Healing with the Chakra System
“Yoga is a journey of contemplation and self-discovery on the path to personal enlightenment” (Ambrosini 4). The Chakra, or Energy, system of our subtle bodies serves as a map during this journey, helping us to recognize where we are not in alignment with our highest Self and aiding us to discover that alignment.
Within each chakra is both a power and a lesson. When the chakra, translated to “spinning wheel” (Ferretti and Editors), is open and flowing we can experience its power. When it is closed, blocked, or misaligned we can experience its lesson. According to Dr. Caroline Myss, author and medical intuitive, “[e]ach of the seven levels of power in our biological system contains a single sacred truth… We are born with an inherent knowledge of these seven truths woven into our energy systems” (76). A closed, or blocked, chakra indicates a violation of the sacred truth associated with it. This misalignment with truth weakens the subtle body, leading to spiritual, emotional, and physical illness. By working to realign ourselves with truth through our Yoga practice, we are able to reopen the chakra, access its power, and strengthen and heal our entire Deha (Sanskrit word for body, indicating the whole of the physical body, the subtle body, and the causal body (Jakubowicz 20)).
The first chakra is located at the pelvic floor and is called the Muladhara, or Root chakra. Dr. Caroline Myss equates this chakra to “Tribal Power” and defines its sacred truth as “All is One”. She explains “that we are connected to all of life and that every choice we make and every belief we hold exerts influence upon the whole of life” (103-4). The relation of the Root chakra to one’s tribal power makes sense, as this chakra “governs your family ties and feelings of survival, belonging, and guardedness” (Ferretti and Editors). In the physical body, the base of the spine, legs, bones, feet, rectum, immune system, and other bodily support systems are governed by this chakra. In the subtle body this chakra governs our feelings of safety and security, our social and familial law and order, and our ability to provide for life’s necessities, to stand up for ourselves, and to feel at home (Myss 96-7). Issues in any of the areas of the Deha that are governed by the Root chakra are indications that the energy center is closed or blocked. Healing and reopening the first chakra is “by far the most complex” as “it is the beginning or root energy center of your body” (Myss 95) and is often closed or blocked during early childhood. To heal this energy center, one must “[r]eflect on your relationship with your family”, tribe, or social group, determine if “there [is] unfinished business lingering”, and contemplate “[i]f so, what’s stopping you from healing it and moving on?” (Jakubowicz 143). To become more rooted, think about “the tribal characteristics within yourself that you would like to strengthen and develop”, what blessings have come down to you from your ancestors, and what belief patterns would you like to pass down to your descendents (Myss 127-8).
The second chakra is called Sadhisthana, or the Sacral chakra, and is located in the sacrum, between the pubic bone and the naval. It is the center for the “Power of Relationships” and teaches us the sacred truth to “Honor One Another” (Myss 129, 131). According to Dr. Caroline Myss, “every relationship we develop… serves the purpose of helping us to become more conscious” (131). The state of our Sacral chakra, and our alignment with the sacred truth located within it, impacts our relationships not only with others, but also with “sex, money, and creativity” (Jakubowicz 146). This chakra physically governs our sexual organs, large intestine, lower vertebrae, pelvis, appendix, bladder, and hip area, and subtly governs our feelings of blame, guilt, and shame, our relationship with power and control, our ability to create, and our “ethics and honor in relationships” (Myss 96-7). To reopen this chakra, “reflect on how you relate to others” (Jakubowicz 146), as well as your relationship with money, your sexuality, and your creativity. Determine “[h]ow often… survival fears dictate your choices”, especially in relation to “finances and physical survival”, and how often you feel the need to control someone, or something, outside of yourself (Myss 166).
The Manipura, or Solar Plexus, is the third chakra and is located at the navel. It is the center of our “Personal Power” and holds the sacred truth to “Honor Oneself”. This truth was built into our subtle body to “help us mature in our self-understanding – the relationship we have with ourselves and how we stand on our own and take care of ourselves” (Myss 167-9). The third chakra physically governs the abdomen, stomach, upper intestines, liver, gallbladder, kidney, pancreas, adrenal glands, spleen, and middle spine, while subtly governing our sense of trust, fear, and intimidation, our self-esteem, self-confidence, self-respect, and our sensitivity to criticism, as well as the care we give to ourselves and to others, how we handle our decision-making responsibilities, and our personal honor and integrity (Myss 96-7). To activate this chakra, “reflect on whether you consistently wish your life were somehow different” (Jakubowicz 149). Do you often criticize or compare yourself to others? Think about the ways in which you present yourself; which of these are true and honoring to oneself, and which of these are, instead, a performance seeking the approval of others. Do you enjoy your own company? Are you resistant to responsibility or to change? These are all questions to consider when working to open one’s Solar Plexus chakra.
The fourth chakra is located in the region of the heart and is named the Anahata, or Heart, chakra. The Heart is the center of our “Emotional Power” and holds the sacred truth that “Love is Divine Power”. “Love is the fuel of our physical and spiritual bodies. Each of life’s challenges is a lesson in some aspect of love” (Myss 197-9). Physically, the fourth chakra governs the heart, circulatory system, lungs, shoulders, arms, ribs, breasts, diaphragm, and thymus gland. Subtly, it governs our feelings of love, hate, resentment, bitterness, loneliness, grief, anger, and self-centeredness, as well as our commitments and our ability to have hope, trust, forgiveness, and compassion (Myss 98-9). A blocked Heart chakra can cause dysfunction in our intimate relationships such as possessiveness and codependencies, and lead us to isolate ourselves “for fear of rejection” (Ferretti and Editors). To open the Heart chakra, “[r]eflect on the people you need to forgive and the reasons you haven’t yet done so” (Jakubowicz 152). Do you identify yourself or your intimacy with others by either your or their emotional wounds? “Do you ever use your emotional wounds to control people or situations?” “What is your understanding of a healthy, intimate relationship?” (Myss 217-8). Ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly to unlock the compassion needed to forgive and come into alignment with the divine power that is Love.
The Vishuddha, or Throat, chakra is fifth and is located in the region of the throat. The Throat chakra is the center of our “Power of Will”, of our choices and our consequences, and of the energy we put out into the world. This chakra teaches us the sacred truth to “Surrender Personal Will to Divine Will” as “actions motivated by a personal will that has trusted in Divine authority create the best effects.” Within this chakra is the lesson that “the most costly energy consequences come from acting out of fear” (Myss 219-21). Fear comes from the personal will, while its opposite, Love, comes from the Divine Will. The fifth chakra physically governs the throat, thyroid, trachea, neck, vertebrae, mouth, teeth, gums, esophagus, parathyroid, and hypothalamus. Subtly, it governs our faith, knowledge, choices, personal expression, ability to follow our dreams, addictions, and our decision-making skills, as well as the strength of our will, how we use personal power to create, and how we criticize and judge others (Myss 98-9). The state of this chakra affects how we communicate, truthfully or dishonestly, as well as our ability to “vocalize [our] truth without justification” (Jakubowicz 154). To heal this center and “Surrender Personal Will to Divine Will”, contemplate which choices you have made out of fear, which you have made out of love, and what the consequences of those choices have been. Think about the times in which you may have been Divinely guided. Did you follow that guidance? How did the situation turn out? Reflect on how you communicate, how you express or speak up for yourself, and how you stand with the decisions you have made (Jakubowicz 154-5).
The sixth chakra is located between the eyebrows and is known as the Ajna, or Third Eye, chakra. Found here is the “Power of the Mind” and the sacred truth to “Seek Only the Truth”. Dr. Caroline Myss explains that “[i]n becoming conscious one is able to detach from subjective perceptions and see the truth or symbolic meaning in a situation” (237-9). Physically, this chakra governs the brain, nervous system, eyes, ears, nose, pineal gland, and pituitary gland, while subtly governing our ability to self-evaluate, recognize truth from falsehood, and learn from experience, as well as our intellectual abilities, emotional intelligence, our feelings of adequacy, and our openness to the ideas of others (Myss 98-9). It is also associated with “one’s intuition, wisdom, and insight”. To activate this chakra and align with its sacred truth, “[r]eflect on the attitudes and beliefs you would like to change within yourself” (Jakubowicz 158). Do you hold any beliefs that cause you to think negatively of the actions of another? Does your attitude cause you to lose power in some situations? Do you make excuses for the behaviors that negatively impact yourself and others (Myss 263)? In what way did that thing happen for you, and not to you?
Located above the head, the Sahasrara, or Crown, chakra is the seventh, and last, energy center of the subtle body. Within this chakra we find our “Spiritual Connector” and the sacred truth to “Live in the Present Moment”. This truth “motivates us to seek an intimate connection to the Divine in everything we do” (Myss 265-7). The Crown chakra physically governs the muscular system, the skeletal system, and the skin. Subtly, it governs our faith, inspiration, devotion, values, ethics, courage, selflessness, and our ability to trust life and to see the larger pattern. In dysfunction, this chakra can cause energetic disorders, mystical depression, chronic exhaustion that is not linked to a physical disorder, and extreme sensitivities to light, sound, and other stimuli (Myss 100-1). Spiritual abandonment, loss of identity, and a lack of connection to the world are also symptoms of a closed or blocked Crown (Jakubowicz 161). To open this chakra is to contemplate one’s relationship to the Divine. Do you seek guidance and offer gratitude, or do you give complaints and seek to bargain (Myss 283)? How has the image you hold for the Divine been formed by what you have been told, and how much of that resonates with your inner knowing of divinity? In what ways would you like to strengthen your connection to Divine power? The Divine may be any Higher Power that resonates with you; all rivers lead to the ocean.
According to Dr. Caroline Myss, “to heal from the misdirection of one’s spirit, one has to be willing to act to release the past, cleanse one’s spirit, and return to the present moment” (78). Although the chakra system can help us navigate our healing journey, we must be active and willing to put in the work to be the very best possible versions of our highest Self.
Namaste
Ambrosini, Diane M. Instructing Hatha Yoga: A Guide for Teachers and Students. Second ed., Human Kinetics, 2016.
Ferretti, Andrea, and YJ Editors. “A Beginner’s Guide to the Chakras.” Yoga Journal, 26 July 2022, www.yogajournal.com/practice/yoga-sequences-level/beginners-guide-chakras/.
Jakubowicz, Rina. The Yoga Mind: 52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen Your Practice. Rockridge Press, 2018.
Myss, Caroline. Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing. Three Rivers Press, 1997.