Knowing the Body and the Energies Within

Our bodies are fascinating things. Not only do they contain a vast array of organs, each with a highly specialized and complex job to do, but they also contain a delicate balance of energies which drive us to undertake everything from simple everyday tasks, to vital survival skills and all manner of things in between. We are constantly changing, growing and adapting in many different ways, and we need our physical bodies to be in good working order, just as we need our energies to flow comfortably throughout our form, uniting our bodies with our minds, and our wishes, desires and ambitions.

It is well understood how important it is to keep our bodies fit and healthy – ask any schoolchild what is required from them to live a healthy and happy life, and they will list a wide range of important habits and activities, which would probably include eating a healthy diet, undertaking some physical exercise, and getting a good night of sleep each night. There is no question that such things are massively important in maintaining our physical bodies, yet the western world is only relatively recently coming to terms with the subtler sides of good health and happiness, and in particular those aspects which involve energy and good spiritual and mental health.

The eastern world, on the other hand, have millennia of knowledge, practice and writing on the subject, with subcontinental Asia, and much of China having in depth knowledge of the body’s energy cycle as a fundamental and engrained part of their culture. As we move forward in the twenty first century, we are beginning to look once more to ancient wisdoms and ancient cultures for inspiration into how to solve our deep-rooted problems. Our lives are becoming ever more complex, ever more busy and stressful and detached from the reality of the world around us. As such, it should come as little surprise that people are once more looking east to uncover ancient wisdoms and techniques for solving their difficulties which hail from simpler times, and from cultures with a stronger connection with the spiritual and ethereal – something which has slipped through our fingers over centuries of industrialization and materialism. More and more people are turning to Hindu practices such as yoga in order to relieve their stress, or ancient Chinese medical arts for their health and relaxation, and are becoming more and more interested in not only the inner workings of their physical bodies, but also in the powerful energies which our bodies can produce and harness in order to make our lives simpler, happier, healthier and more successful.

The Effects of Energy

We all feel the effects of energy on our bodies, and all of us have experienced the wonderful feelings of inspiration, confidence and independence, as well as the effects of negative or blocked energies. These might include laziness, crises of identity, or frustration with our abilities to connect with others, either socially or emotionally. There is no doubt to any logically minded person that we are affected constantly by own our energies sources and supplies, just as we are effected by the positive and negative energy of others. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most important to keep in mind is that our bodies contain hundreds of energy centers, each pulsing the energy we need throughout our bodies, and transmitted it into us from our environment, and outwards from ourselves to those around us. Although there are indeed hundreds of these energy centers within our bodies, there are only seven key ones – our primary chakras, which run in a straight line from our crown to our tail-bone (connecting us with both the sky and the firmament beneath us, when sitting in a cross legged position) are our key to empowerment, good health and success. By determining which chakras are blocked, then balancing, opening, and maximizing the abilities of our seven chakras, we can ensure that we are energized in every positive way, and are capable of achieving our dreams and goals, whilst living in good physical and mental health.

What Are Chakras?

However, in order to balance our chakras, we must develop an understanding of what they are, and how the energy that flows and pulses through our bodies works. Essentially, ‘chakra’ translates as vortex, or wheel, and is a spinning cycle of energy which pumps that which we need throughout all of our body. Each chakra presides over a particular area of the physical body, and can positively or negatively affect both the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of that area. For example, the throat chakra – situated in the back of the neck – gives us the energy to speak with our true voice. It allows us to express our opinions, and formulate and express our personality through the things we say and the way we connect with those around us. Energy from the throat chakra can drive us to express ourselves artistically, or find our assertiveness at work or in our romantic and family lives. However, the throat chakra, when closed, can result in problems not only associated with communication and formulating our vocal opinions, but a wide range of physical ailments relating to this part of the body too. In all parts of the body, a blockage or leakage of energy from our chakras can manifest itself in a wide range of ailments or difficulties. When our energy supplies are drained or depleted, we begin to feel heavy, depressed, and lacking the willpower to function as normal, happy or healthy people. We can struggle to come to terms with our emotions, we can lose our footing on the path of our lives, or lose a sense of harmony in all aspects of our life. As such, it is vitally important to know how to balance your chakras, how to cleanse them, and keep them all whirling and open, happily spreading positive and motivational energy through our bodies. This form of holistic healing focuses on many different aspects of the physical and spiritual body, and has been practiced in the eastern world for many thousands of years. Even if you have very little prior knowledge of chakras and chakra healing, if you feel as though you are losing energy, or have a blockage or imbalance in your chakras, there are several simple and free techniques you can try in order to get your body back in harmony once again. To do so is to look after your entire body, and understand and respect that you are far more than simply the sum of your various parts.

Healing Imbalances and Leakages

It isn’t difficult to lose your energy. Our chakras are not necessarily responsible for containing our energy within our bodies – they simply produce and accentuate it, and spread it around the area they are located in. Leakages and imbalances of energy come about from a lack of awareness of how our bodies and the energy within them work, or a lack of faith in the abilities of the human body and mind. As we now spend so much time working, or thinking about work, or worrying about material possessions or gains, it comes as no surprise that we have developed a sense of distance from the truth about our bodies. More and more people have lost their link not only with the divine forces that exist within us, but also have lost the link between their minds, souls and physical forms. As such, energy is quickly and easily lost through the root chakra, the first of the seven chakras, and this leads to an imbalance in all of the chakras. Thankfully, this issue is not a particularly difficult or taxing one to amend and correct, and we all have the ability to simply and easily heal leakages and imbalances through simple meditation and visualization techniques.

Next time you feel drained, sluggish, weak or depleted of energy, spend a bit of time sitting cross legged on the floor (so your tail bone, where the root chakra is located, is in contact with the ground) and breathe deeply through your nose, exhaling through your mouth. Try to empty your mind of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and get into a thoroughly relaxed state. This may take some time if you are not practiced in meditation, but persevere, keep breathing and concentrating on nothing but your body. As you do so, imagine you can see the energy ‘leaking’ from your tail bone. Imagine you can see inside yourself, to where your first chakra resides, and imagine you can see it trying to turn, trying to open. Now, visualize that the breach in your body is closed and sealed, and concentrate on visualizing that escaping energy returning into your body. Breathe in deeply, and each time you inhale, pull the energy back into yourself, and concentrate on the sensation of energy and feeling returning to your body, and moving up inside you. Visualize your chakra, see it lighting up once more in a beautiful, burning red color, and see it beginning to turn. Continue to breathe, to relax, and to visualize for as long as you feel is necessary, and tell yourself how easy and pleasurable it is to keep your energy within you, and how easy and pleasurable it is to become energized and positive once more.

Find a Sense of Direction in Life

We can also tell when we have an imbalance in our chakras when we lose a sense of direction in our lives. People with balanced, open and working chakras have the confidence and willpower to make positive choices, to use their judgment to make the right decisions for themselves, and do not get weighed down with the problems or frustrations of others. Frustration with oneself or ones choices and place in life is a sure sign that the chakras are imbalanced, and can easily and quickly create a vicious cycle which is far from easy to escape from. The sense of frustration arises from one’s inability to solve one’s problems, and these problems begin to appear unsolvable as a result of the frustration felt. We can begin to feel lost, powerless, out of our depth. This can lead to more poor judgment, and most commonly, we can begin to look in all the wrong places for answers. This may manifest in many ways – some people with imbalanced chakras begin to act selfishly or arrogantly to cover their insecurities, others turn to overindulgence, slovenly behavior or addictive substances. We all respond differently to the sensation of being lost in this world, and whether you begin to partake in destructive behavior, or simply turn to other people for advice instead of relying on your innate sense of judgment and spiritual compass, these problems call out for solutions.

By concentrating on our crown chakras, the seventh and final of our energy centers, we can quickly begin to trust once more in our sense of direction and balance all of our body’s energies. We don’t only lose energy through our root, but also through our crown, and our seventh chakra is one of the most important to keep open and healthy, as it embraces energies from the world around us and from divine sources also. As such, our crown chakra will, if turning healthily, give us the energy to find our feet, reset our moral and spiritual compasses, and give us the power to make our way in the world and feel special, balanced, and imbued with the divine qualities we all have as our birthright. Again, the crown chakra can be opened and energized through the process of meditation, except this time, instead of relying on visualizations, you can use affirmations to heal and open it. As you slip into your state of deep relaxation, say to yourself over and over again, in a mantra fashion, affirmations such as ‘I am never alone’, ‘I am a spiritual being’ and ‘I have the power to make the best choices for myself’. You can adapt your own affirmations depending on your worries or problems, and by combining this with a light massage around your temples and the back of the head, you can quickly begin to heal this chakra and put your other energy centers in balance and harmony.

Identifying and Healing Problems

Of course, balancing the chakras is all about being aware of where you have an imbalance, and how best to solve that problem. It is highly unlikely that all of your chakras are suffering or struggling at once in an equal amount, rather that one or two are malfunctioning or not spinning as they should, thus knocking the others out of sync, or causing blockages which are having an adverse effect on your whole body. There are many ways of identifying which of your chakras is blocked – you can take a detailed online test, or examine your symptoms and problems and researching which chakra they associate with. Once you have done this, you can then go about healing it through meditation, or through mindful activities, or massage, aromatherapy, affirmations… the list is endless, and you’ll always be able to find something which is both enjoyable and simple for you to undertake and make a positive difference to your life.