Posts In: health

Une pratique de yoga bien ajustée peut libérer l’énergie et rééquilibrer un chakra en désordre, ouvrant ainsi la voie à ce fameux basculement intérieur que le yoga promet. Au fil de ces 8 séances, nous explorerons chaque chakra un à un et plongerons dans les mystères du corps énergétique. Chaque pratique démarre par un bref exposé théorique, plus vous pratiquerez un choix de postures, prānāyāmas (respiration consciente) et/ou mantras. Je ne vous promets pas la lune en 8 séances mais un début de compréhension de votre corps énergétique oui! Et pour les plus avancés, l’occasion d’une pratique créative qui ouvrira votre champ d’expérience!

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A well-tuned yoga practice can free up energy and stimulate an imbalanced chakra, paving the way for that wonderful internal shift for which yoga is known. Through these 8 classes we will dive into each chakras and explore further the esoteric subject of the energetic body. Each session begins with a brief theoretical introduction, followed by a selection of postures, prānāyāmas (conscious breathing), and/or mantras. I’m not promising miracles in 8 sessions, but you will gain a foundational understanding of your energetic body! And for the more advanced, it’s an opportunity for a creative practice that will expand your field of experience!”

Join me every Monday Oct-Dec 2024 @ 20h00 Paris Time (Online on zoom)

14 OCT 24 : MŪLĀDHĀRA – THE ROOT CHAKRA

21 OCT 24 : SVĀDHISTHANA – THE SACRED ENERGY CENTER

28 OCT 24 : MANIPŪRAKA – THE MAINTAINANCE CENTER

4 NOV 24 : ANĀHATA – THE HEART CHAKRA

18 NOV 24: VIŚUDHI – THE COMMUNICATION CHAKRA

25 NOV 24 : AJÑA – CLARITY & WISDOM

2 DEC 24: SAHARĀRA – SPIRITUALITY

9 DEC 24: JOURNEY THROUGH THE ENERGETIC BODY. INTEGRATION.

What to expect?

Each class will cover one chakra.

Céline will present the chakra (energy centre), explain how it influences us in our daily life and for which “energy” or “function” it is responsible. This short talk will be followed by a guided Yoga & Meditation practice, which will stimulate this chakra and get you to connect with its energy.

I’d like to register for the Yoga serie “the Chakras”:

Price for the full Yoga Serie (8 classes): 88€ (Online on zoom)

Drop-in class: 15€

Read more about Yoga and Health: Balancing Prāna in us and in our energy centers the pillar of good health

Balance is a fundamental theme in Yogic teachings. Indeed, under their prism, health simply goes hand in hand with Balance (with a capital E!). Be patient and read to the end. I cannot avoid a passage that is a little more theoretical.

The balance of our vital energy (prāna) to begin with.

We must have enough prāna in us, but not too much either. It must be well distributed in the 7 energy centers of our body (chakras). Vital energy manifests itself in 5 forms (the 5 vāyus) which correspond to different regions and functions of the body. If there is an energy imbalance, it is a function of the body that will be affected. We will not go into detail today, however, the study of vāyus (udāna, prāna, samāna, apāna and vyāna) and their experimentation through certain practices are fascinating!

Learn more about the chakras from T Krishnamacharya: HERE.

Celine Chambat

Yoga Teacher in Lisbon & Therapist

More Articles:

5 Key Tips for Cultivating Balance, Good Health and Happiness

Bibliographie (Français)

• Le Yoga des éléments de Florence Dugowson
• Patañjali Yoga-Sūtra I Traduction et commentaire de Frans Moors

Bibliographie (English)

• Yoga & Ayurveda – Self-Healing and Self-Realization from David Frawley
• The Yogasūtra of Patañjali I Liberating Isolation from Frans Moor 
• The heart of Yoga from TKV Desikachar

From the yoga & ayurveda perspective it’s as simple as this:

Your elements are balanced (or in line with your base constitution) = you are in good health!

Upcoming Yoga Series “the Elements in you” will get you in touch with the elements. Teaching you to feel and notice them in you and therefore giving you some initial keys to rebalance yourself & stay healthy!

Join us Mondays @ 19h30 Lisbon Time (Lisbon studio & Online)
8 NOV : FIRE
15 NOV : ETHER
22 NOV : AIR
29 DEC : WATER
6 DEC : EARTH
13 DEC : ELEMENTS & CHAKRAS

I’d like to register for the Yoga serie “the elements in you”:

Elements, ayurveda et doshas:

As the universe in which we evolve, we are made of 5 elements – Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Ether – which derives into 3 Doshas (powers/forces):
Vata Dosha (the combinaison of Air + Ether)
Pitta Dosha (Fire + Water)
Kapha Dosha (Earth + Water).

All of us are a unique mix of the 3 Powers, which constitutes our base constitution.
From the ayurvedic and yoga standpoints, balancing these forces are crucial to be healthy.
In fact, all illnesses, from insomnia to blood pressure disfunction, inflammatory problems to digestion issues, auto immune diseases to heart problem. All. All illnesses find their source in an imbalance of the doshas. To name a few, a pitta disorder (excess of fire) may lead to high blood pressure or heart attack. A vata disorder (excess of Air) to insomnia, Alzheimer disease or what is commonly call “a burnout”. A kapha disorder (Excess of Earth) to weight gain issues or digestive complaints. So to keep your physical and mental balance, you must keep the elements in you in good proportion. It’s all in your hands!

Read more…

The yoga & ayurveda teachings have literally changed my life. Why not yours?

I am currently working on the theme of “balance” with my students. Balancing your energies, connecting with the elements within us (doshas), understanding our dominant and weaker elements, and doing your best to keep them in balance. From their feedback on the practices and the questions asked, I realised to what extent the teachings of Yoga and Ayurveda on the notion of balance are still unknown. Yet they are so rich. This is why I wanted to write this article which I hope will make you want to know more and take action to stay or come back in balance and therefore healthy!

Yoga and Health: Balancing Prāna and the Elements in us is a pillar of good health

Balance is a fundamental theme in Yogic and Ayurvedic teachings. Indeed, under their prism, health simply goes hand in hand with Balance (with a capital E!). Be patient and read to the end. I cannot avoid a passage that is a little more theoretical.

The balance of our vital energy (prāna) to begin with.

We must have enough prāna in us, but not too much either. It must be well distributed in the 7 energy centers of our body (chakras). Vital energy manifests itself in 5 forms (the 5 vāyus) which correspond to different regions and functions of the body. If there is an energy imbalance, it is a function of the body that will be affected. We will not go into detail today, however, the study of vāyus (udāna, prāna, samāna, apāna and vyāna) and their experimentation through certain practices are fascinating!

The balance of the elements within us (the balance of the doshas).

We are made, just like the universe in which we evolve of 5 elements: the ether which creates the space for the other elements to exist, the air which is associated with the movement, the water with the fluids, the fire with transformation and earth to the concept of density and grounding. We are all a unique combination of these elements. They exist in us in proportions that vary with each other and also evolve over time. They define us physically and are also found in our character. For example a person who has a lot of fire in himself (dominant Pitta Dosha) will often be very willful and will also tend to get angry more easily while a person with a strongly present Air element (dominant Vata Dosha) will often show up. funny and “easy going”, gifted in creative and interpersonal skills, but will also tend to be unreliable and less loyal than a person with Earth dominance for example (dominant Kapha Dosha). This is a vast subject again and the idea here is not to be exhaustive but to give you the angle from the point of view of Yoga and Ayurveda:

The more you adjust your lifestyle to your basic constitution, the more you will be able to live in harmony (and therefore in health) and to avoid imbalances as much as possible.

What “disease or illness” means through the lens of Yoga and Ayurveda?

Too much, not enough, in short an imbalance (of prāna or of the elements in us) inevitably leads to a “manifestation” also called “illness”. This manifestation can be mild or more serious but it always indicates an imbalance. It is also good to know, and this is important, that the “manifestations” are generally going crescendo. The body sends us a first signal. If we don’t pick up he sends a stronger one etc.

For example, 1st sign, you are short of breath, feeling oppressed / restricted into the chest. This is a first sign of imbalance because the breath is a reflection of our physical and / or mental state. Fluid, long and powerful, it indicates good health. Jerky, irregular, short, it sends us signals. You do nothing. Second sign, sleep is light, does not allow you to recharge your batteries. You wake up tired. You still don’t do anything. Then it might be a more serious injury. Something that forces you to consult, to take care of yourself, or that put you to bed. And sometimes it’s even more serious. I’m sure you all see what I’m talking about. You may also have once found yourself in a similar situation saying to yourself “I should have seen and listened to the signs before”!

Good news! In the language of “Yoga & Ayurveda”, if imbalance = illness, balance = good health. In other words, it is up to us to take charge of ourselves and act on our daily life, our diet, our relationships etc. to stay in balance and therefore in good health. And Yoga and Ayurveda provide us with a wide range of proposals adapted to the specific needs of each. To your mats!

Celine Chambat

Yoga Teacher in Lisbon & Therapist

Interested to join next workshop: Yoga & Ayurveda

Read more:

5 Key Tips for Cultivating Balance, Good Health and Happiness

Bibliographie (Français)

• Le Yoga des éléments de Florence Dugowson
• Patañjali Yoga-Sūtra I Traduction et commentaire de Frans Moors

Bibliographie (English)

• Yoga & Ayurveda – Self-Healing and Self-Realization from David Frawley
• The Yogasūtra of Patañjali I Liberating Isolation from Frans Moor 
• The heart of Yoga from TKV Desikachar

*Article en Français – Clickez ici*

Human vision performs very well compared to other species. Humans can see both near and far, day and night, 2D & 3D and are sensitive to colors and contrasts. Our vision is generalist and efficient. However, in the modern world (city life, use of screens, pollution, etc.), our eyes are both misused (we mainly use them for near vision, especially on a screen) and overused since they are often used instead of the other senses. They therefore suffer from eye fatigue and various disorders. Human vision is becoming more and more “specialist” and less and less efficient. This is how Yoga for the eyes has become a need of the modern world.

YOGA FOR THE EYES

It is the research of Doctor Bates, famous American ophthalmologist of the beginning of the XXth century which establishes for the first time in the world of Western medicine a very clear and very strong link between the good health of the body in general and the good health of the eyes. . Today it is an established fact that certain diseases such as diabetes for example or diseases of the liver and gallbladder have a direct impact on the quality of vision. Likewise, high blood pressure will often cause eye problems. It therefore seems obvious that vision disorders cannot be treated without taking into account the health of the person as a whole.

In the Indian culture with Ayurveda and in traditional Chinese medicine, this has always been established fact, Indeed, an holistic approach the human beings is fundamental for both of these traditional and ancestral health systems.

Thanks to a set of practices and lifestyle habits, yoga, and more specifically yoga of the eyes, offers concrete and varied solutions to improve vision.

PROMOTE THE CIRCULATION OF ENERGY IN THE BODY

Regular practice of yoga and prānayama improves the circulation of energy flows in the body and eliminates or reduces certain blockages. Yoga for the eyes features mainly postures that aim to smoothen and promote mobility in the cervical spine such as for example bhujangāsana or cakravākasana (often in modified forms) or simple movements of the arms (standing or lying down) for example.

The technique of nadi-śodana or alternating nostril breathing is also often beneficial (except of course if you have a stuffy nose). It is balancing and stimulating at the same time.

CULTIVATE GROUNDING AND BALANCE

By cultivating grounding and balance. To see properly, you need a stable base where the energy flows well. In a way, our eyes are the lens of the camera and the body is the foot. For the image to be good, the optics must be in good working order and the foot must be stable!

REDUCE STRESS

Stress is often responsible for the degradation of our energy level. It is known that a strong emotion that involves a significant rise in stress, such as bereavement, moving house or even “professional burnout”, frequently causes a sudden drop in vision. Channeling your stress and emotions therefore greatly contributes to improving your vision. Here again, Yoga and Meditation are powerful allies.

REDUCE TOXINS IN YOUR BODY

It starts of course with a healthy lifestyle and a good diet. The less toxins there are in the body, the easier it is to eliminate them. But there are times when there is no choice. I am thinking in particular of heavy medical treatments where the patient is forced to ingest and digest and eliminate a large amount of toxic substances. Yoga offers a wide range of detoxification techniques both through postures, breathing exercises, but also mantras or visualization (meditative practices) that help the body and mind to eliminate more effectively.

More specifically, Ayurveda offers eye massages in the form of a “Ghee bath” which aim to promote detoxification.

DO BOTH: MOBILIZE AND RELAX THE EYES

At last, yoga for the eyes offers a whole range of eye mobility and relaxation exercises, very playful and very varied, which allow the different eye muscles to work.

• Work eye focus:
  In the modern context, the eye is used to seeing up close (screen, screen and… screen). We are losing our ability to see far and above all to adapt quickly. The first exercise that I propose to you is to fix a point in the distance. Ideally a tree or something far from you outside. When it is in focus, stare at an object near you. When it is in focus, return to the object in the distance. And so on as quickly as possible. Ideally, do this every 30 minutes if you are working on a computer. Ball and ball games are also great for this!

• Engage your eyes muscles!

Laterally. Look to the right and then to the left quickly several times Eyes open then eyes closed. Same thing from top to bottom then diagonally. Warning! It is important to take a break between each exercise. The best is to practice the technique of palming between each exercise (see below).

• Coordination & strengthening of your eyes muscles:

Arms outstretched in front of you, eyes open. Move the left thumb / arm to the side and follow with your gaze. Same thing when coming back. Then close your eyes. Move your thumb in the same way and “follow with your gaze” the darkened eyes. At the end, open your eyes. Do the same on the way back and then the same on the other side. It is an interesting exercise that promotes both the mechanical and the cognitive aspect.

• Meditation on a candle flame
  Sit in your meditation posture (on the floor or with supports) with your back straight and a firm seat. Stare at the candle for at least 5 minutes (more if possible, there is no limit). Let yourself come into osmosis with this source of light. The flame of the candle is a light that does not burn the eyes. This practice allows you to relax the eyes and go beyond just working on the vision.

• Palming
  This is one of the most famous eye yoga exercises and was already prescribed by Dr Bates. It consists of putting the two hands in the shape of a shell on the closed eyes, making sure that the light does not pass.

In conclusion, I would say through the yoga of the eyes it is also the development of a certain inner gaze that is established. The workshops that I offer give you a good introduction to this surprisingly vast subject, and avenues of understanding and proposals to improve your vision. However, it is up to each one to continue or not his research towards an interior look. You can obviously contact me for individual yoga therapy sessions in Lisbon, Paris or my yoga & meditation retreats in Portugal. I am also available via Zoom for online sessions.

Céline Chambat

Yoga Teacher & Therapist

What exactly does “being sick” mean?

From the point of view of Yoga and Ayurveda, maintaining the balance of one’s energies and elements is the keystone of good health. On the opposite, an imbalance (too much or not enough energy, too much or not enough fire, air, water etc. in us) inevitably leads to a “manifestation” also called “disease or illness”. Reading “diseases” or “manifestations” from this standpoint allows us to seek their source for a complete and definitive cure.

🌿

The Yoga & Health teachings have literally changed my life. Why not yours?

I am currently working on the theme of “balance” with my students. Balancing your energies, connecting with the elements within us (doshas), understanding our dominant and weaker elements, and doing your best to keep them in balance. From their feedback on the practices and the questions asked, I realised to what extent the teachings of Yoga and Ayurveda on the notion of balance are still unknown. Yet they are so rich. This is why I wanted to write this article which I hope will make you want to know more and take action to stay or come back in balance and therefore healthy!

Yoga and Health: Balancing Prāna and the Elements in us is a pillar of good health

Balance is a fundamental theme in Yogic and Ayurvedic teachings. Indeed, under their prism, health simply goes hand in hand with Balance (with a capital E!). Be patient and read to the end. I cannot avoid a passage that is a little more theoretical.

The balance of our vital energy (prāna) to begin with.

We must have enough prāna in us, but not too much either. It must be well distributed in the 7 energy centers of our body (chakras). Vital energy manifests itself in 5 forms (the 5 vāyus) which correspond to different regions and functions of the body. If there is an energy imbalance, it is a function of the body that will be affected. We will not go into detail today, however, the study of vāyus (udāna, prāna, samāna, apāna and vyāna) and their experimentation through certain practices are fascinating!

The balance of the elements within us (the balance of the doshas).

We are made, just like the universe in which we evolve of 5 elements: the ether which creates the space for the other elements to exist, the air which is associated with the movement, the water with the fluids, the fire with transformation and earth to the concept of density and grounding. We are all a unique combination of these elements. They exist in us in proportions that vary with each other and also evolve over time. They define us physically and are also found in our character. For example a person who has a lot of fire in himself (dominant Pitta Dosha) will often be very willful and will also tend to get angry more easily while a person with a strongly present Air element (dominant Vata Dosha) will often show up. funny and “easy going”, gifted in creative and interpersonal skills, but will also tend to be unreliable and less loyal than a person with Earth dominance for example (dominant Kapha Dosha). This is a vast subject again and the idea here is not to be exhaustive but to give you the angle from the point of view of Yoga and Ayurveda:

🌿 The more you adjust your lifestyle to your basic constitution, the more you will be able to live in harmony (and therefore in health) and to avoid imbalances as much as possible.🌿

What “disease or illness” means through the lens of Yoga and Ayurveda?

Too much, not enough, in short an imbalance (of prāna or of the elements in us) inevitably leads to a “manifestation” also called “illness”.

This manifestation can be mild or more serious but it always indicates an imbalance. It is also good to know, and this is important, that the “manifestations” are generally going crescendo. The body sends us a first signal. If we don’t pick up he sends a stronger one etc.

For example, 1st sign, you are short of breath, feeling oppressed / restricted into the chest. This is a first sign of imbalance because the breath is a reflection of our physical and / or mental state. Fluid, long and powerful, it indicates good health. Jerky, irregular, short, it sends us signals. You do nothing. Second sign, sleep is light, does not allow you to recharge your batteries. You wake up tired. You still don’t do anything. Then it might be a more serious injury. Something that forces you to consult, to take care of yourself, or that put you to bed. And sometimes it’s even more serious. I’m sure you all see what I’m talking about. You may also have once found yourself in a similar situation saying to yourself “I should have seen and listened to the signs before”!

The solutions

Good news! In the language of “Yoga & Ayurveda”, if imbalance = illness, balance = good health.

In other words, it is up to us to take charge of ourselves and act on our daily life, our diet, our relationships etc. to stay in balance and therefore in good health. And Yoga and Ayurveda provide us with a wide range of proposals adapted to the specific needs of each. Let’s practice!

Celine Chambat

Yoga Teacher in Lisbon & Therapist

Read more:

5 Key Tips for Cultivating Balance, Good Health and Happiness

Bibliographie (Français)

• Le Yoga des éléments de Florence Dugowson
• Patañjali Yoga-Sūtra I Traduction et commentaire de Frans Moors

Bibliographie (English)

• Yoga & Ayurveda – Self-Healing and Self-Realization from David Frawley
• The Yogasūtra of Patañjali I Liberating Isolation from Frans Moor 
• The heart of Yoga from TKV Desikachar