TYL #33 The Chakras
Beginning to consider the subtle body
As many practitioners will attest, yoga offers us a chance to connect to our bodies through our minds and our breath and we are also uniting with the subtle body, which is that of the energetic and spiritual realm.
Moving as we do, in harmony with our breathing and a sense of presence in our quality of mind, allows us to create energetic shifts.
This is why we can leave our mats feeling utterly different to when we first sat down.
To understand more about how this happens, we can bring our attention to the chakras that operate within the subtle body.
The chakras are regarded as energetic centres within the body, placed along the spine from the base up towards the crown of the head.
There are many chakras, 114, but there are seven that are widely acknowledged and understood:
The Root Chakra (Muladhara)
Relating to a sense of grounding and feeling secure and stable. The roots that anchor us during the storm. It is found at the base of the spine and the pelvic floor. Imbalance or blockage here is felt as fear, anxiety and depression.
The Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)
Positioned between the pubic bone and the belly button, the sacral chakra is associated with creative and sexual energies. Imbalance here can result in feeling creatively blocked and emotionally vulnerable, joyless and numb.
The Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)
Felt deep within your core, the solar plexus chakra is related to a sense of personal power, and an imbalance here may present as problems with low self-esteem, indecisiveness, as well as control/anger issues and being dominating.
The Heart Chakra (Anahata)
The “heart space” is located at the centre of the chest and is where the fundamental yogic principle of joining the physical and the spiritual resides. Associated with openness, honesty, vulnerability, kindness and love, an imbalance here can directly impact the ability to feel fully and truly and can result in many ways of being, from overt neediness to feeling lonely and bitter.
The Throat Chakra (Vissudha)
The throat chakra affects our ability to speak authentically and embody our truth. An imbalance may make it challenging to speak up and be heard, and can manifest as feelings of fear of judgement and being too scared to speak, and being narcissistic, overly talkative and unable to listen.
The Third-Eye Chakra (Ajna)
Located at the space just above and inbetween the eyebrows, this space is the home of intuition, and is where we connect with our higher selves. An imbalance here may manifest in a number of ways, from problems with memory and feelings of denial, to being cut-off from a sense of an inner guide, and the oneness of everything.
The Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)
This is regarded as the space connected to the divine and to the idea of enlightenment. Located at the crown of the head, an imbalance may cause spiritual cynicism, a sense of overall disconnection, or a lack of purpose. Being overly intellectual, with too much mental activity signals dissociation with the body and is also a sign of imbalance.
Starting from the base up, aligning, activating and balancing the energies between each of the chakras can be beneficial, revitalizing our entire being; mind, body and spirit.
There are many specific yoga asana and pranayama practices that can be used to bring a sense of balance and awakening to the chakras, individually, or as a whole, and it is quite common these days to hear of more therepautically focussed classes, such as chakra healing yoga, which I recommend.
My suggestion this month is that if the concept of the subtle body is something that resonates, then perhaps conduct your own research and try a chakra yoga class - or listen out when your teacher mentions the chakras and really bring your attention to this energy space when you practice.
I believe we get a feeling when something is off.
We know where there is a space within us that requires our attention and we can intuitively locate the chakras that may need rebalancing.
Remembering, of course, that this is not about being good at something, versus failing.
No doubt, reading through this you've felt something (usually the first three chakras are where we are unbalanced or stuck), and it is important to know that alignment is not just another thing to be accomplished.
It is not about the ego or believing we are operating from the crown chakra as an ‘enlightened’ being and that anything less than is related to our worth.
The aim, if there is such a thing, is to be mindful of the subtle body and to be operating holistically and in a more balanced way.
To have the chakra energy centres spinning in beautiful harmony is a lifetime’s work.
In fact, it could be a lifetime’s work to simply rebalance the root chakra.
So, bringing gentle awareness to the subtle body within you, and being kind - always being kind - will be enough.
Start with Muladhara, and see where it takes you.
As always, the comments are open and I'd love to know your thoughts.
With kindness,
~ Louisa ~
There is a lot out there and available as further reading, but I think this Yoga Journal article is a great way to begin.