Chakras 101
“I believe the chakra system is the very structure by which the yoke of yoga is made. It describes a way to yoke mind with body, spirit with matter, and mortal with immortal in one comprehensive system.”
—Anodea Judith
As chakra work now appears regularly in this practice, to the best of my understanding, here’s a basic introduction for anyone who might be interested.
While perceptions of similar systems seem to have existed in many societies and traditions over the centuries, the one we’re most likely familiar with traces its origins back to ancient Hinduism. The name itself (pronounced with a hard “ch”) comes from Sanskrit and translates as “wheel” or “disc” — as each chakra is purportedly a spinning vortex of energy. And while we’re alleged to have hundreds of chakras in and around our bodies, my focus here is on the seven “major chakras” that run from the base of our spine to the top of our head and vice versa, as these are what I’ve seen (so far) in the work.
Like a prism, the chakra system’s role seems to be to split raw, Source energy into component frequencies that we can thereby access, serving as an interface for our physical bodies/psyches and the energetic template governing physicality. As my go-to chakra expert Anodea Judith puts it, chakras are “centres of organization for the reception, assimilation, and expression of life-force energy.” And just like prisms split light into a rainbow, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the corresponding vibrant colors associated with the major chakras (as seen above from root to crown). Each major chakra seems to serve not only particular physiological systems but also specific aspects of our spirit, emotions, and cognition. Additionally, each has a developmental stage, a central theme, a shadow side, corresponding glands and nerve ganglia, and an associated element, namely, earth, water, fire, air, sound, light, and consciousness, respectively.
Chakras are purportedly prone to becoming overactive, underactive, or blocked, and “balanced and open” seems to describe their ideal state. My observation in this practice is that they appear capable of holding emotional trauma for us just as our bodies seem to, and while there are many compatible 3D practices* that one can employ to balance and open one’s chakras, this work (as always) appears to allow us to directly heal the underlying issue at a subconscious level.
In my observation, chakra work generally looks like flipping on a master circuit rather than going from room to room to turn on each switch individually, and when a chakra appears in this work, I think we can trust that everything that it governs will benefit — along with our whole chakra system and our whole system in general. Please note that the “chakra alignments” that I sometimes encounter appear to be an overall system balancing and activation, and also, that when two or more chakras appear in a single session, I generally always see not only healing within each but also reestablishment of the communication between them.
Please scroll down for brief write-ups on each individual chakra, as always, please never hesitate with comments or feedback. May we interface unimpeded with all that we are energetically.
🙏
*Tangible practices to open and balance the chakras might include: specific yoga poses, meditations, foods, physical exercises, crystals, herbs, essential oils, breathing exercises ("Pranayama"), or simply surrounding oneself with the chakra’s color! Another practice can be to chant the particular Bija mantra (“seed sound”) of a specific chakra, and I include these in the write-ups. (Each is spelled with an “am” and rhyme somewhere between “mom” and “yum.”) At the most basic level, can we also simply a) watch our posture, and b) bring our focus to any given chakra’s location — and perhaps ask it how it’s feeling and if it has anything to tell us?
Please also consider the following affirmations paraphrased from Heidi Spear:
I AM safe and supported.
I allow myself to feel.
I allow myself to act.
I love and I receive love.
I speak and I listen.
I AM light and I see.
I AM.
“I believe the chakra system is the very structure by which the yoke of yoga is made. It describes a way to yoke mind with body, spirit with matter, and mortal with immortal in one comprehensive system.”
—Anodea Judith
As chakra work now appears regularly in this practice, to the best of my understanding, here’s a basic introduction for anyone who might be interested.
While perceptions of similar systems seem to have existed in many societies and traditions over the centuries, the one we’re most likely familiar with traces its origins back to ancient Hinduism. The name itself (pronounced with a hard “ch”) comes from Sanskrit and translates as “wheel” or “disc” — as each chakra is purportedly a spinning vortex of energy. And while we’re alleged to have hundreds of chakras in and around our bodies, my focus here is on the seven “major chakras” that run from the base of our spine to the top of our head and vice versa, as these are what I’ve seen (so far) in the work.
Like a prism, the chakra system’s role seems to be to split raw, Source energy into component frequencies that we can thereby access, serving as an interface for our physical bodies/psyches and the energetic template governing physicality. As my go-to chakra expert Anodea Judith puts it, chakras are “centres of organization for the reception, assimilation, and expression of life-force energy.” And just like prisms split light into a rainbow, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the corresponding vibrant colors associated with the major chakras (as seen above from root to crown). Each major chakra seems to serve not only particular physiological systems but also specific aspects of our spirit, emotions, and cognition. Additionally, each has a developmental stage, a central theme, a shadow side, corresponding glands and nerve ganglia, and an associated element, namely, earth, water, fire, air, sound, light, and consciousness, respectively.
Chakras are purportedly prone to becoming overactive, underactive, or blocked, and “balanced and open” seems to describe their ideal state. My observation in this practice is that they appear capable of holding emotional trauma for us just as our bodies seem to, and while there are many compatible 3D practices* that one can employ to balance and open one’s chakras, this work (as always) appears to allow us to directly heal the underlying issue at a subconscious level.
In my observation, chakra work generally looks like flipping on a master circuit rather than going from room to room to turn on each switch individually, and when a chakra appears in this work, I think we can trust that everything that it governs will benefit — along with our whole chakra system and our whole system in general. Please note that the “chakra alignments” that I sometimes encounter appear to be an overall system balancing and activation, and also, that when two or more chakras appear in a single session, I generally always see not only healing within each but also reestablishment of the communication between them.
Please scroll down for brief write-ups on each individual chakra, as always, please never hesitate with comments or feedback. May we interface unimpeded with all that we are energetically.
🙏
*Tangible practices to open and balance the chakras might include: specific yoga poses, meditations, foods, physical exercises, crystals, herbs, essential oils, breathing exercises ("Pranayama"), or simply surrounding oneself with the chakra’s color! Another practice can be to chant the particular Bija mantra (“seed sound”) of a specific chakra, and I include these in the write-ups. (Each is spelled with an “am” and rhyme somewhere between “mom” and “yum.”) At the most basic level, can we also simply a) watch our posture, and b) bring our focus to any given chakra’s location — and perhaps ask it how it’s feeling and if it has anything to tell us?
Please also consider the following affirmations paraphrased from Heidi Spear:
I AM safe and supported.
I allow myself to feel.
I allow myself to act.
I love and I receive love.
I speak and I listen.
I AM light and I see.
I AM.