Chakras.
Chakras
Chakras are bindu points or portals that transmute energy from one form to another form. The word chakra, in Sanskrit, translates to wheel. From this definition, it is understood that chakras are rotating, turning vortexes located in the subtle body where multiple energy pathways (nadis) intersect. The nadis correspond to the nerves but are much subtler in nature. They culminate at certain areas in the body, which can be stimulated to control the circulation of prana (life force energy). In addition to operating at the level of the subtle body, the chakras also permeate the gross physical body and the entire human structure.
High vibration life force energy can shift into a lower vibration form that our physical body can utilize. As studied by the sages, there are seven major chakras located along the pathway of the sushumna nadi, which flows through the center of the spinal cord. The sushumna originates at the perineum at the base of the spine and terminates at the top of the head.
These swirling vortexes of life force along the sushumna each represent an aspect of consciousness. The seven essential levels provide an inner mapping for our spiritual journey and form a system that invites us to claim the full spectrum of our human existence.
Energetic Pathways
The sanskrit word nadi is derived from the root nad, which means “flow”, “motion” or “river of immortality”. According to ancient Tantric texts, the human body contains 72,000 nadis that channel prana (life force) to every cell within our body. When these pathways flow freely like water, we are vital and healthy. When they become weak or congested, we struggle with poor health and dis-ease in our physical and energetic bodies.
The nadis correspond to the nerves and blood vessels in the body but are much subtler in nature. Bundles of nerves called ganglia unite in specific areas of the body creating organizational centers for reception, assimilation and expression of various life force energy. Like nerve ganglia, the nadis culminate at certain areas in the body, which can be stimulated to control the circulation of prana. In addition to operating at the level of the subtle body, the chakras also permeate the gross physical body and the entire human structure. It is important to note that the nadis and chakras are not a physical aspect of our bodies, but they are intimately related to our physical being through their energetic influences.
As studied by the sages, the seven major chakras are located along the pathway of the sushumna nadi. The sushumna is considered the most important of the nadis. It flows through the center line of the body and corresponds with the spinal cord, but is not visible in any sense. The sushumna originates at the perineum at the base of the spine and terminates at the top of the head. The sushumna is the channel through which kundalini shakti (the psychic spiritual force that lies dormant in every human and has the potential for awakening higher states of consciousness), can rise up from its origin at the root chakra (Muladhara), to its home at the crown chakra (Sahasrara). In subtle body terms, the sushumna nadi is considered the path to enlightenment.
On either side of the sushumna lie two additional prominent nadis, the ida and the pingala, which represent opposing forces flowing within us. These nadis flow up the sushumna like a double helix crossing each other at each of the major chakras. Eventually, all three nadis meet at the ajna chakra, the third-eye space between the eyebrows. The ida nadi has a circulation of energy that starts and ends on the left side of the sushumna and is known as the Chandra or moon nadi as it represents lunar qualities that are cooling and nurturing by nature. It is feminine, passive, creative, receptive and intuitive. The pingala nadi has a circulation of energy that starts and ends on the right side of the sushumna and is known as the Surya or sun nadi as it represents solar qualities that are warming and energizing by nature. It is more masculine, active, logical, productive and rational. Balancing ida and pingala, facilitates the rising of the latent serpent power of kundalini, and ultimately fuels higher spiritual conscious- ness.
Symbolic Pathways
The chakras represent vibrational levels of the astral body, each becoming more subtle as they ascend up the sushumna. Along this pathway, we transport from the more gross individual and personal realms of consciousness to the more subtle spiritual and universal realms. As well as being channels for energy into and out of the body, chakras can be worked with symbolically to help us understand our spiritual pathway through this life.
Each chakra can be seen to correspond to the lessons we must learn in this life, mapping a path through from the more dense lower chakras - the physical - to the higher vibration upper chakras - the spiritual. As Caroline Myss details, the chakras are “An archetypal description of human maturation in 7 distinct stages”. At each stage we get a more refined understanding of personal and spiritual power, and each level represents a life lesson we must learn in order to liberate ourselves. As we release the physical, we come closer to our divine union - a concept mirrored in many spiritual traditions such as the seven sacraments of Christianity, the levels of the Kabbalah, and the vibrational dimensions of existence in shamanism.
The Chakras and Yoga
The chakra system comes to us from yoga – which means yoke or union. In yoga, we use postures, meditation, mantras, mudras, visualization and breathing to help unify ourselves with our divine nature or higher self. The chakra system describes a way in which we yoke the mind with body, spirit and matter, helping us to reclaim our wholeness. But in order for our chakras to do their job and help unlock the separation between mind and body, they must be open, clear and functional. Bringing ida and pingala into equilibrium is an important aspect of this functionality, and is a major focus of hatha yoga. In fact, the term hatha symbolizes this balance. The word hatha is composed of ha and tha. Ha represents the rational, solar qualities, the vital force, of pingala, and tha represents the intuitive, lunar qualities, the consciousness of ida. The practices of hatha yoga are so effective because they strengthen the energetic pathways, invigorating the nadis so that they can move through any obstructions that block the flow of energy in our bodies.
Using the chakras as a point of concentration in our yogic practice helps to stimulate the flow of prana and activate the primary energy centers in a way that creates balance and stability in our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. Therefore, knowledge of the chakras and their application to yoga can be a powerful tool for personal development, healing and transformation. Below is a list of the seven major chakras with a brief description of the qualities and healing aspects of each energy center. Understanding the specific mapping and essence of each chakra is one way in which we can develop more insight to the physical and subtle realms of our human organism as it applies to us as yogis and yoga teachers.
Healing Through Chakras
When all parts of you (all of your chakra centers) are communicating equally and working in alliance with each other, we have little or no energy disorders. Blocked energy in our chakras can often lead to illness, so it is important to understand what each chakra represents so we know how to recognize and heal blockage when it occurs, to keep our life energy flowing freely.
One of the first principles of holistic healing is to understand ourselves as energy beings. Everything that we experience and every illness that occurs is related to issues on the physical, mental, emotional and energetic planes. Correct management of our personal power is central - if it drains to an area of your life that doesn’t coincide with our spiritual development, we lose our overall source of power. This leads to a drained system and manifests as various illnesses depending on where the power is draining to. It is important to direct our power where our intuition tells us, and identify the areas of our lives which are taking up our energy. When we have balanced relationships of giving and receiving with the people, roles, situations and environments we interact with, we maintain a state of equilibrium and therefore health.
Another principle that is often underestimated is the power we each have to heal ourselves. When we look at ourselves as energetic beings, with each aspect of our lives and experience intertwined with our bodies, we see that at the center of our healing process is ourselves. Others may help us to generate the best environment for healing, but if we do not take the steps needed to redress imbalances, then we will not be able to fully heal. The most powerful healing touch is our own.
The best and most fundamental way to heal ourselves is to identify the repetitive patterns that are causing us to drain our power. We start with self-evaluations, seeing beyond the physical manifestations of our imbalances and identifying any energy leaks that are causing us to lose power. We can learn what draws power from us and focus on the sacred lessons that the illness is inviting us to learn. When we learn to interpret life’s challenges symbolically, we can fix the underlying patterns that are causing the imbalance in the first place. We learn that each choice we make leads us either closer or further away from spirit.
When we have identified the imbalance and begin to work on fixing the underlying patterns that cause it, we can compliment our work with ‘chakra cleansing’ - removal and/or transmutation of stagnant or mis- placed energy, ‘chakra balancing’ - the reintegration of our chakras with each other so they are communicating in a more balanced way, chakra meditations - helping us to increase awareness and energy flow to all parts of ourselves, and chakra journeying - helping us to understand the stories and patterns that are held in each energy center. We can literally feed ourselves with life energy through treatments such as reiki, cranio-sacral therapy or visualization, and we can cleanse through processes such as journeying, shamanic energy healing, breathwork and sacred plant medicines. We can stimulate chakra flow with vibration of corresponding col- ors or sound/mantras. And concentration on chakras while performing yogic practices stimulates flow of energy and helps to activate them.
With greater awareness of our energetic anatomy, we can better under- stand the imbalances that contribute to trouble and dis-ease in our physical body. Additionally, as yoga practitioners and teachers, we can consider the union that exists between individual consciousness and cosmic consciousness. Cleansing and balancing the chakras will help maintain the flow of energy, thereby creating the state of unification between these two states of consciousness.
Imbalances
Deficiency: Neither receives appropriate energy nor easily manifests that chakra’s energy in the world. Sense of being physically and emotionally closed down in the area of a deficient chakra, with a need for the chakra to open more. Example: Slumped shoulders of someone who is depressed and lonely, their fourth (heart) chakra receding into their chest.
Through our yoga, meditation and pranayama practices, we purify these energy centers, generating good health and maintaining equilibrium.
Excessive: Chakra is too overloaded to operate in a healthy way and be- comes a dominating force in a person’s life. Example: Someone with an excessive fifth (throat) chakra might talk too much and be unable to listen well.
Note: In the case of a chronic imbalance, this might show itself alter- nately as deficiency or excessiveness, just as a leaky faucet might be unpredictable.
Chronic imbalance: Someone who has perhaps suffered during the time of that chakras development, or who has a serious imbalance or ingrained pattern, that manifests as a tendency towards imbalance over a long period of time. Example: Someone who has suffered abuse and has a lifetime tendency towards deficient or excessive energy in the second chakra.
Acute imbalance: A momentary or short-term imbalance caused by a one-off situation or factor. Example: Someone who has been evicted from their house and has a short-term imbalance in their first chakra.