The-Chakra-System

© ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. THE CHAKRA SYSTEM COURSE DESCRIPTION Observed, described, and attended to by yogis for thousands of years, the chakra system serves as an integral part of healing in several spiritual traditions. Recently, interest in this ancient practice has exploded among health care professionals and the general population, rising with the growing appeal of integrative and alternative medicine. The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the chakra system, the seven chakras (where they are believed to be located within the body, their purpose, and associated colors), as well as the characteristics of chakra balancing. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of the course, you will be able to do the following: 1. Define the term chakra. 2. Discuss the seven chakras. 3. Describe the location of each chakra within the body, its purpose, and its associated color. 4. List the endocrine gland associated with each chakra. 5. Describe the element and sense associated with each chakra. 6. Examine excessive and deficient characteristics to focus on when balancing the chakras. 7. Differentiate between the functional and dysfunctional archetypes associated with each chakra. 8. Describe the psychological and physiological benefits of chakra meditation.© ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. INTRODUCTION Among yogis, the chakra (Sanskrit for “wheel” or “turning”) has long been known as an “energy station” (Eden, 2008), envisioned as a point of swirling energy, a vortex. Eden also notes that while the term chakra has its origins in India, many cultures have identified and worked with the spiraling centers. Most healers sensitive to subtle energies eventually discover these centers of awareness in the human body. Neither physical nor anatomical, chakras reside in the subtle energy system. According to Eastern tradition, subtle energies exist beyond the five-sense field. They compose an energetic spectrum in the thought realms, also known as the spiritual realm (Micozzi, 2015). The spiritual realm can be perceived in the human body as chakras: “Everything emits an energy field, and the human energy field is enlivened by the swirling, spinning streams of energy created by its constantly moving chakras.” (Davies, 2003, pp. 42-42) Most traditions identify seven major chakras. Their English names refer to the parts of the physical body where they are believed to reside: the root chakra, the sacral chakra, the solar plexus chakra, the heart chakra, the throat chakra, the third-eye (pituitary) chakra, and the crown (pineal) chakra.  Each chakra influences organs, muscles, ligaments, veins, and all other systems, especially the endocrine system, within its energy field.  Chakras are energy centers traversing the length of the spine, each accounting for a different mode of perception (Smith, 2006). “Memory is energetically coded in your chakras just as it is chemically coded in your neurons. While an ‘energy memory’ system parallels neural memory and is foreign to Western thinking, it is taken for granted in many healing traditions.” (Eden, 2008, p. 147) THE CHAKRAS Interest in this ancient healing system has exploded among health care professionals and the general population because of the profound appeal of alternative therapies and integrative health care. The chakras can be found in seven centers of the body from the coccyx to the crown of the head (Shields & Wilson, 2016). One of the subtlest methods of healing, chakra work is based on the belief that we must be integrated physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for total wellbeing to occur. To visualize a chakra in the body, imagine a swirling wheel of energy where matter and consciousness meet. Valerie Hunt, a professor of physical therapy at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Hiroshi Motoyama of Japan demonstrated objective evidence of chakra activity (Shields & Wilson, 2016). Hunt placed electrodes on the skin over © ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. the chakra areas, which recorded wave-like electrical signals that were much higher frequency than any previously recorded in the study of human body. Motoyama theorized that if an enlightened individual could influence the chakras, the energy output of those chakras could be measured. Using a lead-lined recording booth, Motoyama measured the energy field of various chakras that subjects claimed to have awakened, usually through years of meditation. Montoyama recorded control subjects’ electrical state and changes over chakra areas, along with those for advanced meditators and individuals who reported experiencing psychic incidences. He found that advanced meditators could consciously project energy through their chakras, revealing significant electrical field disturbances over the activated chakras (Shields & Wilson, 2016). His findings demonstrate significantly greater energy levels at those areas than over the same areas of control subjects. The effects of our habits, feelings, beliefs, thoughts, fears, and desires may be found in our chakras. The way we eat and exercise, how we deal with our emotions, and our intellect are imprinted on our energy body. The goal of chakra balancing is a strong, clear energy system, because the more open, clear and balanced the chakras, the more energy that can flow through the body. This energy is essential for vitality, health, and continued spiritual growth.© ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. Chakra Chart Eden (2008) notes that it is helpful to think of each of the chakras as corresponding to a particular color. This framework reflects an organic tendency rather than a specific correlation.  Colors are vibrations of energy, and each chakra is as unique as a thumbprint.  The vibrational relationship between the chakras and their associated colors is more complex than a direct correlation between a specific chakra and its corresponding color. For example, red is associated with the root chakra, but some energy healers will also perceive other colors, such as gold, in the root chakra.  Keep in mind the associated colors are guidelines of the most common colors observed. The table below provides an overview of each of the chakras as well as their associated features. A detailed discussion of each chakra is provided in the next section.© ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. Chakra Sanskrit Name Color Location in the Body Endocrine Gland Function or Purpose Element Sense Crown (7th) Sahasrara Violet Top of head Pineal Spiritual Though t Withdrawal of senses Third Eye (6th) Ajna Indigo Brow Pituitary Wisdom, intuition Light Sight Throat (5th) Vishuddha Blue Throat Thyroid Communication, creativity Sound Hearing Heart (4th) Anahata Green or Pink Chest Thymus Love, relationships Air Touch Solar Plexus (3rd) Manipura Yellow Solar plexus Pancreas Personal power, energy, will Fire Sight Sacral (2nd) Svadhisthana Orange Sacral area, lower back Ovaries, testes Emotions, sexuality Water Taste Root (1st) Muladhara Red Base of spine, coccygeal plexus, perineum Adrenals Grounding, physical needs, survival Earth Smell THE FIRST CHAKRA (ROOT) The root chakra is associated with our tribal nature, with our connections to each other and every living thing. Location The root or base chakra swirls at the base of the spine, between the coccyx and the pelvic bone. Its energies move to the front of the body, spinning over the pelvis and © ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. the vagina in a woman, and the penis and testes in a man (Eden, 2008; Myss, 2017; Redmond, 2010). Purpose The root chakra carries life energies up into the body, through the other chakras, as well as down the legs. This chakra is the “grounding” connection to the earth’s subtle energies: through it we are connected with the earth and our origins. It is associated with survival, stability, and physical sensations. The root chakra governs our basic instincts of eating, sleeping, sex, self-preservation, manifestation of what we need, and conservation of the species (Eden, 2008; Govinda, 2004). Kundalini energy, the power of creativity, resides in the root chakra. The root chakra is as spiritually relevant as the higher chakras. The slowest spinning of the chakras, the root chakra is about three inches in diameter. Our desires to satisfy sexual needs arise in this chakra. Associated Color The root chakra, linked to the physical body, is most often associated with the color red, but this is not always the case, as other colors can be seen in the chakra in response to different influences, such as illness (Eden, 2008; Leadbeater, Anodea, & Leland, 2013; White, 2003). THE SECOND CHAKRA (SACRAL) The energies of the second chakra can reflect a person’s natural healing abilities. When people meditate, they often report making contact with the energy contained in the second chakra. Location Known as the sacral or abdominal chakra because of its location over the lower abdominal area, this chakra is the container of imagination and creative impulses © ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. (Eden, 2008). The sacral chakra is the center of sensuality, procreation, and giving and receiving sexual pleasure (Govinda, 2004; Myss, 2017; Redmond, 2010). Purpose The second chakra reveals the affection and compassion of the soul, the essence within. Most caring and dedicated healers have a strong and active second chakra. People with a strong second chakra often make others feel cared for and comfortable. The energies of the second chakra reflect a person’s natural healing abilities (Eden, 2008). Associated Color Linked to the etheric body (the state between energy and matter), the sacral chakra is associated with the color orange (White, 2003). THE THIRD CHAKRA (SOLAR PLEXUS) The third or solar plexus chakra contains the energies that represent individual identity, the sense of who one is and who one is not. Location The solar plexus chakra, located over the pit of the stomach, is linked with the pancreas and adrenal glands. It contributes to digestive functioning and the body’s acute response to stress. On the left side of this chakra are the spleen, pancreas, and stomach. On the right side of this chakra are the liver and gallbladder, and to the rear of this chakra are the kidneys and adrenal glands (Govinda, 2004; Myss, 2017). Purpose Eden (2008) describes the relationship between the third chakra and the body’s organs as follows:© ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. Each organ’s function in your body parallels its role in your emotional life. Consider the organs within the third chakra. As the filtering system that detects toxins in your bloodstream, the kidneys are your prototype for fear and caution, for detecting and eliminating that which is dangerous. As a factory that breaks down whatever is harmful to your system, your liver is your prototype for self-protective anger. As the alarm system that triggers great rushes of energy for emergencies, the adrenals are the prototype for the panic response that mobilizes you in a crisis. As the body’s producer of metabolic juices, the pancreas is the prototype for assimilating what you can embrace. As the organ that sends stale air out of your body, the diaphragm is the prototype for grieving and finding closure with whatever is passing out of your life. (p. 168) Linked to the astral body (a supersensible substance pervading all space and forming the substance of a second body belonging to each individual; it accompanies the individual through life, is able to leave the human body at will, and survives the individual after death) and astral plane (a spiritual dimension or parallel universe comprised of spiritual energy; the Earth's “body double” which vibrates faster than the physical planet and penetrates to its core) (White, 2003). Associated Color The third chakra is associated with the color yellow (White, 2003). THE FOURTH CHAKRA (HEART) Love, rather than logic, is the product of the heart chakra, and a person whose fourth chakra is dominant is guided more by the “heart” than the “head” and by feelings more than thoughts Location© ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. This chakra lies at the center of the chakra system in the center of the body and close to the anatomical heart. In most cultures, the heart is linked to the power of love. The heart chakra has within its area of influence the heart, lungs, thymus, and pericardium (a protective sac that surrounds the heart). This is the powerhouse of the human energy system (Govinda, 2004; Myss, 2017). Purpose The heart chakra is the center through which all energies must pass in transit from one group of chakra layers to another and from one reality to another. This chakra and its associated chakra layer filter all energies, thoughts, and experiences, which ultimately affect us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Linked to the “feeling body” the heart chakra is the central focus between the lower and upper chakras (White, 2003). Many heart chakras are underdeveloped because people are guided more by their head than by their heart. Conversely, disturbances in the heart chakra can cause one to feel easily overwhelmed by others (Govinda, 2004). Someone with an imbalance in the heart chakra may tend to take on everyone’s pain and problems to their own detriment. Associated Color The color associated with the heart chakra is also in the middle of the color spectrum, green, but other colors are also associated with it. When the heart chakra emits a golden hue, it usually indicates that the person has a universal love that attracts others. A soft pink hue is evident in those who are loving, kind, and gentle. THE FIFTH CHAKRA (THROAT)© ALLEGRA Learning Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. Expression is the product of the throat chakra, and it contains information from all of the other chakras. Location Through the throat chakra, whose areas of influence include the thyroid and parathyroid glands, all energies and information are transmitted throughout the chakras as they pass to and from the higher seventh and sixth chakras to the lower heart chakra, third, second, and base chakras. This is the filtering point for all data, which is sorted, organized, and then dispersed as personal expression. The throat chakra is the center of sound and is responsible for speech, speaking the truth with courage, listening with nonjudgment, and communicating as well as hearing (Govinda, 2004; Myss, 2017). Purpose Just as the thyroid and parathyroid glands contribute to the body’s metabolism and energy, the throat chakra breaks down the energies that pass through it to maintain the energy body. Energies from the root, sacral, solar plexus, and heart chakras move up through the throat on their way to the crown chakra. Energies from the third eye and crown chakras move down through the throat chakra on their way to the trunk of the body. This chakra facilitates unique self-expression (Eden, 2008). Associated Color Linked to the lower mental body or plane, the throat chakra is associated with the color blue and shades of blue (Eden, 2008). THE SIXTH CHAKRA (THIRD EYE) The sixth chakra is an energy station where a sense of a separate self and identity can be transcended. This transcendence allows one to “leave” the body and move