THE SUBTLE BODY:
Mindfully Connecting with the Chakras
Mind, body, and spirit are different forms of energy. The mind is energy in wave form and the body is energy in particle form. Think of a radio. The body of the radio is made up of solid particles and the information that plays on the radio arrives in wave form. Spirit is even subtler energy and that is why we are often not aware of it at all, while everyone is aware of mind and body. The subtle or energy body, composed of prana, animates and connects all three of these forms—mind, body, and spirit. It also connects us to other people and all of nature. As you will see, the subtle body is not just a new age interest that is fun to read about—it is the fiber of our being, providing the energy that animates us and the subtle programming that makes us human. Desire, confidence, empathy, ego, intuition, sadness, and fear are just a few of the myriad states of mind formed in the subtle body. If we want to know what makes us think and feel the way we do, we need to become intimate with the subtle body. Then we can cleanse it of unwholesome thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors.
This chapter provides a basic anatomy of this subtle body and lays the foundation for your Traya work.
More than 2,500 years ago, the ancient Indians, with only their own minds and bodies as research tools, discovered an invisible and subtle body composed of the life energy we call prana existing within the physical body. The Taoists in China also made this discovery perhaps even earlier and called this energy chi.
One body is material and easily detectable with the physical senses and the other is composed of prana and invisible. Just as classical physics and quantum physics differ because they each apply to a different form of reality—one macroscopic and one subatomic—the same is true of the gross physical body and the laws that govern its functioning and the finer more subtle laws that govern the subtle body.
Even if the ancients did have MRIs, they wouldn’t have been able to see this invisible subtle body and yet they discovered 72,000 nadis, subtle channels through which this life energy flows. Later, tantric masters, circa fifth century CE, described subtle energy organs located at major points or plexuses along the spinal axis in the subtle body that both store and move prana. They called them chakras, a term that means “wheel” in Sanskrit, as they were thought to spin in a circular motion. Tantric writings reveal a primarily spiritual focus associated with the chakras. Breathing and other techniques designed to stimulate the higher chakras and attain spiritual benefits were used. Knowledge of these chakras and related spiritual practices spread and, over time, various adaptations and modifications appeared. For example, the Vajrayana Buddhist tantra of Tibet was influenced by early tantra.
Primary and Secondary Chakras
There is no authoritative chakra system. Many teachers and sects attribute different qualities and functions to the chakras. They often also differ on how many chakras there are and where they are located in the body. The Indian chakra system includes seven primary chakras aligned along the spine and minor chakras in the limbs and this is the most widespread system. However, my clients have often located issues at points along the spine in addition to the Indian primary chakra locations. As we explored these areas using the techniques described in this book, we found the exact locations of the primary chakras. For example, the heart chakra often depicted between the pectorals over the lower sternum is actually located in the center of the chest. When we found a smaller chakra with a different function than the heart chakra at the sternum, this led to the discovery of an entire secondary chakra subsystem and, after extensive exploration, their functions. Some other systems include chakras other than the seven primary chakras in various locations throughout the body, but none of those systems assign the specific functions to them that we discovered, especially the fact that the functions are related to the nearby primary chakras.
These secondary chakras are located between each of the seven primary chakras and contain aspects related to the neighboring primary chakras located above and below. For example, manipura, a primary chakra located at the solar plexus, has the I-consciousness as its function. The heart chakra (anahata), located in the center of the chest, has connection to others its function—as we saw in Carolyn’s cooking lesson. In between these two chakras at the lower sternum lies vajrahridaya (meaning “diamond heart”) and has self-esteem as its only function. The self-consciousness of the solar plexus chakra is thus bridged with the need for connection at the heart chakra. What creates self-esteem is feeling acknowledged and important to others and thus connected.
The secondary chakras are smaller than the primary chakras and have only one function while the primary chakras have additional attributes. Think of a string of beads strung along our spine from the tops of our heads to the base of our spine. This string has seven large beads interspersed with smaller ones—the large beads are the seven primary chakras and the smaller ones are the seven secondary chakras. Small but potent, the secondary chakras provide a smooth transition between the primary chakra levels of consciousness. For consistency, I have given these secondary chakras Sanskrit names based on their functions in the following list, but throughout this book I refer to them by their function in order to more clearly distinguish them from the primary chakras which are referred to by name or location. Note that between the pelvic chakra (svadhisthana) and the solar plexus chakra there lie two secondary chakras instead of just one. Perhaps because this is the farthest distance between any two chakras in the body.
There are also smaller tertiary chakras located off of the spinal axis in the extremities. These serve as conduits of energy in and out of the heart chakra in the center of the chest down the arms and out of the hands and in and out of the root chakra (muladhara) to the soles of the feet. Note that all the chakras open in both the front and the back of the body.
Primary (large beads)
7. Crown chakra (sahasrara), top of head, white violet
6. Third eye chakra (ajna), between eyebrow, indigo
5. Throat chakra (vishuddha), center of neck, sky blue
4. Heart chakra (anahata), center of chest, green
3. Solar plexus chakra (manipura), diaphragm, yellow
2. Pelvic chakra (svadhisthana), one inch below navel, orange
1. Root chakra (muladhara), pubic bone, red
Secondary (small beads)
6.5. Insight chakra (satyamanas), center of forehead, violet
5.5. True speech chakra (satyavadya), top of neck, dark blue
4.5. Asking chakra (satyahridaya), top of chest, right below clavicle,
blue-green
3.5. Self-esteem chakra (vajrahridaya), sternum, yellow-green
2.75. Release chakra (mukta), halfway between abhaya and manipura, yellow-orange
2.5. Fearless chakra (abhaya), ½ inch above navel, orange-yellow
1.5. Imagination chakra (atiloka), between svadhisthana and muladhara, red-orange
Tertiary
Palms of Hands
Elbow Crook
Back of Knee
Soles of Feet
Yukta Triveni (Major Nadis)
There are three central nadis, or channels, that transport prana in the subtle body: sushumna is the central nadi that runs along the spine from the base of the spine in the root chakra up to the crown chakra (sahasrara) on top of the head. Two other important nadis—ida (the sun) and pingala (the moon), spiral around sushumna from the root chakra up to the third eye chakra (ajna) and between the eyes, where they then reverse direction and proceed out of the nostrils.
Note that the root chakra is the source of the Yukta Triveni, or the three central nadis of prana (sushumna, ida, and pingala), in the human body. It is also the dwelling place of kundalini shakti, or subtle spiritual energy (also called “spiritual prana”), that when awakened rises up the sushumna channel to the crown chakra.
Life-Force Energy and the Human Organism
We can see that the subtle body connects into the universal prana through the crown chakra and to earth energy through the root chakra. While all of the chakras take in and give out prana, these are the main places that we “plug in.”
Prana animates us. When you go to sleep at night, the body and mind are reinvigorated by the intake of prana in the sleep state. In yoga philosophy, prana has different forms and operates in specific ways in the body/mind:
• Prana (personal subtype of universal prana): governs intake, brings in fuel
• Samana: governs digestion of food, air, and experiences (whether sensory, emotional, or mental), converts fuel to energy
• Vyana: governs circulation of nutrients
• Apana: releases waste materials, eliminates toxins
• Udana: governs circulation of positive energy created in above process
Our interactions with people and the environment are processed or “digested” in the subtle body by means of the samana prana—the prana of digestion. If an experience is positive, it will resonate with the positive nature of the chakras and be fully digested and the associated experience prana will flow freely through the system and become dormant. Experiences contrary to the function of a chakra are not fully digested, and energy toxins form as negative samskaras and remain active. Negative samskaras disrupt the flow of prana and produce tendencies counter to the function of the chakra.
The Traya technique you will learn in Chapter 3 increases prana and enhances its flow—both within us and in our interactions with our environment. When the positive aspects of the chakras are active in our lives, not only do we feel better but positive energy plays out in our lives and things always seem to work out.
The Functions and Attributes of the Chakras
The following are lists of the primary, secondary, and tertiary chakras and their functions and attributes. This list defines the Sanskrit name, the chakra location, corresponding natural element, functions, attributes, the pain body impact, the bija (seed sound), and color.
Primary Chakras
7th chakra—Sahasrara
• Location: top of head (crown)
• English meaning: thousand-petaled
• Element: no earthly element as it is beyond material world
• Function: autonomy
• Attributes: connection to universe, liberation from false beliefs, freedom, truth filter, vision, elevation, manifestation, wisdom, spiritual maturity, understanding, ebullience, bliss, power, influence
• Pain body impact: includes being controlled by outside influences, limited by false beliefs, cannot manifest vision, lacks spiritual understanding
• Seed sound: om
• Color: violet
6th chakra—Ajna
• Location: between the eyebrows
• English meaning: command
• Element: no earthly element as it is beyond material world
• Function: clear perception
• Attributes: clarity, wisdom, intuition, insight, foresight, timing, vision, lucidity, acceptance, truth, wide perspective, resolve, piercing illusions, discernment, detachment, objectivity
• Pain body impact: includes denial, lack of perspective, discounting intuition, cannot see or accept truth
• Seed sound: hum
• Color: indigo
5th chakra—Vishuddha
• Location: throat at center of neck
• English meaning: pure
• Element: ether
• Function: self-expression
• Attributes: communication, identity, organization, listening, leadership, spontaneity, authenticity, extroversion, wisdom, impact, space, visibility
• Pain body impact: difficulty with communication, inauthentic, disorganized, discounts inner voice, follower, lack of spontaneity, poor self-image, hiding
• Seed sound: ham
• Color: blue
4th chakra—Anahata
• Location: center of chest
• English meaning: unstruck
• Element: air
• Function: connection to self, other, nature, and spirit
• Attributes: abundance, empathy, enthusiasm, generosity, forgiveness, hope, compassion, fullness, happiness, love, knowledge, motivation, inspiration, confidence, trust, truth, desire, passion, joie de vivre
• Pain body impact: feeling empty and disconnected, lack of motivation, fearful, distrustful, sad, uninspired, hopeless, feeling unloved, financial issues
• Seed sound: yam
• Color: green
3rd chakra—Manipura
• Location: diaphragm (solar plexus)
• English meaning: gem site
• Element: fire
• Function: I-consciousness
• Attributes: ego, intellect, structure, logic, reasoning, will, drive, determination, duality, direction, orientation in time and place, courage, clarity, ease, flexibility, decision-making, problem-solving, calm, engagement, justice, fairness, balance, self-control, open-mind, vitality, going with the flow, and ability to focus
• Pain body impact: too much thinking, fear, worry, sense of isolation, disengaged, distracted, willful, controlling, critical, judgmental, confused, difficulty with decisions, inflated ego, black and white and/or extreme thinking, compulsive, reactive, disorientation, dependence on intellect, distant, irritable, impatient, inflexible, guilt
• Seed sound: ram
• Color: yellow
2nd chakra—Svadhisthana
• Location: pelvis, one inch below navel
• English meaning: own abode
• Element: water
• Function: personal power in relationships
• Attributes: boundaries, emotions, creativity, sexual energy, centeredness, poise, charisma, buoyancy, humor, dignity
• Pain body impact: codependence, suppressed anger, suppressed or misdirected sexual energy, lack of creative energy, poor boundaries, passive, not centered, boredom
• Seed sound: vam
• Color: orange
1st chakra—Muladhara
• Location: base of spine
• English meaning: root support
• Element: earth
• Function: embodiment
• Attributes: grounding, safety, security, doing, action, movement, standing up for self, accomplishment, moment connection, kundalini, manifestation
• Pain body impact: disembodiment, feeling unsafe, difficulty doing and accomplishing, dependent, lack of attention to detail, spacey, ungrounded, difficulty overcoming obstacles or moving forward
• Seed sound: lam
• Color: red
Secondary Chakras
Chakra 6.5—Satyamanas
Location: between ajna and sahasrara
English meaning: turn the mind toward the truth
Function: insight into truth
Color: violet
Chakra 5.5—Satyavadya
Location: between vishuddha and ajna
English meaning: speak the truth
Function: true speech
Color: dark blue
Chakra 4.5—Satyahridaya
Location: between anahata and vishuddha
English meaning: heart truth
Function: express or ask for what the heart wants
Color: blue-green
Chakra 3.5 Vajrahridaya
Location: between manipura and anahata
English meaning: diamond heart
Function: self-esteem
Color: yellow-green
Chakra 2.75 Mukta
Location: between abhaya and manipura
English meaning: to let go
Function: full letting go or release of physical tension and false defenses based on fear
Color: yellow-orange
Chakra 2.5 Abhaya
Location: between svadhisthana and mukta
English meaning: without fear
Function: unafraid of others’ power
Color: orange-yellow
Chakra 1.5 Atiloka
Location: between muladhara and svadhisthana
English meaning: to rise above the material world
Function: lifts psyche beyond the mundane to magical aspects of life provided by people
Color: red-orange
Tertiary Chakras
• Soles of feet: connects muladhara to earth energy (grounding)
• Behind knees: helps move energy from muladhara to soles of feet
• Palms of hands: connects anahata (healing) energy to places on one’s own or others’ bodies through the palms of the hands
• Elbow crook: assists in channeling anahata energy to palms and outward from there
Mindfully Connecting with the Chakras
Traya is a mindfulness practice in which we become mindful of the subtle body and its contents and functions. We realize that we have already experienced sensations produced by samskaras in the chakras, but we may not have specifically recognized them as such. There are three locations in particular: the throat chakra where we may at times feel a sensation of tightness or a lump; the heart chakra where we can feel a squeezing or heaviness in the chest in certain circumstances; and the solar plexus where we can at times feel a clenching or knot in the stomach area. These are all signs that there are negative samskaras in those areas. Our goal is to approach the subtle body directly and become mindful of it in a different way.
At first you may need a tool to help you turn inward and cross the chasm created by our cultural tendency of being externally focused. The following two exercises act as bridges that will facilitate your passage. Once you arrive at your destination for the first time, you may be met tentatively. Don’t worry. Like an explorer approaching a village for the first time, you may find that the inhabitants hang back, but when you return they will come out to meet you. In future journeys you won’t need to travel far, as the subtle body will meet you on the road bearing gifts. Even paying the slightest attention to the subtle body is a giant step in the process of awakening and healing.
••• Exercise: Sound Bridge •••
to the Chakras
One of the best ways to sense the vibrations and stimulate the chakras is with sound. Tantric masters associated certain bijas, or seed sounds, with each chakra. When chanted either aloud or silently, they activate the related chakra and allow us to connect with them.
Starting with the root chakra at the base of the spine, focus your attention at that location and chant its seed sound, LAM, over and over. Very slowly draw out the sound. Next do this with the pelvic chakra about one inch below the navel and chant VAM. Continue to the solar plexus chakra at the diaphragm RAM and to the remaining chakras: heart, YAM; throat, HAM; third eye, HUM; and crown, OM.
It is quite impressive how these sounds actually do connect to their related chakras. Test it out. Pick any one at random and repeat that sound either aloud or silently and notice how its related chakra is stimulated in the subtle body and how your mind is drawn to that location.
••• Exercise: Scenes from Nature •••
(Landscapes of the Mind)
If you were impressed by the relationship of certain sounds to particular chakras, you will be amazed by the mind’s connection to nature and its use of nature images to convey information to us. Connecting with a chakra and obtaining information in the Traya process requires a mindful stance. This exercise will help you to become comfortable with that stance before attempting to identify samskaras in the Traya practice later on. You will learn more about that in Chapter 3. The basics here are very useful for obtaining information regarding the health of a chakra.
The solar plexus chakra provides a tendency to separate, take apart, and see things as separate from us. We see ourselves as separate not only from each other but from nature also. We know from science that the physical material of our bodies comes directly from the elements released at the beginning of our universe. Now we will see that our minds also have a deep connectio n to nature and the basic elements—earth, water, fire, air, and ether.
Tantric philosophy teaches that the human microcosm is a reflection of the universal macrocosm, and in this exercise we see the truth of that viewpoint. The Traya healing process is about reconnecting with our body, mind, and spirit and understanding how we are part of rather than separate from. We see there is really no separation between inside and outside.
Our connection to nature becomes readily apparent when we understand the physical elements and their relationship to our psyche. For example, one can see with the “inner eye” a particular scene from nature at each of the first five chakras that have a material element associated with them. The two higher chakras, third eye and crown, are energetically beyond the material earthly realm and are connected more to the universal energies and, therefore, have no earthbound landscapes associated with them. Some associate even subtler ethereal energy with each.
The presence or absence in the scene that appears of the element associated with one of the “lower” five chakras will give valuable and dependable information regarding the amount of samskaric material present. I have found that these scenes are representative for everyone and are good tools for approximating the type of dominant energy in any of the chakras and, therefore, the general state of mind of the person.
The following list shows the seven primary chakras, their associated elements and the scenes associated with positive and negative mind states.
• Element: no associated earthly elements
• Scenes for positive mind states: no associated scenes from nature
• Scenes for negative mind states: no associated scenes from nature
Third Eye (Ajna)
• Element: no associated earthly elements
• Scenes for positive mind states: no associated scenes from nature
• Scenes for negative mind states: no associated scenes from nature
Throat (Vishuddha)
• Element: ether
• Scenes for positive mind states: wide open blue sky
• Scenes for negative mind states: enclosed space with no sky
Heart (Anahata)
• Element: air
• Scenes for positive mind states: open landscapes with lots of green grass and bright sun
• Scenes for negative mind states: darkness and/or water
Solar Plexus (Manipura)
• Element: fire
• Scenes for positive mind states: open space with bright yellow sun, desert
• Scenes for negative mind states: darkness and/or water
• Element: water
• Scenes for positive mind states: rapidly flowing body of water
• Scenes for negative mind states: dry, cracked earth, desert
Root (Muladhara)
• Element: earth
• Scenes for positive mind states: solid earth
• Scenes for negative mind states: water or mud
Note that the list above shows the extremes of the range. For example, the wide open cloudless blue sky for the throat chakra represents ether or sky energy without obstructions. All the positive attributes of this chakra will be apparent in the person’s life who has this scene at the throat. They will have excellent communication energy and a strong sense of identity.
Alternatively, the enclosed space without sky represents the opposite extreme and the negative aspects of an intensely samskaric throat chakra will be apparent in that person’s life—perhaps significant difficulty being heard or seen. Variations representing some, but not total, obstruction will present as a mixed bag—maybe a cloudy sky, or high mountains with little sky, etc.
The key in the visualized scene is to discern the presence or absence of the element. Again, this reflects the state of that chakra and the presence or absence of a chakra’s positive or negative attributes. For example, if one sees a snowy or icy scene in the heart, we know that there is loneliness there and one feels “left out in the cold” or disconnected. Or if one sees a flower at the solar plexus, there is neither water nor sun but we know that a flower requires sun so there is a hint that suggests the chakra is samskaric but not extremely so—i.e., there is no water visible.
Note that while I use the scenes as additional information when working with self or others, sometimes the progression of the changes is not as clear as we would like it in the scenes. Use it as a general guide not an absolute one as before the chakra is purified, a scene may revert to a negative temporarily. The primary determinant of the status of a chakra is always how one thinks and feels and what is going on in one’s life.
I also like to use the nature scenes with clients so that I can better judge their state of mind and so they can have the experience of working with and trusting the deep mind. Very anxious people can sometimes present looking calm and collected, for example, yet the scene they report at the solar plexus chakra is a water scene which gives me a better idea of their actual state of mind as the water indicates the opposite—a significantly fearful mind.
When working with the Traya process healing the negative aspects of a chakra, the scene will steadily improve as the mind improves. Suppose, for example, the first scene at the solar plexus chakra is a waterfall and you work with it and then the scene will change over time to a lake (still water but calmer), then a puddle, and then eventually dry land and sunshine, reflecting the solar plexus chakra’s healthy fire energy. However, when going from a significantly negative to a positive scene, it takes time for the positive scene to stabilize. A significantly negative scene reveals that there are many samskaras in the chakra. You may release some samskaras and get a positive scene but then the energy settles and a negative one may reappear. Keep going until the positive scene sticks. Of course, you will notice the positive impact on your mind also and that is always the final determinant.
Remember that none of us knows what it is like to be completely free of samskaras. For example, if we are not grounded in our bodies, we don’t know what that is like and we may be satisfied when we feel more grounded without having attained complete grounding. Thus, we may be unaware that there is still room for improvement in a chakra that is more positive than negative but not completely healthy. That is where the scenes are most helpful. Don’t quit working with a chakra until you see a positive scene over a period of time. They are a road map to becoming completely human and reaching our full potential.
Chakra Diagnostics
Sit in any comfortable seated posture with the spine erect—on a chair is fine. Close your eyes and focus your attention on the soles of your feet. Imagine that you can breathe in and out through the minor chakras on the soles of your feet for a minute or two. This grounds our consciousness in the body and in the moment.
1. Become mindful of a chakra by focusing your attention on the location of a chakra in your body. Let’s use your solar plexus chakra located at your diaphragm to start.
2. Imagine that there is an opening there that you can breathe in and out of. Focus your attention there and start breathing in and out as if the breath were actually going in and out of the opening. Soft, gentle breath.
Think of what it is like to tune to a radio station. When you tune the dial to a certain station, the scheduled radio program plays. When you “tune in” to a particular chakra by focusing your attention on it, it too will “play” by responding to requests for information.
While focusing on the chakra, let a scene from nature appear in your mind. Note that this is not a visualization exercise. The mind doesn’t need your help but rather it needs for you to get out of the way. So your only job is to keep your attention focused on the “opening” in the chakra, gently breathe in and out, and be mindful of any scene that appears in your mind without searching, choosing, or editing. Note the scene and open your eyes. The solar plexus chakra is fire energy so any amount of water or darkness here will signify the presence of some negative aspects, such as worry or fear and/or too much thinking. Additionally, with all the chakras, a wide open space is always important.
People often say, “But if I know what scene is supposed to be there, won’t this interfere with the information that comes?” No. The information is coming from the deep mind and you cannot control the deep mind. It operates according to truth and, as long as you open to it mindfully and stay out of the way, it will communicate the truthful scene.
Try this exercise and then cross-reference the scene information you obtain with the lists showing the positive and negative attributes of a chakra and see if it reflects how you are actually thinking and feeling.
I suggest that you work with these sound and scene exercises for a bit before moving on to the next chapter. It is not an absolute requirement but will help you to connect with the chakras with the appropriate mind stance—getting out of your own way and “letting” the information surface. You may also come to experience the deep mind as ally and teacher that is providing you with crucial information. You will also appreciate the ease of working with it before we explore the chakras in more depth with the Traya techniques.