Chakra Meditation

A different type of meditation involves intoning mantras aloud to create a healing resonance in the mind and body. There are mantras associated with each of the seven energy centers in the body, known as chakras. The chakras are major junction points between consciousness the body, and each one is  sociated with a specific vibration. Envisioned by the ancient seers as wheels or vortices of life force, they sometimes have been associated with major neural networks or hormonal systems.Chakra Neural Hormonal

Association Association

First—Root Sacral plexus Adrenal glands

Second— Lumbar plexus Reproductive

Creativity glands

Third—Energy Solar plexus Pancreas (insulin)

Fourth—Heart Cardiac plexus Thymus gland

Fifth— Cervical plexus Thyroid gland

Expression

Sixth—Intuition Carotid plexus Pituitary gland

Seventh— Cerebral cortex Pineal gland

Each center identifies a core human need. When the center is open, the energy that flows through the chakra allows you to meet those needs more effortlessly. If there is a blockage in one area of the body/mind system, energy becomes stagnant and your intentions are more difficult to actualize. You can activate each center by putting your attention in the location of the chakra and sounding the associated mantra aloud.begin this meditation, sit comfortably with your spine upright. Close your eyes and visualize the site of the energy center you wish to focus on. Take a deep breath,and on the inhalation, chant the mantra in one long syllable. Feel the sensations in your body and notice the sense of alert calm in your mind after each mantra. Envision energy flowing effortlessly from the base of your spine through the different energy centers and rising up through the top of your head. Notice how you feel in the meditation and how it affects you when you return to your active life

The First Center: Root Chakra

The root chakra, known in Sanskrit as Muladhara, is located at the base of the spine. It governs your most basic survival needs. When energy is flowing freely through this center, you have confidence that you can meet your core needs without struggle. When there is blockage in this area, you will tend to experience anxiety and worry.

The Law of Karma governs the first energy center. On the physical plane, every action you perform results in a corresponding reaction. To maximize the possibility  that your actions generate evolutionary reactions, you can use your body as a choice-determining instrument.Consider the possibilities in front of you and listen to the signals from your body. These sensations generating from the root chakra are either comfortable or uncomfortable.

Your body evaluates every possible decision in terms of its likelihood to meet your needs for safety or increase the level of threat you experience. The first chakra, which connects you with the earth, provides essential information as to the potential nourishment or toxicity that is available to you as a result of the actions you are taking. Keeping energy open and flowing in this source chakra is key to both physical and emotional abundance.The color for this energy center is red. It is associated with the element earth and the sense of smell. The mantra for the first chakra is Lam.

The Second Center:

Creativity Chakra

The second chakra, called Svadhisthana, is associated with creativity in all its expressions. It is located in the area of your sexual organs, and the energy of this center can be used for biological reproduction. When channeled into higher energy centers, it fuels the creative force that enables you to paint a beautiful picture, write a novel, play music, build a business, or create a life of love and abundance.

The Law of Least Effort is lively in the second chakra.When your vital energy is flowing through your center or creativity, you cocreate your life.The solution to every problem is rarely on the level of the problem. Rather, it comes from a deeper domain of creativity. Creativity is the process of taking the same raw material and creating different contexts and relationships between the components. When a painter creates a masterpiece of art, she weaves the pigments in a way that results in a unique creation. When a composer creates a new piece of music, he is using the same notes in a new relationship with each other, resulting in the emergence of something that did not exist before. A novelist creates a new relationship between letters and words, enabling a story to manifest that had not previously existed.

When you are aligned with your creative juices, the expressions that emerge arise effortlessly. The second chakra utilizes the raw material of the root chakra to create the world anew each day. The color for the second energy center is orange. It is associated with the element of water and the sense of taste.The mantra for the second chakra is Vam.

The Third Center: Energy Chakra

The third chakra, Manipura, is localized in your solar plexus. It is the seat of your power in the world. When this center is open and flowing, you are capable of translating your intentions and desires into manifestation. When it is blocked, you feel frustrated and ineffectual.The seeds of intentions and desires reside in your personal soul. Nourishing the seeds you wish to germinate with your attention will lead to their full expression. The Law of Intention and Desire governs the third chakra. It is important to be clear about your intentions so you are not surprised when they bear fruit. The process of manifesting your desires is first to bring them into consciousness,then expand your awareness through meditation, then release your intentions and detach from the outcome.

You can control your actions, but you cannot control the fruit of your actions. Keep your life energy flowing freely through your third chakra and the light and heat of your intentions will radiate to the world. The color for the third energy center is yellow like the sun. It is associated with the element of fire and the sense of sight.The mantra to clear and enliven the third chakra is Ram.

The Fourth Center: Heart Chakra

The fourth chakra represents the unifying energy of love and compassion. Known as Anahata, the heart chakra is dedicated to overcoming separation and division. When the heart center is blocked, there is a sense of alienationfrom others. When the heart center is open and flowing,you feel connected at a deep level to all beings in your life.

The Law of Giving and Receiving governs the heart chakra. Love can take many different forms at different stages of life. The love of a child for his mother is different from a mother’s love for her child. A friend’s love is different from a passionate lover’s love or the love of a student for his teacher. The common thread in each of these expressions of love is the impulse to unify— to overcome separation. This is the nature of the heart.

The Law of Giving and Receiving as expressed through the fourth chakra establishes the principle that the heart is the organ that circulates love. The  lationship between the physical heart and the emotional heart is more than metaphorical. Studies have shown that in patients with recent heart attacks, men who believe that their spouses love them suffer fewer complications and have better outcomes then men who are in conflicted marriages. People who perceive the world as hostile have a higher risk of premature heart attacks than those who feel the world is a nurturing place. Just the simple act of a cardiac nurse calling to check on the well-being of patients recently discharged from a coronary care unit can reduce the risk of rehospitalization.

Every act of giving is simultaneously an act of receiving.Each time you welcome a gift into your life you are providing the opportunity for someone to give. Just as a healthy physical heart receives blood from the periphery which it then oxygenates and pumps back out, your emotional heart stays healthy by receiving and giving love in all its forms. The color of the fourth energy center is green. When flowing, it is the green of nourishment; when congested, it can be green with envy. It is associated with the element of air and the sense of touch.The mantra that awakens the fourth chakra is Yum.

The Fifth Center: Expression Chakra

The throat chakra, called Vishuddha in Sanskrit, is the center of expression. When it is open and flowing, you have the confidence that you are capable of communicating your needs. When the fifth chakra is obstructed, a person will often feel that he is not being heard. To feel alive and empowered, it is important that this energy center is clear. Energy blockages in this area are often associated with thyroid problems or chronic neck pain.

The Law of Detachment governs the throat chakra.An open fifth chakra enables you to express your truth without concern for censors or critics. This does not mean you say things that are intentionally hurtful or insensitive. On the contrary, people with open centers of communication are skillful in expressing their needs in ways that are life-supporting. Anxiety over how people will react to your views does not arise when energy is flowing freely through the chakra of expression.

The Law of Detachment reminds you that you can choose your words and actions, but you cannot control the response to your words and actions. When your intentions are clear and your heart is open, you will spontaneously demonstrate right speech, trusting that the universe will handle the details.The color of the fifth energy center is blue. It is associated with the elements of ether or space and the sense of hearing. The mantra to open the fifth chakra is Hum.

The Sixth Center: Intuition Chakra

The sixth energy center is sometimes known as the third eye. Located in the forehead, Ajna, as it is known in Sanskrit, is the center of insight and intuition. When this center is open, you have a deep sense of connection to your inner voice and feel guided in your choices.When it is blocked, there is a sense of self-doubt and distrust. The opening of this chakra is usually associated with a clear sense of connection to one’s dharma or purpose in life.

The Law of Dharma or Purpose in Life governs the sixth chakra. You have within you a wise voice guiding you to express the highest aspects of your nature. Listen to this inner still voice, which is guiding you to manifest your full potential. Quiet the internal turbulence that is filled with the voices of others so you can identify the sound of your own soul. It has only one desire—for you to remember your essential nature as a spark of the divine.The color of the sixth energy center is indigo. It is associated with extrasensory perceptual abilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, and remote viewing. The sense is inner sound, independent of outside vibrations.The mantra to awaken the sixth chakra is Sham.

The Seventh Center:

This center, known as Sahaswara, is visualized as a lotus flower at the crown of the head. When the lotus unfolds its petals, the memory of wholeness is restored. You remember that your essential nature is unbounded and that you are spirit in disguise as a person. This is the full expression of yoga—the unification of being with action,of universality with individuality.

The Law of Pure Potentiality governs the seventh chakra. When your roots are receiving nourishment from the earth in the first chakra, your creative juices are flowing in the second, your intentions are empowered in the third, your heart is open and exchanging love with those around you in the fourth, you are spontaneously expressing your highest self in the fifth, and you are in touch with your inner voice in the sixth, then energy moves into the crown chakra and you remember your essential nature as  infinite and unbounded. The thousand-petaled lotus flower unfolds and you know yourself as a spiritual being temporarily localized to a body and mind.As you recognize the universality underlying your individuality, you gain access to your full potential. Your identity shifts from local to nonlocal, from constricted  to expanded. Fear and anxiety dissipate because you lose your attachment to specific outcomes, trusting that the universe is unfolding in the most evolutionary way possible.

The color of the seventh energy center is violet. It is associated with the sense of compassion that comes from recognizing another as a reflection of yourself. The sense is the inner light that radiates from the eternal flame of sacred wisdom.The mantra to nurture the seventh chakra is Aum.