fbpx

3 Inspiring Rituals to Connect to Svadhisthana Chakra

Personal and professional development requires an investigation of the ways we think, feel, act, and respond to the environment. As we move through our lives and come into contact with others, we’re constantly tasked with co-creating the world around us, optimistically fostering spaces for inclusivity that are supportive of everyone’s experience and approach. The second chakra, known as svadhisthana in Sanskrit, is where we discover our capacity to create, develop our response to change, and soften to receive others. I sat down with Clara to discuss the tools to develop and foster creativity and how collaboration with others is essential to innovation and creative expression. Below are the paraphrased highlights from the interview.

The Creative Spark: An Interview with Clara

Stephanie: Clara, what types of activities did your parents expose you to as a kid? What kind of environment did you grow up in that fostered your idea of creativity? 

Clara: There’s a lot of play. When I was growing up with my father, we played in all kinds of ways. We played outside, we played inside; my father was a photographer, so there was a lot of art on the walls and a lot of looking at art. And then my dad would ask questions like, “what do you see? What’s happening here? What do you think the relationship is between the colors and the shapes?” So there was a lot of breaking down visual art as well as enjoying it. And then the other part that both my parents were really big on, was music. So there was always a ton of music being played in the house. I feel like both my parents are artists in their own right. My mother was a writer and my father’s a photographer, but also had a deep appreciation from literature as well as music. 

Stephanie: One of the themes for the second chakra is the partnering, the coming together with another entity that creates and stimulates change. How has that process been revealed to you in how you create? 

Clara: The trip that we go on as a community through the yoga practice is a collaboration. This practice, for me at least, is one that is healing because regular life kind of brings a heaviness or a dampness or stagnation or hardness, at least in my experience. And so what I seek in my own practice is this idea of expansion, this idea of letting go, and this idea of realigning.

My intention whenever I’m teaching is for people to reconnect to themselves, to remember their own truth and to embody their truth.

As a teacher, I’m trying to do the same thing. So I want to give a little bit of distraction and things like this in terms of different kinds of movement, to get people to move out of their distraction and to come into alignment, meaning they have to listen to me because they have no idea where I’m going and I want them to do.

I find that you learn new things when you are doing different things than you’re used to. And I want people to feel good about who they are because we are divine beings and we’ve just forgotten. And so the practice is about coming back and remembering that we’re awesome. All of us are awesome, in our own way, shape, and form. 

Stephanie: What parts of the body, poses, and elements would you bring into a class centred on the second chakra? 

ClaraSecond chakra I usually go one of two ways. The first way I go is with the water element, which I talked about in our meditation practice and my teacher, Shiva Rea is really big on the water element. I feel like I feel mostly like water. And so when I move like water, I feel like I’m arriving back at home. So with the second chakra, one way that I do it would be called go with the flow. Constant movement and the strength in movement and the healing quality of fluidity and how important that is. When I’m working with the idea of water, I don’t generally have a peak pose. It’s more about transitions. I would ask: “how can I transition into the next part, the next chapter, the next aspect, the next minute with more ease, with more fluidity, with more grace?”. 

The other well realm that I’d go into, which we’re talking about today, is creativity and, and this idea of creation of making something.Our creative juices literally live in our sacral area. Semen lives there. Our ovaries lived there. That’s literally how we bring physical beings into the world. And so connecting to that creative fire, we call that Kundalini energy or Shakti, the creative force. And so we’re connecting to the possibility or potential.

Stephanie: What is unique about Practice With Clara? What did you feel was lacking in the yoga community that encouraged you to launch your own platform and apps? 

Clara: I have such a deep passion for mantra and for bringing more of a creative element where it’s not just the Asana, which I love, but I also wanted to bring in other parts of the yoga practice. And there just wasn’t space for that on that platform [Gaia], which I totally understand. They were looking for something very specific, but I wanted to do more. I want to be able to share stories and have different things on the platform.

So we have the mantra, the meditation, but I’m going to bring in some philosophy. We’re going to bring in little short courses on the chakras and the philosophical values.

That’s what makes me most excited. And that’s why I wanted to create the Practice With Clara Apps and Site. 

Stephanie: So it sounds like a big piece of your creative process is teaching, passing it on, so to speak. Can you share a little bit about why the element of teaching inspires and is so deeply ingrained in you. 

Clara: My father and I talked a lot. My parents are talkers. We talked everything out. And so that’s my, that is actually a large part of my creative process and, or my self inquiry process is I usually talk it out with somebody, and for a long time it was with my father. My greatest practice in terms of understanding philosophy is actually teaching it. And you know, they always say that if you want to understand something, teach it. And I find that through teaching it, I’ve learned so much. By asking the questions to other people.

And that’s again where the collaboration comes in; in the teaching and asking questions.

The first kind of piece of philosophy that I ever dove into is the Bhagavad Gita. One of my favorite books is this wonderful story. I definitely went through a period when I first started teaching and where I’m like, who am I to teach this?

I’m not a philosophy major. I studied philosophy in school, but not to the extent where I have a master’s or anything. But by going into it and asking people questions about it and for us to dive into the themes around it together, I learned so much, and this is why I love teaching. Because I learned so much. And so in that way, we are all artists because I feel like some people think, Oh, I’m not an artist

I think we’re all artists, like we create in our own way. And even just thinking is a form of creation and artistry. Through yoga and through being in Sangha and grouping together, we create, we co-create something together, which is so, so cool.

Stephanie: What is a practice that you can recommend that someone can sit down and set up like a morning ritual and tap into their own creative process?

Clara: I’m going to offer three different variations because I find that we’re all so different, so hopefully one of these three options will speak to you.

  • The first one is the morning pages: as soon as you wake up in the morning, you pull out pen and paper and you write three pages without thinking about it and it’s stream of consciousness. And you literally just write until the three pages are up and you try not to judge it or think about it. It’s kind of a way of connecting to the realm of the mind that is not analytical, but the part of you that is creative.
  • The second one I would recommend is to turn on your stereo, hit play without really thinking about it and whatever song comes on, you dance to it. And to the best of your ability, don’t overthink it. Be in your pajamas. Hopefully you didn’t even brush your teeth. That’s another way to literally get into the creative flow and to connect to the body. So especially if you live in your mind, that would be one that I would recommend. 
  • The third one that I would recommend is to pull out your meditation cushion and to sit down on it. Put your hands like we did at the beginning of this podcast to the lower abdomen and quite simply breathe into that area. It takes three hums and then quite simply sit with yourself for 10 minutes without doing anything. And so that’s another way to create and connect to your creativity. 
Listen to on the full talk on the #PracticeWithClara Podcast or the Practice with Clara Site.

Yoga Classes for Creativity

Creative Flow

Creative Flow

Dynamic, fluid, and fun, this creative flow vinyasa class focuses on the energy of Svadhisthana, the second chakra. Svadhisthana is associated with water and creativity. Focusing on this area we develop our self-expression and capacity to relate to others and the world around us. This creative flow sequence develops hip opening and challenges one’s flexibility. 

With Ease

This intermediate slow flow practice focuses on the second chakra and pelvis. There’s a bit of fire peppered through the practice with an arm balance in bakasana (crow pose) and backbending with ustrasana (camel pose). 

This class is great for those who have been sitting for long periods of time

With Ease

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Join Practice with Clara

New members get
7-days FREE!

Sign up for a recurring subscription and get access to hundreds of different yoga classes and join the weekly LIVE yoga class.

Social Media

Most Popular

Get The Latest Updates

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter

No spam, notifications only about new products, updates.
On Key

Related Posts

Emerging A New Being

Last Friday, for the live class, I pulled out a playlist I haven’t listened to in a while. I didn’t look at all the songs,

Listen With Intent

  I was speaking with a friend of mine this week about their aging parent. My friend expressed their fear that their parent may get

Can Restrictions Set You Free?

  Springtime is here and it’s a great time to clear away the lethargy of winter.  I started a cleanse today. It’s a 3-day kitchari

The Subtle Body
Workshop Series

2-hour worshops on pranayama, meditation, and mantra.

Fall 2023

Join Clara for Meditation Monday

Mondays at 8-8:20pm PST 

Live on Zoom – Free for everyone!

 

 

Join a FREE Yoga Series

7-Day Yoga Series for Beginners
7-Day Yoga Series for Vinyasa Lovers

Join me for an experiential practice!

My favourite thing about yoga is getting to watch people have a connection with themselves.

 

Yoga at Home

Reaffirm your commitment to a home yoga practice!

Read our post on how to set up a home yoga studio and the benefits of joining the Class of the Day.

Join the Community

Our community boasts yogis from countries all over the world who gather and co-create the spaces we share on the Practice with Clara platform.

Join a community of over 1.3k yogis from around the world in the Practice with Clara Facebook Group

· Share your feedback

· Seek help and motivation from the community

· Discuss and receive input on yoga challenges and injuries

· Cultivate a global community

· Exclusive access to content and upcoming events

· Bring your ideas and questions to the Practice with Clara Ambassadors 

Take a LIVE yoga class with Clara each week and join hundreds of yogis worldwide. 

· Ask Clara questions in the live Q&A after class

· Participate in a class with Clara and the community

· Put in your request for a specific class

· Build to a peak pose in a vinyasa-style sequence

· Learn modifications for injuries

· Receive how-to guides to advance your practice

See the History of Our 30-Day Yoga Challenges 

Take a look at the past 30-day yoga challenges. 

Read the history of the 30-day challenges with the past partnerships, themes, interviews with professionals, and more. 

Join an Upcoming 30-Day Yoga Challenge

See when the next 30-day yoga challenge is hosted to join the LIVE yoga & meditation classes.

Check out the events page to learn more. 

Are you looking for more opportunities to practice yoga, for free? 

Check out our Free Yoga page to see the latest offerings. 

Choose from three unique, free, offerings: 

30-day challenge
7-day series for beginners
7-day series for advanced vinyasa yogis 

Explore Yoga Teacher Training Options 

Learn to teach LILA FLOW YOGA with our free eBook!

The key to advancing your vinyasa practice and teaching style.

This workbook provides five written class sequences for you to experience a version of Wave Theory as designed by Clara Roberts-Oss, founder of the Practice with Clara Program.

✧ Community Feedback ✧

vinyasa yoga
vinyasa yoga
vinyasa yoga
vinyasa yoga
vinyasa yoga
vinyasa yoga

✧ Frequently Asked Questions ✧

1. What is the Practice with Clara Membership & App?

Practice with Clara is an online platform and Apps that allow you to take your yoga with you anywhere, anytime! With hundreds of classes in various styles, including Hatha, Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin, Prenatal, and Meditation, there’s something for everyone at any level of the practice. The Practice with Clara Membership provides a monthly or yearly subscription package with the first 7-days free for you to experience the courses. 

2. How is the Membership Different from the YouTube Playlists?

A membership to the Practice with Clara Apps provides:

  • Access to the members-only library of yoga classes
  • Weekly LIVE classes with Clara
  • Unique events and workshops
  • Downloadable assets including:
    • Monthly Calendars
    • Journaling Booklets
    • Spotify Playlists
  • Access to a community of yogis worldwide 
  • Q&A sessions with Clara
  • & much more!

Clara’s YouTube Channel provides carefully curated playlists to introduce you to the free programs and yoga challenges for you to get a taste of what’s offered and commit to your wellness!

3. What Do I Get When I Join the 7-Day Program?

The 7-day programs include: 

  • 7-Days of Vinyasa Yoga Intensive
  • 7-Days of Yoga for Beginners

These programs provide a weeks-worth of yoga classes to ignite your yoga practice and cultivate a new, healthy habit. 

When you sign-up for one of these programs, you’ll receive:

  • A welcome email to the program from Clara
  • A class each day for 1-week
  • Curated Spotify playlists to accompany each course
  • A calendar to track your progress
  • Access to the private Practice with Clara Facebook Group

These programs are free with no hidden costs or fees; PLUS, you’ll still receive the 7-day free trial on the Practice with Clara Apps once you complete the series!

4. What Do I Get When I Join the 30-Day Yoga Challenge?

We host quarterly 30-day yoga challenges that are always free for all members of Practice with Clara. Each yoga challenge is themed based on the season. We’ve provided our inaugural challenge, Reconnect | A 30-Day Yoga Challenge, as an email series for you to try to test your physical and mental discipline and endurance!

What you receive in Reconnect | 30-Day Challenge

  • A welcome email to the program from Clara
  • A class each day for 30-days
  • Curated Spotify playlists to accompany each course
  • A calendar to track your progress
  • A journaling booklet to incite self-reflection 
  • Access to the private Practice with Clara Facebook Group

This program is free, anytime, with no hidden costs or fees, PLUS you’ll still receive the 7-day free trial on the Practice with Clara Apps once you complete the series!

 5.  I Want to Try the App, What’s Next? 

Great, we’re so happy to have you join our community!

To set up the Practice with Clara App, here are your next steps:

6. I’m Injured, Pregnant, or New to the Practice—Can I Join?

YES, no matter where you are at in your practice, there are classes for you on Practice with Clara. 

We’ve created playlists for beginners and those who are new to the practice.

we also have the Prenatal Collections with classes from the 1st – 4th trimesters that I created when I was pregnant with my daughter. 

Finally, I offer PLENTY of modifications and suggestions based on injury in all the platform classes. 

The biggest thing is to always listen to your body; your body is the greatest teacher.

Join Practice with Clara

New members get 7-days FREE!

Sign up for a recurring subscription and get access to hundreds of different yoga classes and join the weekly LIVE yoga class.