"I feel so much better now"

my friend texted me, after today's late morning outdoor practice. We usually meet twice a week but this week, with so many feelings of trepidation, anxiety and uncertainly in the air I added an extra class. Election day was Tuesday; yesterday was Thursday. In yesterday's practice we focused on our throat chakra, Vishuddha, which (among other things) governs our voice and how we communicate our truth. When we cast our votes, most of us several weeks ago during early voting, we pit our voices into the world, we expressed a desire. As the results trickled in we realized that our desires were in many cases not being met.

Frustration can live in many places in our bodies. I was feeling discomfort at my throat, a scratchy little call for attention. Vishuddha is also a filter, and when we take in toxic information through our ears, eyes, mouth, we strain the filter and Vishuddha's ability to prevent that energy from entering our bodies. Through our practice, we moved energy through our bodies, into and out of our organs, our blood, our lymph. We used prana and the potent magic of our attention to nourish and tone our throat center. It felt vital, almost like a counter-spell to negativity.

Today I needed grounding. My body craved Warrior One, a solid connection with the Earth. One of the joys of practicing outdoors is feeling the ground beneath our feet, our hands, our bellies and our foreheads. Supporting us in Savasana. We flowed through a grounding sequence, connecting with the eternal earth, nurturing our hips, opening our hearts. I knew I would give myself the time for that today but it was such a special pleasure and honor to be able share it with my friends.

I felt better afterwards, too.