Chakra Meditation
By now, meditation is a widely known concept. Meditation is often combined with yoga. During a yoga session, one sits still for a short while at the beginning and/or end. Sitting still creates a moment where you can turn inward and observe yourself. This can be done in several ways. One of those ways is ‘Chakra meditation’. But what exactly does chakra meditation entail?
The Seven Chakras
What are chakras, actually? Chakras are the 7 energy nodes located in your body that together form an ‘energy center’. Chakra means ‘wheel’ in Sanskrit, so you can also view them as energy wheels that rotate continuously. Each of these nodes has its own function for body and mind.
1st Chakra – The Root Chakra (red)
Muladhara in Sanskrit. This is located at the tailbone, at the end of the spine. The root chakra ensures that you are grounded and that you therefore feel stable.
2nd chakra – The Sacral Chakra (orange)
Swadhistana in Sanskrit. This chakra is located in the lower abdomen, below the navel. The sacral chakra represents the ability to express your emotions and your sexuality.
3rd chakra – The Solar Plexus Chakra (yellow)
Manipura in Sanskrit and is also called the solar plexus. This represents your willpower and self-esteem.
4th chakra – The Heart Chakra (green)
Anahata in Sanskrit. The heart chakra represents love, kindness, and security. It ensures that you are able to enter into a harmonious relationship.
5th chakra – The Throat Chakra (blue)
Vishuddhi in Sanskrit. The throat chakra represents the ability to express yourself communicatively. Because this chakra is located between the heart and the head, it functions as a mediator between thinking and feeling.
6th chakra – The Third Eye Chakra (indigo)
Ajna in Sanskrit. This chakra is located on the forehead and represents your conscience. It also helps with visualizing and fantasizing about certain thoughts.
7th chakra – The Crown Chakra (violet)
Sahasrara in Sanskrit. The crown chakra is located at the top point of the head. This chakra ensures optimal flow through all energy channels. It also represents consciousness and wisdom.
What is chakra meditation?
Normally, the chakras are open and in balance with your body and with each other. However, it is possible that one or more are blocked, not active enough, or conversely, too active. You can meditate to bring this energy node back into balance.
During a chakra meditation, you focus on one of the chakras to reflect on yourself and process emerging feelings and emotions. This also helps to eliminate fear, sadness, and depressive feelings. To help yourself, you can place and use items in your surroundings. Such as a meditation cushion for comfort and meditation/chakra incense to help you relax.
How does chakra meditation work?
Start by visualizing the chakra you want to open. You can visualize this in the form of a color, a light, or a flower. By bringing your attention to the visualization of the chakra, it is easy to open or close it. Try to observe all thoughts that arise without emotion. Then consider how you feel about it and try to process this.
If this doesn't work immediately, don't worry; you can do this as often as you like. The feeling you have about it is the foundation. And as long as that feeling is good, you can confidently practice chakra meditation.
Namaste
