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Thursday, January 21, 2016

Chakra: More Details About It



There are numerous philosophies that believe there is a universal life force that exists everywhere around us and flows through the physical bodies off all living things through channels. In Indian philosophy, there are seven main points in the human body where the energy spirals. These are known as the Chakras, which comes from the Sanskirt word for Wheel or Disk. Each Chakra represents an important part of human existence. Whenever one of the Chakras is either under or over active, it is believed to affect the individual's physical and mental health, as well as prevent the flow of energy to move freely throughout the body. Keeping each of the Chakras balanced is not easy, and is considered to be a life long task.

Here are the Seven main Chakra points, from the lowest to the highest on the body, mostly believed to be located on the spine:

1.) Muladhara or Root Chakra, located at the base of the spine. This chakra is connected to our feeling of security which is achieved when our basic needs are met. When we have that sense of security, we find ourselves to be more stable individuals who can think clearly and deal with problems as they come from a more logical and calm perspective. When we don't satisfy our basic needs, or we overindulge, we can put ourselves in a situation where we become as stable as a tree without roots when a really bad situation arrives in our lives.

2.) Svadhisthana or Sacral Chakra, located above the pubic bone and below the navel. This chakra is connected to our creativity and sexuality. When we have found stability in our lives, we can begin to expand ourselves through creating a new life for ourselves, much like a seed in moist soil. In relationships, sex, in the right timing and situation, can be a sign of the willingness of both parties to let the bond grow deeper. Sex, once again in the right time and place, is nothing more than an expression of love that can create new life. While having our basic needs met is certainly important, it alone does not fill us with a sense of being truly alive. If you believe what you can create is not good enough or you feel guilty about things that happen in the past, you will prevent yourself from growing as an individual and creating a life worth living for yourself.

3.) Manipura or Solar Plexus Chakra, located between the naval and the breastbone. This chakra is connected to our sense of personal control and power in our lives. This is where your self confidence emerges from and it is from our sense of trust in our abilities that we can create real change in our lives. If you do not learn to believe in yourself, you will fail at everything you do. However, if you are arrogant about how "great" you are, you will likely fail as well and bring those you actually love down with you. There is a big difference in being Confident and aware of your abilities and being cocky.

4.) Anahata or Heart Chakra, located in the center of the chest. This is the Chakra connecting three lower (physical) points and the three Higher (spiritual/philosophical) ones. It serves as a bridge between our bodies and our souls, and is the source of our ability to love and connect. If you shut away your ability to love (not just romantic love but all forms of affection) out of fear of pain, you will lose your ability to connect with other people and that can lead to a very lonely life. However, if you focus too much on connecting to other people and showing all forms of love all the time, you may lose a sense of who you are as an individual and your own needs and dreams.

5.) Vishuddha or Throat Chakra, located in the wind pipe. This chakra point is connected to our verbal expression and to speak truth to others and ourselves. In a world where we are expected to please others for the sake of belonging, this can be a very difficult thing to do. There are not many people who wish to hear the truth, mainly because they do not want to deal with the reality that they were wrong and built a whole life based upon a lie. But without seeing and accepting things as they are, we can never find real stability to grow and be happy. Yes, not everything in life is pleasant, but it should not be allowed to paint a person's world into shades of black and grey.

6.) Ajna or The Third Eye, located at the center of the forehead. This Chakra is connected with our ability to see beyond the world's greatest illusions and tap into our own intuition. Many who follow pagan religions focus on this particular chakra more than others in hopes to gain "psychic powers", but trying to open just one of the chakras and not the rest is doomed to fail (Remember, in this belief system, all the chakras have to be balanced to become a healthy individual and tap into the full essence of each of them. Balancing only one and not the others will only end with that particular chakra becoming overactive, which is not good). It is one thing to understand truth, it is another to be able to see it in the daily patterns that constantly reveal themselves in our every day life and in society itself. When it is under-active, you go with life performing the same patterns and mistakes without ever learning the lesson that needs to be. When it is overactive, you get so lost seeing the patterns and trying to change them that you forget to ENJOY life, which is one of the greatest mistakes an individual can make. They can also get on quite a power trip and seriously annoy others who have achieved the same thing they have, unbalancing the solar plexus in themselves.

7.) Sahaswara or The Crown Chakra, located at the crown of the head. This Chakra deals with our connection to the Highest aspects of ourselves (commonly called the soul) and with the Divine in whatever form you see it as. It is through this chakra that one finds the "Spiritual experience" many chase for the majority of their lives. It is balanced by being aware that the physical form we take is only temporary and that the world goes on with or without us in it. Accepting this allows us to let go of worldly attachments (not that they will disappear from our lives if we do) and allow us not to try to possess people we love. Yes, they help us to feel happy, but they are also are individuals that need to be happy as well, not things to possess. When we do not accept this, we fall into a state of constant anxiety that what we love will slip away and ultimately a fear of death. This can also lead to a lack of empathy. When it is too active, we lose our ability to connect with others and with our physical lives, once again robbing us of our ability to enjoy life before we meet death.

And that is it, there is a very old way of looking at the physical body and how to live a healthy live. Now that the serious discussion is over, here is an example of how the Chakra system appears in the media and a way to see the wonder of this way of thinking, while also not being too serious. Enjoy!

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