KUNDALINI YOGA (MEDITATION AND AWAKENING)
Kundalini is an energy system inside your body consisting of seven Chakras or energy centers running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, which if activated and cleared when blocked can help you lead a more harmonious, fulfilling life.
These seven Chakras vibrate to the seven musical notes and to the seven colors of the rainbow VIBGYOR -Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red, in that order from the Crown Chakra to the Root Chakra.
Meditation helps in clearing these Chakras and activating them properly so that rather than living life unconsciously, motivated by greed and fear like the majority of people do, you can live consciously, motivated by compassion, moment to moment awareness and responding accordingly.
MEDITATION
Meditation is the process of witnessing or watching your mind/ thoughts, feelings, etc to the point where there are no more thoughts left/ where there is no mind and only nothingness, which is also known as your pure witnessing consciousness, and knowing that you are separate from your thoughts,etc. by watching them without getting involved/ carried away/ resisting them.
Witness your thoughts like a watcher on the hill watches the happenings in the village without getting involved with the happenings. This can be helped if you watch your breath. When you breathe slowly, calmly, your mind/ thoughts slow down and your mind stops racing.
The idea is to use your mind only when needed and not continuously 24/7 obsessing/ worrying/ imagining/ over something or some idea whether about the past or about the future, but, rather living in the present moment/ here now peacefully and joyously.
CHAKRAS IN THE HUMAN BODY AND THEIR MEANING
There are seven major Chakras in the human body each corresponding to some aspect of human life. These are as follows- the Mooladhara or the Root Chakra, the Swadhisthana or the Sacral Chakra, the Nabhi or the Solar Plexus Chakra, the Anahata or the Heart Chakra, the Vishuddhi or the Throat Chakra, the Agya or the Third Eye Chakra and the Sahasrara or the Crown Chakra.
CHAKRAS AND HEALING COLORS
a) THE ROOT CHAKRA / MOOLADHARA CHAKRA
Situated at the base of the spine, the root Chakra vibrates to the color RED and gives you the ability to make a living / survive in the world. It can make you feel grounded, secure and stable if it is functioning properly. Burning Benzoin (Lobhan) or Myrrh incense helps in purifying this Chakra.
Wearing a pleasing shade of red can help you feel more grounded and secure.Walking barefoot in the garden on grass along with eating root vegetables like carrots, radishes, turnips, potatoes, yam etc also helps you to feel more rooted and connected to the EARTH element of this Chakra.
b) THE SACRAL CHAKRA/ SWADHISTHANA CHAKRA
This is the next Chakra along the spinal cord and is of the WATER element. The name Swadhisthana means "your own space". This Chakra governs emotions, feelings, sense organs, creativity, sexual desire and intimacy etc.
Burning jasmine and rose incense helps in cleansing this Chakra makes you feel stable within you physical and emotional relationships along with guiding you in the right and healthy way in your desires-sexual and otherwise. This Chakra vibrates to the color ORANGE.
c) THE SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA/ THE NABHI CHAKRA/ THE MANIPURAKA CHAKRA
This Chakra is located above the navel and is of the FIRE element. This Chakra is associated with will power and personal responsibility. This Chakra has a connection to the sun , heat and light, and vibrates to the color YELLOW.
Wearing a Citrine or a golden topaz gemstone, a pleasing shade of golden yellow and burning lemon grass, rosemary incense helps in expressing the qualities of this Chakra in he right manner and gives you confidence and self esteem.
This chakra governs metabolism esp the pancreas and it is said that diabetic disorders are a result of this Chakra functioning improperly. Spending time in the sun, using lemon and rosemary essential oils in potpourris and fragrances helps to restore balance in your life and intellect.
d) THE HEART CHAKRA/ THE ANAHATA CHAKRA
Anahata means the soundless or the unstruck sound and this Chakra is located just above the solar plexus in the center of the chest and is of the AIR element. This is the fourth Chakra and it vibrates to the color GREEN. As this Chakra is of the air element , it is related to the breath and its movements.
This Chakra expands when there is unconditional love for everyone including animals, birds and trees and you. Rose quartz, pink tourmaline are the gemstones and the incense to burn is Rose, Bergamot, and Rosewood.
This Chakra is symbolically represented by two overlapping triangles forming a hexagram or a 6 pointed star , which is popular in the symbol of the star of David.
This Chakra is in between the three lower Chakras and the three higher Chakras and forms a bridge for man to enter the higher from the lower as it connects the lower to the higher.Love ,Compassion, Balance, Harmony, and Healing etc are governed by this Chakra.
This Chakra also symbolizes the union between seemingly opposite principles such as the masculine and the feminine and the material and the spiritual qualities or matter and spirit. This Chakra also vibrates to the color pink.
e) THE THROAT CHAKRA/ THE VISHUDDHI CHAKRA
Governing communication , expression, patience, serenity, the throat Chakra is located and can be translated to purification (Vishuddhi) , this Chakra is located at the center of the neck at the level of the throat. Turquoise is the gemstone, Lemon grass, Sage are the incense to balance Vishuddhi and this Chakra vibrates to the color BLUE (sky blue/ sea blue) and the element SOUND.
f) The Throat Chakra is linked to creativity and all forms of expression like music, singing, dance, art, poetry, paintings and sculpture etc. Drinking Chamomile tea also helps in bringing about calm and peace, thereby balancing the Chakra.
The throat Chakra is associated with the Etheric body which connects the physical body with the spiritual. Singing loudly (don't disturb others) and sky gazing (gazing at the blue sky) for a while without blinking your eyelids, also known as ' tratak' help in balancing this Chakra.
g) THE THIRD EYE CHAKRA/ THE BROW CHAKRA/ THE AGNYA CHAKRA
This is the 6th Chakra which vibrates to the color INDIGO or Dark Blue, and to the element LIGHT and is located between the eyebrows. Lighting a lamp daily and gazing at the light without blinking for a while can clear this Chakra.
The AGNYA Chakra governs the 4 visions, namely Clairvoyance (seeing things happening at a distance with the eyes closed), Clair audience (hearing), Clair sentience (feeling), and Clair-cognizance (knowing). This Chakra is the center of intuition, foresight, vision, perception, psychic abilities and wisdom.
A balanced Agnya chakra results in the experience of a deep inner peace, more than the peace felt due to the balancing of the Throat Chakra. An unbalanced THIRD EYE Chakra leads to mental disorders- both neuroses and psychoses.
A balanced Agnya chakra results in the experience of a deep inner peace, more than the peace felt due to the balancing of the Throat Chakra. An unbalanced THIRD EYE Chakra leads to mental disorders- both neuroses and psychoses.
The gemstones for balancing the third eye Chakra are the Amethyst and Clear Quartz, and the incense to burn is SANDALWOOD, Lavender, Rosemary, Peppermint and Frankincense. The word Agnya means command, and this Chakra, if balanced, indicates that you have command over yourself and your life.
The third eye traditionally represented a clear/ pure vision without the smoke of prejudices or the past, in other words-seeing things clearly as they are and not seeing them as you perceive them to be.
Traditionally, in yogic lore, Shiva or Adiyogi who was a realized being, is known to have the third eye fully functioning, hence he is known as 'Tri-netra' which means the 3 eyed one.
g) THE CROWN CHAKRA/ THE SAHASRARA CHAKRA
This Chakra is said to be located above the middle of the head and the color is VIOLET and the element is the unknown COSMOS. Magenta, Gold, and white are also said to vibrate to this Chakra. Bliss, Truth and Ecstasy are said to be the qualities of this Chakra.
g) THE CROWN CHAKRA/ THE SAHASRARA CHAKRA
This Chakra is said to be located above the middle of the head and the color is VIOLET and the element is the unknown COSMOS. Magenta, Gold, and white are also said to vibrate to this Chakra. Bliss, Truth and Ecstasy are said to be the qualities of this Chakra.
A realization that you are not separate from the existence as your mind/ ego used to believe, is essential for attaining the qualities of this Chakra. It is the gateway for the being to be connected with the source, for the wave to realize that it is a part of the ocean and merge with it.
Sahasrara means the thousand petaled, and traditionally a fully blossomed thousand petaled lotus is used to indicate this Chakra's qualities of blooming into nothingness/ Shoonya, and one who is Conscious, Aware, Present, Transcendent of the limitations of Mind/ Time and Space and Realized.
Sahasrara means the thousand petaled, and traditionally a fully blossomed thousand petaled lotus is used to indicate this Chakra's qualities of blooming into nothingness/ Shoonya, and one who is Conscious, Aware, Present, Transcendent of the limitations of Mind/ Time and Space and Realized.
