Chapter 10

Chakra Awareness

Locating the Chakras

The following exercise is for locating the chakras in your spine.

Sit in a comfortable and relaxed meditation posture with your head, neck and spine aligned. If you are unable to sit with your legs crossed, then sit in an upright chair. It is important to keep your spine upright so that the energy can flow unimpeded to the higher brain centres.

First, become aware of your astral spine as a tube of light by placing your left hand at the base of your spine and your right hand at the base of your skull at the medulla oblongata. Close your eyes and calmly look into your Spiritual Eye. Inhale and feel your breath rising up from the base of your spine to the medulla oblongata. Exhale and feel the breath moving down through the astral spine. Practise 12 breaths.

Now place your left hand at the Spiritual Eye while keeping your right hand at the medulla oblongata. As you inhale, feel the breath flow through the psychic passage in the brain from the medulla oblongata (negative pole of ājñā chakra) to the Spiritual Eye (positive pole of ājñā chakra). Exhale and feel your breath and energy flow from your Spiritual Eye to the medulla.

In the second part of this exercise you will contract and relax certain parts of the physical body, and visualize each chakra as a lotus flower.

Mūlādhāra

Mūlādhāra is the direct switch for awakening ājñā chakra.

For men: Contract and relax the perineum muscles located midway between the anus and the scrotum.

For women: Contract the vaginal muscles inwards and upwards so that the walls of the upper vagina contract. Try to do this without contracting the anus or the front part of the perineum (clitoris and urinary opening).

During contraction visualize a lotus with its petals closed and pointing downwards. Then visualize this lotus turning through 180 degrees so that it is pointing upwards, opening its petals. Now mentally chant the mantra ‘oṁ ’ three times. Relax the contraction and direct the energy (the lotus rays of energy from the petals) up to the next chakra.

Svādhiṣṭhāna

The trigger point for svādhiṣṭhāna is at the region of the pubis, at the level of the pubic bone.

For men: Bring your awareness to the urethra (urinary passage) inside the penis and try to draw it upwards. Contract the urethra like when you control the urge to urinate, then relax. This is called vajroli mudrā.

For women: Contract the urethra in the same way as when trying to control the urge to urinate.

Repeat as above, visualizing the lotus and mentally chanting oṁ three times. Direct the energy up to the next chakra.

Maṇipūra

Maṇipūra is located directly behind the navel on the inner wall of the spine. The trigger point is situated at the navel. Contract and draw the navel sharply in towards the spine and hold it there; feel the pulse beat at this point.

Repeat the visualization and mental chanting as above and move the energy to the next chakra.

Anāhata

Anāhata is located in the spine on the inner wall, directly behind the centre of the chest, at the level of the depression in the sternum. This is the hridayakaśa (the space within the heart where purity resides). Contract and pull the shoulders back, and place one hand on the centre of the chest, and concentrate on the sensation in the heart space of this chakra.

Repeat the lotus visualization and mental chanting as above and direct the energy up to the next chakra.

Viśuddha

Viśuddha is located in the cervical plexus directly behind the throat pit. The trigger point is in the front of the neck, at the throat pit. Place three fingers of one hand on the throat pit and three fingers of the other hand on the spine directly behind. Gently press both points and feel the sensation at this chakra.

Repeat the visualization and mental chanting as before and move the energy to the next chakra.

Ājñā

Ājñā corresponds to the pineal gland and is located inside the brain directly behind the eyebrow centre, in the midline of the brain directly above the spine. Concentrate deeply at the point between the eyebrows by gently turning the eyes upwards to this point. Try to feel a subtle pulsation within this ājñā chakra region and synchronize the mantra oṁ (mentally) with the pulsation, so it becomes oṁ , oṁ , oṁ , oṁ , oṁ . . .

Mūlādhāra is the direct switch for awakening ājñā chakra, so by practising aśvinī mudrā (contraction and relaxation of the anal sphincter muscles) at a medium speed, you should be able to feel the ājñā chakra.

Sahasrāra

Sahasrāra is the supreme seat of higher expanded awareness situated at the crown of the head. It is correlated to the pituitary gland in the brain. The power of the chakras resides in sahasrāra.

Transcendence and Self-realization begins at the sixth centre, ājñā chakra, in savikalpa samādhi. But final enlightenment and final liberation are attained in nirvikalpa samādhi or transcendental Cosmic Consciousness, which occurs in sahasrāra, the seventh centre at the crown. So we meditate at the ājñā chakra until realization or enlightenment is attained. Then, when the gateway opens, and the currents of energy flow together up to sahasrāra, the thousand-rayed cerebral light, human consciousness is united and expanded with Cosmic Consciousness.