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Chakra

There are seven main energy centers along the spinal cord; these are called chakras. Each chakra, when activated, releases a unique type of energy. Furthermore, a parti­cular type of consciousness is associated with each chakra. Thus, in working with the chak­ras we are dealing with energy and with con­sciousness. The higher we go up the chakra system, the more refined the energy input we encounter and the higher the level of con­sciousness to which we attune.

The yogis say that the controlling mech­anism behind the nervous and endocrine sys­tems of the physical body is the chakra system. The main vortices of the chakras lie deep within an energy channel called su­shumna, which is the subtle body’s equiva­lent to the spinal cord. As along the spinal column there are nerve centers called plex­uses out of which the nerves of the body ema­nate, so along the sushumna there are energy centers called chakras out of which the subtle nerves of the body emanate.

Sushumna is the central channel through which a very potent type of energy moves. This energy is composed of measur­able energy such as electromagnetism and light photons, and also of a type of unmeasur­able energy called prana. According to the yoga masters, prana is the vital, essential en­ergy of the universe, It has been found by the yogis that the spinal chakras are the main centers in which the vital energy accumu­lates within the human body. The seven main chakras are muladhara, swadishthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha, ajna, and sahasrara.

The positions of the chakras correspond to points along the spinal column. Mu/adhara, the first chakra, is located at the very base of the spine. Swadishthana, the second chakra, is located a little higher up in the region of the sacrum. Manipura, the third chakra, resides at the navel center. Anahata, the fourth chakra, can be found at the level of the heart. Vishuddha, the fifth chakra, is located at the top of the throat. Ajna, the sixth center, is just slightly above the space between the two eye­brows. Sahasrara, the seventh chakra, is situ­ated at the crown of the head.

A close comparison can be made be­tween the endocrine glands and the chakras. In this comparative scheme, the sex glands are related to the bottom two chakras, the adrenal glands correspond to the third chakra, the thymus gland corresponds to the fourth chakra, the thyroid and the para­thyroid glands correspond to the fifth chakra, the pineal gland corresponds to the sixth chakra, and the pituitary gland, which is the master gland of the endocrine system, corre­sponds to the seventh chakra, which is the crown chakra of the chakra system.

It must be pointed out that the chakras are located along the ethereal counterpart of the spinal cord and cannot be seen through normal vision. Stilling the body and refocusing one’s attention to the internal body processes of breath, heartbeat, and the flow of electro­magnetic energy will help to bring the mind to a state of rest, so that the prana may begin to move up sushumna, awakening the higher chakras.

Let us now proceed to a consideration of the chakra centers as they relate to levels of consciousness. To quote Ram Dass:

 If you start from the viewpoint that the whole universe is pure energy and then look into the human body, down through the chakras, you can see that energy focused in different parts of the psychic body defines different realities, that each chakra has its own reality and that reality becomes quite solid. As energy goes out from that chakra, it reinforces the reality of that plane.

 New-age meditation in its higher stages allows one to view the physical universe from a new vantage point. Our duty is then to re­turn to the body—mind—personality complex and act upon the vision received in the meditative state. In the higher stages of medi­tation, life can be seen as unified and perfect, but the problem is that for most people on the earth-plane, life appears to be quite disorga­nized and imperfect. Trying to act in a very conscious way while out and about in every­day world can be a very disheartening experi­ence. It is helpful to earmark the possible levels of consciousness in which we may find ourselves during the course of a day. Each of us passes in and out of innumera­ble levels of consciousness throughout our waking hours; however, each person has a particular chakra center in which he or she most often resides. Most people spend the greatest majority of their lives in­volved in the type of consciousness asso­ciated with the first, second, or third chakras.

  Muladhara, the First Chakra: At the base chakra one’s thoughts are con­cerned with physical survival. Here one thinks about food, shelter, and the need for self-preservation. Individual separateness from the rest of the world is emphasized at this level. The advantage to being here is that everything is definite, solid, and concrete...

Viewing things from the first chakra level, each person is an individual who must look out for himself. Here the notion of sur­vival of the fittest applies. The way to work through this level of reality is to actually achieve success on the material plane. It is not possible to devote one’s life to spiritual mat­ters until food, clothing, shelter, and transpor­tation matters have been taken care of. The advice of Pir Vilayat lnayat Khan is to achieve some degree of material satisfaction first, as only then will you really be free to work on your evolvement as a spiritual being. What is more, achievement on the physical plane will give you greater power to work on the higher planes. 

Swadishthana, the Second Chakra: Sensory gratification is dealt with at the sec­ond chakra. The principle that if a little is good, then a lot more is better, is the trap of this chakra. Indulgence in food, drink, drugs, sex, parties, gambling, and other stimulating activities earmark the person who resides at the second chakra. The problem here is that one desire leads to another, and there seem­ingly is no end. This is the level of conscious­ness that catches many people the greater part of their lives. Only if one’s higher nature overcomes the lower-nature desire system can the spiral of indulgence be broken.

If we can mindfully work through temptations, we can gain a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. We are constantly put to the test, and if we pass the test, we become initiated into a higher order, into a deeper level of life. More understanding is attained by going through the test than if we were not tested. There is a net gain as we work through each test, because we become the master of those planes we overcome. We can then help those who are stuck on the lower planes.

During moments of clarity we begin to realize that much of our suffering is the result of our lower-nature indulgences. We must pass through second chakra level of con­sciousness if we hope to attain peace of mind. To begin with, we can look logically at the impossiblility of fulfilling the countless desires of the senses. Hierarchically, the rational mind is one step above the senses and can overrule certain of the impulses. The only way to truly rise above the sensory-gratification level is to finally say no to many of the pulls of the senses. The practice of Hatha Yoga and meditation helps to give us this power to say no. It is easy to let go of earthly wine when we begin to taste divine wine. We are enabled to overrule the craving for constant material-plane enjoyment when the ecstasy of the higher planes begins to be felt. The cosmic dimension of our being becomes the true overseer as we find freedom from the tyranny of the senses. 

Manipura, the Third Chakra: The person whose energy is centered in the third chakra is a person involved in power and control struggles. Attempting to gain control over other people seems to be the ot)ly effec­tive way to gain power in the physical world, yet the attempt, if unsuccessful, leaves one vulnerable to feelings of inferiority and inade­quacy. On the other hand, the problem with actually gaining influence and power is that the more one has, the more one wants. The person snared by the third chakra level can never acquire quite enough power. Here we see the business executive who forsakes friendship for advancement. Here political backbiting takes place. Here are the major tyrants and the petty tyrants. There is a great loneliness behind the power-centered ego. Until this level of aware­ness is transcended, one is destined to suffer. The ego-minded person will invariably try to build an empire of some sort; but there is no peace to be gained here, because as soon as the power structure shows signs of success, its builder begins to fear that it will somehow tumble. Eventually, of course, not only the empire but the person must succumb to death.

According to yoga theory, the root of our problems is false identification with the ego. The ego depends upon other egos for recognition and yet, by nature, must fight these other egos in its struggle for power. This dependence on the one hand and antagonism on the other causes grief and suffering. The higher levels of reality, where unity and peace pervade, simply cannot be perceived by the individual ego. One must become detached from the ego-self to reach the cosmic perspective.

It is also true that we must maintain an ego in order to function in the everyday world, as the development of ego is the pro­tective force that allows us to deal with large numbers of people and to accomplish great tasks. The ideal situation would be to let the degree of the ego needed be determined on a moment-to-moment basis by a power that is higher than our own. There are two main ways to deal with someone who is forcing an ego confrontation. One is to fight this person with the strongest ego that can possibly be mustered. The other is to detach oneself from involvement with that person. A highly evolved being will gen­erally refuse to fight another being on the bat­tleground of ego versus ego. The whole thrust of a spiritual person’s life is toward union rather than separation.

That we should move into the unity of life is a glorious concept, but when we really get down to the heart of the matter it is the thoughts of the mind that hold us back. All day long the mind runs off thoughts that have little to do with unity, and we simply cannot disregard these thoughts. We must shed some light on what the responsibility of the mind actually is. Certainly, in order to function efficiently in the everyday world, we need to rely on the rational thought process. The rational mind may actually be our greatest physical-plane asset. With it we can meet the needs of the first chakra level, overcome the mindless de­sires besetting us on the second chakra level, and achieve some degree of success in the world such that we gain respect from those around us. We must go beyond the rational thought process, however, if peace of mind is to be found.

There is an intuitive aspect of our being that senses the truth without having to ana­lyze all the pros and cons. There exists a col­lective consciousness of mankind, a universal flow of ideas, which is a wellspring for discov­ery and creativity. Meditation enables us to tap into this vast reservoir. We will not find true peace until we lose our sense of separate­ness and go beyond the third chakra level of awareness. We have found that ego gratification and rational mind processes are dealt with at the level of third chakra consciousness. Emo­tions also fall within the sphere of the third chakra consciousness.

Yoga method of dealing with emotions is very specific and extremely effective both in daily living and in meditation. The key is slow, deep, rhythmic breathing. Whenever we find ourselves out of balance emotionally, it is time to focus all attention on the breath. I cannot emphasize it enough—the internal work of slow, deep, rhythmic breathing is the way to achieve a state of serenity. Try this the next time you are emotion­ally upset: (1) inhale for a set number of counts—say, three, (2) hold for brief moment, and (3) exhale to a count of three. A few of these breaths will quickly calm you down. Both the inhale and the exhale should be smooth and steady from beginning to end.

While in the meditative state, if you want to view life from atop the mountain rather than getting stuck down in the valley, treat emotions as just a passing show. They are merely temporary clouds passing through the clear sky of the serenity of our being. As the wind clears the clouds from the mountain, so deep, rhythmic breathing will clear the emotions from one’s being. During meditation it is advisable not to wrestle with one’s emotional nature, as any particular emotion could gain power during the struggle. Envy, self-pity, guilt, anger, frus­tration, and fear are the main emotions that we must watch over carefully. Rather than trying to destroy them, merely be mindful of their appearance and disappearance. They will lose their power in time if we just watch them.

Handling emotions that come up while we are involved in our individuated personal­ity structure requires a slightly different ap­proach from when handling emotions that occur while we are in a meditative state. Pur­posefully detaching from our emotions in meditation leads to sublimation, but while we are out and about in the everyday world there is a danger of repression if we deny our emotions their logical due outlet. When we are in the world of action, we should enjoy our positive emotions but not get carried away by them. Riding the waves of emotion can result in a high experience, but what goes up must eventually come down. As for the negative emotions, they must be liber­ated in a healthy way. Physically active forms of liberation include Hatha Yoga, dance, ath­letics, Tai Chai, and creative dramatics. Emo­tions can also be freed vicariously by viewing drama, reading literature, and listening to mu­sic; or they can be freed directly through one’s own artistic endeavors.

When we are attuned to the third chakra we identify with our ego, rational mind, personal emotions, and personality structure. The problems associated here form an endless stream. The yogis teach that we cannot pull ourselves out of the fog through our limited ego—mind—personality structure. To find our freedom we must lose ourself into the collective whole. Then we can come back into the manifested world as an expression of the totality. To go beyond the prison of our ego-personality structure we must move into the higher chakra centers.

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