The Manipura Chakra: Finding Your Flow
“What you seek, is seeking you” - Rumi
When working in a 9-5, I would often find myself fitting in yoga classes at 6am and meditation at 7pm - to get that ‘just off the mat’ feeling. I would spend my days at work coming down from the initial zen of the morning yoga, only waiting for my evening class to feel replenished again.
But I wanted to get that ‘just off the mat’ feeling all the time - that feeling of power, confidence, peace and clarity. I wanted to find the flow that I had in a yoga class, in my work, so that my work no longer felt like a task, but something inspiring and exciting.
There is a common pattern of thinking, that Yoga and Meditation is a tool to relieve stress, to come back to you, and to quiet the mind. Whilst, yes this is completely true, I have found that we can also use the mindsets that we play with in the practice, to support us in exerting our will. Where one can live a spiritual life but also use it to propel ourselves forwards professionally.
When you can see yourself as both spiritual and professional, and that these are not at odds, you harness a soft power. It becomes easier to stay calm and centred through conflict, and you are propelled into amazing projects through original thinking and creativity.
A way of working towards this is through harnessing ‘Ecstacis’
Ecstacis is a ‘non-ordinary’ state where creativity and productivity flourishes.
“An altered state where our normal waking consciousness vanishes completely, replaced by an intense euphoria and a powerful connection to a greater intelligence”.
- Plato
To make that more relatable to us - it is the ability to absorb yourself into a task so fully that you are driving it forward with a continuing feel of inspiration and creativity, a time where you are so confident in your will that you have complete belief in yourself.
In other words - work no longer becomes work, it is flow.
How you can find your own source of Ecstacis…
There is a spectrum in which one can achieve Ecstasis. From the extreme - activities such as avalanche skiing, to the slower more integrative approach - mediation and yoga.
To discover your own source Ecstacis ask yourself: When was the last time you were so absorbed in something that you forgot the time and where you were? What activity most brings you alive?
In finding an 'awakening activity’, you have uncovered one of your own source of Ecstatics - For some that could be running, attending a music concert or could be simply a conversation with a friend.
Discover what it is, and make more space for it in your week. Turn to it whenever you're feeling blocked and stagnant, as it will take you to the next level of thought which you didn't even know existed.
Yoga and Meditation is one of my chosen way of igniting Ecstatcis and unlocking potential. Through calming the mind, shifting the mindset, and bringing myself back to my body, I can access layers of thinking, surface ideas and unlock creative potential which might otherwise be hidden.
My flow finds me.
Are you ready to find your flow?
A W A K E N is a 7 Day Meditation and Mindset programme programme based on the Chakra framework - taking you on a journey to unveil the fullness of your potential.