Published by basmati

www.basmati.com

[email protected]

© 2018 by basmati.com

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form or stored in any retrieval system without prior written permission of

the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations and certain other noncommercial uses as permitted by United States of America copyright law. For

permission requests, write to the publisher at the address above.

All information provided in this book, particularly any information relating to specific medical conditions, health care, preventive care, and healthy

lifestyles, is presented for general informational purposes only. It should not be considered complete or exhaustive. The information provided here is not

intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or health care provider, and may not necessarily take your individual health

situation into account.

 For more articles on natural healing and holistic health & wellness, visit our website, www.basmati.com. You’ll find
articles on yoga; meditation; essential oils; Ayurveda; recipes that are vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free; and more.
You can also use our “Find” feature to locate a yoga studio or a wellness practitioner near you.

Get social with us!

Information published by basmati.com is no substitute for medical advice. Please consult your health care provider before
beginning any new regimen. For more information, please visit our disclaimer page here.
 Table of Contents

An Introduction to the Chakras 1

1: Muladhara, The Root Chakra 12
2: Svadisthana, The Sacral Chakra 22
3: Manipura, The Navel Chakra 28
4: Anahata, The Heart Chakra 33
5: Vishuddha, The Throat Chakra 40
6: Ajna, The Third Eye Chakra 45
7: Sahaswara, The Crown Chakra 50
Beyond the Basics: More about Chakras
The High Heart Chakra 56
Align Chakras With Yoga 61
Essential Oils & Chakras 70
Facing Hidden Aspects of Self 77
 An Introduction
to the Chakras

Flying on the serpent of light, passing through initiation after

initiation at each energy plexus, the rainbow colors activate and bring
new layers and levels of consciousness to the one who opens the gates.

1
 To many cultures and in various mystery schools across the globe, information
regarding the mystical rainbow in the spine has been cloaked and hidden. Over the past
several decades this information has been coming “out of hiding” and made itself readily
available to the masses. This chapter offers an introduction to what is now considered
elementary and foundational spiritual wisdom. If you are not as yet familiar with the
energy vortexes in the spine, join us on this journey and begin to open the gates—the
gates where your awareness awaits.

Energy Vortexes
Just like the body has nerve plexuses which bundle together hundreds of nerves in
order to distribute them to various regions of the body, so too does the body have energy
plexuses, also known as vortexes or chakras, which allow one to “step down” energy from
the higher realms into the physical body. There are seven main chakras in the body
situated along the spine, as well as several “outside” the body which connect a person
to the earth and to higher dimensional planes, including universal awareness.

Mind & Body

The various chakras in the body are intimately related to the level of
consciousness one is able to access as well as the degree to which areas of the body
are able to maximize their potentiality.

For example, the first chakra in the body, situated at the base of the spine, is the
“gauge,” if you will, which allows varying degrees of safety, security, and lack or
abundance consciousness to be accessed. When this chakra is switched all the way
“off” (or prior to awakening/activation), the person with a closed first chakra feels a lack of
safety in the world, is worrisome about basic needs such as food and shelter—to the point
of obsessing over them, and lives in what could be termed “lack mentality.” At the same

2
time, there could be issues with the colon/lower intestine and the process of elimination,
as well as with the legs—both intimately connected to the first chakra of the body.

Instead, or on the “other end of the spectrum,” one with an awakened first chakra
knows trust in Universal Abundance and that all needs will be provided for. There is no
concern for basic safety as the trust in a higher power has anchored into the
consciousness, allowing full access to prosperity consciousness.

The 7 Main Chakras

1: Muladhara (Root) Chakra

The root chakra is located at the base of the spine/perineum (in women, it’s located
around the G-spot area within the yoni). This chakra governs attitudes of safety/security,
grounding, lack/abundance, basic instincts/needs, trust, and primal creative urges.

It feeds the legs, gonads, and intestines, as well as regulates the process of elimination. It
is associated with the Earth element, the square, Lord Ganesha, the color red, and the
sound “LAM.”

2: Svadhisthana (Sacral) Chakra

The sacral chakra is located about two inches above the tailbone and about a half-inch
to an inch inside the body; this chakra governs attitudes of passion, desire, satisfaction,
sexuality, and sensuality. It is the “karmic center” of the body—meaning all ancestral
karma comes through the second chakra for processing. It is how we “pass down”
information and patterns through DNA.

3
This chakra, when open and activated, helps us feel satisfied with our lives on a very
mundane level, as well as sexually in our bodies. It is the center from which our personal
passion begins to sprout. When we are disconnected from this center, or it is still closed
up, we might feel dissatisfied, disconnected, and even ashamed of our bodies or our
sexuality and muddled about our life's passion. It is in the process of opening this vital
center that we experience the proverbial “dark night of the soul.”

Body parts related to this center are the reproductive organs and glands (ovaries and
testes), kidneys, and bladder. It is associated with the Water element, the circle with a
crescent, Lord Vishnu, the color orange, and the sound “VAM.”

3: Manipura (Navel) Chakra

Located at the navel center, the third chakra is called Manipura, which means “the city
of jewels” in Sanskrit, and it is said that once consciousness has risen above the first two
chakras it will not fall again into their grasp. By this it means that once the third chakra
of awareness has been pierced and opened, one will be able to access their own “inner
jewels” and start discovering the truth of who they are above the consciousness of the first
two centers. Manipura rules motivation, creativity, and empowerment. When it is shut
down, fear and insecurity arise.

It brings energy to the stomach and digestive system and helps in the assimilation of
nutrients to the body. Manipura also governs the adrenal glands. It is associated with the
Fire element, downward pointing triangle, and the color yellow or gold. Surya or
Lakshmi governs this center and the sound associated with it is “RAM.”

4
4: Anahata (Heart) Chakra
Located in the heart center, this chakra is also called the “wish-fulfilling tree” as once
one’s consciousness is lifted to open the heart chakra all one's wishes are bound to come
true. This is also a warning that if your heart is not open and you are still experiencing
the disempowered version of this center, you may manifest instead your fears and
judgments. An opened heart center feels compassion and unconditional love as well as
self-nourishment and self-love. It is here that one contacts their inner healer.

Anahata also rules the physical heart and lungs as well as the cardiovascular system
and the thymus gland in the chest—king of the immune glands. The color of this center is
green, the element is Air, and the shape is the six-pointed star. It is associated with
Krishna and Radhaa—the manifestation of Divine Love—and the sound is “YAM.”

5: Vishuddha (Throat) Chakra

The Vishuddha chakra is located in the throat. Consciousness at this level has to do
with the voice and the ability to speak one's personal truth. One with a closed Vishuddha
chakra is not able to do this and might resort to fabrications, lies, or simply a resistance
to speaking what they know to be true for them. An open throat chakra creates a bridge of
communication between self and others and allows for the vocalization of one's passion
into the world.

The throat center also rules the physical throat/neck and the thyroid and parathyroid
glands. The associations with this center are the Spirit/Akasha element, an upward
pointing triangle, the color blue, Lord Shiva, and the sound “HAM.”

5
6: Ajna (Third Eye) Chakra
The Ajna chakra is located in the center of the brain—the pineal gland, often shown as
the space between the eyebrows. The function of this chakra is to allow one to see from a
detached perspective and to step into the “observer” viewpoint and witness one's life. An
open Ajna chakra brings greater intuition and inspiration, where a closed brow center
might find one trapped in the ego mind and functions of intellectualism.

The brain is affected by this chakra, as are the eyes and pituitary gland. The shape
associated with this center is the two-petaled lotus and the color is indigo or purple. The
deity usually matched with this center is the half man, half woman (Shiva/Shakti) image
of androgyny. The sound is “OM.”

7: Sahaswara (Crown) Chakra

Located in the crown of the head, the Sahaswara chakra is also known as the thousand-
petaled lotus. It is associated with higher consciousness and a connection to all that is.
This is where one either can access universal awareness and connectivity of all-that-is, or
not. It is here that one realizes liberation or Samadhi.

A rainbow light is usually associated with this center, as is the Buddha. The sound
associated is “AUM.”

6
 That Which Animates
When an individual has the experience of awakening one or numerous chakras, it
is because the kundalini Shakti—or universal cosmic energy—has started to rise through
the spinal cord, bringing awareness to each chakra. This kundalini energy is often
depicted as a serpent or snake, which initially is lying dormant at the base of the spine
prior to awakening. If not awakened by other means earlier in life, this generally begins
to happen around age 40—often referred to as “a mid-life crisis.” The word kundalini
literally means “coiled one.”

Upon this energy awakening, there are three main spinal channels (nadis) which
need to be purified and “cleansed” in order to allow the kundalini energy to travel
unencumbered through the spinal channel. These three nadis (meaning “river,” or “to
flow”) represent the negative, positive, and neutral poles. They are called, respectively:
ida, pingala, and sushumna nadi.

Ida
The feminine pole in the spine, ida is seen as blue and “negative”—like the yin energy of
the yin/yang. This energy flows from the base of the spine, intersects and crosses over at
each chakra point, ending at the pineal gland or Ajna chakra. The regulation of this
energy can be detected and controlled, to an extent using Swara Yoga—the Science of
the Breath—whereby the air in the left nostril of the nose is observed in association with
ida nadi.

When one's breathing is dominant through the left nostril of the nose, ida nadi is
dominant. Ida domination means more access to the feminine attributes of intuition,
inspiration, receptivity, passivity, creativity, timelessness, and nurturing.

7
Pingala
The masculine pole in the spine is seen as red and “positive”—like the yang energy. As
the energy flows from the base of the spine, pingala, too, intersects and crosses ida at each
spinal center all the way to the third eye center. The regulation of pingala is likewise
detected in the nose by observing the right nostril breathing.

When breath is dominant in the right nostril one can know that pingala nadi is active and
so are the masculine qualities of dominance, action, planning, structure, dynamism,
aggression, and linearity.

Sushumna
The central channel in the spine, around which wraps ida and pingala, is known in
Sanskrit as sushumna nadi. After ida and pingala are thoroughly purified and cleansed,
the central column begins to take more of the cosmic energy and kundalini is sent
straight up the spine. Sushumna is the neutral energy in the spine and can be detected
when both nostrils are breathing equal amounts of breath in simultaneously. Kundalini
takes its fast track up sushumna, but can only do so once all three nadis and all the
chakras have been purified through yoga, meditation, pure intent, surrender, and the
release of karma.

8
 Other Chakras
Once all the chakras have been opened and activated there is the opportunity to
reach other chakras located outside of the body, such as Lahun chakra—located about a
foot above the head. This chakra is the one often depicted as a halo in paintings; when
activated it enlarges to encompass all the other chakras to work together as one.

Other chakras include a high heart chakra, an earth chakra, a chakra to

access Akashic Records, a universal chakra and chakras in the hands, to name a few. In
reality, there are chakras all throughout the body; these are simply some of the main
chakras with “bigger jobs” acting as hubs for the universal energy in the cosmos to be
down-stepped into our bodies for use in both the physical and in how we interact with this
dimension.

Awakening the Chakras

There is a lot of information out there about chakras and how to awaken them
these days, so much so that many people think of it as common knowledge and take for
granted the potency of doing so. It is important that you approach the awakening of the
spinal centers with great humility and caution. This is not to suggest fear, but rather
care.

It is not uncommon that awakening a center (or many psychic centers) “too soon”
or without proper awareness, supervision, or support can result in what could be deemed
“madness,” lunacy, or instability. These centers regulate cosmic energy into the body at
specific rates and that the various psychic centers determine the level of consciousness
one is using to perceive and interact with the world.

9
 It is always recommended to open the third eye center (Ajna Chakra) first. Why?
Because the forehead center, when activated, cultivates the witness attitude known as
drashta in Sanskrit—the observer. When drashta is activated in a person, then whatever
debris is blown out of a chakra during the opening/cleansing process is less likely to be
taken personally, so to speak. Or in other words, it is easier to watch and observe the
cleansing process and not become emotionally involved in it, or think “it is you.”

If the third eye is closed, it is almost impossible to not identify with everything
that is occurring in your reality. Therefore, if certain experiences occur that are simply
“root chakra being cleansed” experiences, it is unlikely the person will know this, and
instead will engage them as if “real”—thereby prolonging the cleansing/awakening
process indefinitely until the witness capacity can be activated. This problem is what can
eventually cause a sort of psychosis in a person.

How to Assist in the Awakening Process

As mentioned, it is always important to engage the Ajna chakra first. The Moola
Bandha lock is an excellent practice to activate the third eye. Mantras or chanting can
also assist with activation, as can meditation. Using images of the deities associated
with the chakra you’re focusing on, as well as that chakra’s colors/shapes, can also
facilitate the awakening process.

Working with each chakra could become a dedicated practice of up to a month for
each center, even longer. It is not to be underestimated how much processing and
“garbage” may be stored in each chakra, and the work that will need to be done in order to
make it through the gates to the next chakra.

10
 It also should be noted that chakras do not always open “one at a time.” There can
be overlap and one chakra can be processing issues while another chakra is finishing up
and it is akin to having at least seven dials in the process of fine-tuning their collective
sound, at once. It is about more than a few simple chants, a daily meditation, and a few
exercises. The opening and activating of the chakra system demands a certain level of
responsibility be taken into account, for open chakras means greater cosmic energy
available to a person. With more energy pulsing into the body, multiple gifts, insights,
awarenesses, and possibilities present themselves. It is in learning how to use the gifts of
each center together and to avoid getting side-tracked into their “powers” which makes a
person most powerful and whole.

In order to fully utilize kundalini shakti in the spine and in one's life, we must first
get to the root of it by addressing the first chakra, Muladhara—the seat of the kundalini.

11
 1: Muladhara
The Root Chakra

Crimson red like the blood of a menstruating woman. Did you just
catch yourself shrinking or wondering of the mystery? Your reaction to
the often-taboo subject of the female menses could help you determine if
your root chakra is open or closed.

12
 The Closed Flower
The first chakra in the physical body is called Muladhara in Sanskrit—it is the
root chakra and the seat of the kundalini energy. Before kundalini shakti awakens and
arises up the spine, there is still energy in the root—but it is dormant, asleep. The root
governs birth and our very embodiment into the physical. It is where we start our climb
through this physical plane of existence and it is marked with blood…first with our
mother's, and then with our own.

Whether you are female or male, the root chakra deals with primal instincts and
survival mechanisms. It is what causes one to act out on defenses or to scurry to find
shelter…often still in the arms of a parent or other caretaker, many times even a partner.

An asleep or unopened root chakra is vulnerable to the blood-fear. It fears injury,

scarcity, and death. The closed root will scramble and feel at odds with the world and
want for its “fair share.” One with an unopened root chakra will fight for what they feel to
be rightfully theirs and will even “shed blood” over it, or support others in doing so—
sometimes this plays out metaphorically, not physically. This “blood-shed” mentality
comes from an unresolved sense of vulnerability as a child, an insecurity around
basic needs, the fear of “not having enough” to survive, or abandonment experiences. It
also arises from the collective fear of survival, which overlays on every being until they
take up the process of ascending kundalini shakti (or until she does it for/to you).

Closed root chakras feed women who despise their menstrual cycle and succumb
to the societal stigma of the bleeding woman needing to “act as if” she did not have such
things in her pants. She will enter relationships with boys and pseudo “men” who share a
sense of ownership and codependency.

The masculine, unawakened root will fear the blood of this woman, will find
disdain for it, will hide from it or shame her for it. He will not be able to respect and
honor it or her because she doesn't respect it herself, but still fears her body and does not

13
trust life to provide for her any safe places to grow. The unawakened root in masculine
will also still, under the surface, feel rejected from the arms of his mother and feel
insecure in himself until he realizes the world is his home and love is his shelter.

Muladhara governs the money and beliefs about money. Before this chakra opens
and purifies, the sense will be a grasping or chasing after money, “just getting by” or fear
of loss.

One who has opened their third-eye chakra first (Ajna chakra), which is actually
recommended, may find that for a time, they are wise and spiritually savvy and even
mature in the ways of inner growth and perspective, but still find abundance eludes them.
This can happen through the entire process of chakra purification until, at last, kundalini
shakti rises full-throttle up the spine, fully awake for one final ascent.

The first chakra governs the process of elimination and the legs and feet;
therefore, it is possible that these areas act weak or dysfunctional, especially in one whose
constitution would lend to such (as in those with a dominant kapha nature or perhaps
those with varicose veins running in the family). Gonads and the ovaries/testes can show
up challenged or acting up prior to full awakening/activation due to the block in the
energy flow to that region.

14
 Waking Up
When kundalini first starts to awaken in the root, which is where it lays dormant
originally, a process of cleansing in the body begins. There is really no turning back once
the kundalini force has been awakened. It will make a few “false start” attempts of rising
and activating lower centers before it fully awakens, but it will not remain asleep after it
has been stirred. It is our divine remembrance to awaken this force.

The cleansing of a chakra can “look” a variety of ways.

In the root, it may look like various opportunities to address what is considered
“safe” or “home.” Issues around money and security may arise and certainly the psyche
will undergo the challenge of looking at what it means to “provide for oneself” versus
“trusting in a greater force.”

An awakening root chakra will have to wade through fears surrounding basic
survival, “being in one's body,” and the very real fear of death every person must face at
some point. True, some refuse to look at death square in the face during life and put off
this root chakra initiation until they cannot any longer. However, delaying the root’s full
purification process means that life was never fully lived, as the root chakra, when open
and cleansed, offers solid ground on which to stand in one's power and express
authenticity which rises through the entire body.

The cleansing process is not always pretty. It may mean facing issues of money or
safety or survival repeatedly while appearing to “fail the test.” This is, however, not the
case. Instead, every opportunity to face issues associated with this chakra are instead the
many layers of its encasing. These layers are directly related to the psyche and even past
life events that have bound the chakras from previous experiences and levels of
consciousness. Though the second chakra is said to be the “karmic chakra,” every vortex
has its karmic debris that will affect it on some level.

15
 You know you have purified this center, at least one round, when you can look at
first chakra challenges that arise, square in the face, and not be phased—when you can
know you have reached the awareness needed to hold the enlightened/awakened version
while still looking at what seems like lack. In other words, when you can repeat an
experience you have been through dozens of times, perhaps, say in regards to money and
not having enough, but instead of feeding into it and worrying and buying into fear,
letting the mind cling to past thoughts of lack and despair, you see the abundance in it
anyway.

When you can feel that you are taken care of despite what your circumstances
might “say,” you know you have transcended the lessons of the root chakra. This is the
teller that you have purified and activated this center to function properly, and that
kundalini shakti has amply enlivened it.

The same goes for issues of safety, survival, basic needs of every kind—when you
can “be in the experience of lack” but know, trust, see safety, feel abundant, know you are
thriving, and instead of caving to what the experience might be saying on the
surface…you have transcended and you know your root chakra is awake and participating
fully in your consciousness.

16
 An Awakened Root Chakra

It is not to say that once you have awakened the root that you will never have to go
through experiences of it awakening again, because you might. Why? Well, there are
layers. Sometimes the kundalini blows through the other centers and it triggers another
level of the root chakra to awaken. Other times you may experience a collective root
awakening which you mistake for your own, but is really “for the all,” so to speak.

But once you do this and you are rooted in yourself in an awakened first chakra,
your experience becomes grounded in the knowing that your life is divinely provided for.
“Like the lilies of the valley who want not for food or raiment”—this becomes what is true
for you. You simply know that life is orchestrating your basic needs; you see it unfold
before you miraculously all the time. Though at times you may have a slight back-step
and “remember” the lack and fear, you always manage to fall into trust and knowing.

The awakened root in the feminine honors her moon cycle and is nurtured by the
blood she sheds and the gifts it gives her to tap into intuition and the earth. The
awakened root of the masculine will honor his woman and all women and see the power
and the potency they carry in their womb space. He will not fear her, but become the
student of she who would take him into her sanctuary and teach of the wisdom found in
the blood.

The awakened root nourishes men who put down their weapons and return to the
womb of life to find healing rather than resorting to the taking of life and acts of war,
which perpetuate the fear of life/death.

17
 An awakened root allows you to fully embody the cosmic energy as it floods the
physical more and more with each chakra activation. It is important to be grounded and
“in your body” while downloading cosmic energies. If you are not grounded, the result is
spaciness and a disconnection/disorientation with what is going on around you. This can
occur if the higher chakras “lock in” before a complete cleansing of the root takes place.

A lot of fasting can also loosen one's “grip on reality,” so to speak, by disconnecting
one from their root chakra or disallowing it to fully cleanse and open correctly. This can
happen because the first chakra is intimately tied to food and basic survival instincts, so
the lack of food, even if with spiritual intent, can confuse the psyche of the first chakra
which is working to ground the personality into the earth plane reality for cosmic work.
Ever met a “super spiritual faster” who was completely ungrounded or even displayed
delusions of grandeur? This is due to a compromised root chakra early on in its
awakening/purification process.

Once the kundalini shakti has fully enlivened the entire chakra system and all
chakras have been cleansed and purified, each “issue” will be revisited for a final green-
light, so to speak. This is like the class finals, testing the system to prepare for the huge
influx of spiritual knowledge which must be “cleared for take-off.” This is what occurs
once the spiritually adept are in what one might call the “final stages” of soul-purposed
activation, and they are yet “still” or “again” facing issues of poverty or lack. It is the final
test to see if they can hold their consciousness in every chakra awareness and not fall into
the trap of cyclical behavior that would spin them off into another layer of chakra
cleansing. If you experience this, hold the path. This is it!

18
 Staying Grounded
Knowing how to work with the first chakra is essential to feeling grounded and
confident in our ability to fulfill our potential. Located at the base of the spine, the root
chakra is a powerful circle of energy that gives us a sense of wellbeing and safety. When
we are balanced in this chakra, we know that everything we need is already within us.
From this understanding, we use our creativity to bring our ideas and visions to life. Just
like the earth doesn’t think twice about whether it will grow grass, or the bird never
thinks to question its ability to chirp, we are also built to fulfill our innate potential. Yet,
for us humans, it can be difficult to acknowledge the innate power and intrinsic
knowledge we already have. This thing called life happens to us, and it makes us believe
that the world is a place to fear, or a place where we must constantly be ready to defend
ourselves. Worst of all, we may doubt the innate power and knowledge we already have!

Depending on your own life experiences, your root chakra may be imbalanced.
When we’re put in situations that challenge our sense of safety and trust, we become
fretful. Fearful. Anxious. Anxiety could be likened to a constant feeling of wondering if
the wind will one day blow you away from the very ground you stand on, taking you from
all that you love. When you feel this way, hold the ground. Grounding can be simple:
walking barefoot on grass, stopping to breathe, or just stopping!

19
 Here are ten questions to help you on your journey to balance your root chakra.
Spend some time reflecting on them and see where the answers lead you. See if they
remind you of your importance and your abilities. Remember: you are strong, you are
here, and you are connected.

1. Do I have a right to be here?

2. Do I listen to my body?

3. Do I think from my head, or do I think from my gut (hora)?

4. Are the top and bottom half of my body connected?

5. Do I believe in my capabilities to provide for myself?

6. Do I trust myself?

7. Do I know my body?

8. Do I hold my ground, or am I easily swayed by the opinions and feelings

of others?

9. When people hurt or dismiss me, do I crumble?

10. Fear or faith?

20
 Help for Awakening Muladhara
It is important to engage the Ajna chakra first. For this reason, the Moola
Bandha practice incorporates the third eye intimately and can therefore be used to
awaken Muladhara without neglecting this important point.

The mantra LAM, chanted regularly in concert with OM, can assist with
awakening, as can daily chants to Ganesha, the governing deity of the root center.
Ganesha represents the aspect of the Divine, which removes obstacles, which is exactly
what is needed to assist the process of kundalini awakening and rising. One simple chant
to Ganesha:

Ganesha Namaha, Ganesha Namaha, Ganesha Namaha, Jai Jai Ganesha.

Remembering to start and end any chanting/meditation practice with the sound of OM
three times will bring the third eye factor into account. Using the image of Ganesha or a
red square—another symbol of the root chakra—can assist in the awakening/cleansing, as
can a yantra dedicated to this center.

Another awakening practice for this psychic center is yoga nidra, as it also helps
to surface any subconscious imprints held in this chakra for release and assists the
kundalini shakti in moving from the first chakra up the spine to work out the kinks in
the other centers, effectively and with awareness.

For more help grounding your root chakra, watch this guided video.

21
 2: Svadhisthana
The Sacral Chakra

Much of society (and the world at large) has been struggling through
first and second chakra issues for what seems like all of time. These are
the most difficult passages for the kundalini shakti to work through in
the consciousness of “lower” man, as these chakras deal with basic,
primal, sexual, and ancestral issues.

22
 First Initiation

The second chakra, Svadhisthana, is located approximately two inches up from the
tailbone and several centimeters inside the body from the physical sacrum. In some
people, the location of the second chakra may be slightly lower than their root chakra,
especially in women where the first chakra is found right outside the cervix in the
location often referred to as the G-spot.

It is often said in yogic texts that the second chakra is the most difficult to “pass.”
In other words, when kundalini shakti starts its passage up the spine to cleanse and
purify the vital centers, the second chakra issues of sexuality, satisfaction, and ancestral
karma are the most challenging to work through and complete. It is also said that when a
person's kundalini passes through the gates of the second chakra and makes it to the
third center in the naval, that it will not fall again to the lower centers. What this means
is that if a person's consciousness can endure the second chakra initiations and
purification, then they will ascend consciousness into a higher order and no longer be
stuck “seeing things” through the lower senses of instinct, karma, and pleasure. This does
not mean that one does not have access to these things, but rather, they will not be bound
by them, nor ruled by them.

23
 The Dark Night of the Soul
This center rules the reproductive organs and glands, the kidneys, and the
bladder. It is responsible for sexual impulses and the basic feeling of satisfaction, both in
life and in sexuality. This center is also the keeper of ancestral karma, and being a water-
ruled center, it is often murky and dark prior to awakening, which is often experienced as
a dark night of the soul due to the depth of issues and shadow qualities found here.

Having an awakened third eye center prior to the journey through a second
chakra opening is vital. If one is unable to take an observer standpoint while cleansing
and purifying the second chakra, it is not uncommon for depression, psychosis, and dark
nights to last too long and for the person to become “lost” in the process of working
through the demons often uncovered in this center.

It is not only a few souls who have dark nights to journey; we all carry patterns
and beliefs through the DNA from our ancestors that were left unprocessed in their
lifetimes. For the most part, our ancestors were ill-equipped to deal with the emotions
and conditioning of their day and have therefore left the task to us to transcend the
consciousness they passed on to us.

When the second center begins to open and cleanse (the purification always occurs
first), debris from our DNA will be thrown out into our field for us to deal with. For the
majority of what most humans face in this process, much of this debris is ancestral. It is
good to know this going into the journey—otherwise the practitioner is left questioning
their sanity and wondering of their behavior, which is simply playing out for the benefit of
clearing it.

24
 Sexuality & Second Chakra

Second chakra issues are also highly sexually charged, and can lead one to either
explore sexual deviance or to repress the desire to experiment sexually (which is a
completely normal part of human evolution). Through a healthy attitude taught in one's
youth in regards to sex and sexuality, much of the taboo behavior many must face around
this center can be avoided or easily transcended with little effort.

Unfortunately, the world’s second chakra has been largely blocked/closed, and is
only now beginning to purge, and so much of what humanity has been taught around sex
has been based on a shutdown sacral center consciousness—resulting in repressed and
distorted attitudes around sex and sexuality. In the world today, much of the distorted
display of sexuality is due to people living in closed second chakras, just as the money
issues are due to closed root centers. As this reality cleanses itself, these issues will shift
to where more people trust the process of life, the abundance that is rightfully part of
existence, and that sexuality is a beautiful and sacred expression of being in human form
and is meant for the purpose of co-creation in the myriad ways we as creator beings can
imagine.

25
 An Awakened Sacral Chakra
A person with an awakened sacral chakra will have processed ancestral patterns
and personal issues surrounding sexuality and will find themselves to feel satisfied, both
sexually and with what life has to offer them. When this center is purified, one begins to
interact with life and others in a more naturally sensual way. In other words, the senses
are fully engaged without shame and personal exploration is neither with need for
attention nor repression, but instead comes as a healthy and natural expression of rooted
curiosity and self-love.

Love of self is a key emotion when one's second chakra is activated and open. In
this center, it is easy to question self-worth when the purification process begins and all
manner of karma and debris are playing themselves out internally and in one's world, but
upon clearing through these things and with an attitude of observation and detachment,
the awakened second chakra person begins to enjoy life and all that is unfolding through
them.

26
 Help for Awakening Svadhisthana
To assist in awakening the second chakra and purifying this vital center, it is
important to work with the third eye center and to practice the art of observation—by
way of “observing” your life, not only living as a participant. It is also a good idea to
journal the events you are experiencing, if you believe you are in a second chakra
awakening, as well as get some support in the area of ancestral clearing. There are
various modalities designed to assist one in releasing unprocessed karmic patterns and
emotions, such as the Emotion Code technique, as well as yoga nidra and other
subconscious deconditioning practices.

Additionally, wearing the color orange as well as eating orange-colored foods

supports the second chakra. Affirmations such as “I am satisfied sexually and in my life”
and “I release all karmic patterning that no longer serves my authentic expression” are
good places to start. Yoga postures such as forward fold (Uttanasana) and reclined knee-
to-chest (Apanasana) are both great for working with this center. Herbs which support
the reproductive organs and the kidney/bladder team are also helpful: damiana,
cranberry, corn silk, maca root, and uva ursi, for example.

Watch this video for a guided meditation on awakening your second chakra.

27
 3: Manipura
The Navel Chakra

Sitting in the center of the navel, between the belly button and the
sternum, sits the third vital center, known as Manipura chakra.
Translated as “city of jewels,” this energy vortex feeds the digestive
system, stomach, and pancreas/spleen.

28
 Ascending beyond the “Lower Mind”
As energy rises from the lower two centers, Muladhara and Svadhisthana, it
comes to the third chakra only when one is ready to ascend beyond the “lower mind.” In
ancient texts, it is said that once kundalini, the vital life-force energy, makes it to the
third center in the awakening process, it will not drop again to the lower centers. What
this means is that once consciousness is able to reach beyond the shackles of the “lower
mind,” primal instincts, and karmic patterns, it will no longer drop again to see the world
merely from these perspectives. Instead, once consciousness awakens beyond these points,
it has come to “know too much” so to speak, and it simply cannot go to sleep again.

Childbirth & the Third Chakra

The third chakra is a powerful center. In other traditions, it is the center known to
hold the vital chi, and it relates to the kidneys and their significant positioning behind the
belly. The third chakra is where a mother holds a growing fetus, and is thought to be the
center of the “Master Path,” also known as Motherhood. For when a woman grows a child
in this center, she is able to jump over many lessons and experiences, such is the intensity
and potency of the act of childbearing.

29
 Birth is a powerful act. When a woman experiences a cesarean birth, we should
consider calling it a “navel birth” instead, for a child who comes into the world this way is
choosing to literally open the mother's third center by exiting her body from this point. In
ancient Hindu texts, like the Mahabharata, divine beings were always birthed from the
navel center. This signifies a great spiritual advancement for the mother who would
choose to see it this way, and to participate fully in the energetic process of healing the
scars of a navel birth.

A Closed Navel
When the Manipura chakra is closed or blocked it can manifest as digestive
troubles, ulcers, indigestion, or troubles with the spleen or pancreas. The adrenal
glands may be implicated, though the second chakra is also involved in this case.

A blocked navel chakra inhibits one from expressing uniquely and can show up as
fear and discouragement. Emotionally, one with a blocked Manipura center may feel
much in the way of anxiety, fear, anxiousness, and clutching in the stomach. Even the
extensive experience of “butterflies in the stomach” could point to the need to activate the
third chakra with exercises and chants.

In life, you may encounter others with closed or blocked navel centers and may
recognize them as fearful or self-conscious. They might exhibit dreams for which they feel
they cannot reach. Those struggling with issues of empowerment, struggling to stand up
for themselves, or in abusive or otherwise co-dependent relationships need to work with
the third chakra and cultivate an awakening there.

30
 If advice can be given without deepening the offense, you may suggest as much;
otherwise it is best to work more deeply on your own Manipura and intend for your
personal work to be an energetic inspiration to all you meet—minus the ego.

An Awakened Navel Chakra

Manipura is a storehouse of treasures which can be accessed by one who puts full
consciousness into the awakening of this center. This chakra is responsible for the
consciousness of motivation, empowerment, and creativity. It can grant one great
strides of personal empowerment and land one in the arms of a leadership position
swiftly, where the jewels of an awakened Manipura can inspire and motivate many others
around them.

When Manipura is awake and functioning optimally you see a person with humble
confidence who is able to easily go after what they wish. An awakened third chakra gives
one an inner drive that cannot be easily squelched and is also somewhat contagious.
Those with functioning third chakras will not feel limited by food issues nor will they find
difficulty in translating ideas into action and inspiration into form.

31
 Help for Awakening Manipura
One thing that can help to awaken the navel center is the color gold/yellow. This
includes eating yellow foods such as bananas, yellow squash, lemons, and onions, as
well as wearing gold and yellow accessories and clothing. Essential oils of lemon and
lemongrass, as well as fennel, peppermint, and all things pertaining to the stomach
and digestive capacity can also awaken the navel center. Cedarwood is also great, as
it supports the pancreas and spleen.

Balancing emotions and releasing the need to “take on” others’ emotions leads to a
healthy spleen and triple warmer meridian, which in turn keeps Manipura balanced and
active. Strong yogic breathing techniques such as “breath-of-fire” and others which pulse
the belly in and out are supportive for this vital center as well. In yogic breathing, the full
yogic breath takes one clear down into the belly and navel center for the fullness of the
breath. It connects the navel center to the throat center and thereby opens a passageway
from the third chakra to the fifth chakra. By practicing full yogic breaths, you may be
able to enhance the third chakra as well as find connection and opening in the heart and
throat.

Yogic poses which involve scrunching the belly, rotating the belly/hips and opening
up the navel center—such as wheel pose and camel—are wonderful for third chakra
health. Chanting, toning, and belly massage can stimulate this center into action as
well as relieve any tension or blocks there. When your third chakra is feeling good and
flowing properly, life just seems to work better! Love up your belly and find balance in
your Manipura chakra.

Want to balance your navel chakra? Follow this guided meditation.

32
 4: Anahata
The Heart Chakra

Often seen as a green lotus—and more recently in the evolutionary

process as a blue multi-petaled flower—the heart chakra is our vital
center for connecting to the unconditional love that is our natural
state of awareness.

33
 Awakening the Heart Chakra

Sitting in the center of the chest, in the cavity of the lungs, is not only the physical
heart and other organs of that region, but the location for the energetic heart known as
Anahata—the heart chakra. This vortex of energy acts as a midway point between the
higher energy centers and the lower ones. It feeds and nourishes the nerve plexus in the
thorax area and brings prana and awareness to the organs and glands of the chest
region.

When fully activated and free, Anahata chakra allows access to the ability to self-
heal on all levels of being, as well as to access the pure, non-judgmental love vibration
that makes life truly joyful and worth living. The process of finding and releasing a
heartwall, which is basically just an accumulation of unprocessed emotions meant to
guard the heart, allows Anahata to truly do its job and harmonize the body into the love
vibration and open the heart to both give and receive that love.

Before Anahata awakens fully, it is common to question your self-worth, to wonder

if you are “good enough,” and to not only judge the self, but to project the unresolved
feelings (stored in your heartwall) about your own person and questioned value onto
others. An unawakened Anahata chakra radiates unresolved emotional traumas and
heart blocks, which have keep one from fully living from a place of love and grace.
In the process of awakening this center, you must often come face-to-face with the
emotions and feelings which have been suppressed from early childhood or past lives.
Sometimes negative heart stuff is coming from unresolved genetic patterns, and though
these emotions “are not ours” we have agreed to karmically play them out and work
through them as a service to both our ancestry and the generations to come.

34
 This time of reality, more than any other time, is that of the great karmic cleanse.
Though the second chakra is mostly assigned the job of carrying unresolved karmic
imprints, each and every chakra can hold onto resonant emotions which are more like the
consciousness of that chakra—like feelings of self-love or self-doubt are “at home” in the
heart center.

When trapped or unresolved emotions around the heart, which have built a wall
around it, are realized and let go, the heart may feel a bit raw or tender as it reaches out
to feel again all that is surrounding us in this world of vibration. Using specific mantras,
mudras, and other tools which support the heart chakra can be beneficial in assisting it to
open with ease and function with support and strength.

Mantras for the Heart

The heart can be nourished with various different mantras. One sound that really
soothes and harmonizes this center is to simply chant the sound of “MMMmmmmmm.”
You can feel the vibration of this sound nourishing and gently vibrating in the heart. It is
delicious to say and to experience the resonance of. Another supportive mantra for the
heart chakra is to use the bija or “seed” mantra for the heart, which is “YAM” (you may
also think of it as “YUM”)—again, tuning into the sweet and savory sensations of the love
vibration in this vital center. You may also simply chant “Hummmmmmmmmm” and feel
the vibration of the hum deep in your heart while this subtle center seeks to harmonize
with all of the other vital centers.

35
 Mudras for the Heart
By placing the body or hands in certain positions, the vital energy is recirculated in
order to support various energies, body areas or levels of consciousness.

Hridaya mudra is specific to the functioning of the heart and can help with actual
physical healing as well as with the emotions of a tender or hurt heart.

Ganesha mudra is done by interlacing the fingers and pulling joined fists over the heart
and adding resistance; it can help to invoke the energy which will help to break down a
heartwall or other blocks in one's path. Traditionally, Ganesha is the manifestation of
the aspect of the Divine, which removes obstacles and connects one with inner wisdom.
Ganesha is usually “invoked” prior to any other activity or prayer and in this case, the
Ganesha mudra could become an excellent choice for a regular practice when the
intention is to open the heart and find deeper connection and peace there.

36
 Herbs & Foods for the Heart
Hawthorn berry has long been used as a tonic for the heart. Taken as a tea or an elixir
over a period of time, hawthorn berry can relieve or even completely reverse both
physical ailments as well as deep emotional pain.

Raw cacao is an excellent food, not only for the physical heart, which is strengthened by
the theobromine, but for the mood and attitude of the heart center by offering the release
of anandamide into the bloodstream, the “bliss hormone” as it is often called. Raw
chocolate is also high in magnesium and great for the heart—and the history of cacao
is that of being “food for the Gods,” which isn’t a terrible offering to give to the holy of
holies within your own body vehicle.

Cayenne pepper is a fabulous “regulator” of the blood in the bloodstream and has
thereby been used to equalize blood pressure in both high and low cases. By this same
token, cayenne makes a great ally when working to harmonize and balance the emotions
of the heart as it helps to purge out those emotions which are not benefiting you, as well
as helping you to settle into the full-fire of your personal truth—which isn't always easy
to face. They say in herbal medicine school that cayenne will help to accelerate the
benefits of any other herb you take it with, and therefore it is a great ally to use when
working to activate the heart and center in love. Use with good intention and expect
amplified results!

37
 Crystals & Oils for the Heart
Pink and green stones are usually the go-to colors for heart chakra balancing and
tuning in, though any stone might be “called” to be placed over the heart. It is up to the
person to feel into the stones themselves, but for melting a cold or hardened heart, there
may be no better remedy than the laying on of stones with pink rose quartz and
Madagascar pink calcite. Amazonite, the lighter green stone with white stripes through it,
is also a favorite for reminding the heart to stay in alignment with one's personal passion
and greater truth.

Often, when removing a heartwall, the area is tender afterwards. The use of rose,
geranium, ylang ylang, or lavender essential oils are greatly beneficial to help the
heart mend and function in a new “open” fashion.

The Power of the Heart

By taking the time to work directly with the heart and intending for the
vulnerable self to be exposed and faced, you can begin to own the depth and the power
inherent in an open and activated heart center. This is not accomplished without both
bravery and surrender. But once you can align the heart, what was once promised to
yogis of old can be true for you—and that is the knowledge of the Gift Giving Tree which
becomes the open heart chakra.

38
 When one is aligned and harmonized in the heart, whatever one dreams upon or
“wishes” finds its way into reality, for the heart is the “cross-roads” of the lower and
higher centers. It is the place where the higher mind merges into and manifests as
matter, and where the longings of the physical world make their voices known into the
Cosmos. The heart center is truly the temple of the physical body, which is why it is such
a crucial, yet delicate, space in which to work.

It is important to look at our heart-wounds and to make sure we are not projecting
them on the people in our reality. The heart chakra can be a portal of love and healing, or
it can be the greatest block we have to manifesting our dreams. It has been shown,
scientifically, that our hearts emit waves—very strongly, up to 10 feet around the body. In
truth, these heart-waves extend even further from the body, but the most potent field we
have with which we interact with others in the outside world is that of the heart. By
bringing our heart-waves into conscious coherence by working with the heart chakra and
by grounding into forgiveness and appreciation, we may find our reality becoming more
responsive and helpful, for it feels the waves we emit even more than the words we say.

An open heart chakra is a changed person. If you sense you still have work to do in
your own heart chakra, remember: we are layered like an onion, and it is normal to have
more deep work to do. Approach the heart with self-love and care and prepare yourself
to uncover your most beautiful self.

For more help, watch this guided meditation for your heart chakra.

39
 5: Vishuddha
The Throat Chakra

Sitting in the pit of the throat, supporting the thyroid, parathyroid,

larynx, and vocal chords, sits the throat chakra. Literally translated as
“impurities/poisons” (visha) and “to purify” (shuddha), Vishuddha sits
as the vortex for taking in that which is sweet and that which is
considered “poison” from our environment and our experiences for
potential purification.

40
 Make it into Sweets
We touch the world and the world touches us largely through our voices—the
sounds and expressions that leave our lips and mingle with others. Communication can be
either a sweet or a poisonous endeavor, for both the speaker and the listener, depending
on the words and beliefs that have been cultivated in their youth, absorbed through
societal impressions, or transformed through self-reflection.

Yogic and Vedic texts speak of the nectar that drips down the back of the throat
from the pineal gland. This is the mystical “amrit,” or nectar of youth and immortality,
though this nectar does nothing for the one with the inactive throat center. For them, this
nectar simply bypasses Vishuddha and drops into Manipura to be incinerated in the fires
of the belly, causing Ama—or toxins—to accumulate, eventually leading to bodily decay
and age. This is where specific yogic practices, such as Ketchari mudra, come into play,
which teach the yogi to harness the energy of the amrit and utilize Vishuddha to its
fullest.

An unawakened Vishuddha center allows for emotional traumas to be expressed as

damaging words or limiting statements of self, for it has no power to transform these
things into the nectar of amrita without the potency of an active throat chakra. Prior to
awakening, the individual has little to no knowledge of how their words affect them and
those around them. The consciousness has not “risen” to the level of transmuter of
poisons, as Lord Shiva—depicted with the blue throat in Hindu mythology.

Blue is also the color of the peacock, another symbol for Vishuddha, representing
the ability to be able to literally eat or “swallow” anything—as peacocks can do. Nothing
is poison to them, nor to the one who has an awakened throat center. The ability to take
in what is brought in word or thought, experience or emotion, and “make it into sweets” is
the power of the active Vishuddha chakra.

41
 An Awakened Throat Chakra

When the throat chakra is awakened and functioning properly, the person is able
to take any experience, any thought, any emotion, any word, and transform it into nectar
for personal enlightenment. It is this gift which then translates into boons or siddhis for
the awakening yogi.

The element in the throat center is ether, so it is largely connected to our spiritual
capacities and how we express this in the world. When unable to hear “negativity” or take
in “toxins” from the environment or others and transmute it, the yogi is still undeveloped
spiritually. For the one who has the throat chakra in full operation, the mumblings of
those around them, the toxins in the environment, and the limiting thoughts of the ego
mind—all become as food for the peacock, nourishment to the sage. For truly, there is no
duality in the higher centers lying just beyond the gateway of Vishuddha.

42
 Help for Awakening Vishuddha

In order to help awaken this vital center and use it to full capacity it is critical to
have an awakened third eye center, so as to have cultivated the “witness” attitude. It is
also helpful to work with a variety of practices which refine and flower the throat center:

• Simhagarjanasana: the Roaring Lion pose

• Bramhari mudra: the Buzzing Bee

• Cobra Pose

• Ujjayi breathing: the victorious, snoring, or sound of the ocean

breath

• Kriya yoga

• Ketchari mudra

• Chanting

• Throat chakra meditation

• Tantra: practice seeing the sweetness in all of life

• Consuming ghee regularly

• A neti pot

• Gargling with salt water

• Lapis Lazuli

43
 In order to help the throat chakra to come “alive” and begin the service of
transmutation for which it was created, it is helpful to imagine a blue/violet light over the
throat center, to use a blue or violet colored gemstone over this area. It is beneficial to
visualize yourself taking in various “dark” colored light through the throat center and
transforming it into a bright colored light. The dark shades represent the toxins we are
constantly faced with in our world: environmental, chemical, electromagnetic, emotional,
physical, societal, etc., and the different colors represent the rays of light we utilize in the
body for health and wellbeing such as that found in food, the sun, and crystal rays.

We quite literally “eat” all the time, from every sensory organ. If we do not
understand that our throat chakra is designed as a transmuter of negative energy, then
we fall prey to the toxins surrounding us being consumed day in and day out—and they
ultimately age us. The “immortal yogi” understands how to use the energy centers in the
body in order to transcend the illusion of the physical plane and instead, enjoy time here,
focus on the evolution of the collective consciousness of the planet and be the retriever of
the many gifts and treasures buried up here on planet earth. For all that has been hidden
will be revealed…but who will be the ones to revel in the magic here?

To further awaken your throat chakra, follow this guided meditation.

44
 6: Ajna
The Third Eye Chakra

The capacity to witness life from the standpoint of the “observer” is a

skill that sets apart the novice from the expert, especially in terms of
spiritual advancement. Cultivating this witnessing attitude and
maintaining it through all layers of evolutionary unfoldment signifies
an awakened and functioning third eye center—or at least the
beginning stages of one.

45
 First, The Gaze of the Witness

As humans, we are largely influenced by emotional experiences as well as likes

and dislikes and all the many sways of duality. It is not uncommon to be high on life one
day, in the throes of bliss and joy, and then suddenly find oneself plummeted into despair
or discord by news of something tragic or disheartening. However, in order to navigate the
ascension process—which requires inner strength, equanimity of spirit, and fortitude—
one must be able to confront the entire spectrum of experiences with a similar gaze. The
ancients called the ability to observe these emotions as a detached spectator drashta,
which means “the witness” in Sanskrit, and used it as a technique to classify the beginner
from the advanced human. This is the function of an awakened third eye center.

In the process of opening the energy vortexes situated along the spinal cord
(chakras), it is essential to begin by working directly to open the third eye center, also
known as Ajna chakra. The reason for this is the observer attitude, which allows one to
take the stance of “the witness” as each of the other centers blows out years (and
lifetimes) of accumulated debris. Without the capacity to stand as a detached witness, the
awakening process can suck one into an emotional engagement that only cycles one
through repeating patterns instead of allowing for the graceful release of that which is
surfacing.

46
 Awakening the Third Eye Chakra
The awakening of dormant spinal centers is no joke and no light matter. When
correctly understanding, one may stand in awe of how these spinal plexuses have stored
lifetimes and generations of karmic stories and debris, and how they are the energetic
gateways through which cosmic energy is perched to enter in through and evolve the
human. Only then will it become apparent why the necessity for awakening the third eye
center first has always been a spiritual requirement in the mystery schools—for without
awakening this vital center first, which is the key to higher vision and the gateway to
cosmic understanding, the lower mind and therefore bodily “kingdom” becomes subject to
what feels like the “torments of the soul.”

When gracefully approached, one opens the third eye center through meditation,
chanting, visualization, yoga, and dedicated practice before approaching the material
offered up from the other awakening spinal centers. For on the first round (or few
successive rounds) of kundalini activation, the body is being prepared by seeing a “slide
show” (if you will) of previews of what is to come when the chakras fully awaken.
Focusing on the pineal gland and the opening of this center prepares one for the
impending release of lifetimes of “garbage” (otherwise known as information) flooding the
consciousness.

Taking time each day to focus on the third eye center, incorporating such practices
as Trataka (candle gazing) and Shambhavi mudra can make all the difference in the
awakening of one’s kundalini and the opening of the dormant spinal centers. An
awakened third eye allows for the opening of every other center to occur with a sense of
purpose, despite the “ghosts” which might be hiding behind each and every psychic
gateway.

47
 All is One with Ajna Chakra
Each chakra governs a specific layer of consciousness as well as certain bodily
functions. For example, the first chakra is the rooting agent; it connects humans to the
earth and to feelings of belonging and security in their bodies and on the earth. (This is
different from the “earth chakra,” which is a specific chakra located approximately 2 feet
below the root which supplies an actual grounding cord to an individual, reinforcing earth
connection and supplying nourishment directly to the being from the planet.) The root
chakra is also supportive to the intestinal tract and other organs of elimination as well
as to the feet and legs. It nourishes ideas and actions of forward movement and release as
well as assisting one in feeling full and abundant and able to endure.

When the first chakra (Muladhara, or root) first starts to awaken, it will “push
out” any memories or ancestral patterns which challenge the transcendent version of first
chakra awareness. It will purify by “making known” all that is out of alignment in the
body/mind so that the person can recalibrate and make the adjustments necessary to
carry the cosmic understanding of abundance and infinite support. The awakening root
chakra must learn to surrender in order to access the eternal ease of assimilating the
necessary and purging the excess. An open third eye center assists the individual in not
attaching to any stories of lack or insecurity which may come up during a first chakra
cleanse.

48
 Consider the experience of root chakra work for a person with an unopened third
eye chakra. As he or she stirs ancestral issues from the DNA of lack and fear-of-safety, he
or she may suddenly feel a personal struggle with lack and insecurity by falsely
identifying with the first chakra awakening symptoms. If he or she is unable to detach
from these chakra-awakening symptoms, there will be unnecessary struggle worsened by
“carrying on” the ancestral burden as a reality in his or her life until he or she is made
aware of this pattern. On the other hand, if one has awakened the third eye center and is
able to stand as a witness to the first chakra awakening, one may notice how ancestral
patterns of lack and fear-of-safety rise up in the self (subtly over time or powerfully all at
once), but be able to stand and observe—with interest and skill—how they struggle for
place in one’s reality and yet one has the ability to let them rise and release without
attachment, due to the open third eye center prior to their visit to consciousness.

The second chakra (sacral) can be an even more “treacherous” passage than the
first, if awakened without the witness of the third eye. This is the center that efficiently
and effectively brings one through the portal of the “dark night of the soul.” The difference
in accessing the debris in this center with “eye-open” or “eye-closed” means choosing to
walk through the depths of karmic and ancestral “muck” with or without potential
suicidal tendencies, such can be the intensity of the information stored in this karmic
center.

As we move deeper and deeper through the cycles of cosmic awakening there has
never been a more crucial time to maintain an open Ajna chakra. If you find yourself
struggling with cyclical or repeating issues, it may just be a clue that you are dancing
with chakra debris and it is time to rise above such experiences by refocusing the lens.
The third eye center helps one keep an eye above the storms of life and remember the
bigger picture—where all is One and everything has a purpose.

Experience increased pineal gland activation to open the third eye chakra with this video.

49
 7: Sahaswara
The Crown Chakra

Babies usually enter the world head first, literally “crowning” as their
final move from the fetal stage of development into the oxygen
breathing world of humanhood. The crown chakra is found at the very
top of the head and is the interface between the world of the unseen and
this body.

50
 True Royalty is Yours
When the crown chakra, also known as Sahaswara, is fully open and activated it is
seen as the thousand-petaled lotus and is rainbow colored, signifying that all of the lower
centers are open and functioning. In tantra, the awakened crown signifies the merging of
the King and Queen, the Shiva and Shakti, the masculine/feminine, sun/moon aspects
of self that are represented by the spinal channels of pingala and ida. These two energies
of yin and yang actually meet in the third eye center at the pineal gland where they
activate a higher consciousness in the person. From this, the crown is then opened to
allow for the expression of what happens when the inner marriage is complete.

The crown signifies Unity, the dissolving of duality within the human psyche and
the return to the remembrance of “All being One.” In this center, the Cosmic perspective
is remembered and the Anandamaya Kosha—or Bliss body—is accessed. This is often
felt as Nirvana, or a Blissful state that is beyond the normal functioning of the human
mind, emotions, and sense-experiences.

The fact that the seventh chakra is called the crown and that we speak in these
same terms for identifying royalty is no mistake. One who has awakened their crown
center has remembered their Divinity, which is well beyond the Earthly status to which
we refer when speaking of Kings and Queens. The true royalty exists within every person.
We all have the Divine Birthright to remember who we are and claim the riches of the
“Kingdom.” In tantra, this is the recognition that your own life and body is the portal and
access point to your own Kingdom/Queendom and you need only lay claim to what is
already yours in order to begin to experience life from a new level of blessing and
Abundance.

51
 An Awakened Crown Chakra
The ability to see reality from the bigger picture just as easily as from the duality
point of view is natural territory for the awakened crown individual. A common image is
that of the enlarged skull you often see in Egyptian hieroglyphs, which might depict one
with an activated crown—part “in the sky,” so to speak. It is like there is a piece of the
self, an aspect of consciousness, and even part of your very own skull that is extended into
other realms all of the time. Nothing presents itself to you without also showing its larger
“cosmic” implications as equally relevant.

An awakened crown doesn’t mean your head is always in the clouds about these
Cosmic visions, however. Though this may be true upon the earlier stages of purification,
one with an awakened crown center will be able to see how such Cosmic knowledge is
usable, translatable, and applicable in the physical world—it is not about becoming super
“woo-woo” and speaking only about the Annunauki, energies in the universe, and portals,
but rather, being able to integrate this knowledge at an earthly level so it can be used by
the self and the masses for evolution.

One with an awakened crown is often referred to as a Mystic, a Sage, or a Rishi.

The Sorcerers of old were those who had access to Source power and channeled it in
through their crown for use in the material world. This power was greatly regarded in
times past; however, there have been those who have wielded this energy for deception
and personal gain. Such is the open crown without an awakened heart chakra, without
an awakened high heart, and without a purified throat chakra.

52
 Help for Awakening Sahaswara
There are certain things you can do to facilitate opening the crown chakra:

• Headstands

• Tapping

• The sound of AUM

• Visualization

• Sungazing

• Cranial sacral work

• Eating a balanced rainbow diet (all the colors present)

• Specific essential oils on top of the head (sandalwood,

frankincense, fir, spruce, cedar, peppermint)

• Yoga

• Sun salutations

• Crystals above the head and on the head

• Sitting under a waterfall

• Lying on the beach

In this day and age, we are learning to do the work and focus on the “end goal,”
which is the evolution of consciousness for personal and planetary enlightenment. Yes,
there are “side effects” to the journey of awakening—some may even look like super
powers. In days of old these powers were referred to as Siddhis. They are natural side
effects of awakening the spinal centers, for they are natural evolutionary phases for these

53
vehicles we walk around in. However, there are dangers in paying too much attention to
the side effects and allowing them to deter you from the goal of evolution. This is what
has happened to sorcerers who “went bad,” so to speak.

It is one thing to know, intellectually, about opening chakras in the body, and to
strive to do so through various practices such as yoga and chanting. But when the body
truly begins to take on its Divine form and to express as we have the capacity to express,
the true questions which must be asked revolve around how prepared you have become to
handle such capacity. How ready are you to embody your divinity and all that
encompasses? And just as many do not expect to change when inheriting large sums of
money but do—where before they were kindhearted and generous, but after the money
the unresolved greed and selfish behaviors become amplified—so too with our spiritual
abundance when fully accessed.

The crown chakra is the pinnacle of our evolutionary process within the body.
Beyond the crown we begin to stretch into our multidimensional form and access energy
gateways that are beyond what we feel with flesh and bones. When we can open the
crown and leave the ego on the ground: this is the true test of Mastery. How Royal do
you become when your Divinity is revealed to you? Do you bow in humility? Do you stand
taller? Do you balk at your fellow human? Does compassion well up inside you? For upon
opening the crown we begin to truly see where each of our brothers and sisters sits on
their inner thrones of self-worth—and where we do, too.

Activate your crown chakra with this meditation video.

54
Beyond the Basics:
More About Chakras

55
 The High Heart
Chakra

Nestled between the heart and the throat sits an often-unrecognized

energy center which brings the consciousness and signatures of these
two area's chakras together in a beautiful, harmonious, powerful way.
Known by many as the “high heart” or “chakra 4.5,” this chakra is all
about living your personal truth and doing so with passion and
conviction.

56
 Passion, Purpose & Process
Anahata chakra in the chest helps us tune into unconditional love and healing
energy which, when grounded into the lower chakras, stimulates a powerful volt of
energy, making its way for the throat center. Passing by the thymus gland, the body's
main immune gland, the high heart center takes the heart chakra's energy and draws
down the clarity of the throat into a throbbing, centering, deep heart knowing which gives
you the sense that you have purpose which can actually make an impact on the world.

When someone is wondering of their purpose, unsure what their life passion is
really all about, the high heart is likely still in need of activation. This can be done by
using tapping, gently over the sternum/thymus area with the fingertips, thereby
stimulating this vital center and helping to reset the body's immune system. If we feel
at all “off” in the body, we feel equally disconnected on a deeper level. The body is just a
reflection of what is going on spiritually. Some may resist that statement, but if you look
at everything as vibration, the body is the densest version of that. What we are
attempting to do, some believe, is to bring into physical form the greatness and
expansiveness of our spiritual selves.

The high heart is key in this. Sitting between the heart center and the higher
chakras, the high heart has the job of regulating how much we are actually bringing into
form from our higher bodies. If it is too much, and we are not integrating fast enough, the
body's immune system feels the effects. This is not a bad thing, as we want to be able to
integrate and manifest high vibrations at the most responsible and healthy rate. The
immune system is doing us a favor by “slowing us down” or letting us “get sick” (if
that is what you want to call it) in order to take the time and attention the body needs to
adjust to the frequencies working their way into the body complex.

57
 It's a process. When we have reached “the tipping point” where we are fully
capable of consistently bringing higher frequency, cosmic energies into our physical form
without manifesting dis-ease in the body, then the high heart turns attention towards the
soul-passion, the dharma or mission of the person, for there is a specific pattern we each
carry. Together, we are one giant, amazing Divine tapestry of Oneness. When we are not
functioning at our highest capacity with high-heart turned on, we manifest discord, to
some degree, with at least some of the other people we overlap with.

Assembling Reality & the Collective

When we can get the high heart attuned to the frequency that matches our own
personal “overlap” with the 3rd-dimensional reality we walk around in and the higher
dimensions we are functioning in and bringing gifts and energy in from, we will feel the
potency of this energetic center as a very real sort of “control center” of how we see reality.
In other traditions, the high heart is known as the assemblage point. It is the point
through which we “assemble” our reality—how we see it and interact with it.

Where others are assembling their realities and where we are intersecting with
them is how we create collective realities. We are either doing this with awareness,
harmoniously, or we are doing so unconsciously, manifesting a collective reality few feel
“good” about, as the collective immune system, if you will, is compromised by the discord
felt by all involved.
Working on the high heart center, both through tapping and through other
beneficial techniques, can dramatically change your life. It can put you into greater
alignment with “your cosmic mission,” help you come into more harmonious relationships,
and create soul agreements with others, all of which serves the greater whole.

58
Activating the High Heart Chakra
• Rose quartz & amazonite placed over the high heart

• Rose oil over the thymus gland

• Rosewater in the bath while chanting/toning

• Tapping over the thymus gland

• Immune system “reset” herbs such as shilajit and reishi

mushrooms

• Maca root for glandular balance/activation

• Breathing in and out of the high heart area

• Visualizing this area of the body lit up and flowing a light glow

• Consciously stating/creating an assemblage point with someone else

• Yoga poses that open the front of the chest—like cobra pose and
camel pose

• Swimming in the ocean

• Walking barefoot in the forest

• Lying down in a field of wildflowers

59
 You’ll notice several of the suggested exercises involve “connecting with
nature”—this is because Nature is one of the best chakra activators we can find. Gaia
and the energies of the earth are attuned to us; we are her children; we live on her. The
more we put ourselves “on her” and allow for the adjustments we need to take place, the
more they will. We live in a world where we are basically taught and shown how to
disconnect with the planet, and thereby, with ourselves at the deepest level.

The high heart and its activation are all about remembering that you are not just a
physical body and not just a spiritual being, but a multidimensional god/goddess in form,
here on a Divine impetus to create a new blueprint of change and evolutionary delight for
all. Tune into your high heart right now, and see how alive you feel.

For more help activating your high heart, follow this guided meditation.

60
Align Chakras With
Yoga

The most simplistic way to find balance and alignment within yourself
comes back to yoga and meditation. By practicing specific yoga poses,
or asanas, you are able to focus on each chakra individually, allowing
healing and realignment to manifest.

61
 Have you ever heard the term “find your center”? Have you ever wondered what
exactly it meant to find “balance” in your life? The answer can be found deep within, at
the core of your innermost self. There, you will discover your energy sources and how they
affect every part of your life, and you can learn how to use yoga and meditation to affect
them. There are seven chakras that align your soul. The chakras can be helpful visuals in
representing what areas of your life need more love and attention, and which ones are too
strong—resulting in chaotic emotions.

In performing each pose, breathe deeply for up to one minute as you visualize a
radiant light in the affiliated color to the chakra in its proper location. Imagine the light
growing bright and connecting to all other chakras in perfect alignment. Use your own
visualizations to develop the best personal understanding if you deem them more useful—
find what works best for you.

After discovering the areas that are off-center, you can determine what yoga poses
to implement on a daily basis until you feel the shift within yourself. You may find
yourself going back and forth between areas or sticking with the same areas for long
periods of time. It’s all dependent on your own personal needs—listen to your intuition
and personalize your yoga plan to reflect those needs. However, because all chakras are
interconnected, it is best to practice focusing on every area equally per session.

62
 The Root Chakra (Red)

The root chakra, located in the pelvic region, is the foundation of all balance in your life.
The root chakra is responsible for your sense of security and structure. If you are not
properly grounded, then you may find many other areas of your life feel more chaotic.

The Pose: To balance the root chakra, try a half-moon standing pose, performed
with the flat part of one foot placed on the inside of the opposite thigh. Breathe deeply
into this pose for as long as you see fit and visualize a beam of light spanning vertically
down the center of your body. Focus on many deep breaths before switching legs.

63
 The Sacral Chakra (Orange)

Just below the navel is the second chakra, the source of creativity, pleasure, physical
strength, and emotions. With this chakra out of line, one may experience digestive issues
most likely due to emotional imbalances. If this chakra is excessively charged, a person
may be emotionally explosive; if the chakra is deficient one will be more timid and overly
sensitive, easily immobilized by fear.

The Pose: The simplistic child's pose will help you to breathe deeply into the sacral
chakra. This pose is performed by sitting on your heels and slowly releasing your
forehead down onto the mat. Elongate your arms to create a long flat back posture. Focus
on breathing in positive, light energy as you feel your abdomen expand and contract.

64
 The Navel Chakra (Yellow)

This third chakra is the center of your personal power. This is relevant in finding your
calling in life, your passion, and your gift. If this chakra is not properly balanced you may
feel insecure, depressed, or jealous, or you may be more judgmental, be a perfectionist,
or rely on drugs or alcohol to relax. Finding balance will grant you a skillful mindset, a
more relaxed feeling, the ability to be more in touch with your gifts, and enjoyment for
new life challenges.

The Pose: Warrior poses one and two help open up your hips and entire core. Practice
these poses by beginning in a lunge-like position. Straighten your back leg and allow your
hips to drop until your front leg is vertical to the floor. Stretch both hands above your
head in prayer position for warrior one, or elongate your arms above, horizontal to your
legs, with a slight twist in your abdomen for warrior two.

65
 The Heart Chakra (Green or Pink)

The dorsal chakra, or your heart center, is the fourth chakra, located in the center of the
chest. This chakra is the center for compassion, love, and humanitarianism. Someone
unbalanced in this chakra area may be paranoid, closed off from relationships,
indecisive, afraid of letting go, moody, demanding, possessive, or overly critical—to name
a few attributes. The heart chakra is very important as love is the most healing and
powerful ability we have.

The Pose: The cobra pose can be practiced to open up your heart center for this chakra.
This pose creates a feeling of vulnerability as you open your heart to the world around
you; you will find you are able to more easily give and receive love. This is an especially
important practice for those that are going through the grieving process. Begin the cobra
pose by lying down on your belly and placing your hands next to your shoulders. Slowly
straighten your arms to press your chest up and rest your head back, looking up to the
ceiling.

66
 The Throat Chakra (Blue)

The fifth in alignment is the throat chakra. Balanced, this chakra provides a sense of
contentment, feeling centered and calm. A person balanced properly in this chakra will
most likely be a strong speaker, easily live in the present, and be musically or artistically
inspired. However, an imbalance in this chakra may be expressed through arrogance,
hesitance, self-righteousness, an inability to verbalize thoughts properly, weakness, or
unreliability.

The Pose: The most simplistic pose to practice in order to obtain harmony in this chakra
is the fish pose. Begin by lying down flat on your back and tucking your fingers slightly
under your buttocks. Expand your elbows out enough that you can comfortably lift your
pelvis, and press into your elbows to take pressure off your neck as you lower your crown
down to the ground. Visualize a light in your throat that is your ability to freely express
yourself.

67
 The Third Eye Chakra (Indigo)

The sixth chakra is found at the base of the skull or between the eyebrows at the third
eye. A person with a balanced third eye is disconnected from material things, feels
connected to the source of all knowledge, experiences astral travel and or telepathy, and
has no fear of death. An imbalance may manifest characteristics like being an
egomaniac, manipulative, religiously dogmatic, undisciplined, overly empathetic, or
fearful of success, or even possessing schizophrenic-like qualities.

The Pose: The thunderbolt. To open the third eye, simply sit resting on your ankles
with your hands on your thighs, palms facing up. Close your eyes and visualize your third
eye opening and blinking. Allow your thoughts to come and go without staying stuck on
any of them. Let your mind lead you and listen to what messages it has to tell you; this
will help exercise your intuitive gifts.

68
 The Crown Chakra (Violet)

The last of the chakras in alignment is the crown chakra. One with a balanced crown
has great understanding of the divine and feels one, and open to it. To be centered and
aware in this chakra is a great step toward spiritual fulfillment. A person imbalanced in
the crown chakra may experience a constant sense of frustration, no spark or joy in life,
an inability to make decisions, or may even be catatonic.

The Pose: The most influential pose to ignite a spark in the opening of the crown chakra
is the half lotus. To begin, sit almost as if you are sitting crisscross: place one foot on the
opposite thigh and the other below its opposite thigh. Both knees should be touching the
floor if you are able. Place hands together in prayer position and close your eyes. Envision
a lotus flower on the top of your crown blooming to open the seventh chakra. Breathe
deeply.

69
 Essential Oils
& Chakras

Extracted from the roots, flowers, leaves, or bark of a plant, essential

oils have been used medicinally and ceremonially for thousands of
years.

70
 With uses as varied as anti-aging, easing anxiety, and treating fungal
infections, essential oils are the ultimate multitaskers. They continue to rise in
popularity—the U.S. industry is currently valued at $3.36 billion by Grand View
Research, and the group expects that value to climb to a stunning $13.94 billion by 2024.
So odds are that you’re already familiar with many of the benefits and uses of essential
oils, and you may use popular standbys like lavender to lull you to sleep or rosemary to
boost your memory. But did you know that essential oils could also help you access your
chakras?

To better understand how essential oils are related to the chakras, we talked to Ki
Yoga founder and Satyam Yoga Teacher Training co-founder Kiara McBain, whose vast
and diverse experiences in the yoga world and passion for the science behind essential oil
use make her the perfect person to elucidate this often-elusive subject.

In the worldviews of both yoga philosophy and tantric religions such as Hinduism,
chakras are energy centers believed to be a part of the “subtle” body. McBain describes
this subtle energy as “the aspect of ourselves that we affect with our practice that may
only be felt, but not seen.” The number of chakras varies by tradition, but most
practitioners count seven, aligned vertically from the root chakra (Muladhara) at the
base of the spine to the crown chakra (Sahaswara) at the top of the head. “These
chakras represent aspects of the self,” McBain explains. Each of the seven chakras has a
distinct set of functions and distributes energy at a different frequency and to different
areas of the body. McBain notes, “If someone has a blockage or injury to one of these
chakras, they will experience the challenges of the darker side of the chakra.”
Performing a chakra meditation can help you tune in to which ones feel out of
balance or difficult to access in your own body. Physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual
issues may also indicate that a particular chakra is in need of attention. Digestion issues?
You may want to focus on the third chakra. Fear death? The first chakra, which is the
seat of our survival fears and instincts, may be your focus.

71
 Accessing the Chakras with Essential Oils
McBain prefers to speak about “accessing” the chakras rather than “opening”
them, which she believes is an inaccurate way of representing chakra work. Energy and
chakras are inherently abstract concepts, but McBain offers a great visual to concretize
our understanding of the ways in which specific essential oils match up with specific
chakras: She visualizes the chakra system as a tree growing up the spine, and takes
inspiration from the plants that produce each oil to designate their positions at different
points of the tree.

“The chakras move from the most gross to the most ethereal,” McBain explains.
“This [tree] picture paints the assignment of essential oils to the chakras.” So, according
to McBain’s system, vetiver oil comes from the root of a low-growing grass and is
therefore positioned near the bottom of the metaphorical tree, with the root chakra. A
little further up the tree come oils from flowers that bloom low to the ground, like clove,
which is distilled from the tiny buds and stems of the clove tree. Citrus fruits hang higher
up at the third, or solar plexus, chakra, followed by “big, beautiful” flowers at the fourth,
or heart, chakra. As the tree branches near the top of the spinal column, the aromas of
the oils become more “ethereal” and “effervescent,” corresponding to the fifth through
seventh chakras and their more spiritual qualities.

McBain’s visualization makes finding chakra-balancing oils accessible to the

layperson, and she insists that we are our own experts when it comes to knowing which
oils we need. We all react differently to different oils, and you may have to try a few to hit
on one that works for you. Don’t like the smell of bergamot? Does your body recoil in the
presence of frankincense? “Trust it,” McBain says. “This is all very subjective, and so is
the energy body. There’s no prescription that is 100% right” for you as an individual, so if
you’re interested in accessing the third chakra, but bergamot doesn’t appeal to you, try
another citrus oil, like grapefruit or orange. At least one of them will speak to you.
“Trust whatever you experience,” McBain assures. Use her recommendations here as

72
starting points, but keep in mind that your intuition will guide you toward both the
chakras needing attention, and the essential oils to access them.

Good Essential Oil Usage

When buying essential oils, “look up the company and see if they have any purity
standards,” McBain recommends. “See if they tell you where the plants are grown, see if
they’re sustainable—or are they demolishing the earth in an effort to create a thousand
rosebuds so you can have rose oil?” It’s not a good sign if the company isn’t upfront about
their manufacturing process, McBain warns.

Before using, educate yourself on essential oil safety, and consider mixing your
essential oil with a carrier oil to dilute its concentration. McBain prefers fractionated
coconut oil because its lack of scent doesn’t interfere with the aroma of the essential oil.

McBain recommends incorporating essential oils into a seated meditation: “Take

one to seven different oils, one at a time on a cotton ball, and smell the chakra
aromatherapy [while visualizing] the corresponding chakra.” She notes, “Traditionally, if
using a different oil for each chakra, one would start at the root chakra and work upward;
however, if you have an overly-active mind, try starting at the crown of the head and
working downward.” To access the whole chakra system using universal oils like
lavender or clary sage, “place the oil on the skin (soles of the feet, back of the ears, or
chest) and visualize the entire chakra column while practicing nadi shodhana
breathing.”

Note: Some oils are universal, corresponding to all seven of the chakras. McBain
calls lavender oil a “super oil,” and also includes arborvitae (“tree of life”), clary sage,
and palo santo in this category. No matter how you use essential oils, pay attention to
how your mind and body feel (and listen to your nose!) to better understand which oils
will best benefit you.

73
 Essential Oils for Each Chakra

The Root Chakra (Muladhara)

Location: Base of the spine, at the perineum

When imbalanced, you may experience: Insecurity, fear, and abandonment

When choosing an oil, think: Grounding, woody smells, and oils from the root of
the plant

Try: Vetiver or cedarwood

The Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)

Location: Center of the sacrum, below the navel

When imbalanced, you may experience: Lack of creativity, jealousy, anger,

and sexual dysfunction
When choosing an oil, think: Warm, sensual smells, and oils from small flowers
that bloom low to the earth

Try: Cinnamon or clove

74
The Navel Chakra (Manipura)
Location: Upper abdomen, just above the navel

When imbalanced, you may experience: Shyness, lack of courage, being overly
forceful or controlling

When choosing an oil, think: Citrus

Try: Bergamot or grapefruit

The Heart Chakra (Anahata)

Location: Behind the heart

When imbalanced, you may experience: Isolation, loneliness, broken-

heartedness, sadness

When choosing an oil, think: Big blossoms

Try: Geranium or rose

The Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)

Location: Base of the throat

When imbalanced, you may experience: Expressing too little or too much

When choosing an oil, think: Refreshing, purifying scents

Try: Peppermint or spearmint

75
The Third Eye Chakra (Ajna)
Location: Between the eyebrows

When imbalanced, you may experience: An overactive mind, inability to

concentrate, lack of inspiration

When choosing an oil, think: Ethereal and spiritual

Try: Frankincense or arborvitae

The Crown Chakra (Sahaswara)

Location: Crown of the head

When imbalanced, you may experience: Feelings of disconnectedness from the

world

When choosing an oil, think: Transcendent

Try: Palo santo or clary sage

76
 Facing Hidden
Aspects of Self

There seems to be a common misconception in the new

age/esoteric/spiritual scene that the purpose of the spiritual journey is
to transcend the body and “lower” emotions by ignoring them and solely
focusing on our “higher” chakras and “ascension.”

77
 Face Your Emotions
With this belief, emotions are regarded as part of our lower animalistic nature and
often compartmentalized or heavily judged. It can lead to an inner fragmentation and
quite frankly, often accomplishes the opposite of ascension: it keeps us tied to our
unresolved/unhealed aspects and therefore often blocks our journey at the very structural
foundation of our energy system.

Often, people will beat themselves up again and again, as they feel the need to
overcome their “emotionality.” Who brought up this myth that our emotions are “bad”?! Of
course, we all have to learn how to deal with mind and emotion, but this doesn’t happen
through avoiding or suppressing them. Do you have any idea what you are doing to
yourself, your etheric immune system, and your energy systems by cutting your emotions
off from your being? It’s important to face our “lower” emotional states.

The Energetic View of Lower States

Energy work teaches us to regard our lower aspects in a different way. It shows
that the transcendence of our denser energies (slower vibrational frequencies) cannot be
accomplished by leaving them out—on the contrary! Our energetic/etheric cell memory is
transdimensional—nothing can be left out, as anything unresolved will permeate and
replicate into all layers of our energy systems and lifetimes. This means that contrary to
the popular new age belief, dealing with our emotions and the conglomerate of our so-
called “lower stuff” is actually often more important than having visions or drifting off
into the “cool higher stuff,” as it will always pull us back down if we ignore or deny it.

There are many different kinds of energetic clearings that can assist us to
reinstate such a balance, but everyone on this journey ideally works on actively and
consciously integrating lower aspects. One of the first things we can do is to learn about
our chakras and how to balance them.

78
 The purpose of our physical chakras is to regulate the flow of energy within our
body. If you have a technical mind you can visualize them as valves and gauges if you
want. Much like in the world of plumbing or blood flow, the objective is to have a direct
and even flow, no clogs and an optimal supply to all systems.

Different from our linear and sequential understanding of the physical flow of
fluids, our energy system is not only a bit more complex but also not bound by physical
laws. The better the flow, the more exponential the amount of energy our physical system
can hold and utilize. In energy work we call this “expansive,” a state in which our energy
spontaneously multiplies and stays abundantly available for us; we feel energized and
often manage to do/perceive/feel more than we thought we could. Blocks, clogs,
constrictions, diversions, pockets, enlargements, fragments, etc., on the other hand, lead
to a “contractive” energy system, which can make us feel like we are constantly
struggling, tired, or in resistance.

While our chakras act as independent gateways or energetic vortices, there is still
something like a sequence in which they build on one another. The two main incoming
channels of energy are through our root (planet) and our crown (sun/galaxy/cosmos).
Just like a tree, we depend on the interchange with both sources of energy; however, due
to the gravity of our physical existence, the main source of primal energy is regarded to
come in from below through our root. It explains the importance of our “roots” and
symbolizes our overall stance and confidence in life. It also influences our ability to
claim/reclaim our space in this existence and is therefore of utmost importance for our
overall view of life. Our crown is no less important, as it represents our spiritual
enfoldment and potential to evolve, but if our root system is impaired, the energy work
naturally has to begin at the bottom—our first chakra.

The manifestation of our true potential and purpose in life has to happen on all
levels of our existence simultaneously: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and
etherically. Leaving out one or several levels can lead to schisms and fragmentation,
which in return block the energy flow between those levels and prevent long-term

79
realization of our true heart’s desire. Once all our levels of existence fall into total
congruence with one another, we begin to live our life in truth. This requires us to own
our energy and to ditch all programmed externalization of our Inner Higher Power!

The Whole Self

This probably sounds like another “nice” spiritual concept—the deeper meaning of
this is what enables us to energetically integrate our True Self. The main obstacle in
doing so is the fear of facing who we truly are.

On our journey, taking responsibility for our hidden or unloved aspects, including
our mind and emotion, is about as important as sleeping, drinking, and eating for our
physical existence. It is the foundation of the integration of our consciousness (not to be
confused with conscience!).

Initial reluctance to face our hidden aspects is understandable; however, the most
important virtue on our journey is our attitude, the way we show up, our intention, our
resolve, and our dedication to learn about all our energies and associated emotional
states—not the amount of theoretical knowledge or metaphysical understanding.

If we want to “ascend” into higher levels of consciousness, we need to look at

our lives as a whole! And if we have the guts to do this, we will notice that most of our
negative or painful experiences were linked to our sense of Self—the way we viewed how
we acted, thought, or felt about ourselves.

Taking responsibility and becoming accountable for who we truly are means
redesigning our inner relationship and ultimately our relationship with others and the
world around us. Self-healing and integration require a total and all-encompassing
willingness and commitment to address everything undisclosed, unexamined, or
unfinished in our lives.

80
 Emotional Accountability
The reason why so many of us have deep issues with accountability for our
emotions is often rooted in our childhood: overbearing rules, cultural/religious programs,
and rigid beliefs made us become good “pretenders.” We either learned how to get by
through pleasing or became blatantly rebellious and disagreeable. We unconsciously
created a “secret identity,” locked away deep inside of us, that allowed us to live out
whatever created the most pleasure or self-soothing for us. Through projection and false
self-coping strategies, we developed a life devoid of inner connection and safety, replacing
the pain of inner separation through avoiding trust and responsibility. Without noticing,
our shadow took form in victimhood, codependency, sexual manipulation, or some type of
addictive behavior (consumerism and workaholism included), often masking secret/open
forms of retaliation, revenge, or anger towards the other gender. If we continue avoiding
these parts of our existence in this lifetime, we are also avoiding the very purpose of this
incarnation, namely the transcendence of our lower aspects.

If we leave out these aspects of our Self, we run into the danger of not trusting
ourselves, or even rejecting part of ourselves. And without inner trust and safety we
become prone to externalizing our inner powers, following others blindly or simply feeling
damned, which leaves us hanging in endlessly repeating yearning and frustration cycles,
as no one outside of us can truly provide this for us. With this mindset then, committing
to ourselves, others, or the world around us feels suffocating, threatening, beyond real,
and often even harmful.

Without a proper accountability for who we are we become unable to trust in

ourselves and others and thus have difficulties committing to intimate and lasting
relationships. Avoidance and dissociation take up a lot of our energy! If we don't find
healthy ways to release these energies, our conditioned repression continues to block our
energy and feed the complex inner network of justifications and ego control mechanisms
just to cope with our deep pain and confusion.

81
 Actively working with repressed emotions can bring out the rawness of these
coping mechanisms. Do not feel frustrated when you observe this within you! Instead,
remind yourself that emotional integration is important and that if we avoid it, we are
increasing the breeding ground for other aspects such as shadow or even chronic diseases.

If you can, and if you are okay with allowing some of these raw emotions to come
out and look at them without judging yourself, you will be able to unlock the key to
your spiritual and emotional maturity! Facing and integrating the deeper levels of
emotional patterns can be challenging and takes time. Be patient! You can't undo lifelong
repression habits by just “thinking” them away. Practice being more in the present and
connect with your heart (which is not the same as your emotions).

82
83
 Editors
Jen Wilson

Ursula Squire

Contributors
Stasia Bliss

Leah Keslow

Amanda Penn

Jona Bryndis

Itoro Udofia

84
 Want to learn more about self-healing through the ancient tradition of Ayurveda?
Check out our ebook called Ayurveda: An Introductory Look.

Find more ways to incorporate essential oils into your routine with our recipe book Cooking with Essential Oils.
For healthy plant-based recipes, look at another recipe book, Fresh & Delicious Summer Recipes.

Growing your own herbs and veggies?

We have an ebook on Organic and Sustainable Home Gardening—and another one on Garden Themes!

Making your own natural, organic beauty products?

Discover new beauty recipes in our Natural, Homemade Beauty ebook!

Learn more about chakras, energy work, Ayurveda, and self-healing at www.basmati.com.

You can also find a practitioner or a yoga studio near you on our website, as well as lots of organic,
sustainable, and vegan products in our specially curated shop.

If you enjoyed this book, please take a moment to leave a review.

Thank you for your support!

85