Archive for the ‘Chakras’ Category

Vocal Sounds to Resonate the Chakras

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Crown (Sahasrara): EEE
Third Eye (Ajna): AYE
Throat (Vishuddha): EYE
Heart (Anahata): AH
Solar Plexus (Manipura): OH
Sacral (Swadhisthana): OOO
Root (Muladhara): UH

Chakra Yoga: Class #6 (Third Eye)

Friday, July 24th, 2009

About Ajna

  • Colour: INDIGO
  • Sanskrit Name: Ajna (to perceive)
  • Element: Light (Luminescence)
  • Location: Brow (centre of the head, slightly above eye level)
  • Glands: Pineal
  • Purpose: Pattern recognition
  • Base Issues: Intuition, imagination
  • Orientation to Self: Self-reflection
  • Identity: Archetypal
  • Right: To see
  • Demon: Illusion
  • Addictions: Hallucinogens, marijuana
  • Developmental Stage: Adolescence
  • Mantra: Seed sound Om (Ohm), resonant sound Mmmm
  • Hindu Deities: Shakti Hakini, Paramasiva (form of Shiva), Krishna
  • Yoga Path: Yantra yoga

Balanced Characteristics

  • Intuitive
  • Perceptive
  • Imaginative
  • Good memory
  • Ability to recall dreams
  • Able to think symbolically
  • Ability to visualize

Healing Practices for the Third Eye Chakra

  • Create visual arts, visual stimulation
  • Meditation
  • Psychotherapy such as art therapy, working with memory, drawing parallels between image and feeling, dreamwork, hypnosis, guided visualizations, past life regression therapy

Deficiency in the Third Eye Chakra

  • Insensitivity, poor vision, poor memory, inability to look into the future, denial

Excess in the Third Eye Chakra

  • Hallucinations, delusions, obsessions, difficulty concentrating, nightmares

Judith, Anodea. Eastern Body, Western Mind. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2004.
Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 1987.

Chakra Yoga: Class #5 (Throat)

Monday, July 20th, 2009

About Vissudha

  • Colour: LIGHT BLUE
  • Sanskrit Name: Vissudha (purification)
  • Element: Sound (Vibration)
  • Location: Throat
  • Glands: Thymus, parathyroid
  • Purpose: Communication, creativity
  • Base Issues: Communication
  • Orientation to Self: Self-expression
  • Identity: Creative
  • Right: To speak
  • Demon: Lies
  • Addictions: Opiates, marijuana
  • Developmental Stage: 7 to 12 years
  • Mantra: Seed sound Ham (hahm), vowel sound Eeee (as in sleep)
  • Hindu Deities: Ganga (river goddess, related to purification), Sarasvati
  • Yoga Path: Mantra yoga

Balanced Characteristics

  • Resonant voice
  • Good listener
  • Good sense of timing, rhythm
  • Good communication
  • Creative living

Healing Practices for the Throat Chakra

  • Singing, chanting, toning, story telling, journal writing
  • Practicing silence (in cases of excess)
  • Creativity that is not goal-oriented
  • Psychotherapy to learn communication skills, letter writing, inner child communication, voice dialog

Deficiency in the Throat Chakra

  • Fear of speaking, small/weak voice, introversion, shyness, tone deaf

Excess in the Throat Chakra

  • Too much talking, talking as a defence, poor listener, gossiping, dominant voice

Judith, Anodea. Eastern Body, Western Mind. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2004.
Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 1987.

Chakra Yoga: Class #4 (Heart)

Friday, July 17th, 2009

About Anahata

  • Colour: GREEN
  • Sanskrit Name: Anahata (unstruck)
  • Element: Air (Equilibrium)
  • Location: Heart
  • Glands: Thymus
  • Purpose: Love, balance
  • Base Issues: Love, relationships
  • Orientation to Self: Self-acceptance
  • Identity: Social
  • Right: To love
  • Demon: Grief
  • Addictions: Tobacco, marijuana, sugar, love
  • Developmental Stage: 4 to 7 years
  • Mantra: Seed sound Yam (yahm), vowel sound Ayy (as in play)
  • Hindu Deities: Vishnu, Lakshmi (as Preservers), Krishna, Isvara, Kama, Vayu, Aditi, Urvasi
  • Yoga Path: Bhakti yoga

Balanced Characteristics

  • Compassionate
  • Loving
  • Empathetic
  • Self-loving
  • Altruistic
  • Peaceful, balanced
  • Strong immune system

Healing Practices for the Heart Chakra

  • Examine pre-existing assumptions about relationships
  • Emotional release of grief
  • To offer forgiveness when appropriate
  • Inner child work, co-dependency work
  • Self-acceptance

Deficiency in the Heart Chakra

  • Antisocial, withdrawn, cold, loneliness, isolation, fear of intimacy, lack of empathy, narcissism

Excess in the Heart Chakra

  • Co-dependency, poor boundaries, demanding, clinging, jealousy, overly

Judith, Anodea. Eastern Body, Western Mind. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2004.
Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 1987.

Chakra Yoga: Class #3 (Solar Plexus)

Monday, July 13th, 2009

About Manipura

  • Colour: YELLOW
  • Sanskrit Name: Manipura (lustrous gem)
  • Element: Fire (Combustion)
  • Location: Navel to solar plexus
  • Glands: Pancreas, adrenals
  • Purpose: Transformation
  • Base Issues: Power, will
  • Orientation to Self: Self-definition
  • Identity: Ego
  • Right: To act
  • Demon: Shame
  • Addictions: Amphetamines, cocaine, caffeine, work, anger
  • Developmental Stage: 18 months to 4 years
  • Mantra: Seed sound Ram (rahm), vowel sound Ahh (as in father)
  • Hindu Deities: Agni, Surya, Rudra, Lakini

Balanced Characteristics

  • Responsible, reliable
  • Balanced, effective will
  • Self-esteem, balanced ego
  • Warm personality
  • Playfulness, sense of humour
  • Sense of personal power

Healing Practices for the Solar Plexus Chakra

  • Risk taking (in cases of deficiency)
  • Deep relaxation and stress control (in cases of excess)
  • Grounding and emotional contact
  • Vigorous exercise such as running or aerobics
  • Martial arts
  • Psychotherapy to build ego strength, to release or contain anger, to work on shame issues, to strengthen the will, the encourage autonomy

Deficiency in the Solar Plexus Chakra

  • Low energy, easily manipulated, low self-esteem and/or discipline, emotional or physical coldness, blaming of others, passive, unreliable

Excess in the Solar Plexus Chakra

  • Aggressive, dominating, controlling, power hungry, competitive, arrogant

Judith, Anodea. Eastern Body, Western Mind. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2004.
Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 1987.

Chakra Yoga: Class #2 (Sacral)

Friday, July 10th, 2009

About Svadhistana

  • Colour: ORANGE
  • Sanskrit Name: Svadhistana (sweetness)
  • Element: Water (Polarity)
  • Location: Lower abdomen, womb, genitals, low back, hips
  • Glands: Ovaries, testicles
  • Purpose: Movement and connection
  • Base Issues: Sexuality, emotions
  • Orientation to Self: Self-gratification
  • Identity: Emotional
  • Right: To feel
  • Demon: Guilt
  • Addictions: Alcohol, heroin, sex
  • Developmental Stage: 6 months to 2 years
  • Mantra: Seed sound Vam (vahm), vowel sound Oooo (as in rule)
  • Hindu Deities: Indra, Varuna, Bishnu, Rakini (name of Shakti at Svadisthana level)
  • Yoga Path: Tantra

Balanced Characteristics

  • Graceful movement
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Ability to experience pleasure
  • Nurturing to oneself and others
  • Ability to change
  • Healthy boundaries

Healing Practices for the Sacral Chakra

  • Movement therapy
  • Emotional release or containment
  • Inner child work
  • Boundary work
  • 12-step programs for addiction
  • Engage in healthy pleasures

Deficiency in the Sacral Chakra

  • Rigidness, frigidity, poor social skills, denial of pleasure, excessive boundaries, fear of change, lack of desire, passion, excitement

Excess in the Sacral Chakra

  • Pleasure addiction, ruled by emotions, over sensitive, weak boundaries

Judith, Anodea. Eastern Body, Western Mind. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2004.
Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 1987.

Chakra Yoga: Class #1 (Root)

Monday, July 6th, 2009

About Muladhara

  • Colour: RED
  • Sanskrit Name: Muladhara (root)
  • Element: Earth (Gravitation)
  • Location: Perineum, base of spine, coccygeal plexus
  • Glands: Adrenals
  • Purpose: Foundation
  • Base Issues: Survival
  • Orientation to Self: Self-preservation
  • Identity: Physical
  • Right: To be here
  • Demon: Fear
  • Addictions: Food, gambling, shopping, work
  • Developmental Stage: Womb to 12 months
  • Mantra: Seed sound Lam (lahm), vowel sound Ohh (as in road)
  • Hindu Deities: Brahma, Dakini, Ganesha, Kubera, Uma, Lakshmi, Prisni
  • Yoga Path: Hatha yoga

Balanced Characteristics

  • Good health
  • Vitality
  • Well-grounded
  • Comfortable in one’s body
  • Sense of trust in the world
  • Feeling safe and secure
  • Stability and prosperity
  • Ability to relax

Healing Practices for the Root Chakra

  • Reconnect with the body
  • Physical activity such as aerobics, weights, running, dance
  • Physical touch such as massage, reiki, reflexology
  • Bio-energetic grounding
  • Examine childhood relationship to mother
  • Reclaim right to be here

Deficiency in the Root Chakra

  • Disconnection from the body, underweight, anxious, poor focus, disorganization

Excess in the Root Chakra

  • Overeating, greed, laziness, fear of change, inflexible, rigid boundaries

Judith, Anodea. Eastern Body, Western Mind. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2004.
Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 1987.