Everything you always wanted to know about the chakras but were afraid to ask.

Have you ever wondered what the chakras are and what they do? Are they mystical nonsense, or something real and tangible?

An easy google search will let you know that the chakras are energy centers, they represent emotions, associate with different colors and sounds as well as coordinate with our physical body. Albeit they’re not possible to touch, they can be sensed and very much appreciated upon right activation! Chakra activation is a beautiful yoga option if you want to deepen your awareness of how the spiritual connects with mind and body. Mystical indeed, but also very real.

You might have learned that the heart chakra is connected to love and can be “opened”, but, how and why? Like mentioned above, all the chakras correspond with emotions amongst other things, essentially, this creates a flexible framework to inspire how one might experience the chakras. You can think of it as a map, there to guide you, but not an absolute dogma.

The first time I clearly experienced my heart chakra was in a regular yoga class about 6 years ago, I didn’t necessarily feel my “heart open” or see colors, but the simple task of thinking intently on someone I loved, meditating on a loved one, created very real sensation of my heart and chest heating up.
 
Besides love and compassion the anahata chakra also corresponds with devotion, the color green, the seed syllable YAM and your thymus gland (your immune system center). Different scriptures mention a large varying number of chakras, as few as 5 and as many as over 100. Variability is pretty consistent (gotta love a good oxymoron) in yoga, because we’re all different. Our focus in this blog (and the upcoming course that I’m guiding this fall) is for the seven chakras model. 

We can invoke these things through lots of different techniques. When practicing asana (postures), pranayama (breath control), meditation and more, we stimulate the nervous system which in turn creates chakra activation. Or maybe, we stimulate the chakras, to activate the nervous system? I know this can seem a little blurry, it's a lot more clear when you’re in the experience. 

Energetically, sometimes stuff gets stuck, numb, overactive, unclear etc, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The chakra model provides a framework for appropriate energy work. You are energy, everything is energy, and experiencing the chakras can guide your BEING towards its natural flow in the universal energy matrix we call life.

Is there a difference between aligning, balancing and clearing the chakras?
Sure. Again, we’re working with a flexible framework. For example, our chakras intersect with our main energy beam which runs along the spine (shusumna nadi), and can therefore be experienced as misaligned. Energy can also get blocked and will then benefit from clearing. If energy is disproportionate, it can be in need of balancing. Now, you’re not expected to know which of these it is you need, engaging in chakra activation will INFORM you of that. 

Now when you know a little more about the chakras, what they are, what they do and different ways they can be experienced, you can head to the library or go online to get some good quality insight on how to activate your chakras, but everything is easier with guidance. I have recorded close to a thousand chakra experiences and I would be honored to be your sherpa. 

Let me know if you have any questions and also, check out my Chakra Informed Yoga course at the CMC this fall!

​We’ll start from the root (Mooladhara) and work our way up to the crown (Sahasrara), we’ll do asana (postures). pranayama (breath), mudras (energy gestures), bandhaas (energy locks), mantra (energetic software) and meditation. EVERY CLASS WILL BE ACCESSIBLE with lots of room for individual modifications (whether you’d like to tone it down or spice it up). I will guide you to practice, experience & connect with your own energy!

Registration can be a little bit of a hassle since you have to sign up as a student at the college but being on campus enhances those learning vibes. The cost is low, $99, it will take place at the Colorado Mountain College in Aspen, Thursdays and Fridays 10:00 - 11:30 am, from the 15th of September to the 14th of October. There are mats and other props available if you need. Warning, signing up may spark a chain reaction, of you, signing up for all sorts of fun courses! 
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Om Shanti/With Peace,
Aisha - Ma Abha Anand (Gdds of Blissful Light)