Emotions and Chakras

Emotions & Chakras

The word Chakra is Sanskrit, and signifies a wheel, the chakra system is a series of wheel-like vortices which exist in the etheric or subtle body. This invisible part of the physical body is of great importance to us, for it is the vehicle through which flow the streams of vital energy which keep the body alive and without it as a bridge to convey undulations of thought and feeling from the astral to the visible. The chakras or awareness-centres are points of connection at which energy flows from the subtle body to the physical body. When quite undeveloped they appear as small circles about two inches in diameter, glowing dully; but when awakened they are seen as blazing miniature suns much increased in size. All chakras correspond to certain physical organs, t hey absorb, digest, and distribute prana to the different parts of the body, They control, energize, and are responsible for the proper functioning of the whole physical body and its different parts and organs; for example the endocrine glands are controlled and energized by some of the major chakras. The endocrine glands can be stimulated or inhibited by controlling or manipulating the corresponding chakras. Many ailments can be caused by blockages of the chakras. Some chakras are sites of the psychic faculties. Activation of certain chakras may result in the development of certain psychic faculties. For example, if you activate the hand chakras which are located at the center of the palms you develop the ability to feel subtle energies and the ability to feel outer energies, health, aura and chakras states, etc.

Muladara Chakra: is located at the base of the spine or the coccyx area. The basic chakra controls, energizes and strengthens the whole physical body. It controls and energizes the muscular and skeletal systems, the spine, the production and the quality of the blood produced, the adrenal glands, the tissues of the body and of the internal organs. It also affects and energizes the sexual organs. The base chakra can affect body heat. Muladara Chakra is like the root of a tree. If the root is weak, the tree is weak. If the root chakra is weak, the body is also weak.

Svadishtana Chakra: is situated between the pubic bone and the left hip, it controls and energizes the sexual organs and the bladder.

Manipura Chakra : This chakra serves as a pump in the spine and is responsible for the upward flow of subtle energies coming from the root chakra. It controls and energizes the kidneys and adrenal glands. It also controls blood pressure. This chakra is called by some the solar plexus, it glows the same color of our Sun and is also a generator of vital energy; taking the raw energy coming from the root chakra, the prana in the air mixes this energy and distributes it to the entire system, energizing all vital organs.

Manas Chakra: The control of the senses depends on this chakra. Surya Chakra compliments the Manas Chakra; these two little chakras act together and are located between the umbilicus and the heart. We know very little about these chakras but according to certain scriptures they each have 6 small petals or spokes, each petal is dedicated to a sensation: hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell. The last spoke it said to be reserved for dreams and hallucinations or better stated, representation of dreams reach these chakras.

According to the Indian systems: Manas translates to lower forehead center (In Sanskrit means, “literature, mind, the coordinating organ of intelligence, thought, understanding, perception, and will”).

In Vedic times Manas meant the individual spirit and the basis of speech = “Mind Chakra.” The six petals or spokes, which although normally white assume the colors of the senses when they operate; for example: When I was a child I was horribly afraid of any sort of explosive sounds, fire works, car exhaust pipe explosions, etc, every year on new years eve my mother would take us to see the fire works near the water, even though the colors where beautiful, each explosion gave me a sense of horrible panic and I could fell the explosions in my stomach.

Spleen Chakra: is located on the left part of the abdomen in the middle part of the left bottom rib. Its point of entrance can be felt as champagne bubbles at the bottom of the left wing. It is the major entry point of “prana” or what CW Leadbeater called, “vitality globule,” taken directly from the air that surround us; therefore, it plays a vital part in man's/woman’s general well being. This Chakra energizes all 108 Chakras, covering the entire subtle body by distributing filtered transformed prana to it.

Anahata Chakra: or Heart Chakra is located in the middle of the chest about where the rib cage comes together. Anahata is associated with the ability to make decisions outside of the realm of karma. In Manipura and below, man/women is bound by the laws of karma and the fate he/she has in store for him/her. In Anahata one is making decisions, 'following your heart', based upon one's higher self and not from the unfulfilled emotions and desires of lower nature. Anahata has the ability to manifest whatever you wish to happen in your world. It is also associated with love and compassion, charity to others, and forms of psychic healing. In the endocrine system, Anahata is associated with the thymus gland, located in the chest. This gland produces white blood cells that combat disease and bring equilibrium to the body.

Vishuddha Chakra: is situated in the neck region about the middle of the throat in the area of the Adams apple. Vishuddha is associated with the faculty of higher discrimination, between choosing what is right and wrong and it is associated with creativity and self-expression. It is known as the 'poison and nectar centre’, speaking the truth is the nectar, that is why it is said that the truth will set you free, speaking with lies is your poison. This chakra is closely related to the Lalata Chakra, the secret of immortality is said to reside there. When Vishuddha is open, negative experiences are transformed into wisdom and learning.

Lalata Chakra: is situated in the root of your pallet in front of the Ovula. The Ovula hangs in the back of your oral cavity. Ancient text and master’s affirm that by rolling up your tong and pointing the tip of it to Lalata (In Meditation), Psychic powers are developed but there is a pure and easier way to awake your psychic powers which I will explain in later pages. This small chakra is related to the Spleen Chakra, the Heart Chakra, the Throat Chakra and the forehead chakra. Lalata convey feelings and emotions and expresses them through Vishuddha. When the Spleen Chakra becomes active, the Lalata Chakra can directly intake the prana or globule of vitality due to its proximity to the nasal cavities.

Ajna Chakra: also call the third eye (eye of psychic vision) it is situated between the eyebrows. The word Ajna means command, it is at this chakra or to be more precise right below this chakra that Ida and Pingala nadis meet with the central channel Sushuma, from here they raise as one. The Ajna Chakra is associated with the Pineal gland. Master Swami Sivananda (My Guru’s Guru) assured that, “he who concentrates at this centre destroys all the Karmas of the past lives.” He said, “The benefits that are derived by meditation on this Chakra cannot be described in words,the practitioner becomes a liberated man while living. He acquires all the 8 major and 32 minor Siddhis (Spiritual powers).” It is my opinion according to personal experience that this is the chakra to meditate on if you are striving for enlightenment and self realization; Ajna when well nourish awakes your inner vision and discernment, which I will explain to you in a later chapter of this book.

Sahasrara or Crown Chakra : is located at the crown of the head and about 8 inches above the head is the epicenter of this chakra, When Kundalini is united with the cosmic energy at the Sahasrara Chakra, the Yogi enjoys the Supreme Bliss and he/she attains the Superconsciousness state and the Highest Knowledge. He/she becomes a full-blown being.

Emotions also affect our chakras, in consequence our physical health is affected because of emotions, lets’ look in to it:

There are emotions and states of mind that affect the chakras in a negative way if they're not processed adequately, for example: Fear will affect Muladara the root chakra; Guilt will affect Svadhishtana the second chakra; Shame will affect Manipura the third chakra; Sorrow will affect Anahata the fourth chakra; Lies will affect Vishuda the fifth chakra; Illusion/Maya will affect Ajna the sixth chakra; Attachment will affect Sahasrara the crown chakra.

Fear is a primal emotion that can be labeled in a thousand different ways, some have fear of water for example, some fear of the dark, some fear of being alone, fear of being punished, fear of loosing, fear of confrontation, fear of the unknown, and I can go on and on until I reach a thousand labels, but something remains the same, “Fear” and out of fear a thousand other emotion are born.... read more

For example you fall in love with that special man or women, then of course you don’t want to loose that person because they make you feel good, you can even go to the extent to say that they complete you, they give you a reason to live, that they are your entire life. Then another man or women approaches your beloved with or without intentions, does not matter, you feel jealous, why? because you fear loosing them. Some more negatives emotions arise, like insecurity, low self esteem, anger, frustration, desperation, etc; and all of this because of the fear of loosing, loosing what in the first place. Be conscious now and forever that nobody belongs to nobody, in life we go on crossing paths with different people for the purpose of growing spiritually, we all go on sharing our self with other different selfs, but remember that all experiences are perennial as the grass, all roads lead to a destination, all paths, all cross roads eventually come to and end. Why worry about something that eventually will be taken away by death, yes anything in this plane no matter what it is will be taken away by death. Let’s say according to human thinking that you are one of the luckiest persons on earth, you have accumulated good wealth, you have enjoy excellent health, your first love was the only love and you have expended forty or fifty years together, you have children and grand children all beautiful inside and out. Eventually all that will be taken away by death so why worry about something that by the laws of nature is already gone. You see the ultimate and only fear it is the fear of death and to eliminate this fear and all of its sub products, you just have to acknowledge your own immortality, the soul, the self it is immortal, it is spirit, pure and omnipresent because we are a parcel of God, if you can conceive this truth, fear is gone, it never was. Remember this always, “Paths are many, truth is one.” hide

Guilt is primarily an emotion experienced by people who believe they have done something wrong, mainly because right or wrong it is a matter of perception, this perception most of the time has been manipulated by society, it depends where you live, with whom you live and which rules and regulations you follow. read more

Shame: to avoid shame is very simple, if you have done no wrong there can not be shame, so DON’T do wrong. But here lets stop for a minute, what is wrong? What can cause shame? read more

If right or wrong is a matter of perception then shame is also a matter of perception. For example: Two friends both young and happy went to a party together and after too many drinks they decide to take their clothes off and dance naked, many others did the same and in no time the entire group was dancing naked and having a good time. The next day one of them did not want come out of the house, could not face the world out of shame because of the way he/she was brought up, he/she was consume with shame. The other friend on the other hand with a healthy outlook on sexuality and quite comfortable with his/her nudity thought it was fun and felt somewhat liberated. As you can see perception dictates shame, if you ever fell that nasty emotion call shame maybe it is time to readjust your perception of life but shame can also be brought on by a third party: There were these two brothers born about a year a part, their mother died when they where very young so they were raised by their unethical drunk father. These two boys suffered a great deal their entire childhood and teenage years. They where abused physically, verbally and emotionally almost daily by their father and of course as soon they came to age they left the house and never returned. Ten years later they found the old man dead in an ally he died drunk, beaten to death. The one brother ended up in prison serving time for murder, he was drunk and killed a man in a bar fight, the other became a doctor and work in a public hospital always trying to help others. The two brothers where interviewed by a reporter, the one in prison said: “Like father like son, nobody ever taught me different so I did like my father, what do you want me to say, that’s life.” The other one said: “All of my life I felt so ashamed of my father that I promised myself that I would never become like him.” Again, shame it is a matter of perception it is up to you to see that half glass of water, half empty or half full. hide

Sorrow: nobody wants to feel sorrow but sometimes sorrow can be quite a purifying emotion if processed adequately. Sorrow can be associated with sadness, suffering and even sometimes regret, but sorrow it is from the heart not from the mind not from the body. read more

Lies: Have you ever heard the expression: “The truth will set you free” well it is true, but first let look at what a lie is: A lie is an untruthful statement made to someone else with the intention to deceive. read more

To lie is to say something one believes to be false with the intention that it be taken for the truth by someone else. A true statement may be a lie . If the person who makes the true statement genuinely believes it to be false, and makes the statement with the intention that his/her audience believes it to be true, then this is a lie. A lie-to-children is an expression, or more specifically a euphemism (A euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces), that describes a lie told to make an adult subject, such as sex, acceptable to children; But Why? Isn’t much easier to explain that because this is an adult subject and because of his/her age it is going to be difficult to understand and then promise that you will fully explain when the time is right? A white lie would cause no discord if it were uncovered and offers some benefit to the liar or the listener, or both. For example, when two people collide in a crowded hallway and one falls down, he/she might tell the other that they are not hurt, even if they hurt a little bit. Lies which are harmless but told for no reason are generally not called white lies, but still lies. Lying by omission means allowing another person to believe something to be true that one believes is false, by deliberately failing to reveal one's belief, rather than by being untruthful. Hence it is normally classified not as a lie but as an act of deception.( Deception is the covert manipulation of perception to alter thoughts, feeling, or beliefs.) Indirectly lying is when a person tells a statement that isn't an outright lie, but still has the purpose of making someone believe it as an untruth. An example would be a child who knocks over a vase, and, when questioned, states that "the cat was playing around on the shelves". The cat, indeed, was doing so, but was not the cause of the accident. Dissembling is a polite term for lying, it can be considered as just misleading but is also used as a euphemism for lying.

The philosophers Saint Augustine , as well as Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant, prohibited all lying. According to all three, “there are no circumstances in which one may lie. One must (unfortunately) be murdered, suffer torture, or endure any other hardship, rather than lie, even if it is the only way to protect oneself is to lie. The truth will set you free.” If you are in the pursuit of truth, well, there is no place for lies. Beside, life gets way easier by just following this simple truth, Try it, in very little time your life will be transformed.

Sri Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras on book two-Sadhana Pada- Sutra 36 explains: “satya = truthfulness; pratishthayam = having established; kriya = action; phala = fruits or results; asrayatvam = become subservient.= To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient.

Swami Satchidananda translated this Sutra and explains the meaning as follows:

“ By the establishment of truthfulness, Yogis get the power to attain for themselves and others the fruit of work without doing the work. In other words, things come to them automatically. All nature loves an honest person. Then you need not run after things, for they will run after you. And if you are always truthful, if no lies come from your mouth, a time will come when all you say will come true. Even if you say something by mistake, it will happen, because by the practice of satyam (Truth; truthfulness=one of the yamas.) the words become so powerful and clean that honesty observes you. It wants to be with you always. If a curse is spoken, it will happen. The more we lead a life of honesty, the more we will see the results, and that will encourage us to be more honest.

With the establishment in honesty, the state of fearlessness comes. One need not to be afraid of anybody and can always lead an open life. When there are no lies, the entire life becomes an open book. But this comes only with an absolutely honest mind. When the mind becomes clear and serene, the true self reflects without disfigurement, and we realize the truth in its own original nature.

A vow of absolute honesty means we can no longer tell white lies either, if by being honest we will cause trouble, difficulty or harm anyone, we should keep quite. Instead of lying and saying things like: “I don’t know,” we can be frank: “I know, but I don’t want to tell.” This does not mean you should protect a criminal, because not only should we not lie, but we should not cause someone else to lie either. If we do it consciously, we are a part of that lie. In fact, under law, punishment is usually greater for the person behind a crime than for the one who actually commits it.

So, first follow truth, and then truth will follow you. In the same way, first you learn to smoke and then the smoke teaches you. I am quite certain nobody enjoys his or her few cigarettes. They are taken in with great difficulty, nausea and vomiting. Gradually we can take in a whole puff without letting it out. Then, eventually, the cigarette begin to “smoke” us. First we burn the cigarette; later it burns us, working on our tissues little by little.

Yoga is not a philosophy to be followed with blind faith. In the beginning, it is true that confidence and trust are necessary, but as you continue to practice, every step will bring more and more hope, greater and greater confidence. If we are true yogis just for one day, we will be transformed and want more of it. It’s contagious, just like any other habit. But first we must make some effort until we get a taste of the benefit. Similarly, certain candies might appear a little strange, and a child might say, “No, no. I don’t want it,” when mother offers it. But if the mother exerts some force and makes the child taste it, the child will want more and more. Once we get the taste, even if the whole world stands in our way, it won’t keep us from our goal.”

At the beginning I mention to you the acquisition of siddis (spiritual powers) well this is one of them. So, as Swamiji said: “first follow truth, and then truth will follow you.” hide

Illusion, also called Maya: According to Hinduism; Under Maya's influence, the Atman, (the soul) mistakenly identifies with the body. He/she accepts such thoughts as "I am white and I am a man/woman," or "This is my house, my country, and my religion." Thus the illusioned soul identifies with the temporary body and everything connected to it, such as race, gender, family, nation, bank balance, and sectarian religion. read more

Under this sense of false-ego (false-identity) the soul aspires to control and enjoy matter. However in so doing he/she continuously serves lust, greed, and anger. In frustration he/she often redoubles his/her efforts and keeps on compounding mistake upon mistake, only to fall deeper into the illusion. In ignorance ( Tamas), he/she is fully convinced that right is wrong and wrong is right. In passion he/she is unsure, hesitant, sometimes enjoying and at other times repenting. Only in goodness does the soul begin to develop wisdom – to see things in the real light. Thus enlightenment means moving away from Tamas towards Sattva. (Sanskrit sattva "purity", literally "existence, reality"); By so doing , the soul gradually escapes the clutches of Maya and moves towards liberation. Maya literally means "that which is not." In the twilight, one may easily mistake a rope for a snake. In so doing, we feel fear. Hence fear and other emotions may often be based on illusion, an incorrect perception of reality. Each person, each physical object , from the perspective of eternity is like a brief disturbed drop of water from an unbounded ocean. The goal of enlightenment is to understand this —more precisely, to experience this: to see intuitively that the distinction between the self and the universe is a false dichotomy (A dichotomy is any splitting of a whole into exactly two non-overlapping parts). The distinction between consciousness and physical matter, between mind and body is the result of an unenlightened perspective; this is the purpose of this book, to help you with enlightenment so you can understand and free yourself from the world of Maya. One free from illusion can see life for what it really is: That we human beings and everything sorrounding us is born out of one unique source of divine energy call God. That we are interdependent, there is no race differences, there is no religious separation, there is no need for a position of power. There is no difference between us and animals or better stated there is no difference between us and any life form contained in this universe. There is one solar system, there is one planet, there is only one sun that feeds us all so we are all Terrestrial, we are interdependent. If there is no sun, then there is no life on this planet, if there are no trees, there is no oxygen, if there are no animals there is no ecological equilibrium. We are interdependent, every molecule every atom of existence depends on each other, if one single atom is missing there is caos, some may say we are just a drop in the ocean, but that drop is needed to complete the incomplete. You as a human being are not different or more or less than the stars, as the star is an essential part of a stellar system, you are an essential part of this system, as with the animals, trees, and rocks that are present here with us. To free yourself from the world of Maya you must meditate on Ajna in the middle of the forehead between the eyebrows, by meditating on it you will develop inner vision which is the real vision. When Master Sivananda said,” that meditating on Ajna will free you from past Karmas,” he was right because if you start seening reality for what it is then you will always do what is right, karma will be transmuted. By opening your third eye you will become sensitive, by becoming sensitive you will become aware, by becoming aware you will transform the ordinary things into the most extraordinary. You will transform the least to the most and you will make earth your heaven. If no bridge or gap exists then everything is divine, as its always was, always is and always will be. (Note: Ajna meditation is on a later chapter of this book) hide

Attachment is to cling to the impermanent, I am not too worried about explaining this to you because if you open up and transcend the limitations of an unenlightened perception you will have no attachments, you will become one with God, at that point you will simple be (Welcome home).