My thoughts on human energy centers (aka Chakras)

When I was a math teacher, my first job was at a behavioral school. Most kids there hated school and were being given a second chance to finish their diploma. Of these kids most kids had an averse reaction to math.

I am very much an optimist and despite being sworn at and threatened, I knew there was a way to intersect their interests with this subject. I searched google pinterest and youtube to eventually find this video

The idea behind this drawing exercise was that you could represent something extremely complex with the right tools and right procedure. Represent isn’t an accurate word so I will use manifest. The right tools lets you manifest something that may appear impossible.

I was fascinated by Waldorf Schools and later found that the person who founded Waldorf schools is the same person who designed biodynamic farming. His name is Rudolf Steiner and you can go to this site to see content I’ve been pondering over for a couple years.

After hearing his lectures, reading his essays, and watching videos from the Steiner School on the west coast, I have learned that even if I don’t believe or agree with (or understand) something Steiner says I make a mental platform where I consider the new information and think of the ramifications.

Chakras

Chakras are a very old concept and they refer to 7 energy centers in humans. The word is the means wheel and it is believed that paying attention to ones chakras leads to a life where no matter what happens, you can learn to be grateful and joyous.

Chakra Names

• Crown
• Third Eye
• Throat
• Heart
• Solar Plexus
• Sacral
• Root

Chakra Description

The root chakra is unblocked when you are fully in the present moment. Your mind is not thinking of another time but is aware of all the things happening now. Clearing this chakra can be done by imagining a red ball of energy below the base of the spine. It is a stabilizing energy and when it is clear and fully open, it paves the way for the next chakra.

The sacral chakra is associated with pleasure. Due to its location just below the belly button, people associate this with sexual pleasure. But if the root chakra is fully in the moment, the sacral chakra is intended to experience pleasure in a myriad of ways. When you know the location of a good bakery, you don’t just drive there, grab a maple bacon glazed donut and save it for next week. You take a slow bite and appreciate the soft and sweet warmth as long as you can. You notice the creative beauty of the store and may be inspired to recreate the recipe so you can share this level of deep pleasure with others. There is a strong sense of pleasure with creativity and all its forms: writing, sculpting, painting, cooking, gaming, gardening, dancing, storytelling, etc. There is an immense sense of pleasure when you see something is done well and is masterful (currently listening to Brad Mehldau's O Ephraim). With this chakra, it is energized and cleared by imagining an orange ball of energy just below the belly button.

The solar plexus chakra is associated with personal energy. I always think of my daughter with this, because for most of her life if she had a plan or idea, she carried it out with such intensity and passion that she broke through people's perceptions of her skills. In context, you are grounded in the moment, and you are pleased with aspects of your life. The solar plexus is all about the "your life" part of the last sentence. Your story, your passions, your values, your desires are all important and connect you to the world in such a complex and amazing way. When you see this and are living it, you know the solar plexus is on and ready to go. To clear or energize this chakra you imagine a yellow ball of energy just below your breast bone.

The heart chakra is extraordinary because it is associated with radiating unconditional love. This love goes inwards to you and every aspect of you. It rides out the tough times and rejoices in the good times and vice versa. The same goes with others. You are in the moment, you see your friend, you make them a maple glazed bacon donut and they experience pleasure like you have. You both have an amazing story going on and you love and appreciate their story as much as you do your own.

This can extend to other kingdoms as well. You can love your dog for who she is right now. Love your cat, bird, garden, town, city, state, oceans, mountains by giving them space in your life and getting to know them.

Steiner says that all chakras have voluntary and involuntary parts he called petals. There is an association with flowers and chakras so that opening a chakra is akin to a flower opening when the right conditions are present.

Steiner said that the following voluntary exercises can be done to help open the heart chakra.

• See positivity in everything
• Be open to new experiences
• Don't make a decision out of anger or sorrow
• Schedule a small gesture
• Take 5 minutes a day to think about some object

Positivity in all things allows you to look at perceived good and bad situations and walk away with the good or hidden good every time. If it is raining for example and an outdoor craft fair you are interested in is cancelled, what good thing comes from this change in plans?

Open to new experiences is natural to those who have a lot of energy and time. As you get older, this gets harder. But what I do with my busy schedule is schedule an annual event that pushes me way out of my comfort zone. Recently I've done a glass making class, painting competition, and a pottery class. The pottery class was the most frustrating, because the process looked so simple, but was so hard to execute on the first several tries. But now when I see pottery, I can appreciate the amount of time and skill that lives in that piece.

It is inevitable that we may have to use our brains to think when someone or something gets us angry or sad. We may even feel the urge to say something. I don't know about you, but my brain is not ready to be its best when anger is in me. If I am sad, I tend to make decisions to try to remove the sadness, but even this should be avoided. It is better to reflect on the source of sadness and understand whether it is OK to feel sad or if I need to make a change so my expectations are satisfied.

Scheduling a small gesture is all about strengthening the will. It helps you get used to having a thought and executing that thought. If I am busy I wait a minute before executing the gesture. With more time, I may wait 5 minutes. The gesture can be anything from giving someone a hug to snapping your fingers.

Steiner also recommended an exercise I like to call a mindful five. You take a man made object, set a timer for 5 minutes, and hold it in your hand. Think about every aspect of this object. Feel it with your fingers and imagine how it was made. Sometimes I go outside of the man made criteria and hold seeds while imagining how much life happened to get the seed into my hand and how much life will come from the same seed.

All these exercises are to be harmonized and no one should be more important than the other.

The heart chakra is cleared by imagining a green ball of energy near the physical heart.

The throat chakra is associated with communication, listening, and creativity. Think of orators, singers, teachers, or storytellers. In context if someone is grounded in the moment, finding pleasure in their world, is connected and values their story, and is loving themselves and others, this will bubble out in words or in how words are used.

I tend to fall into the trap of ignoring my words when I am stressed out. I will say, "Hi, how are you?" And not mean it at all because I am walking somewhere else. I don't even stop and walk towards the person I am seeing. Contrast this with approaching someone with a smile and sharing why there is stress present. Or even telling someone that you are busy, but buying them a coffee to chat after work.

I know people who have clear throat chakras and it seems as though whenever they tell a story, I instantly see pictures of whatever they are saying in my head. I feel every emotion as though I was experiencing it. This chakra is special because it makes you feel like you are somewhere else. I experience this with jazz music all the time. Imagining a sky blue ball of energy near the through and ears clears this chakra.

The third eye is an interesting chakra, because it is connected with wisdom, understanding, and intuition. Some even say it is the bridge to the spirit world. For me, I see my son as having a strong third eye because he will say the most profound and deep statements that seem to come out of no where. His teachers have told me he has silenced a classroom with commentary on the lesson being presented. This chakra is cleared by imagining indigo in the space on your forehead between your eyes. During the mindful five, I may lucid dream and see interesting images that are my personal riddles I have to solve.

The final chakra is the crown chakra that is said to balance or harmonize all others and is energized by imagining a white orb on the top of the head. I have read that this energy source gives a person a sense of oneness and unity with people, places, and things.

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(If you are still reading I am giving you a virtual high five right now!)

The fascinating thing I've learned with chakras is that when you string each one together, it can explain a lot of things. For example, in my scenario of walking by someone that I should be talking to, it turns out that this person is going through the same thing as I am. We are both stressed because we have exams to study for in our grad class and the class has been hard. Working a day job draws energy from the time we would put towards the grad class. Why is it I am seeking? I am getting a Masters to improve economic stability (red). How do I know this is a good thing? Well, when I finish a project, I experience so much pleasure it makes me forget about work stress (orange). This is a graduate degree in something I have done on and off since I was in middle school and I look forward to using this in my current employment and in the future (yellow). I am so satisfied with what I am learning that I read additional papers to add to my own knowledge and assist others who get stuck as I did early in the class (green). When I tell other people about my projects, they stop what they are doing, laugh with me, and ask questions out of pure curiosity (sky blue). Sometimes when I'm in the shower, new ideas pop in my head, or explanations to old papers seem to make sense (indigo). I understand I am part grad student, part employee, part husband, part dad, part brother, part son, part friend and part neighbor. I am all these things and I am also who I was before I took on these roles. As I balance them, I live to my fullest potential (white).

You can also see why blocked or unharmonized chakras are not beneficial. When my stress is so high (red) that I can't respect someone else's presence, I can't take pleasure in the moment I could have with them (orange). The stress makes me question if it is a good idea to continue with my career (yellow), I could keep going, but I think you get it.

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I want to share a video I listen to most mornings to help me start the day.

If you found this post helpful or interesting, let me know in the comments what you think of this concept called chakras. Have you heard this before? What has been your experience?

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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Additional reading: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-7-chakras-and-their-s_b_844268 https://iarp.org/chakra-basics/ https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/beginners-guide-chakras

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Image sources:
https://unsplash.com/@theformfitness
https://unsplash.com/@bartlarueeppler
https://unsplash.com/@roxxiewildflower_
https://unsplash.com/@jonasvincentbe