During this time of social distancing and lockdowns, it is as important as ever to keep our chakras open and our energy flowing. Blocked or closed chakras can impede the flow of energy through our bodies, which can in turn affect our mental, emotional, and spiritual well being, not to mention our physical health.
In the spirit of keeping your energy flowing, I offer a practice to help you process challenging events and situations by walking them through the seven primary chakras.
Root (1st) chakra
What happened? Name the event. Let's take the pandemic. Or, if you wish, narrow it down to a more specific event caused by recent developments -- loss of job/income, limited interactions with people, restrictions on movement or freedoms, or a challenge in a relationship with a child or spouse.
Navel (2nd) chakra
How do you feel about what happened? Go with those gut feelings; they are called that for a reason. Are you angry? frustrated? sad? lonely? anxious? depressed? Feeling fear? despair? guilt? uncertainty? shame? resentment? What were the first feelings that came up? Name and acknowledge them.
Solar Plexus (3rd) chakra
This is the seat of your mental body. What do you think about the event, about what's going on? What judgments are you making? What is that mental chatter in your head going on about? The thoughts that keep you up at night or distract you from your work during the day? We're talking reactions and rationalizations, not considered, measured responses. (If you need an example, look no further than your favorite social media feed.) Listen carefully to the messages you are sending yourself and others.
Heart (4th) chakra
This is where the shift begins to happen. This is where our 2nd chakra feelings and 3rd chakra judgments can be transformed to (or by) the so-called higher emotions -- compassion, forgiveness, love, empathy, hope, acceptance, joy, and others. Choose the higher emotion that is needed to respond appropriately to the event you are processing. If not, you may find yourself mired in the swamp of 2nd chakra feelings and 3rd chakra thoughts. Suppressed, ignored, or left to fester for too long, these can block the energy flow and affect tissue on a cellular level. Find a higher emotion and ground in it daily. Having crossed the bridge at the heart chakra, we move from the lower to the upper chakras.
Throat (5th) chakra
This is where you give voice to your experience or respond to the situation in some way. It might look like having a conversation with someone, writing a letter (which you may choose to send or not), or expressing your thoughts and feelings in a journal. This is also where you let go of what you think you SHOULD be doing and take appropriate responsibility for what you CAN do. For example, continue to do your job, taking the necessary precautions; or stay home, so as not to put others in danger. How can you be part of the solution?
Third Eye (6th) chakra
Take time for reflection, meditation, introspection. Or if you happen to be an extroverted processor, talk it over with a trusted friend or family member, looking for insight. Is there a lesson here for you? How can you make meaning at a time when nothing seems to make sense? How can you use this event/situation as inspiration? As a call to action or change?
Crown (7th) chakra
This is where faith resides, so closing or blocking this chakra can leave you feeling hopeless or disconnected. To keep the energy flowing, connect with whatever source of the Divine is true for you. Call upon your spirit guides, power animals, helpers and healers, angels, and archangels. They are always with you, but cannot act until you request their aid.
This process, which I learned from my Chakra Balancing teacher and mentor Arlyn Kline can be used any time to deal with big and little events alike. But it may come in especially handy now, as we all look for the best way to navigate this new, unfamiliar, and often surreal landscape. If there is one thing I have learned from decades of energy work and practicing mindfulness, it is that from the biggest breakdowns, come the biggest breakthroughs. My greatest hope is that we come away from this experience transformed -- or at least having learned something about ourselves.
[Note: Even as I composed this post, Governor Hogan announced the Stay-at-Home order for my home state of Maryland. This entry may be more needed than ever as we all absorb that news.]
In the spirit of keeping your energy flowing, I offer a practice to help you process challenging events and situations by walking them through the seven primary chakras.
Root (1st) chakra
What happened? Name the event. Let's take the pandemic. Or, if you wish, narrow it down to a more specific event caused by recent developments -- loss of job/income, limited interactions with people, restrictions on movement or freedoms, or a challenge in a relationship with a child or spouse.
Navel (2nd) chakra
How do you feel about what happened? Go with those gut feelings; they are called that for a reason. Are you angry? frustrated? sad? lonely? anxious? depressed? Feeling fear? despair? guilt? uncertainty? shame? resentment? What were the first feelings that came up? Name and acknowledge them.
Solar Plexus (3rd) chakra
This is the seat of your mental body. What do you think about the event, about what's going on? What judgments are you making? What is that mental chatter in your head going on about? The thoughts that keep you up at night or distract you from your work during the day? We're talking reactions and rationalizations, not considered, measured responses. (If you need an example, look no further than your favorite social media feed.) Listen carefully to the messages you are sending yourself and others.
Heart (4th) chakra
This is where the shift begins to happen. This is where our 2nd chakra feelings and 3rd chakra judgments can be transformed to (or by) the so-called higher emotions -- compassion, forgiveness, love, empathy, hope, acceptance, joy, and others. Choose the higher emotion that is needed to respond appropriately to the event you are processing. If not, you may find yourself mired in the swamp of 2nd chakra feelings and 3rd chakra thoughts. Suppressed, ignored, or left to fester for too long, these can block the energy flow and affect tissue on a cellular level. Find a higher emotion and ground in it daily. Having crossed the bridge at the heart chakra, we move from the lower to the upper chakras.
Throat (5th) chakra
This is where you give voice to your experience or respond to the situation in some way. It might look like having a conversation with someone, writing a letter (which you may choose to send or not), or expressing your thoughts and feelings in a journal. This is also where you let go of what you think you SHOULD be doing and take appropriate responsibility for what you CAN do. For example, continue to do your job, taking the necessary precautions; or stay home, so as not to put others in danger. How can you be part of the solution?
Third Eye (6th) chakra
Take time for reflection, meditation, introspection. Or if you happen to be an extroverted processor, talk it over with a trusted friend or family member, looking for insight. Is there a lesson here for you? How can you make meaning at a time when nothing seems to make sense? How can you use this event/situation as inspiration? As a call to action or change?
Crown (7th) chakra
This is where faith resides, so closing or blocking this chakra can leave you feeling hopeless or disconnected. To keep the energy flowing, connect with whatever source of the Divine is true for you. Call upon your spirit guides, power animals, helpers and healers, angels, and archangels. They are always with you, but cannot act until you request their aid.
This process, which I learned from my Chakra Balancing teacher and mentor Arlyn Kline can be used any time to deal with big and little events alike. But it may come in especially handy now, as we all look for the best way to navigate this new, unfamiliar, and often surreal landscape. If there is one thing I have learned from decades of energy work and practicing mindfulness, it is that from the biggest breakdowns, come the biggest breakthroughs. My greatest hope is that we come away from this experience transformed -- or at least having learned something about ourselves.
[Note: Even as I composed this post, Governor Hogan announced the Stay-at-Home order for my home state of Maryland. This entry may be more needed than ever as we all absorb that news.]
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