I am working on making this painting from the imagery that I came up with in the body map I posted recently
Here is the body map
Here is the painting. Not finished yet but coming along
Showing posts with label chakras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chakras. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Chakra Body Map - Lisa Yogini
I did this interactive exercise with Lisa last week to bring awareness to and map the experience of the
chakras. The goal is to simply become aware of the location of the chakras in the body and begin to experience the energy there. One may also gain (or notice)a general sense of whether the energy at each center is open or constricted.
The meditations in italics are taken from Joseph Le Page.
INSTRUCTIONS
Use full-length body paper. Lay it out flat on the floor. Allow the person you are working with to lay down on top of the paper. Ask your receiver to take a deep breath, hold the breath for one long count, and as they exhale, ask them:
“What is the first color that comes to your mind?”
After they’ve given their color, find that color or the closest one to it in your magic markers. With their hands down at their sides, palms up, outline their body on to the paper. After the outline is traced, give the following introduction to the exercise:
" Within the body, there are a series of vital energy centers, called chakras, where the life force is concentrated. Through exploring and opening these centers, we are able to connect with our core energy, which is an unlimited source of healing, balance, and awakening. We are going on a journey to explore these various energy centers. Allow this to be an open exploration with no particular goal in mind. Hold an intention to be open to this experience from a place of self-love and self-acceptance. Allow yourself to be fully present as much as possible and allow whatever feelings that come up, positive or negative, to be experienced fully.
You can allow the body to physically move into any yoga postures that will deepen your exploration, connection, and opening in these centers. You may also visualize yourself in the postures, allowing your energy body to come into movement while the physical body remains in stillness. Allow any sounds to be released as you experience the energy centers.
During this journey through the chakras, I’ll be asking questions about your experience.
These are directions for your awareness and you do not need to answer out loud. You’ll
have an opportunity to share your experience verbally when we complete the
journey. If you have a question at any time during the experience, feel free to ask.
We’ll begin with an exercise that brings awareness to the various vital energy centers.
Relax the body and begin to breathe deeply through the soles of the feet. Feel the breath
as a slow motion wave traveling through the body. Allow the breath to travel all the way up
to the crown of the head (pause while the receiver connects with the breath). Now, bring
your awareness down to the toes. Become aware of the toes and the feet, feeling the
wave of breath wash through them as you feel the sensations of the breath flowing through
the body. Allow this awareness to flow into the ankles... the lower legs... the knees... the
upper legs. Bring your awareness to the thighs, and then to the base of the body, the
perineum."
ROOT CHAKRA
"This is the area at the very base of the body – the perineum. Begin by taking a deep inhaling
breath, hold the breath in, and as you exhale, allow the breath and awareness to flow fully
into this area of the body and become aware of any sensations... Now, begin to breathe
into this area, creating even greater awareness of any feelings or sensations...Explore the area in detail... Does the energy in this center have a particular shape...color... size... or density?... Does the energy feel open or closed?... You may even experience an inner sound or a particular emotion related to this energy center."
"Allow the body to move into a Yoga posture that would naturally open this energy center"
"Make a mental picture of the energy in this center. Allow this image to be held in a gentle, loving awareness, and when you have a feeling of the energy in this center, come to a place of rest as you hold the feeling of this energy center in your awareness (pause one minute)... Now, slowly
begin to stretch and move the body... As you are ready, roll onto the right side and up to a
seated position. Now, use the markers and draw your experience of the first chakra onto
the body map. Simply allow the drawing to flow from within you. It may include images,
symbols, words, or just expressions of color (pause 2-3 minutes). As you complete your
drawing, return to a place lying on your back as we continue our journey of the chakras"
SACRAL CHAKRA
"Now, allow your awareness to travel into the lower abdomen, four finger-widths below the
navel, just above the pubic bone. Take a deep inhaling breath and hold the breath in. As you
exhale, allow your complete awareness to rest in this energy center and begin to notice the
quality of the energy here... Take the breath into this area, allowing the sensations to
gently expand in order to sense the energy more deeply... Tune into the feelings and
sensations... Feel the energy from the front of the lower abdomen all the way to the
sacrum... Notice if the energy in that area radiates out easily into the body. Does the
energy in this center have a particular shape... color... size... density... sound... or
emotion? What Yoga posture would allow you to explore this energy more deeply? "
"Allow an image to form of the energy here, holding this part of your being in a gentle and
loving embrace. Make a mental picture of the energy in this center. Allow this image be held
in a gentle, loving awareness, and when you have a feeling of the energy in this center,
come to a place of rest as you hold the feeling of this energy center in your awareness."
(pause one minute)... Now, slowly begin to stretch and move the body... As you are
ready, roll onto the right side and up to a seated position. Now, use the art materials and
draw your experience of the second chakra onto the body map. Simply allow the drawing
to flow from within you. It may include images, symbols, words, or just expressions
of color (pause 2-3 minutes). As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying on your
back as we continue our journey of the chakras. "
SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA
"Now, bring your awareness to the upper abdomen, where the ribs meet in the front of
the body. Inhale, and as you exhale, let your awareness enter this area and begin to
explore the quality of the energy here. Is it feeling open and comfortable or tight and
compressed? What’s the emotional tone of this area? Is there a shape... a color... or a
texture... a movement? Allow these feelings and sensations to be
gently amplified with the breath, feeling the energy all the way into the middle of the
back. Which Yoga posture would allow you to feel this energy more fully? (pause)"
"Now, make a mental picture of the energy in the area of the solar plexus and as you hold this
area in your awareness, come back to a seated position in your own time and express
Manipura Chakra on your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying
on your back."
"Now, slowly bring your awareness up to the heart center, noticing the place where the
energy feels strongest in the center of the chest. If the entire chest were a wheel, where
would the hub be? Take a deep inhalation and as you exhale, allow your awareness to enter
through the hub of the wheel and then gently radiate out through this energy center...
Begin to explore this area... Allow any sensations of warmth, tingling, or tightness to
gently expand, so you can experience the energy fully in this center... Notice how this
energy responds to the breath as it deepens.... Notice the quality of the energy
here... shape... texture... color... density... Is there an inner sound? What feelings and
emotions are held in the heart? ... (pause) Is there a posture that would allow the heart
center to be experienced more fully and openly? (pause)"
THROAT CHAKRA
"Allow your awareness now to rise up into your throat. Inhale and hold the breath in. As you
exhale, allow the breath to expand through the throat and become one with the energy
here. Notice whether this center feels open to communication or restricted, perhaps a sense
that there are words that can’t be released from the throat (pause). Notice the quality of
the energy here – shape... size... color...density... There may even be a sense of a
particular taste in the throat... What emotions are held here? (pause) Allow the breath to flow into this energy center, gently expanding the sensations. (pause) pause) Allow an image of your experience to be held in this space. Is there a Yoga posture, which would deepen and expand your experience? "
"Allow the breath to flow into this energy center, gently expanding the sensations.
(pause) Which Yoga posture would open the area fully? (pause) Allow an image to form of
this aspect of your being and as you are ready, return to a seated position and express
the throat chakra on your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying
on your back as we continue our journey of the chakras."
3rd EYE CHAKRA
"Now, allow the energy to rise into the area between the eyebrows. Take a deep inhaling
breath; hold the breath in and as you exhale, allow your awareness to travel back into the
area behind the center of the eyebrows. Feel as if there were a tunnel or doorway leading
you back into the deepest part of your being..Feel the energy here... Is there a form... a
sense of color... perhaps a symbol? Allow the energy to deepen and expand. (pause) Allow
an image of your experience to be held in this space. Is there a Yoga posture, which would
deepen and expand your experience?
"Allow an image of your experience to be held in this space. Is there a Yoga posture, which would
deepen and expand your experience? Now, allow an image to form of your experience of
the third eye and as you are ready, come to seated position and express this image on
your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying on your back
as we continue our journey of the chakras."
CROWN CHAKRA
"Now, allow your awareness to rise up into the crown of the head, take a deep inhaling
breath. As you release, allow the sensations to spread through the crown and beyond...
Allow your whole being to merge with the sensations of energy. Is there a color or
symbol? Connect deeply with the quality of the energy here... Sense an opening in crown
of the head like the lens of a camera. Is the lens open to the energy coming in from
above? (pause) Is there a Yoga posture, which would allow you to sense this energy
more fully? ...
Now, form an image of the crown chakra and as you are ready, come to a
seated position and express the feeling of this energy on your body map. As you feel
complete here, allow the abdomen to begin to rise and fall fully with the breath. "
COMPLETION
"Again, allow the breath to begin to flow through the body like a gentle, slow motion
wave, from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head... Feel the breath in the feet and
legs... Again, feel the breath in the base chakra and allow the breath to rise slowly up
through the energy centers, feeling your images and sensations associated with each of
the centers: base of the body... lower abdomen... the solar plexus... the heart center... the throat... the third eye... the crown and beyond. Hold the images of your journey gently as you allow the breath to
deepen... Then, as you’re ready, take the next full minute to roll onto your right side and
back up into a seated position. "
FINAL DRAWING
Now, look at the outline of your body map again and allow yourself to complete your
chakra map spontaneously and creatively. Use any colors, shapes, and/or images. You
can write descriptions with words, allowing this to be a free expression of your being. Let
me know when you feel complete.
SHARING
". .. take some time now to share anything you would like about your drawing or the
experience of your journey through the energy centers. (As they share repeat back to
them what has been said, never judging or commenting, just repeating what is being
said.)
Here is what Lisa shared:
"Root felt most closed but then when I concentrated on it, it opened more up. Second Chakra was going all over the place. It's not located in one place. Third felt "normal" Fourth maybe felt the most "open" as I could feel energy coming from heart center, Fifth felt very "velvety" and I saw the white dove--which to me seems like a representation of voicing peace, truth and justice. Sixth was intriguing as I saw the double-helix spinning in a purple-blue color and I felt like my intuition was trying to tell me something about God being in the very DNA of our bodies. Then, in 7th, it was like a portal, with a hole in the middle connected to the Galactic Black hole, raining golden light down into my crown and then back up. It's like an umbilical cord with the black hole.
As for issues I'm dealing with....hmm. Probably shows trepidation for rooting down into Earth although I love Mother and actively do it every day. Second Chakra all over the place shows I am a creative being but probably not focussed enough. A contained 3d chakra was good, I thought, as I have been working on loving my self and trying to build the will to cary me forward, the heart felt like I was open and that I am trying to be lead by my heart. 5th felt like i have use my voice for good and 6th reinforces my feelings lately about miracle and plasticity of our bodies and 7th shows me that although I sometimes forget, I am connected to something beyond my current understanding. Beyond the heavens, beyond thought."
(After their sharing is complete) Is there anything you would like to add to your
drawing, any notes or further images to complete this experience?
Lisa choose to give me her drawing she didn't feel compelled to work on it anymore
SILENT MEDITATION
"... come into a seated position now and sit quietly for the next few minutes. Allow
yourself to integrate your experience by letting your awareness move freely through
the energy centers or by focusing on a particular center. Allow this experience to
unfold spontaneously. End the session in a way that feels appropriate to you and your receiver."
We ended with Om and Namaste
chakras. The goal is to simply become aware of the location of the chakras in the body and begin to experience the energy there. One may also gain (or notice)a general sense of whether the energy at each center is open or constricted.
The meditations in italics are taken from Joseph Le Page.
INSTRUCTIONS
Use full-length body paper. Lay it out flat on the floor. Allow the person you are working with to lay down on top of the paper. Ask your receiver to take a deep breath, hold the breath for one long count, and as they exhale, ask them:
“What is the first color that comes to your mind?”
Lisa's was black
After they’ve given their color, find that color or the closest one to it in your magic markers. With their hands down at their sides, palms up, outline their body on to the paper. After the outline is traced, give the following introduction to the exercise:
" Within the body, there are a series of vital energy centers, called chakras, where the life force is concentrated. Through exploring and opening these centers, we are able to connect with our core energy, which is an unlimited source of healing, balance, and awakening. We are going on a journey to explore these various energy centers. Allow this to be an open exploration with no particular goal in mind. Hold an intention to be open to this experience from a place of self-love and self-acceptance. Allow yourself to be fully present as much as possible and allow whatever feelings that come up, positive or negative, to be experienced fully.
You can allow the body to physically move into any yoga postures that will deepen your exploration, connection, and opening in these centers. You may also visualize yourself in the postures, allowing your energy body to come into movement while the physical body remains in stillness. Allow any sounds to be released as you experience the energy centers.
During this journey through the chakras, I’ll be asking questions about your experience.
These are directions for your awareness and you do not need to answer out loud. You’ll
have an opportunity to share your experience verbally when we complete the
journey. If you have a question at any time during the experience, feel free to ask.
Relax the body and begin to breathe deeply through the soles of the feet. Feel the breath
as a slow motion wave traveling through the body. Allow the breath to travel all the way up
to the crown of the head (pause while the receiver connects with the breath). Now, bring
your awareness down to the toes. Become aware of the toes and the feet, feeling the
wave of breath wash through them as you feel the sensations of the breath flowing through
the body. Allow this awareness to flow into the ankles... the lower legs... the knees... the
upper legs. Bring your awareness to the thighs, and then to the base of the body, the
perineum."
ROOT CHAKRA
"This is the area at the very base of the body – the perineum. Begin by taking a deep inhaling
breath, hold the breath in, and as you exhale, allow the breath and awareness to flow fully
into this area of the body and become aware of any sensations... Now, begin to breathe
into this area, creating even greater awareness of any feelings or sensations...Explore the area in detail... Does the energy in this center have a particular shape...color... size... or density?... Does the energy feel open or closed?... You may even experience an inner sound or a particular emotion related to this energy center."
"Allow the body to move into a Yoga posture that would naturally open this energy center"
Lisa moved into supine butterfly
"Make a mental picture of the energy in this center. Allow this image to be held in a gentle, loving awareness, and when you have a feeling of the energy in this center, come to a place of rest as you hold the feeling of this energy center in your awareness (pause one minute)... Now, slowly
begin to stretch and move the body... As you are ready, roll onto the right side and up to a
seated position. Now, use the markers and draw your experience of the first chakra onto
the body map. Simply allow the drawing to flow from within you. It may include images,
symbols, words, or just expressions of color (pause 2-3 minutes). As you complete your
drawing, return to a place lying on your back as we continue our journey of the chakras"
She described what she saw as a volcano
SACRAL CHAKRA
"Now, allow your awareness to travel into the lower abdomen, four finger-widths below the
navel, just above the pubic bone. Take a deep inhaling breath and hold the breath in. As you
exhale, allow your complete awareness to rest in this energy center and begin to notice the
quality of the energy here... Take the breath into this area, allowing the sensations to
gently expand in order to sense the energy more deeply... Tune into the feelings and
sensations... Feel the energy from the front of the lower abdomen all the way to the
sacrum... Notice if the energy in that area radiates out easily into the body. Does the
energy in this center have a particular shape... color... size... density... sound... or
emotion? What Yoga posture would allow you to explore this energy more deeply? "
Lisa moved into savasana
"Allow an image to form of the energy here, holding this part of your being in a gentle and
loving embrace. Make a mental picture of the energy in this center. Allow this image be held
in a gentle, loving awareness, and when you have a feeling of the energy in this center,
come to a place of rest as you hold the feeling of this energy center in your awareness."
(pause one minute)... Now, slowly begin to stretch and move the body... As you are
ready, roll onto the right side and up to a seated position. Now, use the art materials and
draw your experience of the second chakra onto the body map. Simply allow the drawing
to flow from within you. It may include images, symbols, words, or just expressions
of color (pause 2-3 minutes). As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying on your
back as we continue our journey of the chakras. "
Lisa said she saw a starfish
SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA
"Now, bring your awareness to the upper abdomen, where the ribs meet in the front of
the body. Inhale, and as you exhale, let your awareness enter this area and begin to
explore the quality of the energy here. Is it feeling open and comfortable or tight and
compressed? What’s the emotional tone of this area? Is there a shape... a color... or a
texture... a movement? Allow these feelings and sensations to be
gently amplified with the breath, feeling the energy all the way into the middle of the
back. Which Yoga posture would allow you to feel this energy more fully? (pause)"
Lisa choose fish pose
"Now, make a mental picture of the energy in the area of the solar plexus and as you hold this
area in your awareness, come back to a seated position in your own time and express
Manipura Chakra on your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying
on your back."
Lisa saw a tornado
HEART CHAKRA"Now, slowly bring your awareness up to the heart center, noticing the place where the
energy feels strongest in the center of the chest. If the entire chest were a wheel, where
would the hub be? Take a deep inhalation and as you exhale, allow your awareness to enter
through the hub of the wheel and then gently radiate out through this energy center...
Begin to explore this area... Allow any sensations of warmth, tingling, or tightness to
gently expand, so you can experience the energy fully in this center... Notice how this
energy responds to the breath as it deepens.... Notice the quality of the energy
here... shape... texture... color... density... Is there an inner sound? What feelings and
emotions are held in the heart? ... (pause) Is there a posture that would allow the heart
center to be experienced more fully and openly? (pause)"
Lisa choose child's pose
Now, while holding the heart energy in a loving embrace, as a mother would hold a child, return slowly to the seated position and express the heart center on your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying on your back as we continue our journey of the chakras. "
Lisa saw a conch
"Allow your awareness now to rise up into your throat. Inhale and hold the breath in. As you
exhale, allow the breath to expand through the throat and become one with the energy
here. Notice whether this center feels open to communication or restricted, perhaps a sense
that there are words that can’t be released from the throat (pause). Notice the quality of
the energy here – shape... size... color...density... There may even be a sense of a
particular taste in the throat... What emotions are held here? (pause) Allow the breath to flow into this energy center, gently expanding the sensations. (pause) pause) Allow an image of your experience to be held in this space. Is there a Yoga posture, which would deepen and expand your experience? "
Lisa choose supine Jastiasana/The Great Stretch with arms over head
"Allow the breath to flow into this energy center, gently expanding the sensations.
(pause) Which Yoga posture would open the area fully? (pause) Allow an image to form of
this aspect of your being and as you are ready, return to a seated position and express
the throat chakra on your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying
on your back as we continue our journey of the chakras."
3rd EYE CHAKRA
"Now, allow the energy to rise into the area between the eyebrows. Take a deep inhaling
breath; hold the breath in and as you exhale, allow your awareness to travel back into the
area behind the center of the eyebrows. Feel as if there were a tunnel or doorway leading
you back into the deepest part of your being..Feel the energy here... Is there a form... a
sense of color... perhaps a symbol? Allow the energy to deepen and expand. (pause) Allow
an image of your experience to be held in this space. Is there a Yoga posture, which would
deepen and expand your experience?
Lisa choose Lion
"Allow an image of your experience to be held in this space. Is there a Yoga posture, which would
deepen and expand your experience? Now, allow an image to form of your experience of
the third eye and as you are ready, come to seated position and express this image on
your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying on your back
as we continue our journey of the chakras."
Lisa saw a double helix swirling in infinity
CROWN CHAKRA
"Now, allow your awareness to rise up into the crown of the head, take a deep inhaling
breath. As you release, allow the sensations to spread through the crown and beyond...
Allow your whole being to merge with the sensations of energy. Is there a color or
symbol? Connect deeply with the quality of the energy here... Sense an opening in crown
of the head like the lens of a camera. Is the lens open to the energy coming in from
above? (pause) Is there a Yoga posture, which would allow you to sense this energy
more fully? ...
Lisa choose 1/2 Lotus with Jnana Mudra
Now, form an image of the crown chakra and as you are ready, come to a
seated position and express the feeling of this energy on your body map. As you feel
complete here, allow the abdomen to begin to rise and fall fully with the breath. "
COMPLETION
"Again, allow the breath to begin to flow through the body like a gentle, slow motion
wave, from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head... Feel the breath in the feet and
legs... Again, feel the breath in the base chakra and allow the breath to rise slowly up
through the energy centers, feeling your images and sensations associated with each of
the centers: base of the body... lower abdomen... the solar plexus... the heart center... the throat... the third eye... the crown and beyond. Hold the images of your journey gently as you allow the breath to
deepen... Then, as you’re ready, take the next full minute to roll onto your right side and
back up into a seated position. "
FINAL DRAWING
Now, look at the outline of your body map again and allow yourself to complete your
chakra map spontaneously and creatively. Use any colors, shapes, and/or images. You
can write descriptions with words, allowing this to be a free expression of your being. Let
me know when you feel complete.
SHARING
". .. take some time now to share anything you would like about your drawing or the
experience of your journey through the energy centers. (As they share repeat back to
them what has been said, never judging or commenting, just repeating what is being
said.)
Here is what Lisa shared:
"Root felt most closed but then when I concentrated on it, it opened more up. Second Chakra was going all over the place. It's not located in one place. Third felt "normal" Fourth maybe felt the most "open" as I could feel energy coming from heart center, Fifth felt very "velvety" and I saw the white dove--which to me seems like a representation of voicing peace, truth and justice. Sixth was intriguing as I saw the double-helix spinning in a purple-blue color and I felt like my intuition was trying to tell me something about God being in the very DNA of our bodies. Then, in 7th, it was like a portal, with a hole in the middle connected to the Galactic Black hole, raining golden light down into my crown and then back up. It's like an umbilical cord with the black hole.
As for issues I'm dealing with....hmm. Probably shows trepidation for rooting down into Earth although I love Mother and actively do it every day. Second Chakra all over the place shows I am a creative being but probably not focussed enough. A contained 3d chakra was good, I thought, as I have been working on loving my self and trying to build the will to cary me forward, the heart felt like I was open and that I am trying to be lead by my heart. 5th felt like i have use my voice for good and 6th reinforces my feelings lately about miracle and plasticity of our bodies and 7th shows me that although I sometimes forget, I am connected to something beyond my current understanding. Beyond the heavens, beyond thought."
(After their sharing is complete) Is there anything you would like to add to your
drawing, any notes or further images to complete this experience?
Lisa choose to give me her drawing she didn't feel compelled to work on it anymore
SILENT MEDITATION
"... come into a seated position now and sit quietly for the next few minutes. Allow
yourself to integrate your experience by letting your awareness move freely through
the energy centers or by focusing on a particular center. Allow this experience to
unfold spontaneously. End the session in a way that feels appropriate to you and your receiver."
We ended with Om and Namaste
Monday, May 22, 2017
Chakra Body Map
This is a body map based on my chakras that I made piece by piece after listening to a meditation and then doing a Yoga Pose in a session led and developed by Art 4 All People, I didn't finish if back then. It just existed as some marks on a page. I was supposed to finish for homework but instead I started working on a painting from it but I also did not finish.
2 years later I was assigned to lead a similar exercise with yoga and meditations from Joseph Le Page. As my friend Lisa Miller worked on her map. I decided to work on mine too. I don't remember which poses I did years ago. But hearing the meditation for each chakra got me back in the space. I then was so excited I took it home and worked on it some more.
Here is my final piece.
ROOT CHAKRA
"This is the area at the very base of the body – the perineum. Begin by taking a deep inhaling
breath, hold the breath in, and as you exhale, allow the breath and awareness to flow fully
into this area of the body and become aware of any sensations... Now, begin to breathe
into this area, creating even greater awareness of any feelings or sensations...Explore the area in detail... Does the energy in this center have a particular shape...color... size... or density?... Does the energy feel open or closed?... You may even experience an inner sound or a particular emotion related to this energy center."
I saw the root of a tree and hands holding me or maybe my hands holding myself. The colors were red and black.
SACRAL CHAKRA
"Now, allow your awareness to travel into the lower abdomen, four finger-widths below the
navel, just above the pubic bone. Take a deep inhaling breath and hold the breath in. As you
exhale, allow your complete awareness to rest in this energy center and begin to notice the
quality of the energy here... Take the breath into this area, allowing the sensations to
gently expand in order to sense the energy more deeply... Tune into the feelings and
sensations... Feel the energy from the front of the lower abdomen all the way to the
sacrum... Notice if the energy in that area radiates out easily into the body. Does the
energy in this center have a particular shape... color... size... density... sound... or
emotion? Allow an image to form of the energy here, holding this part of your being in a gentle and
loving embrace. Make a mental picture of the energy in this center. Allow this image be held
in a gentle, loving awareness, and when you have a feeling of the energy in this center,
come to a place of rest as you hold the feeling of this energy center in your awareness."
(pause one minute)... "
I saw the ocean waves at night and swimming.
SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA
"Now, bring your awareness to the upper abdomen, where the ribs meet in the front of
the body. Inhale, and as you exhale, let your awareness enter this area and begin to
explore the quality of the energy here. Is it feeling open and comfortable or tight and
compressed? What’s the emotional tone of this area? Is there a shape... a color... or a
texture... a movement? Allow these feelings and sensations to be
gently amplified with the breath, feeling the energy all the way into the middle of the
back. Which Yoga posture would allow you to feel this energy more fully? (pause) Now,
make a mental picture of the energy in the area of the solar plexus and as you hold this
area in your awareness, come back to a seated position in your own time and express
Manipura Chakra on your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying
on your back."
I saw red, red lips and the limbs of a tree against a mid day blue sky.
HEART CHAKRA
"Now, slowly bring your awareness up to the heart center, noticing the place where the
energy feels strongest in the center of the chest. If the entire chest were a wheel, where
would the hub be? Take a deep inhalation and as you exhale, allow your awareness to enter
through the hub of the wheel and then gently radiate out through this energy center...
Begin to explore this area... Allow any sensations of warmth, tingling, or tightness to
gently expand, so you can experience the energy fully in this center... Notice how this
energy responds to the breath as it deepens.... Notice the quality of the energy
here... shape... texture... color... density... Is there an inner sound? What feelings and
emotions are held in the heart? ... "
I saw a red lark flying in the clouds
THROAT CHAKRA
"Allow your awareness now to rise up into your throat. Inhale and hold the breath in. As you
exhale, allow the breath to expand through the throat and become one with the energy
here. Notice whether this center feels open to communication or restricted, perhaps a sense
that there are words that can’t be released from the throat (pause). Notice the quality of
the energy here – shape... size... color...density... There may even be a sense of a
particular taste in the throat... What emotions are held here? (pause)
Allow the breath to flow into this energy center, gently expanding the sensations.
(pause) "
I saw an ear that was listening carefully and with attention.
3rd EYE CHAKRA
"Now, allow the energy to rise into the area between the eyebrows. Take a deep inhaling
breath; hold the breath in and as you exhale, allow your awareness to travel back into the
area behind the center of the eyebrows. Feel as if there were a tunnel or doorway leading
you back into the deepest part of your being..Feel the energy here... Is there a form... a
sense of color... perhaps a symbol? Allow the energy to deepen and expand. (pause) Allow
an image of your experience to be held in this space. Is there a Yoga posture, which would
deepen and expand your experience? Now, allow an image to form of your experience of
the third eye and as you are ready, come to seated position and express this image on
your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying on your back
as we continue our journey of the chakras."
I saw a blue angel ascending.
CROWN CHAKRA
"Now, allow your awareness to rise up into the crown of the head, take a deep inhaling
breath. As you release, allow the sensations to spread through the crown and beyond...
Allow your whole being to merge with the sensations of energy. Is there a color or
symbol? Connect deeply with the quality of the energy here... Sense an opening in crown
of the head like the lens of a camera. Is the lens open to the energy coming in from
above? (pause) Is there a Yoga posture, which would allow you to sense this energy
more fully? ... Now, form an image of the crown chakra and as you are ready, come to a
seated position and express the feeling of this energy on your body map. As you feel
complete here, allow the abdomen to begin to rise and fall fully with the breath. "
I saw Ocean waves at night. A pitch black sky and a crescent moon.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Thoughts on Conclusion of Anodea Judith's
It is not so much a matter of trying to get somewhere
as it is removing the blocks
to seeing that we are already there - Anodea Judith
I did the chakra assessment in Eastern Body, Western Mind. Here are my results.
I am not sure if I fit into any of the catagories neatly. But I will explore.
TOP-DOWN SYSTEMS
Excessive Upper Chakras and Deficient Lower Ones
- I definitely have a lot of deficiencies in the lower chakras but I don't have excesses in them I have strengths. But maybe this could be considered also a TOP-DOWN SYSTEM but a different variation of it.
BOTTOM-UP SYSTEMS
Excessive Lower Chakras and Deficient Upper Ones
- I don't have much deficiency in my upper chakras. The chakra I have the most excess in is the 3rd. The chakra I have the most deficiencies is the 2nd, The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th is definitely where I have the most deficiencies and issues. The 6 and 7th are where the most strength is.
INSIDE OUT SYSTEMS
Centered in the Middle Chakras
I can't say that I am centered in the middle chakras. I have activity there but it isn't dominant.
OUTSIDE IN SYSTEMS
Chasm in the center of the body
I don't have this
BALANCED SYSTEM
My system is not balanced. Most of my issues and defiencies are in 1 though 5 and my strengths are 6 and 7.
FURTHER IDEAS I LIKE IN THE CONCLUSION
"..the archetype of the Self contains he program to become whole, much like a seed contains the program to become a flower." p.438
"Each piece we reclaim unfolds a petal of a chakra. Some pieces unfold several petals, and bring deep restoration. Each piece allows us to love a fuller and richer life - bringing in deeper meaning about ourselves and the world in which we are embedded." p. 438
"Enlightenment comes in pieces. It happens a little bit every day. Each time we have even a small insight, we have an expansion of consciousness that can then be applied wherever it is needed." p.442
"Each chakra represents an essential chamber in the temple of the Self. Each one houses an aspect of the sacred and its necessary for wholeness. The more we clean and properly decorate the temple, the more we count the presence of the divine." p.428
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Reflect on the chakra you feel least aware of in your being
My first chakra is always talking to me with knee problems and foot pain. I am extremely emotional and creative which I place in my 2nd chakra. I am in love with love in my 4th and my shoulders always hurt and my chest in collapsing in. I talk to much in my 5th. I think about my 6th and 7th a lot with yoga, meditation and yoga nidra, but I forget about my 3rd.
I have chosen my 3rd chakra to explore today as the one I am least aware of using Anodea Judith's Book, Eastern Body, Western Mind.In Yoga I will push myself in about anything except my core and my arms. My core is the weakest part of my body. So
According to Andoea Judith"the third chakra is located in the softest part of the torso (yes mine is too soft)...The chakra is not full enough to support the upper body. ,,,It is helpful when developping the will to do exercises such as sit-ups that strengthen the stomach muscles and support this vulnerable part of the torso." (I know, I know, some day)
BASIC ISSUES OF THE 3rd CHAKRA
- Energy
- Activity
- Autonomy
- Individuation
- Will
- Self-Esteem
- Shame
- Proactivity
- Power
I often notice the more stressed I get at work the more I lose my personality. People who don't know my don't even know I am funny or can be fun. I come off as very rigid. But that is not how I see myself or those who know me in other contexts see me.
....We lose our spontaneity and playfulness. Unable to trust our own basic impulses and needing to constantly monitor what comes from within, the personality becomes divided against itself. It takes energy to maintain this division, a loss that robs us of our basic vitality and wholeness." p.173
AUTONOMY
"Without autonomy, we cannot get to the heart, for our love comes from need rather than strength..." This rings very true to me in my love relationships.
INVIDUATION
",,,overcoming unconscious habits that allow us to be defined by others."p.173
I have never felt good enough. I think I never have recovered from being thrown out of the house at 16 because I wanted to be an artist.
"It is about daring to be unique, risking disapproval for the integrity of your own truth." p.173
I feel like I did that and it turned out badly and lately I have been afraid to take big risks.
OBEDIENCE/PUNISHMENT
"We are trained to be obedient" p. 179
I wasn't very obedient as a child and I was spanked and beaten a lot. My father would tell me that this hurts him more than it hurts me. (I didn't believe him because it hurt a lot). He told me he was trying to get my attention (I always thought this was a pretty stupid way to get my attention)
"Punishment is used by authority for controlling behavior and robbing us of our free will."
"Punishment can shame or control, deprive or invade. It can physical or emotional, literal or symbolic." p.194
We can respond to punishment by: complying, rebelling, withdrawing or manipulating.
As a teen I rebelled and withdrawing with drugs. As adult I am withdrawing by numbing myself and manipulating.
SELF_ESTEEM
My self-esteem is so low although I know it shouldn't be. I have had a lot of accomplishments.
"In the many years of my practice. I have seldom found much correlation between high seld-esteem and accomplishment." p. 180 (Thank god it's not just me,
PRO_ACTIVITY
I don't think this is one of my problems
POWER
"We have power when we dare to live authentically, when we reach inside ourselves and tell the naked truth." (I am not there yet. Still a lot of lies.)
SHAME
"Shame creates a block between the mind and the body that splits one off from the core self."
I was ashamed of being black, mixed, Jewish, big footed, knock kneed, not fast enough swimmer, so many things''
"We are held in our places within a culture where the personal loss of power is so epidemic that no one hears the cries of loss and outrage." p.190
My father liked to embarrass me in public.
"Shame collapses the third chakra and as a result the whole torso collapses at the middle."
The pain, confusion and shame of being raped at 16 was one of the most crushing things that has happened in my life. I handled it all by myself. I told no one. What a weight to carry for such a young girl, me!'
And thus maybe I am also the ENDURER
ENDURER
"To heal, The Endurer needs to express both the angry and the tender feelings."
I need to overcome these feelings of "helplessness, abandonment, neglect and abuse."
PARENTIFIED CHILD
This was definitely me. Cooking dinner for my brother and father when my mom was working late.
"Sometimes the situation within a family requires that the child grow up too quickly and take on responsibilities that are beyond the maturity of her age." p. 195
EXCESS
Human Ding - bolstering the ego with accomplishments, engagements, and busy-ness (This is me)
"Such a person will be in constant motion, excitation, and stress that goes with it..."
"Balance between listening to the body's messages and channeling those impulses into productive acivity is the integration we seek."
"..excessive thircd chakras need to relax, sit still and let go of control." p.216
DEFICIENCY
The one a relate to is feeling victimized and depression
GIVE UP BEING SAFE
"The first thing i tell my clients or group members when they wish to develop their third chakra is to give up the attachment to being safe. This involves giving up wanting everything assured ahead of time and accepting that there might be criticism, challenge, misunderstanding, rejection, or a possibility of failure...,We need to face the fact that the world is not safe" p.216
WORK WITH ANGER
- 3rd chakra anger is an assertive fiery anger which is me
Blocked anger is often a factor in weight gain. I struggle with my weight.
"I have found that releasing blocked anger often improves metabolism and helps stabilize weight problems, sometimes with little or no change in diet." p.217
CONCLUSION
- Need to build ego strength to work on 3rd chakra
- Develop contact with authentic self
- Raise self-esteem by attacking shame demons
- Vitality
- Ability to laugh at one's self
I have chosen my 3rd chakra to explore today as the one I am least aware of using Anodea Judith's Book, Eastern Body, Western Mind.In Yoga I will push myself in about anything except my core and my arms. My core is the weakest part of my body. So
According to Andoea Judith"the third chakra is located in the softest part of the torso (yes mine is too soft)...The chakra is not full enough to support the upper body. ,,,It is helpful when developping the will to do exercises such as sit-ups that strengthen the stomach muscles and support this vulnerable part of the torso." (I know, I know, some day)
BASIC ISSUES OF THE 3rd CHAKRA
- Energy
- Activity
- Autonomy
- Individuation
- Will
- Self-Esteem
- Shame
- Proactivity
- Power
I often notice the more stressed I get at work the more I lose my personality. People who don't know my don't even know I am funny or can be fun. I come off as very rigid. But that is not how I see myself or those who know me in other contexts see me.
....We lose our spontaneity and playfulness. Unable to trust our own basic impulses and needing to constantly monitor what comes from within, the personality becomes divided against itself. It takes energy to maintain this division, a loss that robs us of our basic vitality and wholeness." p.173
AUTONOMY
"Without autonomy, we cannot get to the heart, for our love comes from need rather than strength..." This rings very true to me in my love relationships.
INVIDUATION
",,,overcoming unconscious habits that allow us to be defined by others."p.173
I have never felt good enough. I think I never have recovered from being thrown out of the house at 16 because I wanted to be an artist.
"It is about daring to be unique, risking disapproval for the integrity of your own truth." p.173
I feel like I did that and it turned out badly and lately I have been afraid to take big risks.
OBEDIENCE/PUNISHMENT
"We are trained to be obedient" p. 179
I wasn't very obedient as a child and I was spanked and beaten a lot. My father would tell me that this hurts him more than it hurts me. (I didn't believe him because it hurt a lot). He told me he was trying to get my attention (I always thought this was a pretty stupid way to get my attention)
"Punishment is used by authority for controlling behavior and robbing us of our free will."
"Punishment can shame or control, deprive or invade. It can physical or emotional, literal or symbolic." p.194
We can respond to punishment by: complying, rebelling, withdrawing or manipulating.
As a teen I rebelled and withdrawing with drugs. As adult I am withdrawing by numbing myself and manipulating.
SELF_ESTEEM
My self-esteem is so low although I know it shouldn't be. I have had a lot of accomplishments.
"In the many years of my practice. I have seldom found much correlation between high seld-esteem and accomplishment." p. 180 (Thank god it's not just me,
PRO_ACTIVITY
I don't think this is one of my problems
POWER
"We have power when we dare to live authentically, when we reach inside ourselves and tell the naked truth." (I am not there yet. Still a lot of lies.)
SHAME
"Shame creates a block between the mind and the body that splits one off from the core self."
I was ashamed of being black, mixed, Jewish, big footed, knock kneed, not fast enough swimmer, so many things''
"We are held in our places within a culture where the personal loss of power is so epidemic that no one hears the cries of loss and outrage." p.190
My father liked to embarrass me in public.
"Shame collapses the third chakra and as a result the whole torso collapses at the middle."
The pain, confusion and shame of being raped at 16 was one of the most crushing things that has happened in my life. I handled it all by myself. I told no one. What a weight to carry for such a young girl, me!'
And thus maybe I am also the ENDURER
ENDURER
"To heal, The Endurer needs to express both the angry and the tender feelings."
I need to overcome these feelings of "helplessness, abandonment, neglect and abuse."
PARENTIFIED CHILD
This was definitely me. Cooking dinner for my brother and father when my mom was working late.
"Sometimes the situation within a family requires that the child grow up too quickly and take on responsibilities that are beyond the maturity of her age." p. 195
EXCESS
Human Ding - bolstering the ego with accomplishments, engagements, and busy-ness (This is me)
"Such a person will be in constant motion, excitation, and stress that goes with it..."
"Balance between listening to the body's messages and channeling those impulses into productive acivity is the integration we seek."
"..excessive thircd chakras need to relax, sit still and let go of control." p.216
DEFICIENCY
The one a relate to is feeling victimized and depression
GIVE UP BEING SAFE
"The first thing i tell my clients or group members when they wish to develop their third chakra is to give up the attachment to being safe. This involves giving up wanting everything assured ahead of time and accepting that there might be criticism, challenge, misunderstanding, rejection, or a possibility of failure...,We need to face the fact that the world is not safe" p.216
WORK WITH ANGER
- 3rd chakra anger is an assertive fiery anger which is me
Blocked anger is often a factor in weight gain. I struggle with my weight.
"I have found that releasing blocked anger often improves metabolism and helps stabilize weight problems, sometimes with little or no change in diet." p.217
CONCLUSION
- Need to build ego strength to work on 3rd chakra
- Develop contact with authentic self
- Raise self-esteem by attacking shame demons
- Vitality
- Ability to laugh at one's self
Reflections on Introductionary Chapter of Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith
I have been studying the chakras with intensity the last few years but I haven't read Eastern Body, Western Mind although I was read some other books by Andea Judith. I worked a lot with Wheels of Light.
Here are my notes and thoughts from the book and what I considered important.
Chakra System mentioned throughout history
- In Vedas
- Upanishads
- Yoga Sutras
- 16th century Indian text Sat-Chakra-NIrupana
-The Serpent Power, Arthur Avalon brought idea to the west
The chakras are said to have a location even though the don't exist in the physical world
These locations will vary from person to person, have the same relationships between them
RAINBOW
I never thought much before of the chakra system as a rainbow. I think I have focused too much an making them individuals and not a whole.
"The seven colors of the rainbow represent an alternative to our binary black-and-white consciousness, offering us a word of multiple opportunities. The rainbow expresses the diversity of light as it moves from source to manifestation. Its seven colors represent seven vibratory modalities of human existence, related to the seven chakras of Indian yogic tradition-energy centers that exist within each one of us." p.2
"Through this dance of transformation, the rainbow becomes the axis muni-the central axis of the world that runs through the vertical core of each of us. On our journey through life, the chakras are the wheels along the axis that take the vehicle of the Self along our evolutionary quest, along the Rainbow Bridge to reclaim our divine nature once again."
The rainbow is an archetypal symbol
In mythology the rainbow is the sign of hope
The pot of gold at its end is like the philosopher's stone something we quest to have but may never find
In Norse Mythology the rainbow bridge was a pathway between humans and the gods, the path to
Valhalla
"As we learn to open and heal the chakras within us, we become the Rainbow Bridge-the living link between Heaven and Earth."
ALCHEMY
I think there is much more here to explore about alchemy and the chakras and I would like to work on it one day.
"Passage through the chakras is an alchemical processing of increasing refinement that unites light and shadow, male and female, spirit and matter, all in the crucible of the body and the psyche." p.4
CHAKRAS REPRESENTING PSYCHOLOGY AND ARCHETYPAL ELEMENTS
There are both major and minor chakras
Each major chakra represents a major area of human psychological health and archetypal elements
(1) survival - Earth (solid and dense)
(2) sexuality - Water (formless and fluid)
(3) power - Fire (radiating and transforming)
(4) love - Air (soft and spacious)
(5) communication - Sound (rhythmic pulsation)
(6) intuition - Light (illuminating)
(7) consciousness - Thought (medium of consciousness)
ACTIVATING CHAKRAS
"It is quite common to have a perfectly good program and not know how to activate it ....getting such programs activated is another question entirely. Activation requires a charge of energy moving through the psychic current of the body." p. 12
The seven chakra vortixes are a combination of the active principles of consciousness and matter
"When we take thoughts and turn them into visualizations, the words, and finally into form, we are encouraged in the process of manifesting. Only through embodiment can consciousness manifest, This means that the energy current must be run through the body/hardware to activate the necessary programs."
CURRENTS
Current of Liberation
- upward current moving from dense earth to ethereral consciousness
- as we move upward through the chakras we become less restricted
- historically the chakras were considered a path to liberation, where one is freed from the restrictions of the material world
Current of Reception
- horizontal current
Current of Expression
- horizontal current
BLOCKED CHAKRAS
"When a chakra is blocked, reception and expression become distorted." p.16
"... defenses create holding patterns in our musculature that restrict the free flow of energy, even when real threats cease to exist. This chronic tension is known as body armor. It effects our posture, breathing, metabolism and our emotional states, as well as our perceptions, interpretations and belief systems."p.17
Any block in chakra also effects the 4 basic currents
"If we are unable to receive a particular kind of energy (like love or new information), then the chakra atrophies and becomes further limited in its functioning. If we are unable to express energy, we stagnate and become a closed system." p.17
"it is important to recognize the blocks we carry, find ways to understand their source and meaning, and develop tools to heal them."
UNBLOCKING A CHAKRA
1. Understand the Dynamics of the Specific Chakra
2. Examine the Personal History Related to the Chakra Issue
3. Apply Exercises and Techniques
4. Balance excess and defiency
IMBALANCES
A chakra can be excessive or deficient (character armor). Both of these are coping strategies to deal with stress, trauma and unpleasant circumstances. To strengthen a chakra you may to strengthen the one below it to give it support
CHARACTER ARMOR
Character armor are coping strategies that you see in posture and tissues of the body
Our ways of coping get hard wired
RIGHTS
Seven Chakra Rights
1. To be here
"The right to have underlies the ability to contain, hold, keep and manifest- all aspects of a healthy first chakra."
2. To feel
"Feeling is the way we obstain important information about our well-being. .. If we can not feel it is very difficult to know what we want. .. OUr right to enjoy healthy sexuality is intimately connected with our right to feel."
3. To act
"When the right to act is restricted, will and spontaneity go with it and our vitality decreases." It is also the right to be free
4, To love
Right to love and be loved "As the central chakra in a system of seven, the right to love is harmed when any of the other rights are lost or damaged."
5. To speak
The right to speak and hear the truth
6. To see
7. To know
The right to accurate indormation, the right to truth, the right to knowledge and the right to simply know what's going on
SEVEN IDENTITIES
1. Physical Identity
2. Emotional Identity
job is self gratification
3. Ego Identity
says I am what I do
inner executive that executes our intentions
4. Social Identity
persona
5. Creative Identity
the commitments we make
6. Archetypal Identity
transforming the individual I into something transpersonal
7. Universal Identity
achievement of universal identity and breaking with smaller identities
DEMONS OF THE CHAKRAS
1. Fear
2. Guilt
3. Shame
4. Grief
5. Lies
6. Illusion
7. Attachment
ADULT DEVELOPMENT
1. First Issue to solve is survival
2. sexual relationships. Satisfaction of emotional needs. Unconscious Patterns from the Shadow- misunderstandings, blaming and emotional turmoil
3, Individuation process
4.True empathy and altruism
5. Creative and Personal Expression
6. Reflection and study of patterns through exploration of mythology, religion and philosphy
7. Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding
FINAL THOUGHTS
"Linking specific symptoms to specific chakras is not enough,,,,What is important is to first understand the complete system and then to examine each person as a whole, using reason, intelligence, competence, and compassion. Only then will the assessment be complete."
Here are my notes and thoughts from the book and what I considered important.
Chakra System mentioned throughout history
- In Vedas
- Upanishads
- Yoga Sutras
- 16th century Indian text Sat-Chakra-NIrupana
-The Serpent Power, Arthur Avalon brought idea to the west
The chakras are said to have a location even though the don't exist in the physical world
These locations will vary from person to person, have the same relationships between them
RAINBOW
I never thought much before of the chakra system as a rainbow. I think I have focused too much an making them individuals and not a whole.
"The seven colors of the rainbow represent an alternative to our binary black-and-white consciousness, offering us a word of multiple opportunities. The rainbow expresses the diversity of light as it moves from source to manifestation. Its seven colors represent seven vibratory modalities of human existence, related to the seven chakras of Indian yogic tradition-energy centers that exist within each one of us." p.2
"Through this dance of transformation, the rainbow becomes the axis muni-the central axis of the world that runs through the vertical core of each of us. On our journey through life, the chakras are the wheels along the axis that take the vehicle of the Self along our evolutionary quest, along the Rainbow Bridge to reclaim our divine nature once again."
The rainbow is an archetypal symbol
In mythology the rainbow is the sign of hope
The pot of gold at its end is like the philosopher's stone something we quest to have but may never find
In Norse Mythology the rainbow bridge was a pathway between humans and the gods, the path to
Valhalla
"As we learn to open and heal the chakras within us, we become the Rainbow Bridge-the living link between Heaven and Earth."
ALCHEMY
I think there is much more here to explore about alchemy and the chakras and I would like to work on it one day.
"Passage through the chakras is an alchemical processing of increasing refinement that unites light and shadow, male and female, spirit and matter, all in the crucible of the body and the psyche." p.4
CHAKRAS REPRESENTING PSYCHOLOGY AND ARCHETYPAL ELEMENTS
There are both major and minor chakras
Each major chakra represents a major area of human psychological health and archetypal elements
(1) survival - Earth (solid and dense)
(2) sexuality - Water (formless and fluid)
(3) power - Fire (radiating and transforming)
(4) love - Air (soft and spacious)
(5) communication - Sound (rhythmic pulsation)
(6) intuition - Light (illuminating)
(7) consciousness - Thought (medium of consciousness)
ACTIVATING CHAKRAS
"It is quite common to have a perfectly good program and not know how to activate it ....getting such programs activated is another question entirely. Activation requires a charge of energy moving through the psychic current of the body." p. 12
The seven chakra vortixes are a combination of the active principles of consciousness and matter
"When we take thoughts and turn them into visualizations, the words, and finally into form, we are encouraged in the process of manifesting. Only through embodiment can consciousness manifest, This means that the energy current must be run through the body/hardware to activate the necessary programs."
CURRENTS
Current of Liberation
- upward current moving from dense earth to ethereral consciousness
- as we move upward through the chakras we become less restricted
- historically the chakras were considered a path to liberation, where one is freed from the restrictions of the material world
Current of Reception
- horizontal current
Current of Expression
- horizontal current
BLOCKED CHAKRAS
"When a chakra is blocked, reception and expression become distorted." p.16
"... defenses create holding patterns in our musculature that restrict the free flow of energy, even when real threats cease to exist. This chronic tension is known as body armor. It effects our posture, breathing, metabolism and our emotional states, as well as our perceptions, interpretations and belief systems."p.17
Any block in chakra also effects the 4 basic currents
"If we are unable to receive a particular kind of energy (like love or new information), then the chakra atrophies and becomes further limited in its functioning. If we are unable to express energy, we stagnate and become a closed system." p.17
"it is important to recognize the blocks we carry, find ways to understand their source and meaning, and develop tools to heal them."
UNBLOCKING A CHAKRA
1. Understand the Dynamics of the Specific Chakra
2. Examine the Personal History Related to the Chakra Issue
3. Apply Exercises and Techniques
4. Balance excess and defiency
IMBALANCES
A chakra can be excessive or deficient (character armor). Both of these are coping strategies to deal with stress, trauma and unpleasant circumstances. To strengthen a chakra you may to strengthen the one below it to give it support
CHARACTER ARMOR
Character armor are coping strategies that you see in posture and tissues of the body
Our ways of coping get hard wired
RIGHTS
Seven Chakra Rights
1. To be here
"The right to have underlies the ability to contain, hold, keep and manifest- all aspects of a healthy first chakra."
2. To feel
"Feeling is the way we obstain important information about our well-being. .. If we can not feel it is very difficult to know what we want. .. OUr right to enjoy healthy sexuality is intimately connected with our right to feel."
3. To act
"When the right to act is restricted, will and spontaneity go with it and our vitality decreases." It is also the right to be free
4, To love
Right to love and be loved "As the central chakra in a system of seven, the right to love is harmed when any of the other rights are lost or damaged."
5. To speak
The right to speak and hear the truth
6. To see
7. To know
The right to accurate indormation, the right to truth, the right to knowledge and the right to simply know what's going on
SEVEN IDENTITIES
1. Physical Identity
2. Emotional Identity
job is self gratification
3. Ego Identity
says I am what I do
inner executive that executes our intentions
4. Social Identity
persona
5. Creative Identity
the commitments we make
6. Archetypal Identity
transforming the individual I into something transpersonal
7. Universal Identity
achievement of universal identity and breaking with smaller identities
DEMONS OF THE CHAKRAS
1. Fear
2. Guilt
3. Shame
4. Grief
5. Lies
6. Illusion
7. Attachment
ADULT DEVELOPMENT
1. First Issue to solve is survival
2. sexual relationships. Satisfaction of emotional needs. Unconscious Patterns from the Shadow- misunderstandings, blaming and emotional turmoil
3, Individuation process
4.True empathy and altruism
5. Creative and Personal Expression
6. Reflection and study of patterns through exploration of mythology, religion and philosphy
7. Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding
FINAL THOUGHTS
"Linking specific symptoms to specific chakras is not enough,,,,What is important is to first understand the complete system and then to examine each person as a whole, using reason, intelligence, competence, and compassion. Only then will the assessment be complete."
Monday, November 2, 2015
Throat Chakra Painting
I did a Chakra body map exercise with Art 4 People and one of the weakest images I made was for the throat chakra. My task was to develop the weakest and strongest images from the exercise into a painting.
This painting is about 24" by 24". The most important parts of the face in the center to me are the lips and the ears. The lips are closed (I talk too much) and the ears should be open to listen. If I were to title this painting it would be called
"I AM LISTENING"
Each petal has a word connecting to the throat chakra: listening, speaking, expression, saying yes etc. This painting also seems to be influenced by the work I did on the Hero-ine's journey painting. I used the traditional number of 16 petals, the traditional color blue and the crescent moon symbol.
This is a piece last month in my sketchbook about the throat chakra. I couldn't have made the painting above without this piece. It's where I found the colors and the lengths of the petals. I may add the Sanskrit bija mantra Hum to the painting above. I am not sure. I'd like to do all seven chakras but it takes a lot of time.
I really love the way the throar chakra painting came out. I like putting myself as the face of the painting. I like to be in my paintings right now since in my day time job as a decorator my job is to be invisible.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Drawing and Painting the Root Chakra
I finished a painting on the root chakra this weekend. It comes out of an intuitive drawing exercise at Art 4 All People and a bunch of my own sketches.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Chakra Series - Yin Yoga for the Throat Chakra - Vishuddhi
STANDING FORWARD FOLD HANDS BEHIND THE NECK
The sanskrit name for the throat chakra is Vishuddha. “Visuddha/Visuddhi” is derived from the sanskrit word “shuddhi” which means to purify. The throat chakra is related to purification, communication and self-expression.
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Neck Release - PART 1 - No hands
Forward Bend Sitting on the heels
According to Hindu tradition, this chakra is described as having a "white color" with sixteen "purple" or "smoke-colored petals". Within the symbol is a sky-blue downward pointing triangle containing a circular white region like the full moon. This represents the element of akashi or "aether". Downward triangle is the sacred feminine or the yoni. The moon encompasses psychic energy, clairvoyance and communication without words
Benefits: Stretches and strengthens the back muscles and separated the individual vertebrae from each other, releasing pressures on the discs. Often nerve connections emantating from the spinal cord are squeezed by these discs, gicing rise to various forms of backaches. It regulates the functioning of the adrenal glands, tones the pelvic meuscles and the sciatic nerves and is benefical for both the male and female reproductive organs.Regular practice relieves constipation.
Contraindications: Not be performed by people with very high blood pressure, slipped disc or those who suffer for vertigo.
Breathwork: Count down from 16 as a group
Thread the Needle - Twisting Child's Pose
The bija mantra (seed sound) is the syllable हं haṃ, and is written in white upon the chakra.
Benefits: Gently compresses the muscles of your upper chest. Opens the upper and outer muscles of your shoulder.. Detoxifies and calms your body with the slight twist. Sends fresh blood to your upper extremities.
Contraindications: Avoid if you have any serious shoulder or neck injuries. Anyone with back or hip conditions should take care not to overdo the twist
Symbolism: Turning to the archetypal meaning of the thread, it symbolizes the agent that links all states of being to one another. Threading a needle is the symbol of passing through the center, the target, the gateway. Also mending something as opposed to throwing it out
Breathwork: Inhaling and Exhaling Ham
Upward Plank
A ruling deity of the chakra is Sadashiva, who has 5 faces and 10 arms. He holds a trident, chisel, sword, vajra, fire, a great snake, a bell, a goad, and a noose, and is makes the gesture of dispelling fear. He is clad in a tiger skin. The right half of his body is a white Shiva, and the left half of the body is a golden Shakti. Reminding us to blend the masculine and feminine within us. Softness in strength and strength in softness. In yoga, flexibility and power together.
Benefits: Strengthens the shoulders, thighs and wrists, and tones the lumbar region of the spine and the Achilles tendons.
Symbolism: To see a wooden plank indicates something that is in need of repair or that you need to maximize your resources and make something out of seemingly nothing.
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Flapping Fish
The ruling goddess is Sakini Shakti who represents mastery over the elements and the psychic realm. She is shining white, seated on a red lotus, and with five faces, three eyes each, and four-armed, with a bow and arrow, noose, and goad.
Cobra
The element associated with the chakra is ether which is represented in the full moon in the yantra. According to ancient and medieval science, aether (Greek: αἰθήρ aithēr), also spelled æther or ether, also called quintessence, is the material that fills the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere.
Benefits: Improves and deepens breathing. Helps remove backaches and keeps the spine supple. Tones ovaries and uterus and helps with menstrual and other gynecological disorders. Stimulates the appetite, alleviates constipation and is beneficial for the abdominal organs, especially the liver and the kidneys
Contra-indications: People suffering from peptic ulcer, hernia, intestinal tuberculosis or hyperthyroidism should not practice this asana with guidance.
Symbolismi: In India, both Hindus and Buddhists have special reverence for the cobra. Hindus believe in the immortality of the snake due to the shedding of its skin, and a snake eating its tail is a Hindu symbol of eternity. It also may represent the sacred feminine, protectiveness, intuitiveness, wisdom, strength, unpredictability, a defensive nature or even evil.
Sphinx/Seal Pose
Meditation upon this chakra is said to bring about the following siddhis or occult powers: vision of the three periods, past, present and future; freedom from disease and old age; destruction of dangers; and the ability to move the three worlds
Benefits: Deep compression and stimulation of sacral lumbar arch. Stimulates the door of lide. Tones the spine. In Seal stomache gets a great stretch.
Contra-indications: Bad back or tight sacrum problems. Pregnant use bolsters and don't put belly on floor
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Symbolism:Sphinx - Power, Watching Over. Seal - Being Comfortable in your own skin
Camel
In its most abstract form, the throat chakra is associated with higher discrimination, and is associated with creativity and self-expression.
Benefits: Deeply arches the sacral/lumbar spine and opens the top of the things. Opens the ankles. Stretches hip flexors and opens the shoulders. Great for dropping shoulder or hunched backs
Contra-indications: Those with weak backs should do gentle variation. If you have neck issues don't drop the head back keep chin to chest.
Symbolism:Endurance.Transport. Protection. Survival. Conservation. Journeying. Stamina.
Cat Cow on Hands and Knees
Tiger Pose
Vishuddha is often associated with the thyroid gland in the human endocrine system. This gland is in the neck, and produces hormones essential for growth and maturation. Excessive stress, namely fear and fear from speaking out, affect the throat chakra and thyroid problems may occur.
Symbolism: The tiger puts a special emphasis on raw feelings and emotions. The tiger symbolizes primal instincts, unpredictability, and ability to trust yourself. By affinity with the tiger , you may enjoy dealing with life matters spontaneously, trusting your intuition and acting fast when needed.
Lion w/ Lions Breath
Although this chakra is located in the neck and the throat it is also associated with hearing, it is also related to the ears, and due to its association with speaking, it is also associated with the mouth.
Benefits: It relieves frustration and releases emotional tension. Tension is removed from the chest and diaphragm. Useful for people who stutter or who are nervous and introverted. It develops a strong and a beautiful voice.
Symbolism: The symbolic meaning of lions primarily deals with strength. The lion brings a message of balance and sound judgment. The lion shares the world of both night and day, the lion bears a message of prudence to us. In other words, the lion asks us to not overdo in certain areas of our lives. Rather, keep an even mind and an overall balance in our life activities.
Breathwork: Lion's Breath
Knees-Chest and Chin
The success and failure in one's life depend upon the state of this chakra (whether it is polluted or clean).
Rabbit Pose
It is believed that when Vishuddha is closed, we undergo decay and death. When it is open, negative experiences are transformed into wisdom and learning.
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Symbolism: Symbolic rabbit meanings deal primarily with abundance, comfort, and vulnerability. Traditionally, rabbits are associated with fertility, sentiment, desire, and procreation. Rabbit meanings are also closely linked to the seasons, the changes of Mother Earth, and specifically Springtime.
Fish
Guilty feelings are the most prominent reason for this chakra to block the Kundalini energy moving upwards
Benefits:A traditional text that Matsyasana is the “destroyer of all diseases.Stretches the deep hip flexors (psoas) and the muscles (intercostals) between the ribs. Stretches and stimulates the muscles of the belly and front of the neck. Stretches and stimulates the organs of the belly and throat. Strengthens the muscles of the upper back and back of the neck. Improves posture.
Contra-indications: High or low blood pressure. Migraine. Insomnia. Serious lower-back or neck injury
Symbolism: Fertility. Eternity. Happiness. Knowledge. Transformation
Breathwork: Breathe green. With each inhale imagine your heart center—and possibly the rest of your body—filling up with a soft, green light and with every exhale feel your heart center purge pent-up negativity. Don’t be too forceful on your exhalations. Rather, focus more energy on your positive, “green” inhalation
Sleeping Thunderbolt
Singing is a great way of stimulating the throat chakra in a beneficial and harmless way, whereas rubbing or hitting the throat area is not and can be harmful.
Benefits: Massages the abdominal organs, alleviates disgestive complaints and constipation. It tones the spinal nerves, makes the back more flexible and realigns rounded shoulders.
Contraindications: Should not be practiced by people suffering from neck problems, sciatica, slipped disc, sacral ailments or knee complaints,
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Symbolism: A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In ancient Hellenic and Roman religious traditions, the thunderbolt represents Zeus or Jupiter (etymologically 'Sky Father'), thence the origin and ordaining pattern of the universe, as expressed in Heraclitus' fragment describing "the Thunderbolt that steers the course of all things".
1/2 Shoulderstand
The element of sound is an integral part of the throat chakra. Sound is a rhythmic vibration of air molecules as they are impacted by matter in movement. All sound is a vibration, and all things, living and nonliving, have a unique vibration. At this level, we do not see the world as individual things or their activities but as a complex interwoven net of energies with characteristic vibrational rhythms.
Benefits: Helps those with low blood pressure. Balances the nervous susrem, strengthens the neck muscles and brings a rich supply of blood to the brain.
Contra-indications: People with high blood pressure, heart conditions, ear inflammations, weak eyecapillaries, problems with thyroid or pituitary glands.
Supported Bridge
Communication is the activity and function of the fifth chakra. Here we have language, a complex pattern of sound and rhythm, through which we symbolize the physical world around us. Through symbol, we have a more efficient way of dealing with the world. I can describe my car, but I can’t bring it into the room with me. I can call New York without actually going there. Our minds work with symbols. We think in words, as well as image and sensory memory. The world of the upper chakras is symbolic of the world below.
Symbolism: In the tarot, the bridge card means progress, connections, and stability. Often people view bridges as the only way to reach a destination, and therefore bridges are a way to overcome obstacles. Bridges also represent transitions. “Crossing over” is a euphemism for taking that journey from life to death.
Snail
Ideally, the fifth chakra should be connected to the self—to all the other chakras above and below—to visions of the mind and the feelings from body with equal ease.
Chanting is an activity that increases the overall resonance of our being, allowing all our internal systems to enter into a rhythmic harmony. When chanting is practiced as a group activity, it enhances resonance and communication with the group as a whole.
Benefits: Stretches the pelivs, regulates the kidneys, acitvates the intenstines and removes excess weight.
Contra-indications; Not recommended for people who are infirmed, suffering from hernia, sciatica or slipped discs
Symbolism: Snails symbolize many deep and powerful things that most of us might not realize. These little crawlers are more in-depth than ever imagined. Keep in mind that not only are there land snails, but there are also sea snails so in this regard this species bridges the gap between elements. And any animal that bridges the gap between two elements bridges the gap between the mundane and the spiritual worlds.
Legs Up the Wall
The fifth chakra is also a center of creativity, another form of symbolic communication. As we open up this center, we open up our creative potential. The greater our resonance within, the greater the power within our creations.
Benefits; It reduces edema in the legs and feet.It relieves tired leg muscles.It gives you all the benefits of inversion, without the effort.It is super calming for the nervous system. It helps quiet the mind.
SUPTA PAWANMUKTASANA - both sides and then both legs together
As children we sometimes receive the message "children should be seen and not heard.” This can be very detrimental to the growth and development of the throat chakra.
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Final Spinal
When properly nurtured in our youth, and when surrounded by secure and balanced parents or caregivers, we learn to creatively express our desires and communicate with the world in harmonious and empowering ways.
In a balanced state, the fifth chakra will manifest as follows:
Ability to speak and voice the Truth
Being a good listener, and likewise, others will listen to you as an authoritative voice and a respected leader
The subtle ability to hear beneath the words, all of what is being spoken and unspoken.
Being an inspirational communicator and speaker
Breathwork: Ujjayi
SAVASANA
Breathwork: Quiet Breath
The sanskrit name for the throat chakra is Vishuddha. “Visuddha/Visuddhi” is derived from the sanskrit word “shuddhi” which means to purify. The throat chakra is related to purification, communication and self-expression.
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Neck Release - PART 1 - No hands
It is where we communicate our truth to the world. Here we give our voice, music or sound and also hear what the world has to reply. This chakra opens us to higher wisdom and is considered to be the center of dreams.
PART TWO - With Hands
The physical location of the chakra is at the throat. The related organs are the laryngeal nerve plexus, vocal cords, mouth, throat, ears, thyroid and parathyroid glands.
PART TWO - With Hands
The physical location of the chakra is at the throat. The related organs are the laryngeal nerve plexus, vocal cords, mouth, throat, ears, thyroid and parathyroid glands.
Benefits: All the nerves connecting the different organs and limbs of the body pass through the neck. Therefore, the muscles of the neck and shoulders accumulate tension, especially after prolonged work at desk. These asans release tension, heaviness and stiffness in the head, neck and shoulder region.
Contra-indications: These neck moves should not be performed by elderly people and those uffering from low blood pressure, high blood pressure, vertigo or extremem cervical spondylosis. Expert advice should be sought for any of these problems. Cervical spondylosis patients should strictly avoid forward bending of the neck.
Forward Bend Sitting on the heels
According to Hindu tradition, this chakra is described as having a "white color" with sixteen "purple" or "smoke-colored petals". Within the symbol is a sky-blue downward pointing triangle containing a circular white region like the full moon. This represents the element of akashi or "aether". Downward triangle is the sacred feminine or the yoni. The moon encompasses psychic energy, clairvoyance and communication without words
Contraindications: Not be performed by people with very high blood pressure, slipped disc or those who suffer for vertigo.
Breathwork: Count down from 16 as a group
Thread the Needle - Twisting Child's Pose
The bija mantra (seed sound) is the syllable हं haṃ, and is written in white upon the chakra.
Benefits: Gently compresses the muscles of your upper chest. Opens the upper and outer muscles of your shoulder.. Detoxifies and calms your body with the slight twist. Sends fresh blood to your upper extremities.
Contraindications: Avoid if you have any serious shoulder or neck injuries. Anyone with back or hip conditions should take care not to overdo the twist
Symbolism: Turning to the archetypal meaning of the thread, it symbolizes the agent that links all states of being to one another. Threading a needle is the symbol of passing through the center, the target, the gateway. Also mending something as opposed to throwing it out
Breathwork: Inhaling and Exhaling Ham
Upward Plank
A ruling deity of the chakra is Sadashiva, who has 5 faces and 10 arms. He holds a trident, chisel, sword, vajra, fire, a great snake, a bell, a goad, and a noose, and is makes the gesture of dispelling fear. He is clad in a tiger skin. The right half of his body is a white Shiva, and the left half of the body is a golden Shakti. Reminding us to blend the masculine and feminine within us. Softness in strength and strength in softness. In yoga, flexibility and power together.
Symbolism: To see a wooden plank indicates something that is in need of repair or that you need to maximize your resources and make something out of seemingly nothing.
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Flapping Fish
The ruling goddess is Sakini Shakti who represents mastery over the elements and the psychic realm. She is shining white, seated on a red lotus, and with five faces, three eyes each, and four-armed, with a bow and arrow, noose, and goad.
Benefits: Stretches the spine, shoulders, and hips. Massages the abdominal organs. Relieves lower backache, neck pain, and sciatica. Helps relieve stress. Improves digestion. Especially good in the second trimester of pregnancy for strengthening the lower back. Therapeutic for carpal tunnel syndrome
Visualization: Visualize a candle flame. Now visualize that flame in your solar plexus down to your navel and up again through the trunk of your body.
Symbolism: A last burst of energy before you give up
Cobra
The element associated with the chakra is ether which is represented in the full moon in the yantra. According to ancient and medieval science, aether (Greek: αἰθήρ aithēr), also spelled æther or ether, also called quintessence, is the material that fills the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere.
Benefits: Improves and deepens breathing. Helps remove backaches and keeps the spine supple. Tones ovaries and uterus and helps with menstrual and other gynecological disorders. Stimulates the appetite, alleviates constipation and is beneficial for the abdominal organs, especially the liver and the kidneys
Contra-indications: People suffering from peptic ulcer, hernia, intestinal tuberculosis or hyperthyroidism should not practice this asana with guidance.
Symbolismi: In India, both Hindus and Buddhists have special reverence for the cobra. Hindus believe in the immortality of the snake due to the shedding of its skin, and a snake eating its tail is a Hindu symbol of eternity. It also may represent the sacred feminine, protectiveness, intuitiveness, wisdom, strength, unpredictability, a defensive nature or even evil.
Sphinx/Seal Pose
Meditation upon this chakra is said to bring about the following siddhis or occult powers: vision of the three periods, past, present and future; freedom from disease and old age; destruction of dangers; and the ability to move the three worlds
Contra-indications: Bad back or tight sacrum problems. Pregnant use bolsters and don't put belly on floor
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Symbolism:Sphinx - Power, Watching Over. Seal - Being Comfortable in your own skin
Camel
In its most abstract form, the throat chakra is associated with higher discrimination, and is associated with creativity and self-expression.
Benefits: Deeply arches the sacral/lumbar spine and opens the top of the things. Opens the ankles. Stretches hip flexors and opens the shoulders. Great for dropping shoulder or hunched backs
Contra-indications: Those with weak backs should do gentle variation. If you have neck issues don't drop the head back keep chin to chest.
Symbolism:Endurance.Transport. Protection. Survival. Conservation. Journeying. Stamina.
Cat Cow on Hands and Knees
Tiger Pose
Vishuddha is often associated with the thyroid gland in the human endocrine system. This gland is in the neck, and produces hormones essential for growth and maturation. Excessive stress, namely fear and fear from speaking out, affect the throat chakra and thyroid problems may occur.
Symbolism: The tiger puts a special emphasis on raw feelings and emotions. The tiger symbolizes primal instincts, unpredictability, and ability to trust yourself. By affinity with the tiger , you may enjoy dealing with life matters spontaneously, trusting your intuition and acting fast when needed.
Lion w/ Lions Breath
Although this chakra is located in the neck and the throat it is also associated with hearing, it is also related to the ears, and due to its association with speaking, it is also associated with the mouth.
Benefits: It relieves frustration and releases emotional tension. Tension is removed from the chest and diaphragm. Useful for people who stutter or who are nervous and introverted. It develops a strong and a beautiful voice.
Symbolism: The symbolic meaning of lions primarily deals with strength. The lion brings a message of balance and sound judgment. The lion shares the world of both night and day, the lion bears a message of prudence to us. In other words, the lion asks us to not overdo in certain areas of our lives. Rather, keep an even mind and an overall balance in our life activities.
Breathwork: Lion's Breath
Knees-Chest and Chin
The success and failure in one's life depend upon the state of this chakra (whether it is polluted or clean).
Rabbit Pose
It is believed that when Vishuddha is closed, we undergo decay and death. When it is open, negative experiences are transformed into wisdom and learning.
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Symbolism: Symbolic rabbit meanings deal primarily with abundance, comfort, and vulnerability. Traditionally, rabbits are associated with fertility, sentiment, desire, and procreation. Rabbit meanings are also closely linked to the seasons, the changes of Mother Earth, and specifically Springtime.
Fish
Guilty feelings are the most prominent reason for this chakra to block the Kundalini energy moving upwards
Benefits:A traditional text that Matsyasana is the “destroyer of all diseases.Stretches the deep hip flexors (psoas) and the muscles (intercostals) between the ribs. Stretches and stimulates the muscles of the belly and front of the neck. Stretches and stimulates the organs of the belly and throat. Strengthens the muscles of the upper back and back of the neck. Improves posture.
Contra-indications: High or low blood pressure. Migraine. Insomnia. Serious lower-back or neck injury
Symbolism: Fertility. Eternity. Happiness. Knowledge. Transformation
Breathwork: Breathe green. With each inhale imagine your heart center—and possibly the rest of your body—filling up with a soft, green light and with every exhale feel your heart center purge pent-up negativity. Don’t be too forceful on your exhalations. Rather, focus more energy on your positive, “green” inhalation
Sleeping Thunderbolt
Singing is a great way of stimulating the throat chakra in a beneficial and harmless way, whereas rubbing or hitting the throat area is not and can be harmful.
Contraindications: Should not be practiced by people suffering from neck problems, sciatica, slipped disc, sacral ailments or knee complaints,
Breathwork: Ujjayi
Symbolism: A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In ancient Hellenic and Roman religious traditions, the thunderbolt represents Zeus or Jupiter (etymologically 'Sky Father'), thence the origin and ordaining pattern of the universe, as expressed in Heraclitus' fragment describing "the Thunderbolt that steers the course of all things".
1/2 Shoulderstand
The element of sound is an integral part of the throat chakra. Sound is a rhythmic vibration of air molecules as they are impacted by matter in movement. All sound is a vibration, and all things, living and nonliving, have a unique vibration. At this level, we do not see the world as individual things or their activities but as a complex interwoven net of energies with characteristic vibrational rhythms.
Benefits: Helps those with low blood pressure. Balances the nervous susrem, strengthens the neck muscles and brings a rich supply of blood to the brain.
Contra-indications: People with high blood pressure, heart conditions, ear inflammations, weak eyecapillaries, problems with thyroid or pituitary glands.
Supported Bridge
Communication is the activity and function of the fifth chakra. Here we have language, a complex pattern of sound and rhythm, through which we symbolize the physical world around us. Through symbol, we have a more efficient way of dealing with the world. I can describe my car, but I can’t bring it into the room with me. I can call New York without actually going there. Our minds work with symbols. We think in words, as well as image and sensory memory. The world of the upper chakras is symbolic of the world below.
Communication involves both listening and speaking. If one’s fifth chakra is closed down, then there is fear of expressing oneself, fear of speaking one’s truth, or excessive shyness. The voice itself is timid and the words are few. If the chakra is too open, we are so busy expressing that we forget to listen, or our voice is dissonant, and we are unable to enter into resonance with those around us.
Snail
Ideally, the fifth chakra should be connected to the self—to all the other chakras above and below—to visions of the mind and the feelings from body with equal ease.
Chanting is an activity that increases the overall resonance of our being, allowing all our internal systems to enter into a rhythmic harmony. When chanting is practiced as a group activity, it enhances resonance and communication with the group as a whole.
Benefits: Stretches the pelivs, regulates the kidneys, acitvates the intenstines and removes excess weight.
Contra-indications; Not recommended for people who are infirmed, suffering from hernia, sciatica or slipped discs
Symbolism: Snails symbolize many deep and powerful things that most of us might not realize. These little crawlers are more in-depth than ever imagined. Keep in mind that not only are there land snails, but there are also sea snails so in this regard this species bridges the gap between elements. And any animal that bridges the gap between two elements bridges the gap between the mundane and the spiritual worlds.
Legs Up the Wall
The fifth chakra is also a center of creativity, another form of symbolic communication. As we open up this center, we open up our creative potential. The greater our resonance within, the greater the power within our creations.
Breathwork: Ujjayi
SUPTA PAWANMUKTASANA - both sides and then both legs together
As children we sometimes receive the message "children should be seen and not heard.” This can be very detrimental to the growth and development of the throat chakra.
Here are a number of core emotional, health and life survival issues related to the throat chakra:
Throat Cancer
Thyroid issues: metabolism challenges and weight issues
Parathyroid Challenges such as osteoporosis and osteopenia
Ear, Nose and Throat Issues (small children are notorious for having ear infections, runny noses and sore throats...perhaps it is because they are living in an adult world where they are not able to sufficiently express themselves)
Stiff neck and Shoulders
Speaking untruths, and creatively being deceitful without lying
Lack of Integrity
Becoming cunning
Frustration with inadequate communication
Shyness and lack of courage to speak your truth
Speaking too bluntly
Final Spinal
When properly nurtured in our youth, and when surrounded by secure and balanced parents or caregivers, we learn to creatively express our desires and communicate with the world in harmonious and empowering ways.
In a balanced state, the fifth chakra will manifest as follows:
Ability to speak and voice the Truth
Being a good listener, and likewise, others will listen to you as an authoritative voice and a respected leader
The subtle ability to hear beneath the words, all of what is being spoken and unspoken.
Being an inspirational communicator and speaker
Breathwork: Ujjayi
SAVASANA
Breathwork: Quiet Breath
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