A Beginners Guide To Chakra Meditation

Alright, well doing some light reading here on ATS and although there are many threads on medidation, out of body experiences and the shooing away of negative entities, I have not come across anything that specifically deals with Chakra Meditation.

So wihout further adieux:

A Beginners Guide To Chakra Meditation

Within our bodies there are focal points of energy that we use, whether consciously or unconsciously, to affect reality and allow us to fully experience and realize events that unfold before us. These focal points are called Chakras.

Chakras are located in important parts of your body such as your head or heart. Any organs within the area of these Chakras are used to control; and are, therefore, directly affected by the properties of that Chakra. There are seven Chakras located throughout the body, each with their own unique attributes and characteristics:


Root Chakra
The Root Chakra is located directly at the base of the spine, also known as the coccyx. This Chakra is closely related to the body and our ability to master it. One’s health, constitution and security are linked to this Chakra. In addition, the realization of how our bodies connect to the material world is focused here.

Color: Red
Gems: Ruby, Garnet


Naval Chakra

The Naval Chakra is located in the lower abdomen. This Chakra is associated with the acts of giving and receiving, and is tied into the more physical feelings of love, passion and sexuality. The feeling of pleasure is also linked with this Chakra, so one may feel focus and feedback in this Chakra during moments of harmony, generosity, group creativity and selflessness.

Color: Orange
Gems: Amber, Coral


Solor Plexus Chakra

The Solar Plexus Chakra is located just above the navel and below the chest. This Chakra is a focus point for our force of will and our sense of transformation. Concentration and control of our personal energies originate from this point. One’s sense of power and authority, as well as self-control and discipline of the ego converge here. This Chakra can be used to sense the very use of one’s internal energies to affect what is outside the body.

Color: Yellow
Gems: Amber, Gold


Heart Chakra

The Heart Chakra is located at the center of the chest and is the focus for love and understanding. Feelings that stem from this love such as forgiveness, compassion, balance and harmony radiate from this point. This Chakra also nurtures the rarified feeling of unconditional or divine love, love that goes beyond the physical.

Color: Green
Gems: Emerald, Malachite

[color=3BB9FF]
Throat Chakra

The Throat Chakra is located in the throat area between one’s chin and the top of the sternum. This Chakra is linked to one’s powers of communication. Through this Chakra, one can realize truth and knowledge; honesty, kindness and wisdom and how these elements can be conveyed through thoughtful speech.

Color: Sky Blue
Gems: Turquoise, Blue Topaz

[color=95B9C7]
Brow Chakra

The Brow Chakra is located in the forehead, right above our eyes. This is also known as the region of the "Third Eye" in Buddhist and other belief systems. This Chakra is related to our perception beyond the physical realm. Intuition, insight, imagination and clairvoyance can all be associated with this Chakra. One can also focus their realization of their own soul, divine wisdom and peace of mind in this point.

Color: Indigo
Gems: Lapiz Lazuli, Sapphire


Crown Chakra

The Crown Chakra is located at the very top of the head. As one might guess, this Chakra is associated directly with dealings of the mind and spirit. This Chakra is deeply tied to the exploration of one’s consciousness and place in space and time. Oneness with the universe, your spirit and will, inspiration, divine wisdom… all the things that deal with the Higher Self are rooted in this Chakra.

Color: Violet
Gems: Amethyst, Diamond, Quartz Crystal



Getting Started, Relaxation And You

My preference would be to call meditation relaxation – conscious relaxation, chosen relaxation. These are words that are more universally understood, more comfortable. Constantly working toward the goal of discovering my own ability to reach a state of serenity, I have learned to meditate.

Meditating is actually easier than you might imagine. Most of us have dabbled in meditation by participating in conscious relaxation. Maybe during an exercise class or to manage pain at the dentist or anxiety before a test. We start by paying attention to our breathing.

The practical effort to focus completely on our breathing takes our minds away from the "mind clutter" that constantly tries to invade our mind and eliminate feelings that will lead to a time of calm.

With repeated effort the goal of clearing your mind – to think of nothing, does occur and the process of meditation takes on its own energy. The result is, and I guarantee this, peace, serenity, calmness, eventually opening yourself to new insights.

Getting started is very easy, the ideal location for myself would be outside in the garden or patio, away from any loud distracting noises. Keep pets and children away if you intend to really go deep or open all of chakras.

Expectations

With time and effort conbined with the commitment to practice frequently, (daily meditating is ideal), during your meditation time you may "leave the moment." A feeling of separation exists where the mind is clear, clean and blank. You will still hear sounds around you, but they will not interfere with your meditation.

Sometimes you may weep -- you may not even be aware of what is making you weep. It is your own emotions having a voice of their own. Sometimes you may feel a smile across your face -- that is contentment showing itself. Sometimes you may fall asleep and awaken truly refreshed.

There is no right or wrong behavior during your meditation. It is your time for you. Everyone deserves this kind of personal attention. This is a self-care activity; loving oneself.

I am currently developping a series of Chakra Meditation scenarios that I will post within this thread at a later time. For the time being, take this information and do the best you can, meditation is easy once you get started.

Hope Everybody Enjoys .

Disclaimer:

The contents of this thread can also be viewed here for anyone wishing to have the audio tracks for meditations, they can also be found by following the link above. All information has been used with consent from the author.

~Keeper

Edit Fix Code, Add Source

[edit on 5/17/2009 by tothetenthpower]

Aha! I got your first S&F!

I was just looking for something like this the other day so I could refer to it in meditation, but I didn't like anything I found using Google. This is an excellent post; thank you.

I've been looking for something like this for a while.

Thank you very much!

You are both very welcome.
2nd line
~Keeper

You should have called this "Guide to demonic attachment"

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
you may not even be aware of what is making you weep. It is your own emotions having a voice of their own. Sometimes you may feel a smile across your face -- that is contentment showing itself. Sometimes you may fall asleep and awaken truly refreshed.

No kiding. You mean to say that your technique may result in something else controling your body and emotions without your conscious volition. Geee, I didn see that one coming... at all

reply to post by randomguy


That's not quite the idea friend.

The idea is that sometimes emotions will come suddenly, you will never loose control of yourself during meditation, unless you want to loose control.

~Keeper

reply to post by randomguy


Meditating on your chakras is simply feeling these energies in your body, in the places they naturally originate from. Unless all emotions are inherently evil, which sounds more like a Buddhist concept than a Christian one, there is no reason to get upset.

For example, if you ever get a sinking feeling "in your gut," do you not by definition feel a certain kind of energy there? Do you really think that is a demon? It's just a part of your physical body, except chemicals and things rather than arms or legs. Pay attention to it, and learn to accept a depressed, sinking feeling in your gut, and you might even be able to overcome that "demon," and not be troubled by depression anymore, for example.

All you do is pay attention to how your body feels in these different places. It's a very natural thing to do if you're ever just sitting around, you know. People have been doing it since people have been around.

reply to post by bsbray11


The concept of learning the breathe again!

I very much like & appreciate your post, I was hoping to have some other member input which would help beginners on their way as well.

All you do is pay attention to how your body feels in these different places. It's a very natural thing to do if you're ever just sitting around, you know. People have been doing it since people have been around.

Paying attention to those energies is the beginning, one must also attempt to clear the mind of any other thoughts or emotions until serenity has been attained. Then you will feel the full effect of the energies within you.

~Keeper

This is great.

Loving the thread and subscribing.. S&F!

Good raising sounds here (and free!)
gnomad.info...


(thats so weird! i just u2u this to Caveman...)



RP

Update

I invite any ATS member who would like to contribute to the thread, to simply U2U me, and I will add them into the overall information in the intial OP.

I want to make this thread someplace where we can discuss and help people find their preffered meditations and help them learn the basics.

~Keeper

There was a very long running thread on this in skunk works which has some excellent info from members like caveman and shakesbeer, I followed that thread from the start but its good there is a new fresh one with new input.

I will be honest with you here, I started chakra meditation in Jan 08 and Im afraid Im still learning it, I would not say I have mastered it at all. I just dont think I am a natural at it, I just get carried away with the "exciting chakras" (3rd eye, crown and heart) and leave the other ones to just follow. I know this is wrong but I still do it.

Maybe I can pretend Im just starting and then I might learn to do it properly do you think? Can bad chakra habits be corrected?

Thanks good thread.

EDIT heres that long running thread on chakra meditation. the first say 10 pages have excellent techniques and analysis www.abovetopsecret.com...

Its also got the history of chakras and lots of background info. It looses its way slightly towards the end but its still a good read at the start when everyone got on LOL

[edit on 18-5-2009 by Mr Green]

reply to post by Mr Green


They most certainly can my friend.

Bad chakra habits are always present when people are starting out for the exact your reason you mentioned. Peopel get too excited by the upper chakras like Brow and Heart.

These specific ones dig very deep into the emotional spectrum and there is usually alot of work to be done in these sectors more than most. As stated above there is no wrong behaviour in Meditations.

My advice is to open each one individually when doing your meditations, the ones that excite you more, spend more time a day on them, but don't completely neglect the others.

The last thing you wanna do is block one of them because of over use of another, that will put you in a world of hurt .

In the beginning I wrote a relaxation script on a bristol board which I hung in my room. I would read aloud the meditation in order to shut down completely open all chakras and close them one by one.

It was a very good way to learn how to do them all to some degree, while focusing on the ones that needed more attention.

~Keeper

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Can I ask you how long you have done chakra meditation for? Are you wishing to guide others in it or are you wanting to learn yourself? you sound like you have some experience of it. Like I say Ive done this for over a year but most probably not the right way.

EDIT I find the timing of your thread most odd. Only today I had said to myself I WILL do this correctly and get all my chakra med books out and start from page one !!!

[edit on 18-5-2009 by Mr Green]

reply to post by Mr Green


I got into it about 10 years ago when I visited India for a few months and had a very enlightening experience with some Bhudist monks.

There is always more the learn when it comes to Chakras and meditiations. I have pushed myself quite far and have frequent OBE's and visions, but I am not any where near a master of the art.

I would love the learn more and teach those who are interested.

~Keeper

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by Mr Green

I got into it about 10 years ago when I visited India for a few months and had a very enlightening experience with some Bhudist monks.

That sounds really interesting. 10 years sounds like you have the experience so Im very interested in hearing what you have to share with us.

There is always more the learn when it comes to Chakras and meditiations. I have pushed myself quite far and have frequent OBE's and visions, but I am not any where near a master of the art.

Do you not think these can be a little daunting to those that are just starting? I found they occured without warning when I first opened my chakras and I had no idea what was going on. Was this because I did it wrong do you think or is this a natural side effect of initially opening them?

I would love the learn more and teach those who are interested.

well I for one are very interested.

I've always had trouble 'visualising' the chakras, and this frustrates the actual meditation.

Further, I feel that the countless chakra videos out there, whilst helpful to the beginner, offer too many visualisations and therefore give too many options.

So, the bottom line is I missed the other 'long-running' chakra thread and didn't want to miss the opportunity to learn more with this one.

S&F for the info and look forward to future posts.

reply to post by Breifne


Oh, wel the key is to have audio only. Visual Chakra videos don't work as well because they are assuming you associate the chakras with the same things they do.

For example my Heart chakra when opening it, in order to get it under control I visualize the spirit of my children, which is the greatest love I have, in that way it is very easy to visualize.

It's really a matter of finding what emotion is brought out the most by each chakra. Each one is for multiple things, some you will have an easier time dealing with naturally. An example would be Navel Chakra, if you are ok with your sexuality but having problems with love commitment, then you want to visualize a relationship or somebody you love deeply with whom you also have a sexual connection.

_____________________________________________________________
Reply To Mr Green

Do you not think these can be a little daunting to those that are just starting? I found they occured without warning when I first opened my chakras and I had no idea what was going on. Was this because I did it wrong do you think or is this a natural side effect of initially opening them?

It can be dauting, but expect to be very sensitive and have more intense experiences in the beginning. Some people experience emotions from decades past that they never deal with, which were bottled up.

Like I said there is no wrong, all of that is a natural process, it's just a matter of figuring out which one you need to work on first, I started at the bottom initially because it was the easiest for me, as you move up it does get progressively harder to focus and connect, but it all comes in due time.

~Keeper

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
It's really a matter of finding what emotion is brought out the most by each chakra.

Exactly. People feel their chakras all the time but just don't think of it that way. And each one going up your body has a subtler and subtler kind of emotional energy associated with it, culminating in your head and beyond it with your crown chakra on top of your head.

All of us are still feeling these out. Next time you're with somebody you love, pay attention to where those feelings are coming from in your physical body. That's a great way to catch your chakras in action. My bet is that it will be somewhere in your chest.

Same next time you find yourself sad (primarily gut feelings), deep in thought, expressive/imaginative (like when you are singing, using your throat), angry, horny, frightened, secure, anything that is associated with mental or emotional energies. Even your thoughts in your head are just the experience of certain types of energy playing across your brain, although a more conscious and intelligent type of energy than a simple AC/DC electrical current, for example.

As these energies ascend through your body, which is your "temple," these energies are turned from the most gross physical energies (like food and drink, your "input"), to the most subtle divine energies (in your head and beyond, contributing most directly to your conscious "output"). Your breathing also contributes to the energy in your body, and is an "input" of sorts. And you know what they say, "Garbage in, garbage out," and "You are what you eat," etc. I can often recognize the effect a food will have on my body immediately upon putting it in my mouth or swallowing it (I immediately feel its "energy signature" or what have you), and for this reason I often reject many foods. I know that many more are also contaminated and bad for me, that I consciously try to avoid, or ingest only in moderation. On the other hand, when I eat raw plants that I just picked myself, for example, I feel very rejuvenated as the food enters my body.



Has anyone had the experience of being many different parts, just "stitched together"? Like being aware of your head, heart, and gut feelings at the same time, and realizing the differences between them, and yet you are just as much each one of them as you are any of them? Almost like seeing your body like a "republic" of which your head is only the most obvious force, but certainly not the only one.

Our hearts have neurons in them, and our gut is filled with neurotransmitters like serotonin (at least when in healthy balance and not loaded down with sugar!). So you can literally "think with your heart." You can get your heart's "opinion" on any matter simply by paying attention to the way that part of your body feels as you contemplate whatever you will.

www.heartmath.org...


Your heart also has an electromagnetic field around it, much stronger than the one around your brain:




Scientists have shown that your brain's EM field can even become coupled with the EM field of your heart when it reaches sufficient strength, and this increases your reaction time, feelings of love and all sorts of healthy things. It's as if your brain and heart are in constant communication with each other in this state. Actually, they are always in communication anyway.

How The Heart Is So Powerful
“Brain in the Heart”

First, the heart has a very complex nervous system consisting of neurons, proteins and support cells that sends information to the brain. Scientists around the world who study this nervous system actually call it the “brain in the heart”. The information it sends travels through a nerve pathway that originates in the heart and terminates in the higher perceptual centers of the brain. This means that there is an important neurological conversation taking place between heart and brain. When scientists map out this biological conversation they clearly see that the heart is sending a lot more information to the brain than it receives.

The Blood Pressure Wave

The heart also influences brain function through what is called the blood pressure wave. This is the wave of energy created by the beating heart that pushes blood through the arteries and veins. This blood pressure wave influences the electrical activity in the brain. As the blood pressure wave changes so does brain activity. In essence researchers now know that brain function is critically dependent on information it receives from the heart through the heart’s nervous system and blood pressure waves! This new knowledge put the phrase “listening to your heart” in a new context for me.

Hormones

The third way the heart communicates to the brain and body is through hormones. In 1983 the heart was reclassified as part of our hormonal system. It produces several important hormones and one of them, atrial peptide, helps to reduce the release of the stress hormone cortisol. So, in this third instance, we have a chemical communication going on between heart and body all of the time.

daily.finerminds.com...


It's amazing how much there is to us, that we hardly even realize.

[edit on 18-5-2009 by bsbray11]

reply to post by tothetenthpower

Like I said there is no wrong, all of that is a natural process, it's just a matter of figuring out which one you need to work on first, I started at the bottom initially because it was the easiest for me, as you move up it does get progressively harder to focus and connect, but it all comes in due time.

is it just as OK to start at the top? ive tryed both ways and get very different results with each way. I think starting at the root is probably best as its more grounding .

A couple of quick questions before my 20 mile cycle. eeekkk!!

Is it essential to envisage a 'white light' surrounding you (in your mind's eye) as part of the grounding process, or is this more 'new age'. This, apparently, is designed to 'protect' one from (astral) 'attack' - this was discussed in another thread, so I was just looking for a second opinion.

With this, can anyone differentiate the New Age stuff from the traditional. Just thought I would get those kind of questions out of the way early.

Thanks for the earlier response.