Chakra Healing for Vibrant Energy. Michelle S. Fondin
reached enlightenment.
Imagine what it would be like to be in love with every aspect of what it means to be human. True liberation is when love emanates from your being at all times. You’re awakened to the gift of each moment and in love with every one. Nothing is a burden, for everything is light, love, and infinite being. You don’t need to be anywhere or do anything; this awareness is always with you. For you are it and it is you. That is what we’re all here to achieve.
According to Tantric texts, we have around 72,000 nadis, or circulatory channels, in the body, which transport prana. In our study of the chakras, we will focus only on the Shushumna nadi, the Ida nadi, and the Pingala nadi. The Shushumna nadi is the energy channel that starts at the base of the spine in the area of the first chakra. It’s where the Kundalini Shakti (creative energy) sits like a serpent, coiled up in three rings, waiting to spring forth into action and wake up the chakras. The Shushumna nadi travels up the length of the spine in a channel behind the spinal cord to the crown of the head at the seventh chakra. From the base of the Shushumna nadi arise two other nadis, the Ida nadi and the Pingala nadi. The Ida nadi is lunar in nature: passive, gentle, and feminine. The Pingala nadi is solar: warm, stimulating, and masculine. The Ida nadi starts and ends on the left side of the Shushumna nadi, and the Pingala nadi starts and ends on the right side. The Ida and Pingala nadis cross at every chakra, and all three of these nadis meet at the sixth, or third-eye, chakra. In our bodies the Ida and Pingala nadis alternate in dominance. Generally the Ida nadi dominates the right side of the brain, and the Pingala dominates the left side.
Kundalini energy is awakened through purification of the body and mind. There are many practices to cleanse the physical body, including eating a clean diet; abstaining from impure substances; detoxifying through Ayurvedic daily practices such as tongue scraping and nasal washing with a neti pot and nasya (infused oil); and the Ayurvedic seasonal cleansing practices of panchakarma, or five actions. In addition, one must practice yoga asanas (physical postures, what we in the West generally think of as “yoga”) and pranayama (breathing techniques). Purifying the mind comes with the practice of the eight limbs of yoga: the yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, darana, dhyana, and samadhi.
In the following chapters I will describe many of these techniques as they pertain to each chakra.
Understanding the Dual Nature of the Chakras — and of Life Itself
In this world of duality, where everything has its opposite, we must strive to understand both sides. It can be destructive to have only light without darkness, only wakefulness with no sleep, and only full bellies with no hunger. Through our trials and tribulations on our earthly journey, we seek to enhance the pleasurable and try to minimize the unpleasant. However, living a balanced life is about recognizing both sides. As you look back at your past, you may notice that unexpected beauty erupted and developed in your moments of strife and anguish. For example, you may have met your husband when you had a flat tire and he offered to change it for you. Or maybe you overcame an addiction and are now helping others overcome addictions and live sober and clean lives.
Often when we’re on a spiritual journey, we want the outcome of enlightenment and spiritual connection without understanding where we came from. You were born into the physical realm through your earthly mother. You chose this incarnation, and there is nothing wrong with it. When you signed up to come here, you promised to fulfill certain duties, called dharma, and take on certain responsibilities. Unless you fully embrace the dualistic nature of your existence in this life, you will continue to have a difficult time reaching the spiritual heights you seek.
In every chakra, as in life, there are two possible states: a balanced state and an excessive or depleted state, which indicates an imbalance. As we have learned through life’s lessons, too much or too little of anything can be destructive and unhealthy. You may have heard the expression “Money is the root of all evil.” The expression implies that having too much money and hoarding it can be detrimental. And too little money, which leads to lack, poverty, theft, hunger, and depression, can also be ruinous. Both extremes can lead to a life you don’t desire.
I received a reading from an astrologer friend last fall. He had an interesting and truthful perspective I had never heard before in an astrology reading. In my astrological chart I have an unfavorable aspect from the planet Saturn, which is omnipresent in my life. If you know anything about astrology, no one wants Saturn to show up all the time and interfere in their life. Saturn is a huge, slow-moving planet that can create delays, reduce potential, and be a huge obstacle in accomplishing things. As my friend explained, Saturn also has rings, which are binding. He gave the example of a wedding ring. He explained that a wedding band symbolically binds you to the other person and puts a certain number of restrictions on your life. So as he gave me this “bad news,” I was thinking, Holy cow! That’s why I’ve had such a hard time getting my career off the ground. But at that moment he gave me another perspective, the opposite side of a Saturn aspect.
He explained that while Saturn creates obstacles and delays, it also has a positive side to it. For example, a Saturn aspect can make you humble and inclined to show humility to others and not be boastful. Saturn can make a person hunker down and get things done, such as conducting research for a term paper or writing a book. It can give you the discipline to focus on painting a picture or building a house. In other words, he displayed the beauty of a Saturn aspect to me.
Then he taught me how to work with Saturn versus fighting against it. He suggested that when I see Saturn arrive with its delays, closed doors, and seemingly immovable boulders, I should welcome it in, offer it a cup of tea, and thank it for its wisdom. He offered me the wisdom that the more I accept Saturn as a part of my life, the more Saturn will offer me its gifts. As a result of my acceptance, I was able to change my perspective on a force I thought had been ruining my life. It’s now a force of strength for me.
The chakras — especially the first three, which are the chakras of matter — work in the same way. Oftentimes when we’re presented with the aspects of the chakras, we see only the imbalances or challenging sides to them. We want to rush through the first three and skip ahead to the more spiritual chakras. It’s important to remember the blessings in each chakra, even when we struggle with them. The power comes in embracing them and bringing awareness to their beauty. What we consider to be the ugliness of human existence is also what brings us joy.
This reminds me of an old saying I once read: “Laughter is like changing a baby’s diaper; it doesn’t solve anything, but it sure improves the situation.” If you have ever changed a baby’s diaper, you know this. The act of wiping the baby clean, applying some lotion, and putting on a clean diaper is part of this sometimes smelly human existence. On top of it, you know that in a few hours you’re going to have to do it all over again. But boy, doesn’t that baby smell marvelous? And you have great memories of hugging, snuggling, and enjoying your baby during this mundane and kind of gross experience. That is duality.
Reasons the Chakras Might Get Blocked
A blocked chakra means energy is stuck or hindered. You might think of it as a blocked artery. In order for energy and information to flow, the channels through which they flow must be open. You will have difficulty getting to work on time if the roads are blocked by traffic. In the same way, the chakras cannot work at optimal levels when the pathways have blockages. These blockages can be physical, emotional or psychological, spiritual, karmic, or energetic.
The blocks can be physical, in the literal sense, such as fatty deposits in the arteries, a tumor, a cyst, or excess waste. We can create blockages in the physical body through poor dietary choices, lack of exercise, overexertion, and lifestyle choices such as overwork, drug use, or lack of sleep.
Blocks in the chakras can also be emotional or psychological, such as stored emotions from the past or mental illness such as anxiety, depression,