Mooladhara Chakra
Swadhistana Chakra
Manipura Chakra
Anahata Chakra
Vishuddhi Chakra
Ajna Chakra
Bidhu
Sahasrara Chakra
ムラダラ・チャクラMOOLADHARA CHAKRA
Mooladhara is the root chakra and the seat of primal energy, kundalini shakti. In philosophical terms, the concept of Mooladhara is understood as moola prakriti, the transcendental basis of physical nature. All the objects and forms in this universe must have some basis from which they evolve and to which they return after dissolution. This basis is called moola prakriti, the original source of all evolution. Mooladhara, as moola prakriti, is therefore responsible for everything that manifests in the world of name and form.
In pranic science, Mooladhara is the generating station for prana. The awakening of prana starts from mooladhara and ascends the spinal cord via the pingala nadi. It is represented by the earth element (yellow square). Our physical body is made from this earth and is made of the food we take. It is made of flesh, muscles, organs, and bones. This chakra is the closest energy we have to the animal realm. It is where we find our basic instincts, our survival instinct. In psychological terms, mooladhara is associated with the unconscious mind where the most primitive and deep-rooted instincts and fears lie. Our senses of security, protection, and safety are triggered by the energy of the Mooladhara chakra. It is also the source for our sense of connection to our family ancestors, our territory, our Jobs, our friends, and our belongings.
Meaning: Basic Substratum
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Location: perineum, cervix
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Endocrine relationship: perineal body
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Tatva (element): Prithvi Earth (solidifying of the primal life force into atoms of flesh)
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Kosha: annamay
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Sense: smell
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Color: deep red
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Psychic experience: inverted red triangle
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Sound vibration: buzzing bee
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Desire: being grounded (security), physical comfort, basic biological needs, shelter
“The Root chakra is about being physically there and feeling at home in situations. If it is open, you feel grounded, stable and secure. You don't unnecessarily distrust people. You feel present in the here and now and connected to your physical body. You feel you have sufficient territory. If you tend to be fearful or nervous, your Root chakra is probably under-active. You'd easily feel unwelcome. If this chakra is overactive, you may be very materialistic and greedy. You're probably obsessed with being secure and resist change” - Ewald Berkers
• Guna: tamas (sthiti - inert, plunged into a state of repose and torpor)
• Symbol: Yellow Yantra Square, surrounded by Four Red Petals represents the Four Directions of Earth, 3 and half coil serpent (symbolic of the gunas and potentiall to transcend them)
• Granthi Psychic knot: brahma
• Mantra: Repetition of Bijan Mantra-lam: opens up blocks in the lower body. Each petal has a Sanskrit letter (vam, sarn, sharn, ksam). Kundalini Shaktl lies coiled like a snake in a downward pointing triangle. Meditation of the 1st Chakra awakens the Kundalini and starts the upward flow.
• Deities:
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Baby Brahma - Ever watchful creator, brings peace of mind and calms fears
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Dakini Shakti - Protectors, Creator, Preserver, Destroyer
• Animal: Airavata the Elephant - Vehicle of the Bija
• Mantra: Lam - searches for food and takes orders
スワディスタナ・チャクラ SWADHISTANA CHAKRA
Swadhisthana means 'one's own abode.' It is located at the coccyx, very near to mooladhara, and is also responsible for the awakening of prana shakti. This centre is the storehouse of all the latent samskaras and impressions, which are considered to be the substrata of individual existence. Therefore, it forms a karmic block, making it difficult for the awakened prana to pass through this area. In psychological terms, swadhisthana is associated with the subconscious mind and is responsible for drowsiness and sleep. It is also related with the reproductive organs and the sense of taste. The desire for pleasure, especially in the form of food and sex, increases when this centre is activated. These desires can become an obstacle to the awakening of prana at this level. In order to pass through this centre, one needs to develop willpower. In relation to the three gunas, or qualities of nature, mooladhara and swadhisthana are predominantly influenced by tamas or lethargy, dullness and ignorance. Swadhisthana is associated with pranamaya kosha and the water element. It is represented by a lotus flower with six vermilion petals.
“If the sadhaka understand that desire can never be satisfied in a thousand lifetimes, then kundalini can pass through Swadhisthana relatively fast” - Swami Satyananda Saraswati
• Meaning: Dwelling Place of the Self.
• Tatva (element): Apanas, Water (sustain the atoms of all watery substances in the body)
• Location: coccyx
• Endocrine relationship: testes, ovaries
• Sense: taste
• Color: orange red
• Kosha: pranamaya
• Psychic experience: total darkness, unconscious
• Sound vibration: musical sound of flute
“The Sacral chakra is about feeling and sexuality. When it is open, your feelings flow freely and are expressed without you being over-emotional. You are open to intimacy and you can be passionate and lively. You have no problems dealing with your sexuality. If you tend to be stiff and unemotional, or have a "poker face," the Sacral chakra is under-active. You're not very open to people. If this chakra is overactive, you tend to be emotional all the time. You'll feel emotionally attached to people and you can be very sexual.” - Ewald Berkers
“Some of you may feel that you have an element of your personality which you are unable to
understand by yourself, or that things in your inner being are divided rather than united, or that things you do are not consistent with the thing you say. These are indications of
unstable activity in the Swadhisthana.” - Hiroshi Motomoya
• Guna: tamas (sthiti - inert, plunged into a state of repose and torpor)
• Desire: family, procreation, sexual urges, fantasies
• Symbol: Blue Crescent Moon, surrounded by 6 Red Petals and Water encircling the Earth
• Mantra: Repetition of Bijan Mantra-vam, removes insecurities associated with this Chakra. Petal Sanskrit letter (bam, bham, mam, yam, lam and ram)
• Deities:
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Vishnu - The Preserver Embodiment of Right Living
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Rakini Shakti - Inspiration to Worldly Art and Music
• Animal: Crocodile - Vehicle of the Bija
• Mantra: Vam Sensuous and Tricky
マニプラ・チャクラ(MANIPURA CHAKRA)
Manipura literally means 'the city of jewels.' Located behind the navel in the spine, its development is very important for success in pranic science as it is the storehouse of prana. It is the center of dynamism, energy, will power, and achievement. Manipura is often compared with the dazzling orb of the sun, without which there would be no life. As the sun radiates light and energy, so manipura radiates and distributes pranic energy throughout the body, regulating and fuelling life's processes. Manipura is predominantly influenced by rajas - activity, dynamism, strength and will. This centre is associated with pranamaya kosha and its element is fire. It is represented by a bright yellow lotus with ten petals.
Manipura is the seat of the ego. It is through Manipura that we will find the will to push our limits, and also through Manipura that we will experience the limitation of the individual consciousness. Manipura is an essential energy for the individual growth, but also a hindrance in the evolution of the Self.
• Meaning: City of Gems
• Location: Solar Plexus
• Endocrine relationship: adrenal glands
• Tatva (element): Tejas, Fire (maintain the astral life glow and heat of the body)
• Sense: sight
• Color: yellow
• Kosha: pranamaya
• Psychic experience: bright yellow lotus
• Sound vibration: beautiful harplike sounds
• Attributes: Start the questioning of life’s purpose, Anger, strength, strong EGO
“The navel chakra is about asserting yourself in a group. When it is open, you feel in control and you have sufficient self esteem. When the navel chakra is underactive, you tend to be passive and indecisive. You're probably timid and don't get what you want. If this chakra is overactive, you are domineering and probably even aggressive.” - Ewald Berkers
• Gunas: Raja (pravritti - active and energetic, tense and willful)
• Desire: immortality, longevity, name, fame, power, authority, acquisition of wealth
• Symbol: Fiery Red Triangle, surrounded by 10 Blue Petals (like the hottest part of the flame)
• Mantra: Repetition of Bijan Mantra-ram, increases Absorption and longevity. Each petal has a Sanskrit letter (dam, dham, nam, tam, tham, dam, dham, nam, pam and pham)
• Deities:
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Rudra - Old Shiva, God of Destruction. Powerful Angry and Detached
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Lakini Shakti - Goddess of Independence and Fire
• Animal: Ram - Carrier of the Bija
• Mantra: Ram. Strong, Proud and Charges Head First
“As long as the evolution is in the planes of mooladhara and swadhisthana, one has mental and emotional problems and see the whole world correspondingly, but as soon as one transcends these planes and goes to manipura, all the bliss noble views, perfect ideas and greater possibilities of human consciousness are seen.” Swami Satyananda Saraswati
アナハタ・チャクラ(ANAHATA CHAKRA)
Anahata chakra Anahata means 'unstruck' or 'unbeaten'. It is the seat of anahad nada, the cosmic sound, which is experienced only in the highest state of meditation. This sound is unstruck, because it is not caused by any external form of friction. Anahata is the heart centre and is responsible for the awakening of refined emotions. The person with a developed Anahata is generally very sensitive to the feelings of others. This centre relates to the sense of touch and its awakening bestows the power to heal others either by touch or by radiating energy. Many people who perform miraculous healing do so through the agency of Anahata. The heart centre is the seat of divine love. It is here that emotion is channelled into devotion. Vishnu granthi, the second psychic knot, representing the bondage of emotional attachment, is located here. When this knot is opened, one becomes free of all selfish, egoistic and emotional attachment, and attains mental and emotional control, equilibrium and peace. Anahata is associated with manomaya kosha, the mind and emotions. At this level one becomes free of fate and takes control of one's destiny.
• Meaning: Free from Constraint, center of unbeaten sound
• Location: Heart
• Endocrine relationship: thymus
• Tatva (element): Vayu, Air (enable the oxygen and life energy, or prana, in the body to combine with the physical cells)
• Sense: touch
• Color: green
• Kosha: manomaya
• Psychic experience: blue lotus upon a lake of stillness, golden flame in dark cave
• Sound vibration: bell like or gong sound
• Attributes: devotion
“The heart chakra is about love, kindness and affection. When it is open, you are compassionate and friendly, and you work at harmonious relationships. When your heart chakra is underactive, you are cold and distant. If this chakra is overactive, you are suffocating people with your love and your love probably has quite selfish reasons.” - Ewald Berkers
• Gunas : raja (pravritti - active and energetic, tense and willful)
• Desire: sharing, love, devotion, selfless service, compassion.
• Granthi Psychic Knot: Vishnu, bondage of emotional attachment
• Symbol: Green-Gray Star (Smoky-Green as Smoke Pervades the Air), surrounded by 12 blue Petals. Two interlaced triangles (balance of shiva and shakti energie)
• Mantra: Repetition of Bijan Mantra-yam, opens the Heart and helps control Vital Energy. Each petal has a Sanskrit letter (kam, kham, gam, gham, nam, cham, chham, jam, jham, nam, tam, and tham)
• Below anahata there is a minor center call, the Ananda Kanda. At this level, there is a celestial tree: a kalpa vriska (wish fulfilling tree) for both positive and negative wishes
• Deities:
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Ishana - Detached from the World. Peaceful, Beneficent and Ever-Youthful
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Kakini Shakti - Goddess of Spiritual Music, Poetry and Art
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• Deities: Animal:Antelope - Carrier of the Bija
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• Mantra: Yam. Innocence, Purity and Sensitivity
ヴィシュッディ・チャクラ(VISHUDDHI CHAKRA)
The Vishuddhi chakra is the purification centre and is known as the fountain of youth. According to tantric philosophy, amrita, or the nectar of life, falls down from bindu into this chakra, generating vitality, health and longevity. In the yogic texts, it is stated that, with the awakening of this centre, all disease states can be reversed, and even an old person can become young once again. When Vishuddhi is activated, cool, sweet drops of nectar drip down into the throat, causing a feeling of blissful intoxication. The ability to neutralize poison, both internally and externally, is also associated with Vishuddhi. At this level, all the poisonous and negative experiences of life can be absorbed and transformed into a state of bliss. Vishuddhi is associated with the vijnanamaya kosha and initiates higher mental development. It is the centre for receiving sound vibrations and acts like a transistor radio, allowing one to tune into the thoughts of others, whether close by or far away. When Vishuddhi is purified, the sense of hearing becomes very sharp, not only through the ears, but through the mind.
Sense: hearing
Color: purple
Kosha: Vijnamaya
Psychic experience: feeling of cold and drop of nectar
Sound vibration: rumbling ocean
Attributes: here all parts of existence merge, concepts of good and bad disappear, one becomes open to all experiences.
“We don’t react to life, we act with it. One begins to see sense and intelligence behind all things and actions. Vishuddhi is the gateway to liberation. One becomes compassionate, peaceful and full of bliss.” - Ewald Berkers 2003 - 2006
The throat chakra is about self-expression and talking. When it is open, you have no problems expressing yourself, and you might be doing so as an artist. When this chakra is underactive, you tend not to speak much, and you probably are introverted and shy. Not speaking the truth may block this chakra.
If this chakra is overactive, you tend to speak too much, usually to dominate and keep people at a distance. You're a bad listener if this is the case.
Guna: sattva (prakhya - vivacity, illumination, mental clarity and serenity)
Desire: Knowledge
Symbol: White Circle (Lunar Circle - Pure Cosmic Sound) surrounded by 16 Purple-Gray Petals. Drop of nectar from bindu.
Mantra: Repetition of Bijan Mantra-ham. Each petal has a Sanskrit letter (am, amm, im, im, um, uum, rim, reem, lrim, lreem, em, aim, om, aum, am, and ah). These Mantras go straight to the voice. The speaker's words go straight to the Heart
The Lalana chakra is a minor chakra located in the roof of the palate in the back of the mouth. It is where the nectar from the bindu divides into either the divine or poisonous, depending on the opening of Vishuddhi.
Deities: Panchavaktra Shiva - The Great Teacher, Eternal Knowledge, Balance and Non-Duality. Shakini Shakti - Bestower of Higher Knowledge and Powers. Memory, Will, Intuition and Improvisation
Animal:Gaja the Elephant - Carrier of the Bija Mantra-Ham. Confidence, Hearing and In-Tune with Nature.
アギャ・チャクラ(AJNA CHAKRA)
Ajna literally means 'command' and is the monitoring centre, also known as the guru chakra. It is the point of convergence where the three main nadis, or energy channels - ida, pingala and sushumna - merge into one stream of consciousness and flow up to Sahasrara. During deep meditation, when all the senses have been withdrawn and one enters into the dimension of shoonya, or void, the guru, or the higher consciousness, guides the aspirant from Ajna to Sahasrara by issuing commands through this centre. Ajna is the centre of the mind and represents a higher level of awareness. It is also known as the eye of Shiva, the third eye, or the eye of intuition, which gazes inward rather than outward. It is often called divya chakshu, the divine eye, or jnana chakshu, the eye of wisdom, because the spiritual aspirant receives revelation and insight into the underlying nature of existence through this centre. Ajna is the doorway through which one enters the psychic or astral dimension. When this centre is developed, one acquires psychic powers. Direct mind to-mind communication takes place at this level. At Ajna lies the rudra granthi, the knot of Shiva. This knot is symbolic of attachment to the psychic personality and to the siddhis, which accompany the awakening of the Ajna chakra. It effectively blocks one's spiritual evolution until attachment to psychic phenomena is overcome and the knot is freed. The trigger point for Ajna is located at the eyebrow centre. It is known as bhrumadhya and is an important focal point for the practice of meditation, concentration and visualization. The development of Ajna is very important for success in pranic science.
Endocrine relationship: pineal
Tatva (element): Mahat (Mind) It is the dynamo of consciousness, of life force, and of the vibratory-element matrices. This high center continuously recharges with life and consciousness all the subdynamos of the elemental vibration of earth, water, fire, air and ether.
Color: clear or gray
Kosha: vijnamaya
Psychic experience: golden egg and spontaneous trance
Attributes: Transcending Senses, Experience of infinite consciousness, inner detachment, intuitive knowledge, revelations. Arising of psychic power.
“The Third Eye chakra is about insight and visualisation. When it is open, you have good intuition. You may tend to fantasize. If it is underactive, you're not very good at thinking for yourself, and you may tend to rely on authorities. You may be rigid in your thinking, relying on beliefs too much. You might even get confused easily. If this chakra is overactive, you may live in a world of fantasy too much. In excessive cases, hallucinations are possible” - Ewald Berkers
Guna: sattva (prakhya - vivacity, illumination, mental clarity and serenity)
Desire: self-realisation, enlightenment.
Granthi Psychic knot: Rudra (attachment to the siddhi, psychic phenomena)
Symbol: White Circle, 2 Luminous Petals sun and moon, symbolize the guru
Mantra: Repetition of the powerful Bijan Mantra-aum. Elevates the speaker form everyday reality, through concentration, to the meditative state. Each Petal has a Sanskrit letter (ham and ksham).
Deities: Ardhanarlshvara - Half-Male, Half-Female, Shiva-Shakti, No longer Separate. Hakini Shakti - Imparts Awareness of Non-Duality.
No animal: Nada, ardhamatra vehicules of bija
ビンドゥ (Bindu)
Bindu means 'point.' It is the point of creation where oneness first divides into multiplicity, the ultimate point from which all things manifest and into which all things return. Within Bindu contains the evolutionary potential for a myriad of objects of the universe, the blueprint for creation. Bindu is the gateway to shoonya. It is located at the top back of the head, at the point where Hindu brahmins keep a tuft of hair called shikha. Bindu is represented by a crescent moon and a drop of white nectar. The tantric texts describe a small depression or pit within the higher centres of the brain which contain a minute secretion of fluid. In the centre of that tiny secretion is a small point of elevation, like an island in the middle of a lake. In the psycho-physiological framework, this tiny point is considered to be Bindu. The moon at Bindu produces amrita, the life-giving nectar, and the sun at manipura consumes it. This means that during the course of life, the drop of nectar produced in the Bindu falls down to manipura, where it is consumed by the fire element. Due to this process, one suffers from the three ailments of vyadhi (disease), jara (old age), and mrityu (death). Yoga and tantra employ techniques by which one is able to reverse this process, so that the amrita is retained at Vishuddhi, or sent back up from Manipura to Vishuddhi, and then to Bindu. In this way, perfected yogis have experienced immortality. The first manifestation of creation was nada or sound, and Bindu is also the point where the original nada emanates. Bindu is associated with anandamaya kosha. When Bindu is awakened, the transcendental sound of Om is heard. Bindu is very important in prana vidya and in many other high yogas
サハスララ・チャクラ(SAHASRARA CHAKRA)
Sahasrara is the seat of supreme consciousness, located at the crown of the head. Actually, it is not a psychic centre at all, because it is beyond the realm of the psyche. Sahasrara is the totality, the absolute, the highest point of human evolution, which results from the merging of cosmic consciousness with cosmic prana. The experience of cosmic prana is the aim of the science of prana. Once mahaprana is experienced, one no longer needs to practise techniques. Transmission of energy will take place spontaneously with a thought, gesture, word or look. Sahasrara is the master key that controls the awakening of all the chakras from Mooladhara to Ajna. The chakras are only switches; their potential power lies in Sahasrara. When the kundalini shakti reaches Sahasrara, self-realization or samadhi dawns. At this point, individual consciousness dies and universal consciousness is born. Sahasrara is infinite in dimension, like a huge radiant dome. It is visualized as a thousand-petalled lotus, unfolding from the crown of the head in all directions into eternity. Sahasrara is associated with anandamaya kosha.
Endocrine relationship: pituitary
Tatva: beyond
Color: multi-colored
Kosha: anandamaya
Psychic experience: luminous lingam surrounded by bright red or multi-colored lotus of infinite petals
Attributes: It is both formless (nirakara) and form (akara). Kundalini Shakti rises up the spinal column to unite with Shiva here. One understands Non-Duality, Lives in an Extended State of Consciousness and Attains Enlightenment.
Symbol: One Thousand Rainbow-Colored Petals. Meaning infinite petals.
Deities: The GURU Within