Chakra's, literally meaning "wheel" or "disk" in Sanskrit, are spinning fields of bio-energetic activity that create patterns of sensation by which our mind activates. They are centers of energy that pervade the entire body along the length of the spine that determine how we relate to and with our world. The Chakras receive, assimilate, and express our life force. Throughout our lives, we develop coping strategies and defense mechanisms in response to stress that interrupt the free flow of energy through our beings, holding deep psychological patterns that cause our life force to move in particular ways. Each chakra is correlated to a specific gland, sending nerve responses and activtating patterns in which we consciously or subcnsciously play out in our lives.
The health (balance or imbalance) of each Chakra is evident in the ways that we speak, the ways we hold our body, the ways we think, feel, and handle our experiences and the ways we interpret the world. Understanding the Chakras allows us to understand the relationship between our consciousness and our body, and to thus see our bodies as a map to our consciousness.
Each Chakra represents a different level of consciousness and different paradigm of physiological, psychological, and spiritual existence. To journey through the Chakras is to rediscover universal Human ideals and to examine and identify the stories we live by. An exploration of your Chakra system will challenge you to raise your awareness within the world to such a degree that you are able, through the manifest, to recognize the unmanifest; through the worldly, see the spiritual. It will also allow you to gracefully EMBODY the divine potential that you are.
Healing starts with identifying out patterns and rewriting what no longer serves us. Our real strengths in life will not come from avoiding, but from moving towards and becoming completely and utterly intimite with the parts of ourselves that we've most feared. We will explore fearlessness as a means of moving through fear, we challenge our potential, reinstate our integrity, and explore the relationship we have with ourselves through discipline and commitment.
A journey through the Chakras will allow you to explore different paradigms of experience, different elucidations of the mind, the profound truth of the heart, the power and possibility of grace, your own individualized expression of Balance, the power you have to touch into the Infinite space of pure connection, and your ability to create through intention; thought, word, and deed. It will guide you through processes of aligning with your potential and open up the possibility of fearless authenticity, of expressing and living as your highest and Truest expression of You. You will learn of the beauty and growth that comes from being challenged; that the greatest test is not the situation you find yourself in, but how you choose to respond to it.
The whole process of learning is really the process of uncovering and rediscovering what we already know.
The path of yoga is a path that invites us to intimately join this dance of life.
That is the process we will undergo together.
What are the Chakras?
What are the Chakras?
Chakra One: Muladhara
Earth, Physical identity, oriented to self-preservation
Located at the base of the spine, this chakra forms our foundation. It represents the element earth, and is therefore related to our survival instincts and to our sense of grounding and connection to our bodies and the physical plane. This Chakra challenges us with Authentic Presence. What memories, experiences, emotions and conditions am I, consciously or subconsciously, embodying right now? What tribal laws, customs, beliefs, have i inherited that I project into the world? Where do these roots come from? Who planted it, and in what does it grow? The root chakra, when healthy, brings full expression to your physical existence. Ideally this chakra brings us health, prosperity, security, and dynamic presence.
Chakra Two: Svadhisthana
Water, Emotional identity, oriented to self-gratification
The second chakra, located in the abdomen, lower back, and sexual organs, is related to the element water, and to emotions and sexuality. It connects us to others through feeling, desire, sensation, and movement. Ideally this chakra brings us fluidity and grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment, and the ability to accept change. My first sense of "I". Once my safety is secured and my ground feels solid (first chakra), I can start to explore what it is I want. What brings me pleasure? What are my desires? What feels True to me? Svadhisthana tells us to LIVE our Truth, our deepest desire, in every moment. To let go of the need to control a situation and Trust that by iving our Truth we will effortlessly move into what most deeply serves. The future is a mystery, so we fully embrace the possibilites of Now. We ride the natural rhythms and oceanic tides from moment to moment to moment. We must be centered in our own path, living our own deepest desires, following our individual dharma, to truly share our gifts with the world.
Chakra Three: Manipura
IFire, Ego identity, oriented to self-definition
This chakra is known as the power chakra, located in the solar plexus. It rules our personal power, will, and autonomy, as well as our metabolism. It is the center of discernment, where we are clear in our intention and desire, effortlessly shedding what we know to be distractions on the path. It is the center where we create and/or let go of boundaries, honoring what Truly serves our highest expression of Self. Manipura is "the city of jewels," the seat of our personal power. When healthy, this chakra gives us energy, effectiveness, spontaneity, and non-dominating power.
Chakra Four: Anahata
Air, Social identity, oriented to radical self-acceptance. Anahata is about the cultivation of unconditional positive regard for everything that occurs in our life. What we resist are crystal clear reflections of the wholeness that we are not embracing. The purpose of the fourth Chakra is to get us to expand beyond our limited egos into a wider sense of connection with all of life.
It is related to love and is the integrator of opposites in the psyche: mind and body, male and female, persona and shadow, ego and unity, relative and absolute, conditional and unconditional. A healthy fourth chakra allows us to love deeply, feel compassion, have a deep sense of peace and connection. It allows us to look at challenges as opportunities, experiences as an opportunity to learn and expand, life as a time to live... and each person, as an opportunity to love.
Chakra Five: Vishuddha
Sound, Creative identity, oriented to self-expression. This is the chakra located in the throat and is thus related to communication, creativity, and the expression of our authentic Self. Vishuddha chakra is known as the purification centre. Here we experience the world symbolically through vibration, such as the vibration of sound representing language.The challenge and gift to all of us in life is to learn to fearlessly express who we are.When in harmony this Chakra will help us resonate with our self and with others, we find creative self expression and are in touch with playfulness, joy and innocence in our lives. We are able give and receive the truth and can hear our soul’s desire.
Chakra Six: Ajna
Light, Archetypal identity, oriented to self-reflection
This chakra is known as the brow chakra or third eye. It is related to the act of seeing, both physically and intuitively. As such it opens our psychic faculties and our understanding of archetypal levels. It is the center of non-dual awareness, the "witness" consciousness, where all paradox, or conflicting realities, are held and honored as part and parcel of the One Truth. When healthy it allows us to see clearly, in effect, letting us see the big picture.
Chakra Seven: Sahasrara
Thought, Universal identity, oriented to self-knowledge
The Sahasrara is the space of ineffable, pure consciousness. A state of enlightenment or oneness with the Universal truth of who you really are.The crown chakra relates to consciousness as pure awareness. It is our connection to the greater world beyond, to a timeless, spaceless place of all-knowing. When developed, this chakra brings us knowledge, wisdom, understanding, spiritual connection, and bliss.