Kundalini Yoga
You may have heard about chakras before now, but do you know what they are? Put simply, these are energy points in your body. The flow of eternal energy is one of the underlying beliefs in kundalini yoga. As such, the chakras can dictate the way in which a person acts, and the specific attitude they have toward life. Here’s what you should know.
What are Chakras?
While we each have the same base chakras in the body, the dominant chakra will change from person to person. This is the chakra in which the majority of the energy collects and will often reveal inner secrets about the person. Since we continually attract what we put out into the universe, the dominant chakra and energy point plays the main role.
Through the practice of kundalini yoga, we can begin to balance the chakras and their energy. The benefits of practicing this form of yoga are endless. When your energy becomes more balanced and neutral, you will find it easier to open up to those around you. Feelings of compassion, self-love, and love for others will flow freely.
The Eight Main Chakras
Now that you have an understanding of chakras and how they relate to kundalini yoga, it’s time to delve deeper into the major ones. Understanding where each chakra is physically located in the body and the power it has will aid you in your kundalini journey. With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about the eight main chakras.
The Lower Triangle Chakras
The first chakras are known as the lower triangle chakras as they are found in the lower part of the body. These points are associated with a person’s day-to-day needs.
First Chakra — The Root
Found between your anus and sexual organs, the first chakra literally grounds you to the floor. This particular energy point is associated with the earth and physical grounding of a person. The energy in this area can be used to support a person’s self-acceptance, security (both emotional and physical), and to help with their inner strength.
Healing exercises: Root Lock, Rock Pose, and Front Stretches
Second Chakra — The Sacral
Located within the sexual organs, the second chakra is the key to unlocking a person’s creativity. When this is the dominant chakra, the person will be vivacious and full of passion. The Sacral controls a person’s levels of desire and their inner need to create something new. It is heavily associated with the color orange and the element of water.
Healing exercises: Cobra Pose, Cat-Cow, and Sat Kriya
Third Chakra — The Solar Plexus
Moving up the body now, the Solar Plexus is located at a person’s navel. The third chakra allows a person to have full balance within their physical and spiritual life. For that reason, it is linked to their will power. The more a person collects their kundalini energy at this point, the more likely they will be to have a strong yet highly defiant attitude.
Healing exercises: Sat Kriya, Bow Pose, and Breath of Fire
Balance Point
Further up the physical body, we find the Balance Point. This is the Heart Chakra (the fourth chakra) and is a conduit between the powers of above and below. Balancing this particular chakra allows a person to be calm, collected, and have spiritual ease.
Fourth Chakra — The Heart
Nestled in the center of the chest, the fourth chakra denotes compassion and love. Learning to harness the power of this energy point can aid people in becoming more loving to those around them. The Heart chakra is linked with our inner spirituality and the ability to forgive.
Healing exercises: Baby Pose, Ego Eradicator, and Yoga Mudra
Upper Triangle
The chakras in the upper triangle are heavily linked to a person’s spirituality. It is here that we also find the Aura — the eighth chakra. To fully understand the power of the upper triangle, we should first look at each of the chakras and the inner tale that they convey.
Fifth Chakra — The Throat
Occasionally known as the teacher, the fifth chakra rests in the throat. It is believed that if a person is able to harness the energy here they can become a speaker of the truth. That is a noble goal. The chakra is linked to the color blue and carries the message that the words we use are highly important. It is about communicating clearly.
Healing exercises: Neck Lock, Cobra Pose, and Shoulder Stand
Sixth Chakra — The Third Eye
The Third Eye is located between a person’s eyebrows. It is the chakra that has control over a person’s intuition and inner levels of spirituality. Should a person’s energy gather in this area then they will be extremely in tune with the universe. The chakra is linked with a person’s identity and conveys the color indigo.
Healing exercises: Archer Pose, Whistle Breaths, and Kirtan Kriya
Seventh Chakra — The Crown
As the name suggests, the Crown can be found at the crown of the head. It is the chakra that is associated with a person’s mind and soul at once. Many people call this chakra the “seat of the soul” as they believe that it is the place where your consciousness rests.
Healing exercises: Meditation, Sat Kriya, and Ego Eradicator
Eighth Chakra — The Aura
Unlike the other chakras listed here, the Aura does not have a physical location on the body. Instead, it is a cosmic field around a person that cannot be seen by the naked eye. The eighth chakra is linked to the color white and may be associated with purity and love.
Healing exercises: Triangle Pose and Ego Eradicator
Conclusion
Learning more about your chakras and the way in which they may have power over you is essential. The deeper connection is that you have to these points, the more you may understand how you can control both your mind and body. Once you have mastery over these aspects of your being, you can start to reach a higher consciousness.
