We refer to “chakras ” in many of our articles and when performing treatment sessions here at the Centre.  But some clients are not familiar with their meanings. Here is a quick reference guide to chakra basics, what they are and what they do.  Thanks to Anodea Judith’s website for this information. (her book, Wheels of Life: A User’s Guide to the Chakra System , is available in our Retail Store)

Chakra is a Sanskrit word for wheel or disk and signifies one of seven basic energy centers existing within the subtle body which overlays the physical body. Modern physiology has verified that these seven chakras correspond exactly to the seven main nerve ganglia branching from the spinal column. Chakras also correlate to levels of consciousness, archetypal elements, developmental stages of life, colours, sounds, body functions and more.

From bottom to top, the chakras are as follows:

Root Chakra – located at the base of the spine
Associated with Earth Element, Physical Identity, Self-Preservation.
Forms our Foundation; related to our sense of grounding and connection to our bodies and the physical plane.
When open and balanced: Health, security, prosperity and presence.
Colour:  Red

Sacral Chakra – located just below the navel and in lower back
Associated with Water Element, Emotions and Sexuality.
Connects us to others through feeling, desire, sensation and movement.
When open and balanced:  Grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment and ability to accept change.
Colour:  Orange

Solar Plexus Chakra – located in the solar plexus (stomach) area
Associated with Fire Element, Ego Identity, Self-Definition.
Personal power, will and autonomy,  metabolism.
When open and balanced: Energy, effectiveness, spontaneity, non-dominating power.
Colour:  Yellow

Heart Chakra – middle of chest, in heart area
Associated with Air Element, Social Identity, Self-Acceptance.
Related to love;  integrates the opposites in the psyche.
When open and balanced: Love deeply, feel compassion, have a deep sense of peace and centeredness.
Colour:  Green (physical)  Pink  (emotional)

Throat Chakra – located in the throat
Associated with Sound, Creative Identity, Self-Expression.
Communication and creativity.
Experience the world symbolically through vibration using language.
When open and balanced: Can speak one’s Truth, creative, connected.
Colour:  Blue

Third-Eye (Brow) Chakra – located on forehead, between/above eyebrows
Associated with Light, Archetypal Identity, Self-Reflection.
Seeing both physically and intuitively.
Opens our psychic faculties and our understanding of archetypal levels.
When open and balanced:  See clearly on all levels.
Colour:  Indigo

Crown Chakra – top of head
Associated with Universal Thought, Universal Identity, Self-Knowledge.
Relates to consciousness as pure awareness.
Connection to the greater world beyond, to a timeless, spaceless place of all-knowing.
When open and balanced:  Knowledge, wisdom, understanding, spiritual connection and bliss.
Colour:  Violet

Chakras are assessed and fou

Every spiritual and wisdom tradition in history has recommended some kind of meditation. This has, unfortunately, created the impression that it is solely a religious activity.  In actual fact, meditation is an activity to help calm the mind and harness its natural pristine clarity.  In Kathleen McDonald’s book, How To Meditate: A Practical Guide,  she explains things this way:

“The mind is a nonphysical kind of energy, and its function is to know, to experience.   It is awareness itself. It is clear in nature and reflects everything that it experiences, just as a still lake reflects the surrounding mountains and forests.

Mind changes from moment to moment. It is a beginningless continuum, like an ever-flowing stream:  the previous mind-moment gave rise to this mind-moment, which gives rise to the next mind-moment, and so on.  It is the general name given to the totality of our conscious and unconscious experiences:  each of us is the centre of a world of thoughts, perceptions, feelings, memories and dreams – all of these are Mind.

Mind is not a physical thing that has thoughts and feelings;  it is those very experiences.   Being nonphysical, it is different from the body, although mind and body are interconnected and interdependent.  Mind – consciousness is carried through our body by subtle physical energies which also control our movement and vital functions.  This relationship explains why, for example, physical sickness and discomfort can affect our state of mind and why, in turn, mental attitudes can both give rise to and heal physical problems.

Subduing the mind and bringing it to the right understanding of reality is no easy task .  It requires a slow and gradual process of listening to and reading explanations of the mind and the nature of things;  thinking about and carefully analyzing this information; and finally transforming the mind through meditation.

Meditation is an act of mental consciousness .  It involves one part of the mind observing, analyzing, and dealing with the rest of the mind. Techniques have different functions and benefits and each is a part of the process of bringing our mind to a more realistic view of ourselves and the world. Meditation can take many forms:  concentrating single pointedly on an internal object, trying to understand a personal problem, generating a joyful love for all humanity, praying to an object of devotion, communicating with our own inner wisdom, and so on.  Its ultimate aim is to awaken a very subtle level of consciousness and to use it to discover reality, directly and intuitively.”

When you realize just what meditation can do for health, healing, happiness and inner peace ,  it is no wonder that more and more people are learning and taking advantage of this activity.  It can be employed anywhere, anytime you wish.  Start today and harness your mind’s potential.