5 Quick Water Rituals to Cleanse Your Body’s Energy

5 Quick Water Rituals to Cleanse Your Body’s Energy

Water is essential. We all know we need to drink more of it. We all clean with it. We’re even made of mostly water. However, it’s a lesser known fact that water can be used to cleanse our bodily energy, as well.

Why is it that water has been used ceremoniously since the beginning of time? It’s very simple: without water, there is no life. This makes this precious resource worthy of our attention and time, not only from an ecological perspective, but also for our own healing. This doesn’t require any particular religion or spiritual thinking in order to take advantage of these purifying benefits.

These mini-rituals are easy and simple, and you don’t need anything particularly special. Keep a mindset of cleansing as you perform them:

1. Care for Your Drinking Water

Drinking enough water gives you life. When you’re low on fluids, you certainly notice as sluggishness, headaches, and achiness creeps in. Refresh your usual drinking source and put fresh lemon, lime, orange, basil, mint or cucumber in your water for a light flavoring. Be more appreciative of your water by using an eye-pleasing glass container that reflects the purity and simple beauty of the water, so that you feel uplifted with each sip.

2. Bless Your Water

It’s time for a little visualization. Imagine or sense the positive quality you wish to amplify in the water. Before you drink, feel gratitude for the water that is about to cleanse, heal and nourish all the cells in your body. Imbue it into your drink, or even your shower or bath water. The power of your thought is stronger than you might know, so really focus in on all the benefits you wish to have.

3. Cleanse Your Body Every Day

Even if you didn’t hit the yoga mat today, water can’t cleanse your energy unless you use it. Some of us absorb the energy of others very easily. Therefore, get purifying with your energy. One way to cleanse the days’ events is to have either a quick shower or salt water bath before bed. This will ensure better sleep, as well, a deeper and less dream energy-consuming slumber. It helps you be less restless, once the negative energy is gone.

4. Visualize Through Your Water

Visualization is a powerful tool, so if you’ve never used it, water is an easy, simple introduction. Begin by imagining or sensing any stressful situations flowing down the drain as you wash your hands. Release the tension or stress through your hands and let it float somewhere far away.

5. Yoga: Ocean Salutation

Do this cleansing yoga sequence near a body of water. It is designed as an affirmation, and you will feel the peace wash over you same as the water.

As its core, it has the same movements of a half sun salutation. Ready to start? Lifting your heart and reaching arms upward, affirm “I am Open to Receive!”

Exhale and fold forward into Uttanasana (standing forward pose), affirming “I trust myself.” Ground your hands on your legs or the floor and lift your spine toward the horizon into Ardha Uttanasana (half bend) affirming “I follow my dreams.”

Fold back into Uttanasana (standing forward pose), with the affirmation “I flow like water.”

Now back to upstretched arms, again affirming “I am Open to Receive.”



Quadratus Lumborum and Mindful Back Health in Yoga

Quadratus Lumborum and Mindful Back Health in Yoga

Low back pain is an increasing issue in our society dominated by poor posture, sedentary lifestyles, and chronic sitting patterns. The source of low back pain can vary, but a great deal of these muscular dysfunctions emanate from the quadratus lumborum muscles.

Most of us are quite familiar with the erector spinae muscles that travel from the hip crest/sacrum to various points up the vertebrae and ribs. These muscles function primarily as extensors of the back. Few people (including yoga teachers) are aware of the all-important quadratus lumborum muscles that are located deep toward the erector spinae.

The quadratus lumborum muscles sit on either side of the vertebrae. They originate on the iliac crest (hip bone) and insert on the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae and the 12th (last) rib.

When both sides contract, they extend the spine (and/or depress the ribcage from behind). When only one side contracts, the spine flexes laterally and/or elevates the ilium (hip) on that same side. In forced expiration, the quadratus lumborum will fix the 12 ribs.

When Back Pain Can Occur

Dysfunction and low back pain can settle into the quadratus lumborum under a few conditions:

  • If the erector spinae are weak or inhibited (as they often are in chronic seated postures), the quadratus lumborum attempts to take up the slack and loading in back extension and spinal stabilization leading to overall muscle fatigue.
  • If muscle imbalances build up across the pelvis (e.g., tight hip flexors), the lower vertebrae can shift into chronic excessive curvature (lordosis), which will shorten and weaken the quadratus lumborum and erector spinae.
  • If poor posture and upper body muscle tension forms across the chest and shoulders, rounded-back posture (kyphosis) will pull the rib cage up and away from the hip crest. This places stress and drag on the quadratus lumborum and portions of the erector spinae.
  • The deep gluteals (gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) are responsible for hip abduction and pelvic stabilization in walking and other gait patterns. If these deep gluteal muscles are weak and inhibited, the quadratus lumborum and tensor fascia latae have to compensate to stabilize the pelvis.
  • Some physical experts have also found that tight hip adductor muscles (groin) can inhibit (through reciprocal inhibition) the gluteus medius muscles. As mentioned above, the quadratus lumborum muscle may compensate for the gluteus medius muscle’s lack of activity and pelvic stabilization.

How to Keep Your Back Healthy with Yoga

Understanding that the dysfunction residing in the quadratus lumborum is often the result of dysfunction and tension imbalances coming from other muscles, here are some initial approaches to maintaining health of the quadratus lumborum:

  • Develop a strategy to maintain fluid balance in upper and lower body posture patterns to avoid chronic hip flexor tightness, back extensor tension, and loss of natural vertebral curvature and pelvic placement
  • Stretch the chest, front of the shoulders, hip flexors, groin, and lower back frequently
  • Strengthen back extensors and overall core stabilizers
  • Strengthen and stretch deep gluteals to unload unnecessary engagement of the quadratus lumborum
  • Engage in proper therapeutic treatments when discomfort and pain develop

Need help with yoga for back pain? Sign up for our Yoga Foundations Guide with Rodney Yee & Colleen Saidman Yee!

Do These Yoga Poses for Back Pain

Here are some basic, accessible stretches readily prescribed to restore and maintain flexibility in the quadratus lumborum muscles:

Child’s Pose

Seated / Supported Side Bends

Lying Bend Knee Twists

When aiming to stretch the quadratus lumborum muscles and other lower back musculature, I would personally recommend avoid using forward bends like Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), Paschimottasana (Seated Two Leg Forward Bend) and other similar poses.

Due to the nature of intervertebral disc compression in spinal flexion, these types of forward bends would be better served to actually involve engagement of the back extensors and transverse abdomen in order to extend the spine, shift the ‘flexion’ into the hips, unload the lower vertebrae and protect against disc compression.

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