The astral body has seven “energy centers,” or chakras as they are called in Sanskrit, that govern various aspects of our mental and emotional states. These vortices of energy are located along our “astral” spine, which is the energy counterpart to our physical spine and brain…
Two of these chakras are particularly important… the anahata (heart) chakra, or dorsal center, located in the area of the physical heart, and the ajna chakra, or Spiritual Eye, located at the point between the eyebrows. When in meditation, as we concentrate at the Spiritual Eye, we’re focusing our consciousness on the frontal lobes of the brain where the superconscious mind is located….
Here is an exercise to help you become more aware of- and experience these two chakras
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Sit up with a straight spine, close your eyes and lift your inner gaze gently upward.
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Inhale to a count of 12, hold the breath for 12 counts, and exhale to a count of twelve. Do this for six to twelve rounds. Then throw the breath out and sit quietly for a few moments.
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Now focus your attention on the anahata (heart) chakra, located in the area behind the physical heart. Draw your shoulder blades together several times by tensing and relaxing the area of the back behind the heart. Visualize a great sphere of light expanding outward from the area of your heart. Feel this sphere encompassing everything around you – your house, neighborhood, country, the world, and all of space. Try to feel that everyone and everything is bathed in this light. Sit quietly and keeping your body relaxed, try to feel an actual sensation of warmth or energy in the anahata chakra.
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Now bring your attention to the ajna chakra, or the point between the eyebrows. Knit your brows together several times to stimulate the energy here. Concentrate on projecting a beam of light from this point, like the light coming from the projection booth in a movie theatre. Feel this beam moving outward through space with great power, driving away all shadows of pain and sorrow. Use your will power to send this light further and further into space.
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Now relax and feel a radiant center of light and energy at the point between the eyebrows.
(Excerpted from Intuition for Starters, by Swami Kriyananda)
Join us for the upcoming retreat Yoga, Meditation & The Chakras – Sept 14-17, 2023. In this experiential exploration of the chakras, we will learn what each chakra offers us and how we can work with them to uplift and change ourselves.
