In Ayurveda we talk about the 3rd chakra as being ruled by the element of fire. When I think of fire, my mind often drifts to the blazing heat of forest fire…a force that on one hand is powerfully destructive and on the other hand brings about immeasurable change. While preparing for the practice this week, I picked up the book Five Spirits: Alchemical Acupuncture of Psychological and Spiritual Healing to see their approach to fire through the fire element system. I came across this description of fire:
The element fire includes the spark, the flame, the light and the heat as well as the dying embers. It is the energy of summer, of relationship and blossoming creativity as well as the qualities of spiritual warmth, initiating impulse and spontaneity that vive an organism that ability to expand, to express its true nature and to reach out and connect with others.
Through this lens I was able to look at all of the properties of fire, the spark and also the burning embers. This idea of the “spark” truly resonates with the power of the third chakra to create and the image of glowing embers symbolizes, to me, the capacity fire has to be sustainable. Being a pitta (fiery) person myself, I know the pitfalls of working with fire. Too much of a good thing and you burn out quite quickly. Fire doesn’t have the staying power because it requires fuel and our physical and energetic bodies can only give so much before we deplete ourselves. Yet, if we are able to ignite a fire, let it burn and then kindle these glowing embers that energy of fire can stay with us much longer so that we can reap the benefits fire has to offer us.
Much like the 3rd chakra, fire offers us a place to create, nurture our passions and explore our power. It offers us the opportunity to cleanse, letting go/burning away things that no longer serve us and through that cleanse offers a continual newness whether that be new ideas, projects, experiences or opportunities for growth.
Ganesha Mudra
image from acupuncture.com
The ganesha mudra is associated with the heart. As you do this practice, tensing and releasing the muscles of the chest, you stimulate the heart energy and release blockages in the lungs. This is a beautiful practice for 4th/heart chakra work, but I offer it here with the 3rd chakra because it also stimulates the fire element. In Chinese Medicine, the heart meridian runs along the inner arm from little finger to inner armpit. This mudra stimulates that energy line and thus stimulates the heart, which in Chinese Medicine is the organ associated with fire. To practice this mudra, take the left hand, bring it in front of the chest, palm facing out. 
Bend the fingers into a loose grip and then bring the right hand up, palm facing in, and grip the fingers of the left hand with the fingers of the right hand. Slide the hands up, so they are resting directly in front of the heart center. As you exhale pull the fingers away from one and other feeling the activation of the pectoral muscles and the energy around the chest. As you inhale release. Do this five more times and then release the grip bringing first the left hand and then the right hand to cover the heart. Breathe into the space underneath the hands and notice what becomes available. After a minute or so, switch hands and do the same thing with the hands reversed. Again after you complete the active round, release the hands, cover the heart and notice what comes up for you during the practice.
Agni Sara
image from the Himalayan Institute
Agni Sara is a daily practice that I began about 6 months ago after a weekend long workshop with Shari Friedrichsen. She spoke about its transformative properties and her own journey when she chose to take it on as a year long practice. Six months in, I can feel the difference. I am not only connected more deeply to my own experience of power in my body, but in recent months have had the opportunity to begin unpacking how/why I get in the way of allowing it to manifest. It has been a fruitful journey and I look forward to what the next six months have to offer. On the Himilayan Institute’s website, agni sara is described as:
With its deep contractions of the abdomen and pelvic floor, agni sara targets the abdominal organs and the centers of consciousness (chakras) responsible for regulating and carrying out the instinctive life of the body. It therefore affects not only our physical health but also our vitality and emotional life. Ultimately it facilitates spiritual growth and transformation. The name itself tells us this: agni, meaning fire, the elemental quality responsible for digestion, discrimination, and transformation, and sara, meaning essence.
They also offer an excellent description of agni sara and the practices that can help you develop a deeper and more grounded practice. Because this is such an in-depth practice, I invite you to visit their website and read through the article for the best instructions on inviting it into your own practice. They also have a complimentary video that teaches you how to do it, which you can visit here.
Lion’s Breath
image from yogajournal.com
One of the amazing benefits of working with fire is that it can help us burn through holding patterns, self-deprecating thoughts and behavior patterns that no longer serve us. Yet sometimes, looking these things in the face, it doesn’t seem to be a benefit that we’re brining it up on our practice. I’ve noticed that for myself, I often get caught up in the feedback loop of dealing with these emotions. Instead of letting them go, I begin to pick them apart, critique and judge myself and ultimately find myself right back where I started–holding on to things that don’t serve me. Lion’s Breath goes a long way in moving through things like this in my practice. Whether its clearing out the baggage, moving stagnant energy or releasing holding in the body, Lion’s Breath does it for me. You can do this practice any number of ways: seated in virasana, in downward dog or standing in a squat. Find the appropriate position for you body and take a few grounding breaths, focusing on what you’d like to move through. As you’re ready, take a deep inhalation through the nose and as you exhale through the mouth, stick out the tongue, open the mouth and eyes wide and let any sound that comes with the breath escape as well. I often find I will do these in sets of three and will sprinkle them throughout a practice as energy feels heavy or stuck.
And don’t forget, building a fire or lighting a candle will always do the trick for invoking fire energy.
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