A calming seven-minute teaching by Wendy Wood (Nandiva) of the ISHTA School of Yoga and Health about the effects of imblanaces in the subtle energy system of the chakras and how regular pranayama and asana can help bring our bodies back into perfect harmony.

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www.yoga-sa.com/downloads/chakra_imbalances.mp3

Svadhisthana Chakra – The Sacral Chakra

The second chakra, located in the sacral plexus, is related to the element of water, to emotions and sexuality. It connects us to others through feeling, desire, sensation, and movement. Ideally this chakra brings us fluidity and grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment, and the ability to accept change

By Arlene Francois

Most people think of kundalini as energy, but really it is just consciousness and every body on earth has access to it. The only difference between an “enlightened” person and an ordinary person is that the kundalini is latent in one and manifest in the other. This is what happens when the kundalini moves out of its normal house in the base chakra and burns ts way to the higher chakras causing our own inner consciousness to light up the world.

The symbols of the chakras in their rich imagery give us a pictorial understanding of the different levels at which this consciousness is awakened. The first chakra with the square and the white elephant tells us we are dealing with earthy, physical vibrations. The consciousness is “I am my body and I am fearful for my security.” Think of the huge body of the elephant – clumsy, slow. He has very poor eyesight and experiences life through very narrow vision. When kundalini has passed through Muladhara chakra and the veil has been lifted, it moves to Svadhisthana chakra  the sacral centre or, more literally, the “the dwelling place of the self”. “Sva” means “that which belongs to itself” and “dhisthana” meaning “its actual place”.

In the course of self-development there is a gradual refinement and escalation of the senses from the tamasic (dark, inert) to the rajasic (heated desire) to the sattvic (harmony, peace) level. While Muladhara chakra is concerned with smell as a sense and our pleasant or unpleasant experiences of smell – our likes and dislikes, or ragadwesha – Svadhisthana is concerned with taste. With regard to food and drink, it’s the tongue we taste with, yet it becomes apparent that taste is also related to other areas of life. The word “taste” also indicates the tasting of an experience and teaches that we should move beyond our likes and dislikes of a particular taste and into the “experience of the tasting” – this is when Svadhisthana chakra begins to open.

Svadhisthana represents the experience of life itself. To do this, it is required that we live in the present state of awareness, and not in the mind of many conscious and subconscious thoughts. Svadhisthana itself is controlled by the subtle or subconscious mind and ruled with emotion. It is closely related to Muladhara where the different samskaras (potential karmas) lie dormant, yet Svadhisthana is where these samskaras find expression. In addition to unconscious desires, Svadhisthana is also especially concerned with sexual desire.

The two lower chakras – Muladhara and Svadhisthana – are about our instincts. One of the prime reasons for yoga is to rise above this lower nature and control our desires.

The Symbol
THE SIX-PETALLED LOTUS – the guiding thought of the lotus symbol is that of purity of mind. The increase in the number of petals indicates an increase of expression, not only in words, but in imagination.
THE CRESCENT MOON – known as Ambhoja Mandala, is luminous, white, cool and receptive. It represents water and water represents imagination, a function of the mind. Uncultivated imagination can lead to fear and a variety of unhealthy mental attitudes. Directed imagination leads to creative expression such as inventions and art.
MAKARA – is the name of the creature that’s a combination of alligator and fish. Its wide mouth swallows up everything without discrimination – an image that accurately sums up the negative aspects of Svadhisthana.

Svadhisthana Chakra
Position: The sacral plexus
Colour: Orange
Sound: Vam
Centre: Pleasure, sexuality, creativity
Gland/Organ: Ovaries and testicles
Sense: Taste

Asanas For Svadhishthana Chakra
Often referred to as the “water chakra”, activation of Svadhisthana chakra regulates and harmonises the fluids of the human body, thus affecting the genital system and easing arthritis and diseases of the blood. Activation of this chakra is a powerful preventative against sexual disorders too. When Paschimotasana (the Seated Forward Bend Pose) is performed correctly, all the vertebrae of the spine and each muscle in the back are stretched and provides a compression or contraction of the stomach followed by the release which increases blood flow to the abdominal region. Also very beneficial are the lower backbends like Matsyasana (the Fish Pose) and Salabhasana (the Locust Pose).

The Healing Power of Colour

With the whole body relaxed and soft, visualise the colour RED and relax your skin. Feel RED lightly dancing over the skin.

Then ORANGE. Visualise ORANGE saturating and unknotting the muscles.

See YELLOW sinking into the bones, elongating and freeing them.

Imagine GREEN soothing and calming the emotions. Feel it.

BLUE eases the breathing, making you light and airborne.

INDIGO tranquilising the patterns in the consciousness.

VIOLET gently seeping into the thought patterns. Experience it and flow with the VIOLET.

Slowly draw all the colours into your centre – all colours amalgamating to create WHITE LIGHT.

Feel yourself, radiant and whole.

Muladhara Chakra – The Root Chakra

Like the stained glass windows of a cathedral, which preserve in pictoral form, the knowledge and wisdom of medieval philosophy, the seven main chakras of the Kundalini system contain in their rich and complex imagery, a virtual encyclopedia of human consciousness and spiritual life, says Arleen Francois

The symbols used in depicting the chakras are taken from Indian mythology – conches, tridents, lotus, serpents – and on the surface seem alien to our Western way of thinking, but the meaning behind the symbols is universal.

In Hatha yoga practice, we work on a physical level to open joints, stretch muscles, strengthen the bones and release unnecessary tension, but at a deeper level, whether we recognise it or not, we are working on the subtler energies of the body, in particular with the energies of the chakras, along the spine.

According to Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine in Muladhara chakra must be awakened and made to ascend through the centre of the spinal column until it reaches the crown of the head. On its progress upwards, this force passes through the chakras, where stress tends to accumulate and obstruct its passage. The function of asana is to open the chakras to allow this force to flow freely.

Muladhara Chakra

Position: Base of the spine (genitals)
Colour: Red
Sound: Lam
Centre: Physical energy and vitality
Gland/Organ: Testes/Ovaries
Sense: Smell

Muladhara chakra is the earth chakra – the base, the foundation – and is located at the perineum, the area between the anus and genitals, sometimes referred to as the “pelvic floor”.

Muladhara is concerned with survival in this world and how the outside world affects the inner world through the senses. The undeveloped human is sensual, first directed to food by smell. Smell also creates sexual excitement. If the quest for knowledge is sincere however, the sensitivity of the sense of smell can become so refined that there may be the perception of a Divine Presence by the smell of a fragrance resembling roses or violets, or the delicate scent of incense such as sandalwood.

“As above, so below”: the root chakra corresponds to the crown chakra. By awakening Muladhara, you are increasing the subtle energies throughout your being.

The Symbol

THE CIRCLE – denotes completeness or perfection.
THE SQUARE – is the symbol of the element earth. Not only is Muladhara the first chakra, the foundation of all other chakras, but it is itself a beginning. It is like building the foundation of one’s house – if the plans have not been well drawn, if the groundwork is sloppy and careless, the foundation will not support the structure. Similarly, one’s life must have a good foundation – careful preparation and planning is necessary.
THE TRIANGLE – is the symbol of the female sex. In this chakra, the triangle pointing downwards indicates that the power comes from above. Within the triangle is a linga, the symbol for the male sex. Around the linga is a serpent coiled three and a half times and this represents energy expressed in three different ways: sattva is purity, rajas is activity and passion and tamas stands for inertia and darkness. The half coil combines all three and indicates the interplay of these forces.
THE WHITE ELEPHANT WITH SEVEN TRUNKS – In the beginning man is clumsy and heavy like an elephant, trampling everything underfoot. Our preconceived ideas do the same thing. The seven trunks stand for the seven most powerful negative characteristics and also the seven most powerful ones. The elephant is an exceptionally strong animal and strength is needed to overcome the difficulties encountered along the spiritual path as many human drives have great strength. The elephant is also known to be stubborn, unforgetting and revengeful. Yet the whiteness of the elephant stands for the fact that every human being is divine.

Asanas for Muladhara Chakra
Baddha Konasan (Bound Angle Pose/also known as The Butterfly) relates specifically to the root chakra. In so many classes, the object of the Bound Angle Pose seems to be “Get Those Knees Down Onto The Floor”… or else! But, this is bypassing the essence of the asana. Rather, as a theme for your practice, explore how “Drawing The Perineum Into Your Body” affects your other poses – standing, sitting, inverted and backbends.

Start with the Bound Angle Pose and instead of giving yourself the instruction “Press Knees To The Floor” hear the instruction “Draw The Perineum Into Your Body”. Feel your buttocks responding by becoming firm, the sitting bones move toward each other, the pelvis and spinal column are lifted from underneath and the legs (which would have been the only parts to respond to the first instruction) enjoy a strong movement to the whole being, not just the body.

When the image is used in standing poses, the legs become stronger (very helpful for those who are flexible but weak around the thighs) and the spinal column extends. In balancing poses it gives greater stability and, in backbends, it increases the lift in the pelvis.

You are not commanding yourself to clench a muscle – the image of lifting from deep within awakens a total response that grows from inside rather than being imposed from the outside.

By Arlene Francois