What You Need To Know About Chakra Meditation

In a previous blog post I shared that managing my inner energy dramatically impacted my meditation. When we learn to experience our energy body and energy centers (chakras) our meditation practice becomes very powerful.

There is a lot shared about chakras and energy on the internet, but much of it is founded only in ideas and not experience. We may read about chakras and learn about the colors, mantra, crystals, and all that jazz… but that does not give us a tangible understanding of our energy centers.

Only experience can bring true understanding. I am writing this blog to help you have an experience of your energy and your energy centers.

In this post we will talk about the

1. Energy body and energy channels.
2. The different chakras.
3. The hard truth about chakra meditation.
4. What you can do to personally experience your energy.

​Where is the energy body?

Firstly, we need to understand where the energy body located. Yoga philosophy shares with us that the human being is not only physical. The physical body is just one of our “layers” of existence.

Right now we have no real way (that I know of!) to measure the deeper layers. We can only measure the experiences in the physical body using scientific tools.

But there is a way to VALIDATE this knowledge. You can experience the deeper layers within yourself! That is the goal of yoga… to become more conscious and to experience something more than the physical.

Let’s learn about the koshas.
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Annamaya Kosha – “anna” translates to mean food. So literally this layer, the physical layer is called the food body.

If you examine what you know about the physical body you will easily see this. The physical body is dramatically affected by the food that we eat. Certainly when we eat a bit more… the body becomes a bit more! When we eat less… then there is less of the physical “body.”
 
Pranamaya Kosha – “prana” means energy or life force. This layer is the subtle energy body. It cannot be seen with the physical eyes. But can be perceived by the spiritual eye (more on that later).

In the energy body we have energy channels. Just as the physical body has nerves, arteries, and veins – the energy body has energy channels called “nadis.”

Also just as the physical body has organs… the energy body has energy centers, swirling vortexes of energy – that we can think of as the “organs” of the energy body.
 
Manomaya Kosha – “mano” refers to the mind. This is the mental body. Our mind is not simply in our head. That is the physical structure, the brain! Our mind is actually much more than just the physical brain.

The mind actually “carries” the energy body and the physical body. The mind surrounds, holds, and pervades the physical and the energetic.
 
Vijnanamaya Kosha – “vijnana” means wisdom. The wisdom body lies beyond the mind. It is the part of us that intuitively knows. It is in touch with the Universe in a much bigger way than the mind. It is through this layer that we can connect with the whispers of our inner self.
 
Anandamaya Kosha – “ananda” means bliss. Within us we have a bliss body. That is why spirituality teaches us that fulfillment and contentment lies within. When we have become conscious of the bliss body we experience an inner ecstasy of life.
 
This is true Yoga Anatomy. Not just the knowing of the physical body – but knowing what lies within us. You can experience all of this within yourself through the practice.
 
You can learn more about the Koshas in this blog post I wrote 2 years ago.  I shared how you can experience the Koshas and cleanse them to further your spiritual journey.

I also have a video lecture online that you can check out. 

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The Seven Chakras

In the energy body we have many chakras. The word “chakra” means wheel. It is a vortex or nexus of energy within the energy body.

Of the many chakras that we possess there are 7 that of high importance. These seven chakras are what allow us to have our human and spiritual experience.

When we practice chakra meditation we are seeking to experience and uplift one of these seven (or perhaps even a combination).
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First let’s take a brief look at these seven chakras: 

Muladhara – root chakra
The “mula” means root and “dhara” is to support. This chakra is the foundation of our human existence. It provides stability for everything else to stand on. Without a good understanding and management of this center we feel highly insecure and unstable in all our activities.

Svadhisthana – sacral chakra
This is the energy center of creativity. It is also highly connected to pleasure and pain. Through this energy center the richness of life comes to us. When it is not functioning well we have trouble mastering our creative energy and understanding our own identity in the world.
 
Manipura – navel chakra
The center of vital energy. This chakra gives us the dynamic power for our daily lives. It also is related to personal control, confidence, and self-worth. When this energy center is not working well we feel as though we have no control in our lives and become domineering.
 
Anahata – heart chakra.
The emotional energy center. The Anahata is the chakra that enables emotional experience. This is the chakra that allows us to transform and uplift our emotions. But it is also bogged down by the emotional baggage of life.
 
Vishuddha – throat chakra.
The energy center of communication. This energy center allows us to connect to the wisdom inside us. Its main function is to allow us to listen deeply to the whispers of the inner self. It also allows us to express our energies through our voice.
 
Ajna – brow chakra.
Also called the third eye. This energy center is responsible for intuition, perception, and mind. It is the command center is a highly influential over the other chakras. Awakening and working with this energy center gives us incredible mastery over ourselves.
 
Sahasrar – crown chakra.
The energy center of Divine consciousness. Through this energy center we begin accessing and uniting with the infinite Self. When this chakra begins opening up we experience that inner connection and unity with the all.

These seven chakras are so much more than just associated with colors and crystals. They are the axis of our spiritual existence. When we learn to work with the chakras we are taking a deliberate role in our spiritual growth.

You can learn a bit more about the chakras from my Intro to Chakras video lecture. This is the lesson that I gave my coaching group. 
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Understanding Chakras & Meditation

In a previous blog post I shared that my meditation practice made a huge leap forward when began working with my energy.

I struggled with meditation for such a long time. It was tedious and unrewarding. I would do it because I knew it was “good” and that I needed to practice – but not because it was exciting or interesting.

When I opened the door of experiencing the chakras… that was it. There was a complete transformation in my meditation.

It was like the phoenix rising from the ashes. Suddenly meditation became an incredible exploration of these energy centers.

You can experience the same, but only after you learn to work with the energy and can have some sensation or awareness of the chakras within you. That is why we are having this conversation and you feel inspired to read this blog post.

In reading my words you are connecting with my consciousness and my energy. This will help awaken the possibility of feeling the depth of the chakras in your meditation practice.
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Working with the chakras in meditation took me to a whole new level in my yoga practice and in my life. I want the same for you.

Experiencing The Chakras

Have you ever planted a seed and watched it grow? First the seed rests below the surface of the soil. You may not even see it. But every day you water it, nourish it and take care that it is safe.

You know that seed is germinating out of sight and you anticipate seeing it for the first time. Certainly in the perfect time the you see that shoot breaking through the soil and coming into the light.

It is the same in working with the chakras. Reading these words, learning about the chakras, and then setting out towards the goal… Those are the planting of the seeds.

Then you must work in your meditation. Learn to use your breathing and to focus your mind on the chakra points. That is the watering of the seed.

Even though you may “see” the chakras working. It is there, germinating out of sight. You may even have some small experience or an inner assurance that there is progress. (Or perhaps you have me as a coach to help you see the progress!)
 
In the right time you will have an experience of the chakras. It will come into the light of your conscious mind. You will feel something at the chakra point or there will be some awakening that signals it is opening up. This is the seedling sprouting and coming up out of the soil.

Then you can go about nurturing the experience and looking after it. Just as you would take care of the seedling, looking after it and waiting for the fruit. So to you will have to continuously take care of the chakra… working on it. And in the right time your effort will bear even greater fruit.

This process of awakening the chakras, experiencing the energy and working with it… this is Yoga.

I have experienced this for each of my chakras and I continue to practice. Each day is a great discovery in experiencing the energies within me. Even more amazing – I have many students who have started this journey and already are experiencing those energy centers within. 
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​The Truth About Chakra Meditation

It takes work. It takes time. It takes discipline, dedication and determination. It will not come easily… but it will come if you remain steady on your path.

This is true for anything worth having in this world and it is true for the fruits of Yoga.

And you can have it. You can experience the chakras and the energy that is within you. You can learn to meditate deeply and to move the energy within you.

For a long time I questioned the path and wondered if it was worth it. Now that question is banished from my mind. When the experiences of your own inner energy come to you that is the evidence.

That is the assurance of your spiritual path. 
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What Can You Do To Experience This?

The easy answer is… do more Yoga. The reality is that we must not simply do yoga, we need to do it consciously and purposefully.

I constantly tell my students this. I don’t want anyone to be a parrot. Don’t simply learn the knowledge to be able to repeat it. It is not enough to be able to speak the right words.

Each person must strive to understand what it means on a personal level. To see how it is operating in them and if there is any truth in it.

And if you are sincere go after the experience of it, not just the mental knowing. Stay with your practice and try to go deep into it. Work with your coach, teacher, or guide. Or work on your own being steady in your inner investigation.

That is the path forward.

For me it followed this cycle:
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So now that you know there is more to discover here is what to do. You can follow these general guidelines to push you towards the experience.

1. Pick a chakra or a kosha. Contemplate it. Direct your mind towards it. Cultivate a curiosity – “I want to experience this in me.”
2. Practice your postures, breathing, or meditation with this goal in mind.
3. Observe the experiences as you practice with this intention.
4. Process the experience, try to understand what it means and how it affects you.
5. Try to keep that awareness and new understanding in daily life. How can what you experienced inform your daily living?
6. Go deeper, new knowledge will come to you, repeat to create that depth.

 
Let me know how it goes! Feel free to leave me a comment on your experience with the process. Or if you have any questions.

Next in this meditation series

This blog post is part of my ongoing series on meditation. The next blog post will be about the mental narrative – understanding that mind voice and the stories that it creates.

For me, that was the next big step with my meditation after learning about energy. I look forward to sharing it with you.