Your physical and psychological evolution,
as well as your spiritual journey,
 are all reflected in the energies of your chakras.
~Prune Harris

What are the 7 chakras and why do they matter?

The seven chakras have been written about in ancient texts of Tantra and yoga as important subtle energy centers which coordinate the flow of prana (vital energy) through our body. The ancient mystics of India often illustrated the chakra system as brightly colored circles along the spine, arranged in spectrum order with Sanskrit symbols in their centers. Chakra literally means “wheel” or “disk”, and these power centers in the body receive and radiate energy.

There are seven chakras, each with a unique meaning about our body, life, breath, mind, intellect, and overall sense of well-being. The seven chakras are Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, and Crown.

To maintain physical health and emotional well-being it is crucial to constantly work on stabilizing and balancing the seven chakras. A chakra imbalance can express itself in physical, mental, or emotional dis-ease. For example, a person often suffering from a sore throat or difficulty speaking and expressing herself could point to an imbalance of the throat chakra. Chest and chronic lung diseases as well as diseases like bronchitis could point to a clogged heart chakra.

All too often, however, energy can become stuck—usually in one of the major chakras. This can be caused by stress, tension, lack of exercise, toxins in our diet, poor sleep and air pollution – to name a few. Thankfully, Energy Medicine gives us powerful tools and techniques to clear out these blockages.

The next two months we will be focusing on each of them–taking one at a time, and then putting it all together at the end. Signup and learn about each chakra’s characteristics and how it relates to your life. Learn how to balance the chakra and work with its spin so that it remains clear and working for your highest good.

Sign up for one month or individual classes here https://tasting-mindfulness.square.site/

Brief Description of the Chakras: (and class date)

1^st or Root Chakra—The Urge for Life: The rudimentary, instinctual, animalistic drive for survival is carried in the Root chakra. It includes aggression, flight, primal sexual energies, imprints from threats, and the tribal aspect of our connections to one another. (August 7)

2nd or Womb Chakra—Childlike Wonder, Joy, Intuition, and Creativity: The 2nd chakra is the seat of our natural innocence, our wonder, joy, and creativity. Faith and trust, delight and passion, aesthetic sensibilities, intuition, psychic abilities, and natural healing are all characteristics of this chakra. Babies develop under the influence of the second chakra. The second chakra is the “womb” of creativity or both men and women. (August 14)

3^rd or Solar Plexus Chakra—Ego, Identity, and Power: “Who am I?” “What do others think of me?” “What is required of me?” “What do I want?” “How do I get it?” are all themes of the third chakra. (August 21)

4^th or Heart Chakra—Love and Connection: The soul embraces the body at the Heart chakra, making it the bridge for our natural, loving connection to others, to ourselves, and to the universe. It also carries the wounds and losses of broken love. (August 28)

5th or Throat Chakra—Integration and Expression: Sometimes referred to as the “Holy Grail” of the chakras, information from all the other chakras passes through the Throat chakra, which integrates this information for internal communication as well as expression in the world. The Throat chakra connects the Root, Womb, Solar Plexus, and Heart chakras with the Third Eye and Crown Chakras. (September 4)

6th or Third \ Eye Chakra—Sensory/Extrasensory Perception and Abstract Thought: The 6th chakra gives us perspective on how everything within us, and in our environment, fits and relates to everything else.  Seeing, hearing, and smelling fall within the domain of the 6^th chakra. Also governed by this chakra is abstract thought. We know the world through our senses, and we transcend our immersion in the physical world using language and symbols. With the 6th chakra, we are also able to transcend the world of thought. It is the chakra of not only sensory perception and processing but also extrasensory perception. (September 11)

7th or Pineal (Crown) Chakra: Soul and spirit connection with the cosmos is the theme of the Crown chakra. This is the energy center that places the self in the context of the bigger picture. (September 18)

Review of all the Chakras (September 25)