Activate your chakras

Most forms of meditative practices entail focusing your attention on the incoming and outgoing breath. Often, beginners get stuck at this stage and look for something that may take them beyond breath awareness. Such people can find meditating on the chakras useful.

Chakra system

Chakras are the subtle whirling wheels located along the spinal column that open from the body to the aura or the ethereal. They can also be called as psychic organs that connect the aura [etheric body] to the physical body. The seven major chakras act as transmitters for the seven states of consciousness.

You can activate your chakras, both by physical manipulation and by visualisation.

How does chakra meditation work?

Often an imbalance in the chakras is what causes illness in body and mind. Chakra meditation works in more ways than one. The process of focusing your energy and awareness on the chakra stimulates it. The resultant activation and alignment of the chakras paves the way for a free flow of energy through them, restoring balance and harmony to the body energy centres.

Steps

Chakra meditation can be practised almost anywhere, though it is helpful to dedicate a quiet and tidy space for the purpose. A chair or a cushion to sit on is all that you need for it.

Sit comfortably, either on a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or in sukhasana [cross-legged] on the floor with your spine straight.

Slowly, inhale from the lower abdomen and focus your awareness on the root chakra [Mooladhara] located at the base of your spine.

Visualise a ruby-red spiral spinning in this area while continuing to breathe slowly. Pause for two minutes.

Now, bring your attention to the sacral chakra [Swadisthan] about two inches below the navel and visualise an orange coloured spiral spinning here, maintaining slow inhalation and exhalation. Pause for two minutes.

Repeat projecting breath and awareness on the solar plexus chakra [Manipur] visualising a yellow-coloured spiral spinning in the area of the navel. Pause for two minutes.

Move your consciousness and breath to the heart chakra [Anahat] visualising a green-coloured spiral whirling in the centre of the chest. Pause.

Next, visualise a sky blue spiral spinning at the throat chakra [Vishuddhi] while you focus your attention and breath there. Pause.

Now, turn your consciousness and breathing to the third-eye chakra [Adnya] visualising an indigo-coloured spiral spinning in the area. Pause for two minutes.

Finally, as you ascend to the crown chakra [Sahasrar], imagine all your chakra spirals whirling at once, producing white light above the crown. Pause for two minutes.

Then, imagine that this white light is winding down from the crown passing through each chakra and going to the root chakra. It is then passing along your legs and entering the earth. This exercise grounds your energy into the energy of the earth. You feel more calm and grounded.

Chakra meditation has an edge over other meditation forms as it not only enables the mind to remain free from distractions, but also restores health in the body, mind and spirit by reactivating and aligning the energy centres. About 20 minutes of chakra meditation every morning is sufficient to keep you physically, mentally and emotionally charged up for the whole day.

This was first published in the March 2012 issue of Complete Wellbeing.