Chakras: the sacred centre of self
Emma SlaterEach and every one of us is made up of energy, both visible and invisible. Our body is literally an energetic hotspot. Most of us can recognise and understand the visible energy signs, such as tiredness, sore muscles, and lethargy, but what most of us don’t recognise are the invisible energies flowing within our bodies. There are a number of belief systems that explain what energy within the body is but for the purpose of this blog, we will be focusing on the commonly known energy model within the body called the Chakras.
The Chakra system is a seven-leveled philosophical model of the universe and is defined by Anodea Judith as “a chakra is a centre of organisation that receives, assimilates, and expresses life force energy.”
The seven chakras are:
The Root Chakra (Muladhara)
Located at the base of the spine, this chakra is responsible for your sense of security and stability.
The Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)
Located just below your belly button, this chakra is responsible for your sexual and creative energy.
The Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)
Located in your stomach area, this chakra is responsible for your confidence, self-esteem, and feeling in control of your life.
The Heart Chakra (Anahata)
Located near your heart, this chakra is about your ability to love and show compassion.
The Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)
Located in our throat, this chakra is about your ability to communicate verbally.
The Third Eye Chakra (Ajna)
Located between your eyes, this chakra is about your ability to understand your intuition.
The Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)
Located at the top of your head, this chakra represents your spiritual connection to self, others, and the universe.
The word chakra literally translates to “wheel” or “disk” and is seen below as the column of energy that spans from the base of the spine to the top of the head. These seven chakras have also come to represent areas of our own psychological health which are the concepts seen on the right-hand side of the image below.
Source: lighthouseyogacenter.com
One of the essential values of the Chakra system is that this model maps onto both the body and the mind and can be accessed through either. The chakras themselves have become associated with various states of consciousness, elements, and philosophy. This is seen by, the lower chakras, which are physically closer to the earth and are related to practical matters of our lives, compared to, the upper chakras represent the mental and spiritual realms and work through them at a symbolic level.
Chakras are energy in motion, which means they are not physical objects and are more similar to feelings or thoughts within the body. This does not, however, dull the effects the chakras have on the body, they express the embodiment of spiritual energy on the physical plane.
Anodea Judith describes the energy flow within the chakras as the downward current of manifestation from the crown chakra to the root chakra and the upward current of liberation. When we take thoughts and visualisations, then words, and finally form, we are engaged in manifesting, however, we can only manifest these conscious thoughts and visualisations through the concept of embodiment. On the other hand, the upward flow of liberation refers to the incremental path from the restrictions of the physical realm, to the expansion and freedom of the spiritual realm.
Almost all of us will have or are experiencing a chakra blockage. These are caused by a number of factors both internal and external. Some examples of factors that cause a chakra blockage are; childhood traumas, cultural conditioning, limited belief systems, restrictive or exhaustive habits, physical and emotional injuries, or even just the lack of attention.
In order for a chakra to be unblocked it is supportive for us to understand the dynamics of the given chakra - which is why we share the information above to begin to build a basic understanding of the factors that affect each chakra, taking the time to listen to our body and look into what contributing factor from our personal life may be creating a blockage, and then having techniques and healing tools to begin to unblock the chakra.
Our core chakra healing techniques are:
- Practicing a slow and nourishing ritual
- Practicing Yoga
- Utilising the healing powers of crystals
- Utilising the healing powers of essential oils
- Deep belly breaths - slow and with intention
- Eating and nourishing our body with good food
Don’t get us wrong, in no way are we experts or teachers within this realm, but what we are is life-learners. We have spent years learning to slow down, to be still, and to listen to the internal energies within and the messages they share with us every day. The effects of this have been hugely supportive to our life and in doing so we have worked to create a business that works to share these concepts and encourage every Wild Woman to be still and reconnect. To listen to their own energies flowing within them, our life force, our vital energy.
Mauri ora/Namaste