warrior postures, turn your right foot out 90 degrees to the right and turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right allowing the left hip to rotate inward and create pressure through the little toe side of the foot and the heel of the foot.
With right knee bent check knee alignment — point of the knee should track in line with third toe — and ensure your weight is on the outside of the foot. If right knee still turns in, turn the left foot in more allowing the hip to rotate inward more.
Contra-indications: do not perform this sequence if you have high blood pressure, heart conditions or are in the first three days of menstruation.
Breathing
Remember to move with the breath. Be aware of the breath moving in your spine. When extending and opening the chest, feel the inhalation. When bending or stretching feel the exhalation.
1. Dedication
With the palms touching in Namaste, bring the hands to the third eye centre and say the affirmation: “May I have the wisdom”.
Lowering them to the solar centre and focusing there: “to use this energy”; And bringing the hands home to the heart: “for the benefit of others”.
2. Mountain Posture (Tadasana)
Stand tall with the feet under the hips. Create pressure down through the heels, lift the hip bones at the front of the body upward, feel the pelvis come into a neutral position and the tailbone align with the earth. Relax the spine forward a little and relax the shoulders as you go down through the heels opening the back of the knees. Now come up through the feet and the knees, into the lower spine allowing it to lengthen through to the crown.
3. Upper Back
Stretch the arms up and move the shoulder blades to free the upper back of tension.
4. Side Lunge
To warm up the inner thighs and hamstrings: with the feet wide apart and the toes pointing forward (not out), put pressure down through the outside of the foot and weight into the heels. Contract the lower abdominal muscles and lengthen the spine forward, hands on thighs. Now bend the knees one at a time, lunging from side to side slowly and feeling the stretch in the inner thighs.
5. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
Stand with the feet two shoulder widths apart. Align the left heel with the right heel. Turn right foot 90 degrees to the right and turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right allowing the left hip to rotate inward. Check your front knee alignment (point of the knee should track in line with third toe). Maintain the pressure on the outside edge of the back foot and heel. Lift the hip bones at the front of the body upward and drawing up through the pelvic floor muscles, feel the pelvis come into a neutral position and the tailbone align with the earth. Relax the spine forward a little and relax the shoulders as you go down through the heels opening the back of the knees.
Now come up through the back foot and the knee, into the lower spine allowing it to lengthen through to the crown. As the spine lengthens you breathe in and raise your arms to shoulder height in an integrated movement. Breathe out and bend into front knee. Stretch the arms away from the space between the shoulder blades. Keep the sides of the torso equally long and the shoulders directly over the pelvis. Turn the head to the left and look along the front arm.
6. Spinal Twist
Breathe in to come up and step the back foot closer in, just wider than shoulder width. Move the left arm forward, while the right arm flows back behind. Lift your back heel and rotate the lower spine as you move into a gentle spinal twist.
7. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)
Palms come together above the head; elbows slightly bent and forward of your head as you turn the body towards your leading foot, then place back heel down and anchor there.
Again lift the hip bones at the front of the body upward and drawing up through the pelvic floor muscles, feel the pelvis come into a neutral position and the tailbone align with the earth. Relax the spine forward a little and relax the shoulders as you go down through the heels opening the back of the knees. Now come up through the feet and the knees, into the lower spine allowing it to lengthen through to the crown.
Draw the shoulder blades down the back, freeing the neck and allowing the spine to lengthen from the base to the crown as the chest expands and the hands move back. Watch the lower back does not arch excessively.
8. Repeat Warrior II
9. Repeat the Side Lunge
10. Wide-legged Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)
With the legs wide, put downward pressure into the heels and outside of the foot. Open the backs of the knees and bend forward allowing the spine to lengthen, bringing the hands onto your thighs or onto the ground. Breathe naturally with the neck relaxed.
11. Uncurl the spine
Bring the feet in so they are under your hips and uncurl the spine safely by tucking in the chin to the chest, putting pressure down through the heels, drawing up through the pelvic floor and using the (lower) abdominals to uncurl the spine as you breathe in.
12. Stand in Tadasana again
Repeat the sequence on the other side.
13. Savasana
Lie on your back with the eyes closed and breathe evenly for 5-10 minutes.
14. Alternate Nostril Breath (Nadi Sodhana Pranayama)
Sitting comfortably breathe silently and without strain. You may find you can only perform a few rounds at first. Practise regularly until you can maintain the breath for up to five minutes.
- 1. Rest the forefinger and middle finger of the right hand between the eyebrows.
- 2. Place your thumb just below the bony ridge of the nose against the right nostril to close it and breathe in through the left nostril.
- 3. Close the left nostril by pressing the little finger against it and breathe out through the right nostril.
- 4. Now breathe in through the right nostril.
- 5. Release the little finger from the left nostril and breathe out through the left (closing the right).
This is one round. Practise several rounds and then breathe naturally through both nostrils and sit quietly, observing any sensations.
Nadi Sodhana is an invaluable aid to meditation, influencing Ida and Pingala nadis (energy channels within the body), relaxing the mind and balancing the energy between right and left hemispheres and the masculine and feminine.
