Models of Causation: The Chakra Model Within Yoga as a Means of Healing
Chakra, A Sanskrit word literally translated means “wheel”. A chakra is a vortex of spinning energy that interacts with various physiological and neurological systems in the body: It is where matter and consciousness meet. Within the human body, this invisible energy called ‘Prana” is our vital life force which regulates body processes including organ function, immune response and emotions. There are seven main chakras are aligned along a central subtle energy channel called the Sushumna, starting from the base of the spine through to the crown of the head. They permeate front to back, and side to side in your body, often extending beyond the physical body when the energy is very strong. Each chakra has its own vibrational frequency which is identified with a specific chakra color. When these areas of interconnection between body and spirit are purified or opened up through the process of yoga, those who are proficient may experience an infusion of energy, and in some cases, enlightenment.
The seven main chakra wheels correspond to important nerve centers in the body. These centers contain bundles of nerves and major organs as well as our psychological, emotional, and spiritual states of being. It is essential that our chakras stay open, aligned, and fluid because our cells are in constant motion. If a blockage occurs, energy cannot flow.
Keeping each of the chakras open at all times can be challenging because emotional and/or spiritual issues can create a blockage. Mind, body, soul, and spirit are intimately connected, thus awareness of an imbalance in one area will help bring the others back into balance. As an example, consider a woman who has just lost her mother. She develops acute bronchitis, and then gets chest pains every time she coughs. The entire heart chakra is affected in this case as well as involvement of the thorax (5th chakra) and diaphragm (3rd chakra). If this woman has an understanding of the connection between the loss and the bronchitis, healing will occur much faster because she will honor the grieving process with as much significance as the physical ailment. Getting ‘heart centered’ will give energy to her heart chakra freeing the blockage and allowing prana to flow smoothly once again through chakra’s three, four and five (solar plexus – heart – throat). The end physical result will be that the bronchitis will go away. The bronchitis was clearly a manifestation of her ‘heart-break’ over the loss and served as a physical sign that emotional and spiritual healing was needed. In other words, the mental/emotional/spiritual precedes the physical or that the contents of consciousness translate into physical form.
The first three chakras, starting at the base of the spine are called ‘chakras of matter’ as they are more physical in nature. The First Chakra or The Muladhara is the chakra of stability, security, and our basic needs. It encompasses the first three vertebrae, the bladder, and the colon. When this chakra is open, we feel safe and fearless. The Second Chakra, The Svadhisthana, is our creativity and sexual center. It is located above the pubic bone, below the navel, and is responsible for creative expression. The Third Chakra or The Manipura chakra, means lustrous gem and it’s the area from the navel to the breastbone. The third chakra is our source of personal power. When we work through our physical chakras, we can open the spiritual chakras more fully.
The Fourth Chakra, Anahata, is the connection between matter and spirit. It is located at the heart center and serves to unite the lower chakras of matter and the upper chakras of spirit. The source of love and connection, the heart chakra is also spiritual and serves as a bridge between our body, mind, emotions, and spirit.
The next three chakras are the chakras of spirit. The Fifth Chakra, called The Vishuddha, is located in the throat area. This is our source of verbal expression and the ability to speak our highest truth. The fifth chakra includes the neck, thyroid and parathyroid glands, jaw, mouth, and tongue. The Sixth Chakra, The Ajna, is located in between the eyebrows and is also referred to as the ‘third eye’. Ajna is our center of intuition, an ability we all have. By focusing on opening the sixth chakra, you can further develop your intuitive sense. The Seventh Chakra or The Sahaswara, also called the ‘thousand petal lotus’ chakra is located at the crown of the head. This is the chakra of enlightenment and spiritual connection to our higher selves, others, and ultimately, to the divine. It is located at the crown of the head. It is important to note that as the chakras progress up the spine, they become more complex and powerful.
If you refer to the Chakra Healing Chart below, understanding the defining characteristics of each chakra in the physical body is important because it gives us significant clues to emotional and spiritual issues that may be responsible for a physical symptom or illness. As both physical and spiritual beings, we are looking to evolve in both realms. The physical realm (body) evolves as life force matures from the root chakra upward and the spiritual realm (soul) evolves as life force matures downward from the crown chakra. As spirit-beings on Earth and as material-beings with souls, it is important to focus on the evolution of both our soul-body and physical-body. A practice devoted to the integration of the mind, body and spirt utilizing the chakra energetic system is Yoga. Yoga is defined as a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures. It originated in ancient India and is widely practiced for health and relaxation worldwide.
In a research article entitled A Yoga Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress: A Preliminary Randomized Control Trial, researchers Farah Jindani, Nigel Turner, and Sat Bir S. Khalsa examine the detrimental effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and showed that yogic practice facilitates relief of associated symptoms. “Within the medical community, there is a growing interest in studying the physiological and psychological effects of mind-body interventions, such as mindfulness and yoga, that encourage learning to focus attention on the present moment without judgment of thoughts, feelings, and emotions”.1 Because yoga focuses on breathing and postures that combine movement, muscle relaxation, and meditation, these “Mind-body practices may enhance the ability of a person with PTSD to tolerate unpleasant feelings and reduce stress specifically in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, and the GABAergic system.”2 This is important because with PTSD, an issue I am well versed in, the individual has difficulty regulating emotions and controlling the stress response. Practices which encourage mindful awareness, such as yoga, meditation or simply being well versed in the mind-body-spirit relationship of each of the chakras [refer to Chakra Healing Chart below], would be of critical importance for trauma recovery. The resulting benefit would be in increasing the acceptance and tolerance of emotions thereby stabilizing perceptions of stress.
The study concluded that yoga demonstrated significant changes in PTSD scores and other areas of wellbeing between the yoga and waitlist control groups. The findings of this kundalini yoga PTSD study suggest that yoga may be an adjunctive or alternative intervention for PTSD.3 These findings, while requiring further research in into the mechanisms behind the impact of yoga, support the model that consciousness does translate into physical form and illnesses can be improved or resolved through the use of yogic practice and the chakra model.
References
Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2015, Article ID 351746, 8 pages, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/351746
R. P. Brown and P. L. Gerbarg, “Sudarshan Kriya Yogic breathing in the treatment of stress, anxiety, and depression: part II—clinical applications and guidelines,” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 711–717, 2005.
Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2015, Article ID 351746, 8 pages, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/351746