reiki healing

7 Chakra 1 The term Chakra has its roots in the ancient Sanskrit word Chakram, which literally means ‘wheel’ and refers to the seven wheel like energy centers in a human body. Thus, these are whorls of energy located in the subtle body of an individual where reception and transmission of energies take place. It can be said that the state of each of the 7 chakra correlates to major nerve ganglia originating from our spinal cords and reflects the physical health and the psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of a person.

Starting from the lower most, base chakra of Muladhar, it can be said that, located at the last bone of the spinal cord, or the area between the genitals and the anus, the Muladhar Chakra is commonly known as the Base or Root Chakra and is symbolized by a red lotus with four petals. Standing for instinct, survival and group identity, it is what grounds men and gives them the security of belonging to a group, their identity. The feeling that you experience when you hear your country’s national anthem, watch your country win a gold medal or witness the marriage of your best friend, are the workings of this chakra.

The second of the 7 chakras is that of Swadhisthana which is symbolized by an orange, six petalled lotus and is located above the Muladhar Chakra in the human sacrum. Known to become distinct since the age of 7, it stands physically for reproduction while mentally for relationships, partnership, making choices, basic emotional needs, and pleasure.

The third of the 7 chakra is that of the Manipura Chakra, symbolized by a yellow lotus with 10 petals and is located near the pancreas region and thus physically relates to the digestive and metabolism process in man. While the Muladhar and the Swadhisthana chakras were about group/tribal power and the power between self and others respectively, this chakra completes the trilogy and stands for the personal power of the individual, the formation of individuality and the sense of ‘self’ as against the external world. Thus, becoming distinct from the time of puberty, it is all about self respect, self esteem, ambition, personality characteristics, strength of character, etc.

The green lotus with 12 petals symbolizes the fourth Anahata Chakra which is physically linked to the heart and the immune system of man. It can be called as the central powerhouse of the human energy system, the meeting point of body and spirit, earth and heaven, Eros and agape. Spiritually it is all about divine love and it stands for complex emotions such as unconditional love, compassion, trust, inspiration, hope, rejection, equilibrium and the like.

Body Chakras 1

The Body Chakras are an ancient Hindu science in itself of understanding the way a man is or his well being in the entirety, that is, physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. The Body Chakras are seven energy centers placed in a vertical line along the human body in its subtle within. Scientifically speaking, each of these body are linked to the major nerve ganglia from the spinal cord and correlates to levels of consciousness, archetypal elements, developmental stages of life, body functions and much more.

The Base Body Chakra of Muladhar located at the last bone of our spinal cord is all about group force and group identity. Physically it is connected to our immunity system, legs, rectum, bones and feet. Its strength can be felt for example, when you watch your country win a gold medal. Any blockage or misdirection results in problems in the above areas of the body along with viral and epidemics.

After the power of your group identity, the Swadhisthana or Sacral body chakra is all about the power of relationships and the power of choice. This duality results in the energies to tell us to make a choice and thereafter gives the lesson that you can not have absolute control. The common fears in this case are fear of loosing control on other people, relationships, money, authority, sex, power, addiction, etc Known as the sacral body chakra, physically it is linked to reproduction and can give rise to ovarian cancer, arthritis, lower back pain, etc. if not directed properly.

The third body chakra of Manipura or the Solar Plexus chakra becomes active from the time of puberty and signifies the personal power of an individual. It is here that the individualism or the concept of self develops. While the positives of this body chakra involve self respect, self esteem, ambition, courage, ethics, etc, the negative aspects include fear of rejection, criticism, physical appearance consciousness. Channelizing this energy enhancing one’s inner power results in an empowered, healthy and successful individual.

The center power house of all the body chakras and the human energy system is the Anahata or the heart chakra which stands for emotional power and is the meeting point of body and spirit. While the primary fears here are those of loneliness, commitment, emotional weakness, betrayal, etc, the strengths lie in unconditional love, forgiveness, trust, inspiration and hope. The negative energy of this chakra has the power to not only emotionally wound but create serious ill health issues and thus the act of forgiveness is not only a spiritual act but a major physical healing act as well.

The fifth of the body chakras is that of Vishuddha Chakra or throat chakra, which is the power of will. The key issue here is the contradiction between emotional struggles and the power of choice. Thus, the fear of having no control on our lives and fear about the will of god brings in the realization that faith is everything. This body chakra is thus the meeting point of the head and the heart with one dominating the other.

The sixth of the body chakras is the chakra of Ajna or the third eye. Located between the eyebrows it is all about the energy that can be directed and channelized through meditation in opening up the sub conscious realms of our psychological forces. This chakra detaches us from all subjective perceptions and opens up the mind for the separation of truth from illusion.

The final of the body chakras, or the Sahasrara chakra at the crown of one’s head is one which houses all positive energies. It is aligned to the ultimate spiritual enlightenment and thus generates the energy which paves the way for devotion, inspiration, prophetic thought, mystical connection, psychic powers and in short the attainment of moksha, knowledge about the ultimate universal truth, experience of the soul’s immortality and omnipotence and realization of one’s true potential.

How to open a chakra 1

The human body has seven chakras placed in a vertical line starting form the crown of the head till the base of the spine. According to ancient Hinduism, these are the life force centers of a person, through which energy is received and transmitted and is linked with the infinite energy of the universe. Thus for the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual wellbeing of a person, these chakras need to be opened. In answering ‘How to open a chakra’, the best technique is to practice chakra meditation using mudras or hand positions coupled with Sanskrit sound vibrations that will align these energy meridians.

The base or root Chakra is called the Muladhar Chakra which is located at the last bone of the spine and is symbolized by a red lotus with four petals reflecting group identity and tribal power. To open this chakra, join the tips of your thumbs and index finger and concentrate on the area between your genitals and anus where this chakra is and then chant the Sanskrit sound ‘LAM’ slowly taking in deep breadths. Remember that the ‘a’ would be pronounced as ‘ah’ and end the M with ‘mng’ in a slightly resonating and vibrating mode.

The second is the Swadhisthana Chakra which is located in the sacrum and is symbolized by an orange lotus with six petals. To open this chakra place both your hands on your lap, the right one over the left, palm side up with the tips of both the thumbs touching each other and gradually chant the sound ‘VAM’ like you did in the previous case. Remember to concentrate on the sacral portion of your body or the lower back region while you’re doing this.

The Soar Plexus or the Manipura chakra is symbolized by a yellow lotus with ten petals. To open this chakra for improving personal power, bring both your hands in front of your stomach, just below your solar plexus joining the tips of each of your fingers excepting the thumb and then cross the thumbs over one another. Remember to keep your fingers straight which are pointing away from you and then chant the sound ‘RAM’.

The fourth and the central Anahata Chakra is symbolized by a green lotus with 12 petals and is said to be the central power house of the chakra system. To open the Anahata Chakra, start by sitting cross legged and then place your left hand on your left knee. Now with your right hand, join the tips of your thumb and index finger, and place it on your chest, at the lower part of your breast bone pointing inwards. Concentrate on the heart chakra and its symbol and chant the sound ‘YAM’.

To open the blue lotus with 16 petals of the Vishuddha or the throat chakra, join the tips of your thumbs and cross your fingers on the inside of your hands. Concentrate on the throat chakra resonating at the base of your throat and chant the sound ‘HAM’.

The Third Eye or the Ajna Chakra is the located between your eyebrows and symbolized by an indigo lotus with two petals. To open this chakra bring your hands in front of the lower part of your breast. Now, join the tips of your middle fingers pointing upwards, bend all other fingers inside, the index fingers being joined at the phalanges and then join the tips of your thumbs pointing downwards and meditate by chanting the strongest sound of the universe ‘OM’ or ‘AUM”.

Lastly, to open the Sahasrara Chakra, which is a violet Lotus with a thousand petals of the ultimate spiritual enlightenment, bring your hands in front of your stomach and join your hands crossing all fingers with the left thumb below the right. Now, lift both the ring fingers and let them join at the tips pointing upwards. Remember that one needs to have very strong base chakra before trying to open this one. Concentrate on the chakra at the crown of your head and chant the sound of creation ‘NG’ and let it vibrate and resonate all across your chakra system and being.