Nurturing the energy body, part 2

Dear readers,

Welcome back to the second part of the three-part article on spiritual anatomy. 

This article will be without an introduction from the author, as the introduction was already made in the first part of this topic, please see here: Nurturing the energy body

With that said, please enjoy the article that Sanjana did for us on the chakras, again as she requested, in color!

Anahata or Heart chakra 

The Sanskrit word Anahata means unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten. It corresponds to its meaning of being the heart center which leads to the qualities of love, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness. The heart center is the midpoint between the three higher and the three lower chakras. Its the gateway towards spirituality. It governs the relational ability of a person and is linked to the air element which is free-flowing and moving. It is the point whereby an aspirant moves towards the spiritual dimension and starts evolving out of material consciousness. 

One important point to note, it does not mean that one will not pay heed to lower chakras' needs once they reach heart chakra but it means that the limited construct of materialism is broken free and the person gains a higher and expanded awareness in his life. 

Heart Centre is the beginning point of the spiritualization of consciousness, it transforms us from machine-like awareness to being 'human' and we become aware of something beyond the body I and mine. Thus, the ego. 

The beautiful qualities of heart chakra when expressed makes one feels lovely and creates a warm, loving ambiance around, but it also needs to be balanced, so the person does not get unaligned with their goals and sense of purpose. 

Location: Centre of chest
Colour: Green
Element: Air
In balance: We feel love, compassion, and forgiveness
Out of balance: We feel resentful, hold grudges, and disconnected from other
Affirmation: I open my heart to fully living

Vishuddha or Throat chakra

The throat chakra or Vishuddha, meaning 'very pure', is the fifth chakra and is located in the throat area. It is linked to our communicative ability and expression of one's feelings verbally. 

The Sanskrit name, Vishuddhi, means especially pure which signifies the function of this chakra that is pure and truthful speech. When our throat chakra is purified, the speech becomes calm, without any conflict and falsehood. It also means that the person starts to see things and speak through higher consciousness. The person has escalated quite ahead in the perception of reality and thus his higher spiritual awareness is reflected through his speech. 

People start becoming reliable and stick to what they speak. There comes a harmony in their thoughts and word. There is a calm abiding unity in their words. On the contrary, when it is unbalanced, there is usually chaos in the speech of a person and it is not transparent and true, it contains elements of falsehood. 

Location: In the throat
Colour: Blue
Element: Space
In Balance: Expression of one's feelings verbally, openly without any constraints, a calm voice
Out of Balance: Constrain in expression, harsh speech
Affirmation: I speak my heart's truth

Ajna or Third eye/ Brow chakra

The third eye chakra or Ajna or Agya chakra is the sixth primary chakra located in the middle point between the eyebrows. 

Agya literally means obedience, so this chakra symbolizes the awakening of inner wisdom and obedience to that in one's practical life. It also refers to the third eye chakra, which means the opening of the spiritual eye which gives us a higher perception of reality that is not visible or understood by the gross physical eyes. It is a stage whereby the person is quite close to enlightenment or divine union. The insights to spiritual truths, wisdom, and divine understanding gets awakened and one feels aligned with them. Many Hindu deities are shown with a third eye which is symbolic of their spiritual wisdom and divine powers. This chakra is not only there for these deities or higher beings, but it is for each one of us. It is a dormant potential that can be accessed by proper cultivation of truth and understanding. 

Location: The space between the eyebrows
Colour: Indigo 

Element: Association with Light or something more subtle than light
In balance: We follow the voice of our intuition, conscience and inner wisdom which become quite active
Out of balance: Lack of alignment with wisdom and intuition
Affirmation: I trust and follow the voice of truth and intuition

A subtle practice

These were the three upper chakras, except for the Crown chakra, which we shall cover in the next article.

As we mentioned in the previous article, we should not simply reject or believe that there are energy centers or portals within the energy body. We can get into contact with these locations and use them skillfully!

In the beginning, it may be very frustrated, as we may struggle to sense these areas, but with time and concentration, we can connect to them and we can start to work with them accordingly.

If any of the readers have some advice or experience that they would like to share in relation to opening and connecting to the chakras, please use the comment section below. We are here to grow and learn from another.

Please keep an eye out for the next article, coming soon!

As the points on this flower are connected to one source, our energy-points are also all connected to the same Source