Namaste Cafe


More on what chakras are and their psychological properties:

Chakras are centers of energy, located on the midline of the body. There are seven of them, and they govern our psychological properties. The chakras located on the lower part of our body are our instinctual side, the highest ones our mental side.

The chakras can have various levels of activity. When they're "open," they're considered operative in a normal fashion.

Ideally, all chakras would contribute to our being. Our instincts would work together with our feelings and thinking. However, this is usually not the case. Some chakras are not open enough (being under-active), and to compensate, other chakras are over-active. The ideal state is where the chakras are balanced. To find out what the state of your chakras is, do the chakra test.

There exist lots of techniques to balance the chakras. Mostly techniques to open chakras are used. It makes no sense to try to make over-active chakras less active, as they are compensating for other chakras. To restore the compensation they'd be over-active again in no time. To stop them from compensating, the chakras they are compensating for must be opened. See the techniques to open chakras.


 

1 - Root chakra

The Root chakra is about being physically there and feeling at home in situations. If it is open, you feel grounded, stable and secure. You don't unnecessarily distrust people. You feel present in the here and now and connected to your physical body. You feel you have sufficient territory.

If you tend to be fearful or nervous, your Root chakra is probably under-active. You'd easily feel unwelcome.

If this chakra is over-active, you may be very materialistic and greedy. You're probably obsessed with being secure and resist change.

 

2 - Sacral chakra

The Sacral chakra is about feeling and sexuality. When it is open, your feelings flow freely, and are expressed without you being over-emotional. You are open to intimacy and you can be passionate and lively. You have no problems dealing with your sexuality.

If you tend to be stiff and unemotional or have a "poker face," the Sacral chakra is under-active. You're not very open to people.

If this chakra is over-active, you tend to be emotional all the time. You'll feel emotionally attached to people and you can be very sexual.

 

3 - Navel chakra

The Navel chakra is about asserting yourself in a group. When it is open, you feel in control and you have sufficient self esteem.

When the Navel chakra is under-active, you tend to be passive and indecisive. You're probably timid and don't get what you want.

If this chakra is over-active, you are domineering and probably even aggressive.

 

4 - Heart chakra

The Heart chakra is about love, kindness and affection. When it is open, you are compassionate and friendly, and you work at harmonious relationships.

When your Heart chakra is under-active, you are cold and distant.

If this chakra is over-active, you are suffocating people with your love and your love probably has quite selfish reasons.

 

5 - Throat chakra

The Throat chakra is about self-expression and talking. When it is open, you have no problems expressing yourself, and you might be doing so as an artist.

When this chakra is under-active, you tend not to speak much, and you probably are introverted and shy. Not speaking the truth may block this chakra.

If this chakra is over-active, you tend to speak too much, usually to domineer and keep people at a distance. You're a bad listener if this is the case.

 

6 - Third Eye chakra

The Third Eye chakra is about insight and visualization. When it is open, you have a good intuition. You may tend to fantasize.

If it is under-active, you're not very good at thinking for yourself, and you may tend to rely on authorities. You may be rigid in your thinking, relying on beliefs too much. You might even get confused easily.

If this chakra is over-active, you may live in a world of fantasy too much. In excessive cases hallucinations are possible.

 

7 - Crown chakra

The Crown chakra is about wisdom and being one with the world. When this chakra is open, you are unprejudiced and quite aware of the world and yourself.

If it is under-active, you're not very aware of spirituality. You're probably quite rigid in your thinking.

If this chakra is over-active, you are probably intellectualizing things too much. You may be addicted to spirituality and are probably ignoring your bodily needs.


 

You might also be interested in these books
about the chakras at Amazon.com

Chakras for Beginners by David Pond
A Guide to Balancing Your Chakra Energies
Description of the chakra system, essays on energy and some chakra meditations.

Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith
A User's Guide to the Chakra System
Information about the chakras, meditations and exercises for opening them.

Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith
Psychology and the Chakra System As a Path to the Self
Psychological approach to the chakras. Includes discussion of Lowen's character/body types.

 

Read all about;
How Thought Affects our Chakra Energy

 


Opening the Chakras

Chakra meditations that use mudras and sounds to open chakras

These chakra meditations use mudras, which are special hand positions, to open chakras. The mudras have the power to send more energy to particular chakras.
To enhance the effect, sounds are chanted. These sounds are from Sanskrit letters. When chanted, they cause a resonation in your body that you can feel at the chakra they are meant for.

For pronounciation, keep in mind that:
the "A" is pronounced as in "ah,"
the "M" is pronounced as "mng."

Do a meditation for 7 - 10 breaths. Chant the sound several times each breath (for example three times).

Check out these recommendations on working with your chakras.


Open the Root Chakra

Let the tips of your thumb and index finger touch.
Concentrate on the Root chakra at the spot in between the genitals and the anus.
Chant the sound LAM. Additional techniques to open the Root chakra

Mudra for Root chakra


Open the Sacral Chakra

Put your hands in your lap, palms up, on top of each other. Left hand underneath, its palm touching the back of the fingers of the right hand. The tips of the thumbs touch gently.
Concentrate on the Sacral chakra at the sacral bone (on the lower back).
Chant the sound VAM.

Mudra for Sacral chakra


Open the Navel Chakra

Put your hands before your stomach, slightly below your solar plexus. Let the fingers join at the tops, all pointing away from you. Cross the thumbs. It is important to straighten the fingers.
Concentrate on the Navel chakra located on the spine, a bit above the level of the navel.
Chant the sound RAM.

Mudra for Navel chakra


Open the Heart Chakra

Sit cross-legged. Let the tips of your index finger and thumb touch. Put your left hand on your left knee and your right hand in front of the lower part of your breast bone (so a bit above the solar plexus).
Concentrate on the Heart chakra at the spine, level with the heart.
Chant the sound YAM (as this mudra is particularly powerful, this may not be needed).

Mudra for Heart chakra


Open the Throat Chakra

Cross your fingers on the inside of your hands, without the thumbs. Let the thumbs touch at the tops, and pull them slightly up.
Concentrate on the Throat chakra at the base of the throat.
Chant the sound HAM.

Mudra for Throat chakra


Open the Third Eye Chakra

Put your hands before the lower part of your breast. The middle fingers are straight and touch at the tops, pointing forward. The other fingers are bended and touch at the upper two phalanges. The thumbs point towards you and touch at the tops.
Concentrate on the Third Eye chakra slightly above the point between the eyebrows.
Chant the sound OM or AUM.

Mudra for Third Eye chakra


Open the Crown Chakra

Put your hands before your stomach. Let the ring fingers point up, touching at their tops. Cross the rest of your fingers, with the left thumb underneath the right.
Concentrate on the Crown chakra at the top of your head.
Chant the sound NG.

Warning: don't use this meditation for the Crown chakra while you don't have a strong Root chakra (you need a strong foundation first).

Mudra for Crown chakra



 

You might also be interested in these books
about mudras and chakras at Amazon.com

Healing Mudras by Sabrina Mesko
Yoga for Your Hands
Mudras for soul, body and mind, to improve your well-being. Includes breathing methods and chants. Has clear photographs next to the descriptions.

Mudras by Gertrud Hirschi
Yoga in Your Hands
Mudras to heal physical and emotional conditions and spiritual ones. Has clear drawings.

Chakra Balancing Kit by Anodea Judith
A Guide to Healing and Awakening Your Energy Body
Workbook with lots of chakra exercises and two audio CD's containing guided meditations and music for balancing your chakras. Also a beautiful set of seven cards illustrating each chakra.

Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith
A User's Guide to the Chakra System
Information about the chakras, meditations and exercises for opening them.

 

 

Some recommendations for working with your chakras:

It's generally considered to be best to open the chakras from the lower chakras up. So you make sure that first the Root chakra is open and than you proceed to the Sacral chakra, then Navel, Heart, Throat, Third Eye and finally Crown chakra.

The Root chakra is the foundation. When the Root chakra is open, you're able to feel secure and welcome. Having opened this chakra, you'll feel you'll have territory.

Only when you feel secure and welcome, are you able to express feelings and sexuality appropriately, the domain of the Sacral chakra. This is generally contact with one person at a time. Feelings get you an idea of what you want and when you are aware of that, you can open the Navel chakra, to assert your wants, to decide upon them. This assertion is something that's done between people, in groups, in social situations. Being able to deal with social situations, you can form affectionate relationships, which is the domain of the Heart chakra. This tames the aggression of the Navel chakra. When relationships are formed, you are able to express yourself, by the Throat chakra. This is also the basis of thinking, which makes insight possible, by opening the Third Eye chakra. When all these chakras are open, you're ready for the Crown chakra, to develop wisdom, self-awareness and awareness of the whole.

What period of time you spend on each chakra, is something you'll have to find out for yourself. Be aware of how you feel and what you do and don't do. Notice if you really do need to open certain chakras and if you can sustain higher ones. It's probably a process of years, if not decades, although you'll be enjoying benefits immediately.

The test for the chakras can help you determine which ones you'll need to open. However, don't rely on this alone, but also read about the chakras in other contexts.

It's mostly a matter of being aware what your state is. To develop this awareness, it's a good idea to do meditation. Particularly vipassana meditation is recommended. It will not always be necessary to rigidly follow the order of the chakras, as long as you're aware of what's happening with you.

 

 

 

More techniques to open the Root Chakra root


Using the body and becoming aware of it:

The Root chakra, being the first chakra, is the most physical one. This means that any activity that makes one more aware of the body, will strengthen this chakra.

This particularly goes for physical activity. One can do sports, martial arts, walking, yoga, Tai Chi, it all helps. But also house-cleaning, manual dishwashing and car-cleaning. It is important not to do things that make one insensitive to pain and not to overdo it. Exhaustion is just not good.

Zen meditation is an activity that seems to be the contrary of physical, but actually is. This can make one very aware of the body.


Grounding:

The Root chakra is particularly about connecting to the ground. Expressions like "Be on firm ground" and "Getting on your feet again" convey a good connection and an open Root chakra. "To lose ground" and "Getting swept off your feet" convey a closed (or almost closed) Root chakra. When your Root chakra is closed too far, you may actually feel that your feet don't seem to really touch the ground.

This is an exercise to strengthen this connection to the ground.

Stand up straight and relaxed.
Put your feet shoulder width apart.
Slightly bend your knees.
Put your pelvis somewhat forward.
Keep your body balanced, so that your weight is evenly distributed over the soles of your feet.
Sink your weight downward.

Keep in this position for several minutes.


Contracting bottom muscles:

By contracting the muscles that are between the anus and the genitals, the Root Chakra is stimulated. At each inhalation, contract these muscles inward, at each exhalation, relax. Do this for a few minutes.

This can be done while sitting, standing or walking.
 

 

 

How Thought Affects our Chakra Energy.

You must learn that with every thought there is a reaction. This response can either energize you or decrease your life force. For example, when you have a negative thought:

Brain:
Negative thoughts cause the electricity of the brain to change.

Meridian:
Due to the change of the brain electricity, the meridian energy changes.

Organ:
The organs connected with the meridian are not properly nourished with vital energy and disease develops.

Chakra:
The astral energy feedback changes in the chakra due to the bad thought. This thought has less vitality as it is out of the cosmic tune. A block in the chakra occurs.

Aura:
Negative thinking drains away the energy of the aura. The colors become dull and the auric protection shield weaker. Negativity from the outside can pour in.

Law of Resonance:
When negative thoughts are radiated to the environment, all thoughts on that morphogenetic field will be attracted. The negativity becomes stronger and happens more often.

Negative thoughts are against the Godly plan of loving. Bad life conditions will be attracted.


............


Namaste Cafe Home         Site  Index

Serenity's Spiritual Creations