A Time to Connect: Inside the Chakra System

A Time to Connect: Inside the Chakra System

My readings and summarizations come from the book
Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith, PhD. All other sources are noted. 

If you are skeptical about anything I’m writing, make it here for the Yoga. All a Massage Therapist wants for each human is a body they are at ease in. Yoga is an amazing practice for so many reasons, but the most important reason is for you to serve your mind/body connection, a break from it serving you. Each day presents a new flow by a different guide, all under 30 minutes.

To understand a complex system, we will look at the ancient context, and usage, to understand its origin… before we can update the model to use in modern contexts. Chakra System comes into present form from Tantric Teachings which are innately “world-embracing” rather than “world-denying”.

The origin of yoga and chakras dates back to reference in a series of hymns – the oldest written tradition in India, the “Vedas” meaning “knowledge”. Written in sanskrit, the Vedas are sacred texts of Hinduism.

The Vedas date back to 1700-1000BC (dates vary in many sources) believed to be passed down from an Indo-European tribe, the Aryan (believed to be nomads migrating, but a large migration was seen as an invasion by some).

Yoga: written as “yoke” in the Vedas. A system of philosophy and practice tying the mortal self to its divine nature of pure consciousness. Teaches us that liberation is possible by uniting the universe of opposites within ourselves.

Chakra: written as “cakra” in the Vedas. Meaning “the wheel”, denotes the eternal circle of time/life “kalacakra”. The wheel, a building block of nature, represents celestial order and balance that flows through everything in existence. These spinning wheels, chakras, are intersections of vital life forces. Therefore, a chakra is known as an “energy vortex”.

• Tantric Philosophies arose in 600-700AD in reaction to the dualistic philosophies predating it – meaning they rejected the belief there is only polar opposites
• Good or Evil
• Masculine or Feminine
• Heaven or Earth
• Mind or Body
• Spirit or Matter
• Tantra means “Loom”, “weaving of disparate threads into a tapestry of wholeness”.
• The chakras emerge more profoundly in tantric teachings, as “wheels” are embodiment of – many parts creating a whole. 
• Tantric philosophy weaves “spirit and matter” together as a whole, into a single philosophy of many philosophical origins. This “whole” moves along its own inner circle of evolution – the “wheel”.
• Tantra started forming as people grew tired of the old systems that were not longer working. I think we can see a lot of this present in 2020; tides are turning, but not towards destruction, towards unity we hope.
• “Tantra emphasizes personal experimentation and experience as a way to move forward on the path to self-realization” YJ
• Simply… Tantra integrates universal forces

*The Western World hears “tantra” as a sexual tradition. Tantra simply holds sexuality as sacred, the body is a sacred “temple of consciousness”. Sex can be an expression of universal integration.

As a society there is plenty of evidence that we are embracing models of integration and wholeness. The Global Wellness Industry is valued at $4.5 Trillion and growing. It is generally accepted that the repression of natural forces creates bad side effects. We must be active in the care of our body and spirits if we want to be happy and well; liberating from suffering.

Ignoring the body creates illness

Devaluing the earth creates ecological crisis

Repression of sex or love can create anger and crime

Chakras exist in the subtle body. What is the subtle body? 

• “Non-physical” – the subtle body is measured as electromagnetic force fields within all living creatures. Our physical body vibrates at a rate which we can see, whereas our inner energy fields vibrate much higher and are responsible for how we feel our emotions and thoughts – things we are aware of but cannot see. 
• Our energetic layers make up the subtle body. The vibrations create an interconnected field of energy inside as well as around the physical body that is commonly known as the auric field. Each subtle body connects into the physical body via an energy point or chakra, which directs the energy into the physical body via the meridian system.

How the Chakras Work

• The chakras are located near the 7 major nerve ganglia emanating from the spinal column
• Chakras are not the same as any part of the body, as they are part of the energetic body, but there is an effect on the body which can occasionally affect shape and behavior of physical body
• Some texts describe more than 7 or fewer than 7 chakras. A chakra is a vortex of energy in the body so there is really no limit to how many there can be, however the 7 master chakras logically map our physical body so 7 is most common to see.
• Just because there are “lower” and “higher” chakras does NOT correlate to a hierarchical system. Every chakra is equally important, and all must be open and balanced for a healthy system. When working on chakra alignment, always start at the first chakra, do not start at the one you think you want to work on.
• To work on chakras is to heal ourselves of old constricting patterns lodged in body, mind, and behavior
• Each chakra (wheel, vortex) is a point of intersection where mind and body meet- where the dimensions of ourselves influence each side. It is completely normal and expected for us to hold onto painful things we hear, and these dense energies do not easily pass through the vortex.
• As chakras spin, this attracts or repels activity on that “plane”(vibrational level)
• Anything on the same vibrational level is drawn into the chakra, processed, and passed out again
• Processing is the reception of the energy, assimilation of the information, and transmission of the vital life energy on its path
• This could be a creative thought that starts making its way to the canvas
• This could be your response to someone yelling at you
• Each of these acts are done at a different energetic frequency, and likely processed at different chakras, but processed physically the same like a “whirlpool”
  

Nadis are alternate channels – like meridians – there are over 72,000 in the body – all springing from these three main channels in the image. Ida and Pingala represent the inante duality of creation – male and female – but also represent other qualities like logic and intuition. So while we have the far right and the far left, there is a world of variations between there that make up who we are individually, and they intertwine.

• Anodea Judith asks us to imagine the chakras as the programming on a harddrive 
• Sushumna and chakras send energy out from the core (our inante energies of self), and the chakras process the outside energy coming into the core. There are constant streams of energy going opposite directions, merging on the same frequency – into this vortex where the chakras listen to that information. 
• As we age, it makes sense to work on our harddrives and clean out dysfunctional, outdated, or negative programming!
• Content of our chakras is formed largely by the repeated patterns of our life
• What we generate determines much of what we receive
• For example someone who spends most of their paycheck and fails to save, will be trapped in a low economic spiral as incidents occur that keeps them there – a car breakdown or a health issue.
• We can get stuck in a chakra – either by underdevelopment or overemphasis of a chakra
• Chakras can be open, or closed, excessive or deficient, or any state in between
• Closed Chakra: avoidance of certain energies
• Excessively Open: chronic fixation
• Is there an effortless flow of energy or is it a subject of fear and anxiety?
• As the mind and body are inseparable, so are the chakras
• A malfunction in one effects them all
• 
  

Who doesn’t love a little Mythology? There are MANY creation stories and many deities in Hinduism which I won’t speak to in this series, but are certainly worth looking into.

The Hindu Mythology of the Universe

• Shiva: Power Holder. Pure unmanifest consciousness. Formless deity, deep in meditation – separate from his manifestations
• Shakti: Power. The creation of Shiva’s manifestations. The mother of the universe. Inventor of “maya” – the substance of the manifested universe – are illusory projections of consciousness (art, magic, wisdom, and extraordinary power). She is the vital energy which gives power to the formation of life.
• It is told that when “karma ripens” (actions coming into form by surprise), Shakti becomes desirous of the creations and covers herself with her own “maya”. Shrouding consciousness. 
• Can you see how we may live in this veil of maya sometimes? Living for our material attachments.
• Shakti produces the universe, but only with the “seed” of consciousness from Shiva
• Shiva and Shakti are attracted to each other, existing in an eternal embrace, unable to exist without the other.
• Shakti pushes up from the earth – “the divine aspiration of the human soul” and Shiva descends from above, irresistibly attracted to divine grace and manifestation
• Both Shiva and Shakti reside in each of us. We practice to join their forces, to bring enlightenment from the veil of maya – realizing our consciousness under the illusion.
• Here is the important part for our Chakra System practice:
• Shiva and Shakti represent our inner two currents of energy through the chakras. Downward and Upward – sending/receiving to the ground and to the sky, existing as a dynamic energetic being in the middle.
  

Current of Manifestation

• Travels downward
• Begins in pure consciousness
• Pulled by the enjoyment of life “bhukti”
• Think of theater – starting with an idea, to the goal of physical production for an audience
• Create boundaries
• Be specific – narrowing the goal is important to seeing it through
• Defines structure and form
• Brings peace, grace, stability

Current of Liberation

• Travels upward
• Energy in matter is released to become lighter, expansive, and inclusive
• Constricted energy gains new degrees of freedom from the veil of maya
• Disentangles our self from the imitations of the physical
• Fueled by the lower chakras
• Brings excitement, energy, novelty

These currents are the most exciting to me, as they provide a wonderful visual to view our actions. When you start a new job or meet a new person, what level of current are you experiencing? Is the event along your path of liberation or manifestation? Both?

To be complete, all chakras must be open and active, as everything flows through them, the currents uphold each others power.



Lastly, a brief note on Kundalini

• There is some evidence that Kundalini experience sets up a wave like movement in the cerebrospinal fluid which triggers the pleasure center of the brain
• Very important to know the rising of Kundalini can also ignite deep unpleasantness, unsettling vibrations, profound depression, or fear “as you look at your life through the eyes of the serpent goddess”
• To be practiced with extreme care with a knowledgeable guide
• Kundalini is a healing force, though not always gentle
• This experience of raising Kundalini is not what we will practice here, as it is a more forceful style of awakening best done under guidance from a spiritual teacher or experienced therapist. We can raise energy from root to crown naturally and with ease by our practice of relaxing deeply and paying attention to each chakra.

Today I want to leave you with a TedTalk. And surprisingly, it is the only one I will use in this series. I am obsessed with the insights and diversity of the TED Talk platform, BUT I wanted to challenge myself to find other outlets of communication. I like this talk by Tom Chi because his message holds several clues about how this Chakra Series will unfold, but putting it in a wider perspective; both scientific and historical. I also appreciate that he may not be the most gifted presenter, but he put himself out of his comfort zone to share well-informed research he found through activating his personal gifts throughout his life. That there, is the essence of a personal tantric journey.

Come back tomorrow with curiosity. Enjoy your own journey!

With Health and Happiness we go,

Kaitlin

4/10/2020

Resources:

https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/tantra-rising

Wheels of Life, Anodea Judith