The Yoga Dairies 04 - Kundalini and Chakras- 03

Sit straight keep your hands on the knees with your palms facing upwards. Now breathe. Notice which part of the lungs you use to breathe.

Now flip the palms and put them facing downwards. Notice which part of the lungs you use to breathe.

You will notice with palm facing up we tend to breathe with the lower half while with palm down we breathe through the upper part.And if we keep at each of these for a while we will also notice the way our mood changes. Changes to our breathing changes our state of mind and being. Hence the focus in yoga on deep breathing!

In our last post we spoke about the three lower chakras. Lets now look the four higher Chakras. Now its important to not get caught up in the “Upper-Lower” thing. In this post it is simply a positional description and in no way indicative of their importance in any sort of hierarchy.

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Without a solid foundation and mastering of the three first Chakras it is impossible to progress to higher dimensions. Once a person goes beyond the third Chakra, inter-dimensional beings become ones day to day company, though It's not mandatory to keep them around.

Also it should be noted, when we say a certain Chakra is active in certain kind of people, it does not mean the Chakra is “awakened” in that person. Normal human beings tend to have one or more Chakras that are active and determines their life trajectory. This is NOT the same as mastering a chakra.

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Anahata

Anahata or the heart chakra is the fourth chakra, according to Tantric traditions. It means unstruck sound (the sound of the celestial realm). Anahata is associated with balance, calmness, and serenity.

Anahata is represented by a lotus flower with twelve petals. Inside there is a smoky region at the intersection of two triangles, creating ashatkona. The ashatkona is a symbol used in Hindu yantra, representing the union of male and female.

In case the whole thing sounds too confusing in simple terms its the 6 pointed Star of David. It comprises of two triangles. One is the material plane and the other the subtle plane. When they merge at the heart centre the practitioner is at peace. The seed sound of this chakra is “Yam”. In the Islamic tradition this chakra is called Latifa Sirriya and in Jewsish Kabbalah its called Gevurah-Hesed.

Anahata is considered to be the seat of the Jivatman. This is described as a tiny flame inside the heart. Anahata is named as such because sages were believed to hear the sound (Anahata – comes without the striking of two objects together).It is associated with air, touch and the actions of the hands.

Anahata is associated with the ability to make decisions outside the realm of karma. In Manipura and below, man is bound by the laws of karma and fate. In Anahata one makes decisions ("follows one's heart") based on one's higher self, not the unfulfilled emotions and desires of lower nature. As such, it is known as the heart chakra.It is also associated with love and compassion, charity to others and psychic healing. Meditation on this chakra is said to bring about the following siddhis (abilities): He/She becomes a lord of speech, He/She is dear to the opposite gender, his/her presence controls the senses of others, and he/she can leave and enter the body at will.

Mostly this kind of Sadhana or meditation is given only to serious students who live with the teacher. “Day scholars” are rarely given this meditation. This meditation has huge possibilities and can confer supernatural powers to the student. Also the person tends to attract a whole of dimensional beings and all them may not be “aesthetic forms” and may cause significant terror to the student if he or she is not well prepared. Hence this chakra is awakened only under the tutelage of a guru.

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Immensely talented people would be people in whom this chakra may be very active. Polymaths like Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and Masaaki Hatsumi would be people in whom this chakra would be active.

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Even extremely talented artists like Beethoven, Micheal Jackson and William Shakespeare would be people in whom this chakra would be active. However blockages in other chakras tend to create a lot of misery for such people.

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Vishuddha

Vishuddha, or Vishuddhi, or throat chakra is the fifth chakra according to the Tantras. This is located in the throat. The connected organ is the Thyroid gland. This chakra is described as having a "white color" with sixteen "purple" or "smoke-colored petals." Within the pericarp is a sky-blue downward pointing triangle containing a circular white region like the full moon. This represents the element of akasha or "aether." The seed sound of this chakra is “Ham”. In islamic system and in Jewish Kabbalah this chakra is known as Latifa Ruhiya and Da’at.

In its most abstract form, it is associated with higher discrimination and is associated with creativity and self-expression. It is believed that when Vishuddha is closed, a person undergoes decay and death. When it is open, negative experiences are transformed into wisdom and learning. The success and failure in one's life are said to depend upon the state of this chakra, whether it is polluted or clean. The feeling of being guilty is given as the most prominent reason for this chakra to block the Kundalini energy moving upwards.

Vishuddha is often associated with the thyroid gland in the human endocrine system. This gland is in the neck, and produces hormones essential for growth and maturation. Excessive stress, namely fear and fear from speaking out, are said to affect the throat chakra, and thyroid problems may occur. Singing is a harmless and beneficial way of stimulating the throat chakra.

Meditation upon this chakra is said to bring about various siddhis or occult powers: vision of the three periods, past, present and future,freedom from disease and old age, destruction of dangers, and the ability to move the three worlds. A master of this chakra is a master of occult. While Muladhara is used for lower forms of occult, the master of throat chakra operates at a much higher and subtle level.

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The Hindu God Shiva is considered the ultimate master of occult. In fact in Tantric symbology Lord Shiva is shown with a blue throat to indicate his mastery over the chakra.

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Agna/Ajna

Ajna or the third-eye chakra, is the sixth chakra in the body according to tantric tradition. It is supposedly a part of the brain which can be made more powerful through meditation, yoga and other spiritual practices just as a muscle is. In the Islamic tradition and in the Jewish Kabbalah this chakra is called Latifa Khafiya and Binah-Hokhmah respectively.

The Ajna chakra is located in the center of the forehead between the eyebrows. It is not a part of the physical body but considered to be the part of Pranic system. The location makes it a sacred spot where Hindus apply a vermilion bindi. This ensures that the person has constant awareness in that spot. The Ajna chakra is correspondent with the pineal gland.

This chakra has no color. It is described as a transparent lotus flower with two white petals. This chakra is also significant since the Nadis that started out at the Muladhara, namely Ida, Pingala and Sushumna all join back at this chakra before making the final journey to the 7th chakra. The seed sound of this chakra is “Aum”.

Ajna translates as "authority" or "command" (or "perceive") and is considered the eye of intuition and intellect. Its associated sense organ is the brain. When something is seen in the mind's eye, or in a dream, it is being seen by Ajna. It is a bridge that links gurus with disciples while allowing mind communication between two people.

Meditation upon Ajna supposedly grants siddhi, or occult powers, to quickly enter another body at will and to become omniscient.The beholder of these powers realizes unity with Brahman, who has the ability to create, preserve, and destroy the three worlds.

A person who has reached this level cannot fall back down the spiritual ladder again. He has seen the real nature of creation. Now none of the temptations of the world can bring him down. Also at this point the person is not even a man or woman but is a 'being'.

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Swami Vivekananda who introduced yoga to the west is a person who was at this level. When he reached the final chakra and realised himself he gave up his body and took Mahasamadhi (Leaving the body). However when he was alive and preaching his kundalini was at the Ajna chakra.

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Sahasrara Chakra/The Crown Chakra

This is not as much a chakra as its a gateway. One could say its the gateway to the cosmos. Sahasrara or crown chakra is generally considered the seventh chakra, according to Tantric traditions.In the Islamic tradition and in the Jewish Kabbalah this chakra is called Latifa Haqqiya and Keter respectively.

Often referred to as a thousand-petaled lotus, it is said to be the most subtle chakra in the system, relating to pure consciousness, and it is from this chakra that all the other chakras emanate. When a yogi is able to raise the kundalini up to this point, the state of Nirvikalpa Samādhi is experienced. This is also referred to us Nirvana or Enlightenment. The famous Tibetan chant " Aum Mani Padme hum" literally translates to 'jewel in the lotus'.

At the time of death, an advanced yogi but not yet enlightened can direct his consciousness up the central channel and out of this wheel in order to be reborn in a Pure Land, where he can carry on his tantric practices, or transfer that consciousness into another body or a corpse, in order to extend life.

Enlightened beings who have reached this stage tend to leave by way of Mahasamadhi. Which means voluntarily being able to leave the body. There are various smaller chakras in the Sahasrara system. They decide the various abilities these exhaled beings display.

So some examples of enlightened beings of the highest category would be Gautam Buddha, Gorakhnath ,Jesus Christ, Ramkrishna and Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

Source (Image by 41330 from Pixabay)

Hope i have been able to throw some light on this arcane yogic system. Next post we will continue our journey into the mystical world of Yoga Tantra and Magic!

If you wish know something in this space, do reach out via the comments. I will try my best to get that information for you.

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Regards
Sajan