Swadhishtana, chakras contd...

The second chakra is Swadhishtana. Swa = self, Adhishtana = Dwelling/rule/abode and etc. Swa+Adhishtana = Swadhishtana, meaning, self's dwelling.

It is orange in colour and is represented by a six petaled white lotus. each petal signifying the 6 vrittis of our conscious:  affection, pitilessness, feeling of all -destructiveness, delusion, disdain and suspicion. Deities in texts differ as per system. Some of which i Know of are Varuna (rain god)/Subrahmanya/Vishnu/Rakini. Element is water. In body it is associated with the tongue and the sense of taste, genitalia, reproductive system, ovaries, testes and  hormones. Psychologically it governs the sense of enjoyment, how we relate to others? our creativity, self-awareness. The moola mantra of this chakra is "VAM".

This chakra is said to be the center of human creativity and self expression through creativity. which may include, art of any form, sexuality and the way a person interacts and relates to people is governed by this chakra. This is said to be one of the more conscious of chakras. This is where the sense of self, me, I and mine dwells. It works in very close association with Muladhara which is more a unconscious chakra. A person's way of treating other people and self depends highly on this chakra. When chakra highly active, he/she tends to use people of their enjoyment/gain/selfish reasons. Enjoyment is the key feeling of this chakra. The amount of enjoyment of any kind a person derives in their life emanates from balanced functioning of this chakra. Over indulgence or complete disconnectedness all are the result of imbalances in this chakra. Creativity of any kind; painting, music, dancing, reproduction, being eloquent, forming lasting relationships all are related to this chakra. In short, the proper balance of this chakra is a key for our happiness in life. Being creative and being able to express it positively through art, relationships or in any other form is highly elevating and enjoyable.

It is said that in meditation practice to self realization, this is the highly challenging chakra as this is where one has to overcome sexual desires. A person who masters this chakra and rises his/her awareness completely to this chakra is said to have siddhis of: freedom from enemies, the status of a lord among yogis, eloquence and clarity, loss of fear of water, awareness of astral entities, and the ability to taste anything desired for oneself or others. Awakening of any of the chakras must be done under the supervision of a guru who has already has this awakening. Trying to go about this path alone can result in serious hospitalization and in some cases death as well.

A person with an overactive Swadhishtana may be self centered, look at people and everything objectively, creative, overtly elated and to a certain degree possessive. A person with underactive Swadhishtana may have creative blockages, may not bond or gel with people well, depressed, bitter and etc. 

To balance the chakra, any kind of energy healing like Reiki and IET are very helpful. They gently help clear blockages and clear and align chakras. or one may meditate on this chakra with the beeja mantra LAM chanting out loud or within the mind with an intention just to clear and balance this chakra . Vibrations in the mantra help clear and balance it, or one may meditate on the colour orange or to the sound of flowing water. Or yogasanas such as seated pelvic circles (sitting in padmasana/lotus pose and doing torso circles clockwise and anticlockwise), badhakonasana (butterfly pose) and Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) help in balancing and clearing energies in this chakra. Yogasana must be practiced only after availing your doctor's consent if you have any health issues. Crystals like Carnaline, orange Calcite, fire Agate, orange Topaz, Sun stone, orange Chalcedony are great to use to clear and balance this chakra. 

Try the meditation on the below and see how you feel. 

Next Monday: Manipura Chakra.

Sources: Wikipedia, ashramayoga.com, chopra.com, sunnyray.com, chakracha.ru and youtube.

MULADHARA/MOOLADHARA, Chakras contd..

Muladhara/Mooladhara is the first or the base of all the 7 chakras. Mula = root/base/source/origin and adhara = Support/foundation/ground. So muladhara chakra means the root support or the support base of  energy, which sleeps dormant within the yellow square of this four petaled lotus.  It is also represented by a small triangle pointing downwards symbolizing divine energy being drawn down and conciseness expanding upward. It is Red in color, element is earth, deity of muladhara is ganesha/brahma/Indra/dakini. It represents the physical plane. Moola mantra (seed chant) is LAM.

It is situated at the base of the spine, in the coccyx area. In the physical body it governs, the skeletal structure, teeth, large intestine, kidneys and blood. Sensory organ is the nose and sense of smell. Psychologically it looks for survival and self perseverance. Four petals lotus represents the mind, intellect, ego and consciousness of human psyche.

The chakra system is interpreted in different ways by the system one follows. The deities and associations of the chakras also change according to the system. Chakras have been described in Vedas, Upanishads, tantra, yoga, Buddhism and many other world religions like kabbalah. I am trying to get some of the information consolidate in this post.

Muladhara is the place where the true spiritual consciousness is asleep. It is here that it awakens and arises to awaken an individual to enlightenment. In Kunadalini yoga it is called kundalini energy.

When Muladhara is functioning at its optimal balance a person feels firmly rooted and secure at any given point in time or situation is his/her life. They have magnetic personalities and can be great leaders. This chakra's challenge is fear. A person with a balanced Muladhara will be valiant, they accumulate great wealth and put it to right use. Since it represents the Physical plane, it has everything to do with the physical vitality of the body, money, survival, basic instincts, patience, slowing down, letting go and everything that is needed to feel firmly connected with our lives and to this earth. 

An over active Muladhara may make a person obese, greedy/hoarder, inflexible to changes, and lethargic. They can amass wealth but may be unable to utilize it for their needs.

An under-active Muladhara may make a person skinny, insecure, fearful,  angry/irritable, unable to hold on to assets, restless.

Muladhara is the base or the foundation of the entire chakra system, hence it interacts with all the chakras on different levels. It closely interacts with Swadhishtana (sacral) and the Manipura (solar plexus). An imbalance in Muladhara overtime may create imbalance in Swadhishtana and Manipura chakras as well. Which means blockages in creativity, confidence, sexual, physical, mental and emotional vitality. 

To balance Muladhara, one can simply practice a few yogasanas like Tadasana(Mountain Pose),Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Bend), Uttanasana (Standing ForwardBend)Trikonasana, Virabhadrasana I (WarriorI), Virabhadrasana II((Warrior II), Prasarita Padottasana(Standing Straddle Forward Bend), Janu Shirshasana(Head-to-Knee Pose), Paschimotanasana(Seated forward bend), Dandasana (Staff pose).  Supta Baddha Konasana (Goddess pose), Salamba, Shavasana (Supported Corpse Pose) and Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby Pose). Yogasanas must never be performed as a mere physical exercise, an honest attempt must be made to be mindful of the practice to reap any benefits. Doctors consent must be availed before starting any yoga practice if one has any health related issues.

Chanting beeja mantra (seed chant) LAM during meditation out loud or in the mind also helps in balancing Muladhara by creating vibrations in the chakra and clearing it of any issues.

If an individual puts in a sincere effort in activating muladhara, it is said that Muladhara bestows the individuals with certain siddhis (achievements) like control over the elements of earth, knowledge of past present and future, being able to leap in air and so forth. The intense practice to awaken chakras should always be practiced under supervision of a capable guru (teacher) who has already attained these siddhis. Going about practicing it without any guidance can result in huge health issues, psychological problems, in some cases serious hospitalization and even death.

Energy healing like Reiki, IET always clear and balance the chakras. To maintain the balance one may have to practice the yogasanas and meditations. 

If you are attuned to any energy healing modules, just intend to balance and clear that particular chakra. Put a power symbol or any other symbol that you are guided to and pass energy to that chakra and let divine clear and balance the chakra for you.

Crystals like black and red tourmaline, hematite, black obsidian, smoky quartz, red jasper and ruby help clear and balance this chakra. Please wear them in a pendant or keep them with you as long as you can during your day to connect to the crystal and benefit from it. Before you use a crystal, make sure you wash it under running water for a minute, then hold it in your hand for a few minutes with an intention to connect to it and then use it. If you feel the need to clear your crystal of energies it has absorbed, just put it under running tap water if it is water safe. Some crystals do not tolerate water, to cleanse them put them in salt over night.

Here is a link to a beautiful meditation on root chakra to clear and balance it. 

Chakras

I am sure there will not be many people in this day and age who may have not have heard of chakras. Chakra in samskrutam means a wheel or a circle. It is said that we have 7 main chakras and there are a few secondary chakras in our bodies. So what are these chakras and how are they relevant to any of us? 

 The concept of chakras, their activities and everything related to them was the work of a grate sage and yogi of ancient India, named Patanjali. Chakras are basically energy centers in our bodies.They gather and distribute energy for the optimal functioning of our physical/emotional and mental bodies to keep us healthy. Each chakra has a specific function, a color, a beeja mantra (a seed chant/sound) and etc. When someone concentrates on any chakra through meditation and with continuous practice they can reap benefits that chakra has to offer. For example, if someone is concentrating on the agnya chakra (the third eye) they will not only develop self awareness, with continuous sincere practice they may develop clairvoyance or some other form of psychic ability.

The chakras have to be in balance, over active or under active chakras can create problems on different levels of our well being. For example, if someone has their muladhara (root chakra) over active that person may be lethargic, greedy and so forth; if the same root chakra is under active the person may be insecure and etc, hence balance is the key with chakras. 

Also, chakras are interdependent, they interact with each other to support each other. Imbalance in one chakra may slowly create an imbalance in other chakra.

Everyone has some degree of imbalance in any one chakra atleast. Chakras tend to get out of balance due to the stimuli we provide them. For example, if we do not know to do some task well and we are asked to do the same task or suffer consequences, we not only panic, our confidence takes a hit. the under-confidence and fear create stress which creates an imbalance in Manipura chakra (solar plexus), if this stress keeps continuing, we may develop digestive issues. 

To balance and cleanse chakras, meditation and exercise like yoga are very helpful. Reiki and Integrated Energy Therapy also balance and cleanse chakra energies gently. Infact, energy work like Reiki and IET can bring harmony within and among all the chakras faster, while meditation and exercise help maintain the equilibrium.

I will post all about each chakra, their interactions, balance, properties and functions, how to bring balance to them, meditations and much more information every week from next Monday beginning with Mooladhara/Muladhara chakra (Root). 

Power of Intentions contd....

In my last blog post I wrote about how our intentions are subtle and guide our actions, which in turn result in how we feel if they are wrong.

In my experience, life lessons are not learnt without going through difficult experiences. I have had a fair share of them constantly. I have been on both sides; being negative to people/places/settings and circumstance and them being negative to me. So has everyone else. The question is how do we find sanity in chaos? After much introspection (it took me years) I realized most of the time, my intentions were not right. They were not downright selfish, but they were expecting something in return always. 

The moment I realized it, I stopped and made it a practice to ask myself; what am I looking for? If i feel it is wrong, I change my intention. If i can not, I do not act on it. If i can not help but go ahead with something, then I set an intention to expect as less as possible. 

There are certain situations where our intention must be to expect a lot of good, like doing well in studies, making a great career, getting the right person to marry and so forth. In such situations, I always try to set an intention which says, "I will start with what i can do, do it and I will find ways to do more, do it as well and try to give my best in every situation and then see how things go." This generally works. 

Also all these positive changes started happening in my life after i received Reiki attunements. Reiki and IET can help change our negative attributes with love and gentleness. We do not feel judged even for a bit no matter what we think we have done in our lives when healing energy works on us. 

If you are attuned to Reiki, IET or any other form of healing energies. You can follow these simple steps and see the difference in a few months. You can use the methods in the healing module you use instead of the symbols in mention here.

• Imagine a energy ball of bright semi-transparent white and lavender.
• Draw the power symbol, say it's name thrice.
• Draw the emotional symbols and say it's name thrice.
• Draw the power symbol again and say it's name thrice.
• Then hold the energy ball with both your hand ask Reiki to fill it with positive energy as you set your intentions. (right here, you set an intention, in the most positive way you can)
• just keep holding it untill you feel the energy ball is saturated with positive energy to sustain your intentions.
• Now gently put that energy ball into your heart. 
• let it sit there and you feel the energy penetrating all the way in your body, stay with it and feel your positive intentions growing strong in your mind.
• repeat the above steps, as often as you would like.

The above method can be used by people who are not attuned to any form of energy healing. Just skip the symbols part and continue with the process. Ask your favorite god or the universe to help.

Many a times, intentions change along the way. Monitor of how your changed intention feels, if it feels negative, change it, make it positive and better than before. The end result may not often be money or power or anything great or tangible. It is your mental peace and happiness. 

Have a great week ahead...