Before I begin, I’d like to remind everyone that my 7-Day Chakra Healing Challenge begins May 1st, 2018! To join, if you are a subscriber simply go to the 7-Day Chakra Healing Series and begin! If you are not, you are able to do Chakra One Flow and Chakra Two Flow only (you will need to subscribe to do Chakra Three Flow to Chakra Seven Flow). Also, we already have a community conversation going in our Chakra Healing Challenge forum thread, so feel free to contribute as you progress.
Now on to the article. To prepare you for what you may experience in this series, here is a brief introduction to the power of the chakras…
Yoga and the Chakra System
Yoga has gained immense popularity due to the physical and fitness related benefits it offers its practitioners. You may have started your practice for one of these reasons. As you are well aware, there is much, much more to the practice of yoga and it does not take long before the mental and spiritual elements of yoga become as important, if not more important, to one’s practice. Ayurveda, doshas, mindfulness, non attachment, mantra… along the path, you will likely learn all of these. One yoga concept that is difficult for many to understand is the Chakra system.
What are the Chakras and how do they apply to me in my yoga practice?
These are the questions that invariably arise for students when first exposed to the concept of the Chakra system. Many of us are familiar with the image of a figure sitting in lotus pose; a sequence of seven rainbow colored spheres ascending the midline. This is a visual model organizing the concept of the Chakra system and acts as a roadmap for us to follow as we explore them.
What is represented in this image can be well understood as a complex circulatory system. However, rather than physically moving blood or lymph throughout our bodies, the Chakra system is an energetic network linking together the physical, psychological, and emotional aspects of our being.
The system is comprised of seven chakras, or energy centers, that align along the central nervous system. (CNS, consisting of the brain and spinal column; he first chakra being housed in the pelvic floor). Each chakra represents specific energetic qualities that directly correlate with physiological and psychological functions. The unrestricted and even flow of energy through this system is essential to our overall health and well being. The energetic model also acts as an intermediary or translator between the physical, mental and emotional domains. As the energy flowing through the chakra system manifests itself simultaneously in all three expressions, the link between trauma, tension or injury and illness can be better understood in the holistic sense. (Tension, trauma and injury may manifest in one, two or all three of the domains.) The integrity and proper functioning of this system is essential for us to achieve optimal health, experience well being and realize self-actualization.
Understanding the chakra system gives you the tools to heal yourself in a safe, holistic way. To help you take your first step, I have designed a seven day program that I call The 7-Day Chakra Healing Series. The intention behind this series is to give students a better understanding of how the Chakra system works, as well as to facilitate the integration of the body, mind and emotions through the practices and tools shared within it.
I first encountered Chakra work during a yoga practice over a decade ago. The experience had a profound impact on my practice and has deeply enriched my life off the mat as well. I began to understand how trauma lingers within us physically, mentally, and emotionally if we lack the ability to identify and process it completely. Whatever is unprocessed, remains. We carry this as tension. It accumulates over time, hindering our ability to live from a place of presence.
Unsurprisingly, we become imbalanced as a result. Chakra work develops our ability to recognize these imbalances, and subsequent manifestations thereof, in our negative physical, mental, or behavioral patterns. Through yoga and intentional inquiry, we may dedicate ourselves to restoring the balance and flow of energy that is essential to our well being. This process reveals to the conscious mind the universal rights we possess, the fundamental human needs we must fulfill and the obligation we have to nurture ourselves. When we are living in a state of balance we start to flourish and express our unique gifts with clarity and efficacy.
I hope you’ll join me in the 7-Day Chakra Healing Challenge on May 1st, with others in the DYWM community. You can post questions or share your experience on a dedicated thread on our community forum.
See you on your mat!
