Crystals for Enhancing Your Yoga Practice

Today, I am so excited to be interviewing the amazing Sarah Balmer of Sarah Belle. We're talking all about her journey with crystals, how they've helped her enhance her yoga practice, and how they could do the same for you. Sarah, thank you so much for being here with me today.   Ashley: I am super pumped because we just finished recording your video interview for the Crystal Mastery Conference, where you're teaching all about crystals and Yoga. Can you tell everyone a little bit about your journey with Yoga and crystals? How did you get started on this path? Sarah: Sure. I started Yoga a long time ago back when I was in college. However, I then disconnected from it for a while, but came back to it later in life. I came back to it when I was in a place where I was super busy and fast-paced as a way to balance. I was in need of more tools for stress management and good self-care. That's what I really think started opening me up to holistic health, holistic healing and all of these different modalities and tools. I got my Yoga teacher training certification in addition to already being a holistic coach, a personal trainer, and then now of course with the crystal healing. Now I just kind of have this tool bag of all these ways of helping folks. I would say that Yoga has really become much more enriched with the addition of crystals. Ashley: I think this is a story a lot of us can relate to. We're seeking more balance, we're looking for ways to take more time for self-care or to get grounded, to just be well in general. I think for many of us that's what has led us to crystals, or Reiki, or yoga, or however that unfolds on your own path. Let me ask you this, I am just curious... we talked a little bit about ways to incorporate crystals into your yoga practice, and some of your favorite ways and methods for doing this. We also talked about some of your favorite crystals to use in your practice. I'm just wondering, could you share a few of your favorite crystals to use in your yoga practice with everyone who's listening? Sarah: Absolutely. I think it partially depends on why you're coming to your yoga mat. What are you doing your yoga practice for? There are definitely a couple of key crystals that I think are wonderful for Yoga. For any practitioner, any student, any level, any reason that you're coming to Yoga. The first of these is Shiva Lingam, which comes from the rivers of India. This is a wonderful stone. It's very steepen in Indian tradition and is associated with the Lord Shiva, who represents totality and union. The stone itself is really a wonderful balance of masculine and feminine energies. So many people come to Yoga to find balance in their energetic anatomy. The stone is wonderful for supporting that. It carries with it all that wonderful energy from India, which is the home and the heart of Yoga. Watch the video interview with Sarah here:     The other stone that I really love is Orgonite, because it's wonderfully energizing and sends energy in all directions. This is really good for aligning the chakras and infusing light into the body. Again, it's wonderful for balancing and kind of discovering the whole aspects of being. There are also a few others that I love. I think Smoky Quartz and Black Tourmaline are wonderful for placing at your mat for discharging negative energy, and just kind of releasing and letting go, and grounding down. So many people come to Yoga for grounding and relaxation. I think that a big reason that people come is to help clear their minds and to walk away from their mat feeling lighter and more relaxed. For me, Amazonite is a stone that I'm super attracted to for this. Ocean Jasper is also a wonderful relaxation stone for me. It really helps me to connect with all things and all beings.