According to Hindu and/or Buddhist belief, chakras are vast (yet confined) pools of energy in our bodies which govern our psychological qualities. There are said to be seven main chakras in all; four in our upper body, which govern our mental properties, and three in the lower body, which govern our instinctual properties. They are:
The Muladhara (root) chakra. The Svadhisthana (sacral) chakra. The Manipura (solar plexus) chakra. The Anahata(heart) chakra. The Visuddhi (throat) chakra. The Ajna (third eye) chakra. The Sahasrara (crown) chakra.
According to Buddhist/Hindu teaching, all of the chakras should contribute to a human's well-being. Our instincts would join forces with our feelings and thinking. Some of our chakras are usually not open all the way (meaning, they operate just like when you were born), but some are over-active, or even near closed. If the chakras are not balanced, peace with the self cannot be achieved.
According to Buddhist/Hindu teaching, all of the chakras should contribute to a human's well-being. Our instincts would join forces with our feelings and thinking. Some of our chakras are usually not open all the way (meaning, they operate just like when you were born), but some are over-active, or even near closed. If the chakras are not balanced, peace with the self cannot be achieved.
Read on to discover the art of becoming aware of the chakras, as well as a very reliable technique designed to open them.
Steps
1
Understand that if you are opening your chakras, there is no need to try to make over-active chakras less active. They are simply compensating for the inactivity of closed chakras. Once all of the chakras are opened, the energy evens out, and becomes balanced.
2
Open the Root Chakra (red). This chakra is based on being physically aware and feeling comfortable in many situations. If opened, you should feel well-balanced and sensible, stable and secure. You don't distrust people around you for no reason.You feel present in what is happening right now and very connected to your physical body. If it's under-active: you tend to be fearful or nervous, and easily feel unwelcome. If it's over-active: you may be materialistic and greedy. You feel as if you should be secure and are unwelcome to a change.
- Use the body and become aware of it. Do yoga, walk around the block, or do some manual house-cleaning. These activities let your body become known to you and will strengthen the chakra.
- Ground yourself. This means that you should connect with the ground, and feel it beneath you. To do this, stand up straight and relaxed, put your feet shoulder-width apart, and slightly bend your knees. Move your pelvis forward a little, and keep your body balanced, so that your weight is evenly distributed over the soles of your feet. Then sink your weight forward. Stay in this position for several minutes.
- After grounding yourself, sit cross-legged, as shown in the picture below.
- Let the tips of your thumb and index finger touch gently, in a peaceful motion.
- Concentrate on the Root Chakra and what it stands for, at the spot in between the genitals and the anus.
- Silently, yet clearly, chant the sound "LAM."
- All this time, let yourself relax, still thinking about the chakra, it's meaning, and how it does or should affect your life.
- Keep doing this until you are completely relaxed. You may have a "clean" feeling.
- Visualize a closed red flower. Imagine a very powerful energy radiating it: it slowly opens showing four red petals full of energy.
- Contract the perineum holding breath and releasing.
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3Open the Sacral Chakra (Orange). This chakra deals with feeling and sexuality. If open, feeling is released with liberty and are expressed without you being over-emotional. You would be open to affinity and can be passionate as well as outgoing. You also have no problems based on sexuality. If it's under-active: you tend to be unemotional or impassive, and are not very open to anybody. If it's over-active: you tend to be sensitive and emotional all the time. You may also be very sexual.
- Sit on your knees, with your back straight, but relaxed.
- Lay your hands in your lap, palms ups, on top of each other. Left hand underneath, the palm touching the back fingers of the right hand, and the thumbs touch gently.
- Concentrate on the Sacral Chakra and what it stands for, at the sacral bone (lower back).
- Silently, yet clearly, chant the sound "VAM."
- All this time, let yourself relax, still thinking about the chakra, it's meaning, and how it does or should affect your life.
- Keep doing this until you are completely relaxed. Again, you may have a "clean" feeling.
4
Open the Navel Chakra (yellow). This chakra encircles confidence, especially when in a group. When open, you should feel in control and have a good feeling of dignity in yourself. If it's under-active: you tend to be passive and indecisive. You could be frequently apprehensive and this doesn't reward you. If it's over-active: you tend to be imperious and aggressive.
- Sit on your knees, with your back straight, but relaxed.
- Put your hands before your stomach, slightly below your solar plexus. Let the fingers join at the tops, all pointing away from you. Cross the thumbs and straighten the fingers (this is important).
- Concentrate on the Navel Chakra and what it stands for, at the spine, slightly above the navel.
- Silently, yet clearly, chant the sound "RAM."
- All this time, let yourself relax, even more, continuing to think about the chakra, it's meaning, and how it does or should affect your life.
- Keep doing this until you are completely relaxed. You should have a "clean" feeling (for every chakra).
5
Open the Heart Chakra (green). This chakra is all about love, caring, and endearment. When open, you seem to be compassionate and friendly, always working in amicable relationships. If it's under-active: you tend to be cold and unfriendly. If it's over-active: you tend to be so "loving" towards people that you suffocate them, and you could be seen as selfish for it.
- Sit cross-legged.
- Let the tips of your index finger and thumb touch on both hands.
- Put your left hand on your left knee and your right hand in front of the lower part of your breastbone.
- Concentrate on the Heart Chakra and what it stands for, at the spine, level with the heart.
- Silently, but clearly, chant the sound "YAM."
- All this time, continue to relax your body and think of the chakra, it's meaning, and how it does or should affect your life.
- Keep doing this until you are completely relaxed, and the "clean" feeling returns and/or intensifies within your body.
6
Open the Throat Chakra (light blue). This chakra is based on self-expression and communication. When the chakra is open, expressing yourself is easy, and art seems to be a great way to do this. If it's under-active: you tend not to speak too much, so you are classified as shy. If you lie often, this chakra can be blocked. If it's over-active: you tend to speak so much, it annoys a lot of people. You could also be a pretty bad listener.
- Once again, sit on your knees.
- Cross your fingers on the inside of your hands, without the thumbs. Let the thumbs touch at the tops, and pull them up a bit.
- Concentrate on the Throat Chakra and what it stands for, at the base of the throat.
- Silently, but clearly, chant the sound "HAM."
- All this time, keep on relaxing your body, thinking of the chakra, it's meaning, and how it does or should affect your life.
- Keep doing this for about five minutes, and the "clean" feeling will intensify once again.
7
Open the Third Eye Chakra (Indigo). Like its name, this chakra deals with insight. When open, you have excellent clairvoyance and tend to dream a lot. If it's under-active: you tend to look up to other people to think for you. Relying on beliefs too often, you also tend to be confused most of the time. If it's over-active: you tend to live in a world imagination all day long. In the extremes, you could suffer from frequent daydreams or even hallucinations.
- Sit cross-legged.
- Put your hands in front of the lower part of the breast. The middle fingers should be straight and touch the tops, pointing away from you. The other fingers are bent and touch at the two upper phalanges. The thumbs point towards you and meet at the tops.
- Concentrate on the Third Eye Chakra and what it stands for, a little above the center of the two eyebrows.
- Silently, but clearly, chant the sound "OM" or "AUM."
- All this time, relaxation of the body should come a bit naturally and continue to think of the chakra, it's meaning, and how it does or should affect your life.
- Keep doing this until the same "clean" feeling seems to come back or intensify.
8
Open the Crown Chakra (purple). This is the seventh and most spiritual chakra. It encircles a being's wisdom and being one with the universe. When this chakra is open, prejudice disappears from your To Do list, and you seem to become more aware of the world and it's connection to yourself. If it's under-active: you tend to not be very spiritual and may be quite rigid in your thoughts. If it's over-active: you tend to intellectualize things all the time. Spirituality seems to come first in your mind, and if you are really over-active, you may even ignore your bodily needs (food, water, shelter).
- Sit cross-legged.
- Lay your hand on your stomach. Let the little fingers point up and away from you, touching at their tops, and cross the rest of the fingers with the left thumb underneath the right.
- Concentrate on the Crown Chakra and what it stands for, at the very top of your head.
- Silently, but clearly, chant the sound "NG" (yes, this chant is as hard as it looks).
- All this time, your body should now be totally relaxed, and your mind should be at peace. However, do not stop concentrating on the Crown Chakra.
- This meditation is the longest, and should take no less than ten minutes.
- WARNING: don't use this meditation for the Crown Chakra if your Root Chakra is not strong or open. Before dealing with this last chakra, you need a strong "foundation" first, which the Root exercises will present to you.
