At the core of our existence are our 7 chakras and maybe during 2020 and midst the Corona Crisis and the sudden lockdown we have experienced, the chakras have never had as much significance as now to our emotional wellbeing.
For some the crisis has brought questions of existential survival, family bonds or break-ups, shaping of other social relationships (the government called it "support bubble"), suddenly pleasurably things like going out to eat or listen to live music stopped, and social isolation has influenced our psyche on every level. Corvid 19 has literally uprooted some of us, and it will take time for us to catch up emotionally with this. It has changed for some of us our lives upside down.
At the core of our existence are our chakras and maybe during 2020 and midst the Corona Crisis and the sudden lockdown we have experienced, the chakras have never had as much significance to me than now.
For some the crisis has brought questions of existential survival, family bonds or break-ups, shaping of other social relationships (the government called it "support bubble"), suddenly pleasurably things like going out to eat or listen to live music stopped, and social isolation has influenced our psyche on every level. Corvid 19 has literally uprooted us, and it will take time for us to catch up emotionally with this.
I would like to hear back from you. How has it affected you? Can you resonate with some of this? I am happy to outline some brief paragraphs of each of the seven major chakras and how I feel they have been shaking up in the last 6 months. A chakra is something like an energetic windmill. With the right wind and things going smoothly, higher spiritual pursuits are open to us, but if we experience not enough or too much wind, our energetic well-being will be affected. Each of those chakras also affects our nervous and endocrine system. Can we be surprised then that many of us have gone through “ups” and “downs”?
So, if you have felt fearful, emotional, unbalanced, weak, angry, sad in the last few months, do not be too surprised and give yourself some breathing space, but also allow overall love and compassion and self-care in your life! If you were lucky and felt OK, maybe your financial stability did not get shaken, then be grateful and maybe share a bit of your joy and luck with others not so fortunate right now. So, here we go.
1) The first chakra is called mooladhara and translates as the root chakra, it is at the core of our existential being and feeling safe is one of the most important factors for this chakra. When Corvid 19 started to be discussed non-stop in the media, people started to feel fearful, and a lot of pleasurable things were taken away from us, and we were told that it was unsafe to touch or kiss our fellow humans. Social distancing became the new norm, and some people were afraid to come to close to each other. When this chakra is imbalanced, fear is one of the possible outcomes, but so is greed, and hoarding that can manifest. Some of you may remember the shortage of toilet paper in our supermarkets.
Funnily enough, whereas it was toilet paper here, Italians ran out of pasta. Other essential items, such as flour, etc., were also in shortage and it took time to re-establish itself. Another symptom of an unbalanced root chakra is eating habits, and people may gain weight by eating more than normal. The next news was that Boris Johnson was to unveil £10m in an ad campaign to cut obesity in England when experts were warning that it is “the single most important modifiable risk factor” in fighting Covid-19.
Many people have lost jobs, regular income and most importantly, this uncertainty about the future has manifested in further imbalances in our whole holistic well-being. For myself, I suddenly felt stuck here on this island, and the thought, not knowing when I can see my family and friends on the continent drove me to extreme sadness at certain times. On the other hand, I received and sent more messages than ever to my family and friends.
Yes, some of us have lost our grounding. Therefore, it is so important to go for walks and connect with nature again. Mooladhara is very much related to our legs and feet. No surprise then that this chakra’s keyword is “stability” and its biggest obstacle “fear”. At its worst, we experience a survival crisis, and many people will need some support getting back onto their feet. A little mantra that may help in your next mediation is: “I am grounded, or I am.”
2) The second chakra is called svadisthana is one of my favourite chakras, and I love its translation as “to dwell in our abode or our favourite resting place”. We certainly were confined to our homes. When we feel stable, we can enjoy the pleasures of life, and that is what this chakra is all about. However, suddenly we were not supposed to meet other people; there was no more live music, restaurants closed! For many, this meant to be 24 hours with their kids and their partners, and apparently, rent has temporarily gone up because of so many couples splitting up in recent months. Nevertheless, for those who have managed to go through this together, they may have realized that they need changes, or some have even started repairing and fixing their homes. I guess the UK has never seen so many sparkling homes, and clean windows (Prince Consort Albert would be proud) and I remember people posting on social media that they were cleaning their kitchens cupboards etc. This chakra is a feminine one, and water is the element associated with this chakra. For myself, the sea has become my abode, and I have never so much appreciated the sea and surely are grateful to live so close to the sea.
The keyword for this chakra is “creativity” and its biggest obstacle “sorrow”. Letting things flow and taking life day by day can help right now as nobody can predict the future. You can use the affirmative statement “I am flowing, I feel” in your yoga practice or mediation.
3) The third chakra is right at our centre. It is the fire in our belly. It is our lustrous gem and is also called “jewel in the city”, alias, maipura chakra. All our experiences are digested right here, and you have the choice to either let this guide or lead this experience into more “confidence” or on the contrary into “depression”. It is our enteric nervous system. This system is said to have a brain on its own and can influence how you feel. Watch a good comedy, laugh about things (a good belly laugh), do not take everything too seriously, keep moving to allow your digestive system to be working and maybe use the affirmative quote “I can do it!”. Do not give up, this is all temporary, and if you have lost a job, you will get a new job again. Some people with an imbalance in this chakra tend to get angry, focus too much on status recognition and tend to be overpowering rather than empowering.
4) We come to the bridge between the more mundane to the more spiritual realms of our being. This chakra is anahata and is our heart chakra. When our first three chakras are balanced, we can enter higher spiritual pursuits. The element is air, and it is here where we can find the truest expression of love and compassion for others and ourselves. Nevermore than now, do we need love and compassion! People are fleeing their countries because of wars and unstable conditions. The fear we experienced when the crisis started, some of these people have had to endure already for many years. The beautiful part of this chakra is that it is “unstuck” meaning, nothing and nobody can take this deep love from you. We become sad when we are deprived of love. I often let people touch this part of our body symbolically and feel the energy there.
May by you have felt in the last few months a lack of enthusiasm for life and joy? If you are like me and overanalyse everything, you can easily lose this connection with your heart centre. It has never been as much important as now to love and care for ourselves in the sense that we nourish ourselves. If you don’t do it, you will feel empty. Some may have had the lucky coincidence that they were put on furlough, and this allowed them to slow down, but many others have been uprooted, and it takes time to find your roots again.
Often those who were so lucky, relate their experience of the past few months as positive, and they say that they enjoyed that they could slow down. They did not have to rush to work, take trains, buses etc. A good affirmative statement to incorporate into your yoga practice or mediation is: “I am loving, I love”.
5) Coming to the fifth chakra, our throat chakra, we realize that all our experiences which were first digested in manipura are now manifesting here. The way we speak and communicate. So many people seem to have neck problems. While certainly, a culture of sitting in front of a computer is not helping, on a more esoterically level, it is said that all our life experience manifests here! It is the most important relationship that exists, that is, the relationship with yourself. A big obstacle is “cynicism”, and if you can avoid too much of this, you may be able to find your inner truth. Writing a journal, sing, and the ability to listen to others around you is a sign that this chakra is on its way to balance. An affirmative statement is “I feel heard. I can speak and express myself”.
6) The sixth chakra is the third eye, ajna chakra. This is the command centre, but if the lower chakras are not balanced, it does not work very well. However, if you manage to find stability or realize that you can be stable without stability, you flow in life, you digest your experiences. You can love and communicate; you will find the vision for your life. Mediation can help. A mantra to repeat “I am envisioning, I see”.
7) The final one is sahasrara, and it is when you can clearly see and know who you are. You feel connected with your fellow humans and nature, and because you feel so connected, you cannot possibly harm anything. It seems a utopia but let us strive towards it. Affirmative statement: “I am, I know”.
I hope you enjoyed reading a brief synopsis of the seven main chakras and how it affects our emotional well being and how I feel they have shaped our lives in the last 6 months. You will learn things like this and more in our beautifully designed Sundara Yoga Teacher Training. Sundara Yoga Teacher Training is for people who are eager to learn more about Yoga and invites people from all backgrounds. Get in touch with me if you want to find out more.
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