Chakra Awareness
Chakra awareness becomes more of a reality when we become aware that we are much more than a physical being. Realising this adds enormous wisdom and depth to our self-awareness and self-consciousness, and is a key to health, well-being and healing on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.
This is achieved not by simply learning about this from books or other people but more so by experiencing first-hand, by direct perception, the energy that flows through and around your body via energy pathways called nadis which feed into the chakra system.
It can be experienced first-hand:
- during meditation
- during yoga,
- during bodywork and other treatments
- during energy balancing sessions
The perceptions of this energy can be in the form of:
- light (even when eyes closed)
- warmth, heat (and occasionally cold)
- physical reactions such as jumping, twitching, coughing, sighs and deep breaths
- emotional release
- a feeling of an energy current flowing through the body
- buzzing or tingling in the body
- a sense of deep peace, calm or ‘drifting’ within
- ‘hearing’, ringing, buzzing or other sounds
- ‘Energy’ flowing up and/or down the spine
Chakras – an introduction
To appreciate the chakra system, we must first understand that as well as being physical in nature, our body also has various energetic bodies occupying the same space and emanating out from it (the Aura) for metres! There are 7 energy bodies (see image below), in total, each vibrating at its own frequency. These energy bodies interweave with one another, starting from the physical body, and going outwards. The 7 ‘bodies’ are Physical, Etheric, Astral (also known as Emotional), Mental, Causal (also known as Spiritual), Monadic and Divine.
Underlying and supporting every activity of the physical body (e.g., muscular, skeletal, immune, organ, brain, and nervous system), the energy system forms a matrix or blueprint that the body uses to sustain as well as heal itself. This energy has been given various names in different cultures, for example, Prana, Chi, Ki, Life Force and Vital Force. This energy connects throughout the body via channels called nadis, which feed into the 7 main energy centres, commonly called the Base, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye and Crown chakras, (see diagram above).
These 7 main chakras are linked up and down the spine by 3 major intertwining energy channels called nadis: the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna, (see diagram below). There are also thousands of minor chakras and thousands of secondary nadis throughout the body. The chakras permeate through all the energy bodies, not just the physical, and are focal points for the receiving, accumulation, and distribution of the various forms of subtle energies from within and around us and enabling them to be utilised by the body.
‘Chakra’ is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘wheel’. These ‘wheels’ are in constant rotation, and their vortex-like activity helps to activate the energy in the chakras and helps facilitate its distribution to the body parts associated with each specific chakra.
When a chakra is not functioning optimally the energy flow is disturbed, and the organ systems and body parts served by that chakra will be affected. These disturbances show up as symptoms. Overall good health is supported by the harmonious flow of energy through our chakra system. However, the chakra system’s functioning may become sub-optimal for many reasons.
All our energy systems benefit from the positive effects of healthy food, exercise, sunshine, water, a healthy environment, relaxation, meditation, and sleep, and most importantly positive thoughts, attitudes, healthy relationships, and a connection with a higher power – some call this ‘power’ the ‘Higher Self”, Divine, God or Spirit.
Optimum chakra energy flow is significantly diminished by negative, limiting, and stressful thought patterns, holding on to past resentments, anger and guilt, as well as excessive worrying about the present moment or the future. Our chakra system gives us ideal ‘observation points’ for looking into ourselves and observing what ‘lessons’ are here for us to learn right now, (i.e., we will get specific symptoms in specific areas). The Chakra Wisdom affirmations and other information in this book will assist you in balancing the chakra system, and help you gain additional insights into how to evolve in a positive uplifting way.
Any time you have symptoms, it is wise to ask yourself, “What lesson (or lessons) is my body ‘hinting’ I could learn right now?” If we are taking medicines, we can ask ourselves, “What part did I play in needing these medicines?” We do not do this to make ourselves feel guilty, but rather to take responsibility for where we find ourselves in life right now, and to gain insights into ourselves. Sometimes we may need to take medicines. When this is so you can do your best to listen to your body, and maintain a balanced lifestyle, which in many cases can lead to you requiring less medicine and/or recovering faster.
Some symptoms can also be of genetic, environmental, or traumatic origin. When this is the case, you can do your best to listen to your body and observe your thought processes as a way of gaining awareness and understanding of yourself. This can assist you in maintaining the best health possible in your circumstances.
Many therapies and activities can assist in balancing our chakra energy system and encourage the body and mind to heal, as well as facilitate clearer self-awareness for positive change. Many therapies also seek to address the underlying causes of our symptoms so that we can learn the ‘lessons’, which usually revolve around changing our outdated and/or unbalanced thought processes (regarding the past, present, and future) and improving our lifestyle choices.
Beneficial therapies and activities include Integrated Massage (see my other post: Integrated Massage Therapy – a wonderful mind, body balancing tool), energy balancing bodywork, osteopathy, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, reflexology, dancing, yoga, counselling, spiritual guidance, exercise, music, singing, aromatherapy, meditation, homeopathy, being in nature, mindfulness techniques, reading uplifting literature, decluttering our surroundings, and of course, positive affirmations. (Other ways to balance each chakra will be found in the ‘Chakras – Balanced and Unbalanced Characteristics’ chart on page 67 of my book Chakra Wisdom Workbook available at Shop ).
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