Chakras and Yoga Postures There are 7 energy centers called "Chakras" and they parallel the spine.

Each chakra has certain qualities and associations. And there are yoga postures that help us get this energy in balance. CHAKRA ONE......MULADHARA....meaning "root" and support...element is EARTH ...syllable for chanting is LAM....herb for incense is CEDAR... This chakra is located at the base of the spine. The verb associated with the first chakra is "I have". The first chakra...the root chakra...the red or sometimes black chakra...is about survival. Of course that has to be the base or where are we? A yoga posture that helps to open the first Chakra is SETU BANDHASANA or BRIDGE This posture helps you to focus on the first chakra energy. It strengthens the muscles of the abdomen and thighs while you hold the posture. Begin by lying on your back with your arms at your sides, your palms facing downward. Bend your knees bringing the soles of your feet close to your buttocks (my teacher usually says to bring your feet to standing). Press down on the soles of your feet. You have a lot of strength there. Squeeze your buttocks and press your pubic bone upward, allowing the pressing to lift your hips. What I like to do at this time is to gradually lower myself back down to the floor. As I raise myself up, I feel that I am raising each vertebrae off the floor one at a time until I am up and when I lower myself, I try to lower myself slowly, one vertebrae at a time until I am back on the floor. During all the lifting and lowering, there is a squeeze in my buttocks until it is resting on the floor. The raising and lowering sometimes reminds me of a rolled-top desk, opening and closing. Finally, I raise myself in the full posture once again and stay up. (back to the instructions).... Once you are up with your feet pressing down, your buttocks squeezed, your chest expanded, and your weight shifted to your shoulders, bring your arms under you and bring your hands together...interlacing your hands. Take some of the weight onto your arms and your shoulders. Expand your chest and breath into your expanded chest. When you are ready to release the posture, release your hands and allow your spine to roll down, using the squeeze to control your descent. When the first chakra is malfunctioning one of the manifestations of that malfunction is obesity. Through the first chakra, we work to understand and heal our bodies. The challenge to us is to accept our body, feel it, validate it, love it. Eating is a first chakra activity. When we eat, we are nourished and our physical body is supported. Eating grounds us. Meats and proteins are first chakra food. A well functioning first chakra opens us to our power and stability and allows us to grow. We are grounded. And this grounding brings us rest and solidity and stillness.

The Second Chakra or energy center is called Svadhisthana which means sweetness.

What a watery chakra! It's element is water. The inner state is tears. Some of the malfunctions include bladder or kidney trouble. The food associated with this is liquids. The gemstone is coral. The animals are fish and sea creatures. And the location of this chakra is in the area of the genitals and womb. Some of the functions and qualities associated with the second chakra are emotions, sexuality, desire, pleasure, creation and procreation. Socialization is also a function of the 2nd chakra. The verb that best fits this chakra is "I feel". This energy is both emotional and sensual. The color of this chakra is generally orange. For chanting, the syllable is "vam". In Tarot, this chakra corresponds to the suit of cups and the cards with the number 2....High Priestess A yoga posture that helps to open the second Chakra is BHUJANGASANA The Cobra The second chakra is the area of the lower abdomen and womb area. The yoga posture of the Cobra will focus on that region. Lie down on your belly. Stretch your legs out with your toes pointed. Bring your hands, palms down, under your shoulders on the floor. Keep your elbows close to your sides. Bring up the squeeze in your buttocks and press the pelvic bone down on the floor. Place your forehead on the floor. Begin to lift up. First, lift the head as if you are watching an ant crawl up the wall in front of you. You are raising your forehead, eyes, nose, chin and throat from the floor. Then, very gently, allow your upper body to lift up. Don't put any pressure on your hands. They are just resting lightly. You are only lifting the a slight lift at first. Press the crown of your head away from your shoulders. Imagine that you are being lifted up from your chest. Now, we will use some hand and arm strength. Press your palms down and lift your chest up a little higher. You may have your navel off the floor, but your pelvis remains in contact with the floor. Your elbows are still close in towards your body. Your shoulders are relaxed downward. Don't scrunch them up to your ears. The crown of your head is still stretching upward. Expand your chest and breathe into your chest. Take a few breaths. When you feel complete, release the press of your palms and the squeeze of the buttocks and allow yourself to come back to a relaxing posture. Make a pillow with your hands and rest your head to one side on the pillow of your hands. Breathe. There are benefits in the letting go of the posture just as there are benefits of holding the posture. We need to take the time to receive the benefits of the letting go. Other yoga postures or exercises that may be helpful are hip circles and pelvic rocking. The second chakra is one of feminine energies. Not only is sexuality and pleasure associated with this chakra, but also nurturing. Here is our desire for nurturing, nourishment, warmth and touch. Denying these desires causes serious imbalances in life. Overindulgences also will cause imbalances. The third chakra is the Manipura chakra. It means Lusterous Gem and it's color is yellow. It is located in the area of the navel to the solar plexus. It's function is Will and Power. The verb associated with the 3rd chakra is "I can". The glands and body systems it affects are the pancreas, adrenals, digestive system, and muscles. When it malfunctions, the resulting problems are ulcers, diabetes, and/or hypoglycemia.

The sound to chant is RAM. The animal that is associated with the 3rd chakra is also the ram. The herbs are carnation, cinnamon, and marigold. The gemstone is Amber and Topaz. Foods for the 3rd chakra are starches. In Tarot, it is associated with wands. It's element is fire. It's planets are Mars and the Sun. The yoga posture that helps to open and focus the energy of the third chakra is DHANAURASANA - The Bow This third chakra posture, the Bow, focuses on the belly. The posture helps to massage the abdominals and the solar plexus and stimulates digestion. Begin by lying flat on your belly with your chin resting on the ground. Bend your knees and allow your feet to come close to your buttocks. Reach back and hold your ankles. Squeeze your buttocks and press your pubic bone downward. Lift your head and chest. Press your feet back into your hands, helping you lift the front of your body. Your thighs may come off the ground allowing you to lift your chest even higher. You may find yourself rocking back and forth. You may feel a pulsing in your belly. Breathe while in the posture and hold the posture for 30 to 60 seconds (or so). To release the posture, first lower your legs and release the grasp of the ankles. Unbend your legs. Lower your chest and head. Relax from the posture. You may still feel the pulsing of energy in your belly. The solar plexus chakra has to do with "belonging." If it's open, the individual will feel that he/she belongs to everything--firmly grounded in his/her place within the universe. It's a mental chakra, but directly related to a person's emotional life. Mental understanding of emotions regulates one's emotional life. If the chakra is open one will have a deeply fulfilling emotional life that does not overwhelm. Also, that person might be susceptible to psychic "attack" or be lost in stars. Physical pain in the chakra stems from overuse. If the chakra is closed, feelings will be blocked. A person might not feel anything and would not understand the deeper meanings of emotions, and might not be connected to his/her greater purpose. The fourth chakra, called Anahata, is located at the heart. It's function is Love. It's element is Air. The inner state is compassion and love. The verb for this chakra is "I love". The glands associated with the heart chakra is the thymus and the other body parts are the lungs, heart, arms, and hands. When there is a malfunction of the chakra, physical problems such as asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, and lung disease can result. The color is Green and the chanting sound is yam. Gemstones are Emerald, tourmaline, and rose quartz. In tarot, the suit is swords. The celestial body is Venus. The metal is copper. The sense is touch. Herbs for incense are lavender, jasmine, orris root, yarrow, marjoram, and meadowsweet. The foods associated with this chakra are vegetables. Animals are antelope, birds, and doves. A yoga posture that is excellent for opening the 4th chakra is USHTRASANA - The Camel

There are several ways to begin. I like to kneel with my hips resting on my heels. Then, I rise up onto my knees and, one arm at at time, I make circles reaching front, up, and back with each arm. Now, about the feet....one way is to have the top part of your foot down on the floor with your toes pointing backwards. For some people, this hurts the front part of the ankle (you are stretching it). You may wish to put a rolled up towel under your feet (between thhe floor and the top part of your ankle) to ease the stretch. Because this will be a big stretch along your chest, it is actually easier to curl your toes under and flex your feet and lift your heels up just a little. Now back to your arms....As you circle around, let your hands find their way to your heels. You are squeezing your buttocks and bending backwards. The pelvic region is pressing forward. Even your thighs/quads may be pressing forward. The squeeze in your buttocks is protecting your lower back. Your chest is pressing outward and upward. Your chin may be tucked towards your chest (protecting your upper back and neck) or you may lift your chin and allow your neck to follow the curve of your spine. While you are here, breathe. Feel the expanding in your chest. Feel the opening of your heart. When you are ready to release the posture, do so gently. I find the best way is to release one hand and raise it overhead. It is as if you were reaching of a ring and using that imaginary ring to bring yourself up. Another was is to lower your hips back onto your heels and keep your hands on the floor, then raise your head and shoulders. For a few moments following this posture, allow your body to curl forward into Garbhasana, the pose of the child. Remember that posture is to allow yourself to fold forward, bending from your hips, and release your back and arms into an egg shape. SOME VARIATIONS..... Instead of bringing your hands onto your soles or your heels, you may want to place your palms on the floor behind your feet with the fingers pointing outward (in the direction of your feet). You may wish to rise and lower yourself into the posture .... inhaling as you rise up and exhaling as you release your hips back down onto your feet. You may wish to experiment with your knees and feet close together (directly under your hips) or slightly farther apart. Other yoga postures for this chakra to facilitate opening are cobra, windmill, arm circles, the fish, and cow's head. The 4th chakra is associated with air and also is located at the chest, so it does seem logical that breathing exercises would benefit as well. Possibilities are deep breathing, the complete yogic breath (3 part breathing), the breath of fire which is rapid diaphragmatic breathing using your abdominal muscles to exhale, and alternate nostril breathing which is slow breathing and using your right thumb and right ring finger to close off one nostril at a time. I am really drawn to the 4th chakra. I feel I am in alignment when I am focusing on this one. For me, it is not only the central chakra (number 4 of 7, 3 below and 3 above), but it is my center, my home. I don't have to work at anything to do with this chakra. It comes so easily to me. The first 3 are extremely difficult for me. When I focus on the 4th, I am home. I was reading about this chakra in Anodea Judith's book "Wheels of Life" and probably the sentences that I find most powerful relating to the heart chakra and love is about what love in the relation to the 4th chakra. "The love (at the fourth chakra) we feel is felt toward everything we encounter, because it is felt within as a state of being. At the heart, our love is no longer one of need or desire........Love at the heart chakra is one of joyous acceptance of our place among all things, of a deep peace that comes from lack of need, and of a radiating quality that comes from harmony within the self."

Chakra Number 5 is called Visuddha which means purification. It is located at the area of the throat. Its function is related to communication and creativity. The glands that it affects are the thyroid and parathyroid. The other body parts related to the 5th chakra are the neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. The sense associated with it is hearing. For chanting, the sound used to stimulate the 5th chakra is Ham. The element for this chakra is sound. The verb associated with the 5th chakra is "I speak. When this chakra malfunctions, physical problems include sore throat, stiff neck, colds, thyroid problems, and hearing problems. The color associated with the 5th chakra is bright blue. The gemstone is turquoise. Herbs are frankincense and benzoin. Food related to the 5th chakra is fruit. Animals mentioned in connection with this chakra are the elephant, the bull, and the lion. The planets are Mercury and Neptune. A yoga posture that is excellent for opening the 5th chakra is MATSYASANA - The Fish The 5th chakra is located at the throat. The Fish is good for opening that area and calling attention to the throat. Lie on your back with your legs outstretched and your feet together. Slide your arms under your back with your hands resting palms down (your buttocks is resting on your hands) and your elbows as close together as possible. It's important that your elbows are pressing down on the floor and not pointing out. They need to be pointing down. Press your heels away from your hips. Push down on your elbows and lift your chest off the floor putting your weight on your elbows. At first, the whole upper part of your body is lifted off the ground. Now, very carefully, allow your head to bend backwards, until the crown of the head lightly touches the ground. There is an arch in your back and your chest and neck are stretched open. Some of the weight is balanced on your head and some on your buttocks and legs and feet. The elbows aren't your major support now. Some people even bring their arms up and rest the hands on the chest in a prayer position with the fingers pointing up. Hold the posture as your breathe into your throat and chest. Feel the opening in your throat and chest as you breathe. Your chest is floating on a cushion of air. When you are ready to release the posture, press your sitz bones firmly down and bring your weight back onto your elbows (the weight had shifted to your the crown of your head a little). Raise your head up carefully so it is in line with your torso. Then lower the whole torso onto the floor....moving your arms out from underneath you. And your head is the last to be let down onto the floor. Take time to relax and receive the benefits of this posture. Close your eyes and release all the holding in your body. Other yoga postures might include neck rolls and shoulder stands. For me, this is a very natural chakra. I love to communicate and I find creativity fun. Communication is creative. I love music. I love poetry and words. I love to write. I love to talk. And I learn best through listening.

In yoga and meditation, one of my favorite activities for centering is chanting. This most definitely is a 5th chakra activity. And of all the yoga classes I have attended, the ones I like least are the ones we have done in total silence (even though it is "in loving silence"). However, silence is also a 5th chakra activity. It does focus on sound, but the absense of sound. It makes me appreciate sound even more when we are no longer silence.

Ajna , the sanskrit word for the 6th chakra, means to know, to perceive, to command. It is located in the head at or just above the 3rd eye level. The element associated with ajna is light. It's function is seeing and "intuiting". The verb that corresponds with this chakra is "I see". The body parts affected by the 6th chakra are the pineal gland and the eyes. Malfunction of the 6th chakra can manifest in blindness, headaches, nightmares, eyestrain, and blurred vision. The colors associated with the 6th chakra are indigo or royal purple (different sources say different things). Gemstones are lapis lazuli, quartz, florite, and amethyst. A metal for the 6th chakra is Silver. For chanting, the seed sound is Om. Herbs for incense are mugwort, star anise, acacia, and saffron. Food for ajna are "mind-altering substances". Jupiter is it's planet. The animal is the Owl. This posture is one for both the 6th and 7th chakra. SEATED YOGA MUDRA The 6th chakra is the 3rd eye center at your forehead between your eyebrows. The 7th chakra is the crown of your head (or just above it). This posture draws attention to both chakra centers. Begin by sitting on your heels. Bring your hands behind you to your sacrum. Interlace your hands and stretch your arms down. Stretch upward with your chest. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and open your chest. Now, bend from your hips forward until you can go no farther before your back starts to round. Allow your back to round and bring your forehead down to the floor. Your forehead, the area of the third eye, is resting on the floor. Raise your arms up behind you. Relax into this posture and breathe. Now lift your buttocks off your heels and find yourself on your knees. Roll your head forward from the focus point being at the forehead to the crown of your head. This is the 7th chakra portion of the posture. Continue to keep your arms engaged overhead and continue to breathe. Focus on the crown point. To release from the posture, roll back to the forehead and come back to sitting on your heels. Let your arms come down and rest. Slowly, raise yourself up, with your head coming up slowly. It has been down for a while and you don't want to bring it up too quickly. Allow yourself to come back to balance. Sit comfortably. Breathe effortlessly. Close your eyes. Allow your hands to rest on your knees or in your lap. Let the tension leave your body. Feel the peacefulness. In time, you will want to get up and go back to your daily activities. Another yoga posture for the 6th chakra is palming your eyes, when you warm the palms of your hands by rubbing them together and then letting the hands rests on your eyes.

Color is very much associated with this chakra and you might try a color meditation to enhance the 6th chakra abilities. Visualization would also be good 6th chakra work. This chakra is actually in the brain so it's nature is very mental. One finds inner vision as part of this chakra as well as actual seeing and outer vision. That is why the mystic and clairvoyant abilities are also associated with the 6th chakra.

The crown chakra, the 7th chakra, is called Sahasrara which means thousand fold. It is located at the top of the head or actually, just above the top of the head. The element that this represents is Thought and it's manifestation is information. It's function is understanding and the psychological state that it creates is bliss. The verb that corresponds to this chakra is "I know". The glands affected by this chakra are the pituitary. Other body parts are the cerebral cortex and the central nervous system. When this chakra malfunctions it can result in depression, alienation, confusion, boredom, apathy, and the inability to learn or comprehend. The color for this chakra is sometimes thought to be a shimmering white. Other texts also say violet. There is no sound to chant for this chakra. Meditate with silence. Along with silence, there is no food associated with the chakra. Rather, fasting feeds this chakra since consciousness is not dependent on food. The metal associated with the 7th chakra is gold. It's planet is Uranus. Gemstones are amethyst and diamond. Herbs are lotus and Gotu Kola. The yogic path is meditation. To stimulate the crown chakra, try the headstand. Also meditation in full or half lotus. Yoga mudra from a seated position with the crown of your head resting on the floor instead of the forehead is also suggested. (I can't do a headstand, but I can do yoga mudra from a seated postion and let the crown of my head touch the floor. I can visualize doing a headstand. That might work, too.) With the discovery and the opening of the 7th chakra, we transend from the physical to something beyond....a greater consciousness. After all, we are not our bodies, but our minds and souls. We are part of the collective consciousness. We are part of the Great Spirit.