Chakra Theory and Meditation
Chakras have been studied for thousands of years in eastern civilizations. The chakras can be conceptualised as spinning discs of energy that can be found along the length of the human body, starting at the base of the spine, up until the crown of the skull. They play an important role in eastern spirituality and medicine. Their locations correlate with several nerve bundles in our nervous system. Through awareness and meditation, we can activate these chakras and bring about their evolution. Chakra meditation can provide a systematic method to address both emotional and physical dysfunctions in the body.
The cycle of Samsara sums up our existence in our physical form. We begin as our astral and causal bodies are placed in a physical body. Our physical body experiences senses which allows us to interact with objects around us. As we experience objects, we begin to feel desire. We experience both pleasure and pain in our lifetime, which causes us to build attachments or aversions to different things. In our actions to gain or avoid these experiences, we can be perceived as performing good or bad actions. By doing good, we gain good karma, and by doing bad, we then would gain bad karma. We have Samskaras which can be seen as habitual ways of being. We can be habitually aggressive or passive for example. We go through our lives, gaining different forms of karma, which alter our experiences and reactions. The final step of the samsara cycle is death. Once our physical body has died, we enter the causal and astral realms for a time, assessing the karma and samskaras we experienced in our lives. We are given time to work through these before we begin another cycle of samsara. The length of time we spend between cycles will depend on how we lived our previous cycle.
We are composed of two energetic parts, Siva and Sakti. These two parts are one until we enter a new cycle of samsara and our physical bodies are formed. When this occurs, these two components split into separate parts. The Siva moves upward to our head and the Sakti moves downward to the base of our spine. This can be experienced as our thoughts feel localized to our brain. The energy of the Sakti is where our primal urges and desires come from.They do not originate in our minds, they seemingly rise up from our lower body. Through our life, we work towards joining these two forces once more by bringing our awareness to the energies of each chakra. They become stepping stones, reconnecting our higher and lower self.
Through chakra meditation, we can evaluate which parts of ourselves are dominant, and where we need to evolve as a being. We are able to bring our awareness to the karma and samskaras we have accumulated, and can choose to foster the behaviours and patterns we desire. By assessing the patterns we do not desire, we can choose to diminish and release these patterns altogether through awareness and conscious actions. An unbalanced or unevolved chakra can be excessive and deficient. This means that the habitual responses exhibited by each chakra are unhealthy or dysfunctional for a happy and healthy life. An individual with an excessive heart chakra may be overly dependent due to a parent that withheld love during their childhood. Their overcompensation for this past pain is evidence that their heart chakra needs to be observed and healed. Someone with the same past, who withdraws altogether in relationships shows a deficiency. They withdraw to avoid the past pain altogether. The more we are able to channel our awareness on a chosen chakra, the more effective we are able to awaken and balance said chakra.
Chakra meditation is a powerful way to bring balance to the chakras. It is said that when we die, we exit through the chakra that was the most dominant in our life. The goal of a yogi is to bring about harmony in the chakras, so that when the yogi dies, they will exit their body through their crown chakra. The regular practice of non- attachment with our personality and identity will help us to connect more with our higher chakras, allowing us to exit through them when we pass. As we go through our chakra meditation, we bring our awareness to each chakra, causing it to awaken and evolve. When we are able to do this, Prana is able to flow freely through the body. When opening the chakras, it is judicious to begin with the Muladhara chakra, as a sense of grounding and stability will be important when moving onto opening the Ajna and Sahasrara chakra.
The Muladhara Chakra is called the “Root Chakra” in english. It is located at the base of your spine and the urogenital organs. The astral emotions it is connected to are anger and strength. The causal thought linked with this chakra is bodily existence. This chakra is where our survival instinct comes from. When this chakra is awakened, we will feel safe and fearless when pursuing our path to reconnect with Siva. This chakra provides a foundation for the rest of you and it is the basis for how you connect with the physical world. When this chakra is imbalanced, one may experience anxiety, nightmares and even eating disorders.
The next chakra is Svadhisthana. In english, this is known as the sacral chakra. It is associated with the urogenital organs, much like the Muladhara chakra. The astral emotions linked with this chakra are fear and lust. The causal thoughts associated with this chakra are justifications. This chakra is the origin of your unconscious urges. These urges are then acknowledged by your consciousness, located in your upper chakras. This is why urges can seemingly come out of nowhere, since they are not created where your thoughtful mind is located. This chakra is also associated with your sexuality and creative expression. This foundational chakra, when in harmony, will allow us to navigate the seductive pleasures in this world with a When it is imbalance, we can experience addictions, intimacy issues and inability to express one’s self creatively.
The Manipura chakra is located in your solar plexus and affects the digestive system. The astral emotions associated with this chakra are worry and contentment. The causal thoughts are fearing and hoping for the future. This is where we begin to give unnecessary meaning to things such as assuming a certain life path will equate to a number of things that we cannot be certain of. This chakra, when out of balance, can cause disorders in the digestive system as well as the pancreas. This chakra is also linked with will power, strength and energy. As the metabolism is closely associated with the Manipura chakra, our energy levels are greatly affected when this chakra is out of balance. We experience a strong sense of purpose and confidence when this chakra is balanced.
The Anahata chakra is located at the heart and influences the circulatory system. The astral thoughts of this chakra are joy and jealousy. The causal thoughts are that we can be winning or losing, or that others are right or wrong. This is where our judgments are formed. When this chakra is open, feelings of compassion and empathy are felt for one’s self and others. The heart chakra is considered the bridge between the upper and lower chakras. It is where we integrate all that is manifest and the spiritual qualities of the self higher consciousness. The thymus gland is located behind the sternum, just above the heart chakra and it produces hormones that aid the immune system. It has been shown that stress can inhibit the proper function of the thymus gland. By bringing the heart chakra into balance, you can experience better function in the thymus gland, which can improve the immune system.
The Vissudha chakra is located in the throat and influences the respiratory system. The astral emotions of this chakra are grief and poignancy. The causal thoughts are attention and reflection. This is the chakra through which we express vocally ourselves with the world. When it is balanced, we are able to communicate clearly, and authentically. Imbalances can cause speaking too much or too little. Mantras are sacred sounds that we can chant, which, depending on the chosen mantra, can affect a specific chakra. With this chakra, we can express our authentic selves to the external world as well as our internal communication with ourselves. We are able to listen and understand others deeply when this chakra is balanced.
The Ajna chakra is located between the eyebrows and is connected to the central nervous system. It is also known as the third eye chakra. The astral emotion of this chakra is transcendental bliss. The causal thought is reason without prejudice. This chakra is linked with our intuition, and when balanced, we are better able to connect with the inner wisdom we all possess. This chakra is best balanced through meditation and disconnecting from the illusion of identity.
The Sahasrara chakra is located at the crown of the head and is associated with the central nervous system. In english, it is known as the crown chakra. The astral thought of this chakra is transcendental bliss, much like the Ajna chakra. This chakra connects us with the divine energy and allows us to gain the awareness that everything is connected. It is when we are experiencing through our crown chakra that we have an innate knowledge that at a fundamental level, we are eternal.
The chakras play a vital role in Kundalini yoga. The coiled serpent of the kundalini energy resides in Muladhara, the lowest chakra. The chakras allow the power to ascend through the energetic channel of sushumna, upwards, towards the crown chakra, Sahasrara Chakra. When this occurs, the prana-Shakti, is reunified with the Siva, and bliss consciousness is triggered. Through Kundalini yoga, the yoga practitioner draws the serpent's energy up, through the chakras, to experience Samadhi, which is the ultimate goal of all Yoga practices. This is a challenging endeavour however, where few successfully raise the energy to the final level in the crown of the head.
Chakras give anyone a clear roadmap to assess their own lives and improve every aspect, both mental and physical. The concept of chakras has been explored thoroughly through a spiritual lense. Now that the scientific community has been exploring the vast spiritual knowledge that has been accumulated over lifetimes, we are able to see just how complex and incredible they are. Theories of electromagnetic energies within the body are being compared to the chakra theories of Yoga, and incredible similarities are being observed. By combining modern science-based techniques with ancient wisdom, we are better able to bring healing to both our physical bodies and our minds. Modern medicine has neglected the importance of spiritual health until recently. As we evolve further as a species, it will be interesting to see how much more these two sides of ourselves will be integrated more fully.
References
Hewitt, James. The Complete Yoga Book: Yoga of Breathing, Yoga of Posture, Yoga of Meditation. Illustrated, Schocken, 1990.
Vishnu-Devananda, Swami. The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. Reprint, Harmony, 1995. DVD:
Chakra Theory and Meditation. Directed by Ian Albert and Mark Holmes, Pranayama, 2007. Websites:
Wisneski, Len, and Lucy Anderson. “The Scientific Basis of Integrative Medicine.” Evidence- based Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol. 2,2 (2005): 257–259. doi:10.1093/ecam/ neh079