Before embarking on our Rebirth Journey, let’s go over the framework that will be guiding our path over the next nine months. I explained in an earlier post that we will be using the chakras system as a roadmap of sorts. But what exactly is a chakra? The word chakra is derived from the Sanskrit word for wheel or disk. It refers to spinning vortexes of energy that correspond to certain parts of our body. There is written evidence of the chakra system dating back to between 500 and 1500 BC in the Veda yoga texts, but many scholars believe this wisdom was passed on orally long before that.
According to the Vedic teachings, our chakras must be open and balanced in order to experience physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. If they are blocked, we may experience symptoms related to that part of our body. Even though you cannot see your chakras, you can sense them through your intuition. But that’s easier to do once you are familiar with each chakra and its qualities. For example, each chakra is associated with a color, sound, and an asana or yoga pose that you can use to gain greater awareness and get unstuck.
While emphasis is often placed on the chakras’ role in our emotional and spiritual well-being, recent research supports the belief that these energy centers are also connected with our physical health related to the organs, joints and tissues near that area of the body. For example, a blocked throat chakra might manifest as frequent sore throats or thyroid issues. Stomach aches and digestion issues could be directly related to a blocked solar plexus chakra. And clogged arteries and other cardiovascular problems could literally be associated with a blocked heart chakra.
It’s possible too for blocked chakras to manifest as a general feeling of malaise. You might have trouble sleeping or experience frequent anxiety. Moodiness can be another indication that the energy is not flowing freely through your body. These types of symptoms might be more difficult to associate with a particular chakra, but they might nonetheless be a sign that energy is not flowing freely through your body.
In some cases, an overactive chakra may lead to an exaggeration of the qualities associated with that part of your body. Talking too much, for example, or even hyperthyroidism could be signs of an overactive throat chakra. If your solar plexus chakra is out of balance or spinning too fast, it could manifest as controlling behavior or micromanaging. In other words, each overactive chakra would result in its own set of symptoms. So, while we do not want our chakras to be blocked, we don’t want them to be wildly out of sync either.
Because the chakras are interrelated, if one is out of balance, it can make you feel off center in other parts of your life. For example, the root chakra located at the base of the spine provides prana or life force energy to the sacral chakra in your pelvic area. If that channel is blocked, you may feel emotionally or physically off balance. The vitality of the lower chakras is essential for the health of the upper chakras.
Most people focus only on the seven main chakras that run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, but there are some traditions that believe we may have as more than 1000 energy centers. In our nine-month journey, we will focus on nine chakras – the seven that are most familiar and associated with our physical bodies plus two more chakras that are connected with our spirit and soul.
As we focus on each chakra over the next nine months, you will learn practices that will help you release and transmute the emotions, feelings, memories and experiences that might be blocking that particular chakra. And as we clear out what is blocking us, we will create more room to bring in what we want to receive.
Our journey begins with the three lower chakras, associated with earthly matters: the root chakra, associated with survival; the sacral chakra, associated with sex, and the solar plexus chakra, connected to your power. We then will shift our focus to the top five chakras related to our higher consciousness. There’s the throat chakra that allows you to use your voice to speak truth; the third eye chakra, which taps into your intuition; and the crown chakra that connects you with the divine and your life purpose.
The eighth chakra in our system hovers above the head like a halo and is unaffected by the death of the physical body. It represents our connection with angels and guides. The ninth charka extends through the cosmos and is associated with our soul purpose. The heart chakra creates a bridge between the higher and lower consciousness and connect the upper and lower chakras with love and compassion.
As life force energy, or prana, flows up through the spinal channels known as nadis, it also traverses the left and right side of our bodies, connecting our masculine and feminine essence. In yogic philosophy, the two sides are seen as complementary, with male energy known as shiva and female energy known as shakti. Free flowing energy helps create balance between the two.
Throughout the journey ahead, you will be learning about the color and sound associated with each chakra as well as the Sanskrit word and symbol that describe it. These are all tools that you can use to connect with the energy of the chakra and imagine it becoming unblocked and spinning freely as it is restored to balance. See it changing from a dull grey to its original vibrant color, and at the end of the nine months, you will have a beautiful rainbow of energy and vitality that will allow you to thrive mind, body and soul.
Sacred Circle Retreats 