Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign hello and welcome to Deep in your Yoga Practice podcast. I'm Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And today we will deepen our yoga practices by exploring the concept of chakras or chakras you might know them as.
[00:00:27] Are they a map of the energy body? Are they just a metaphor? Are they bs? What are they? What do they entail? And how do we interact with this somewhat well known, yet mysterious aspect of yoga and of our understanding of our own energy?
[00:00:45] So welcome. I'm so happy to have you here. Even if you know a lot about this concept, I definitely recommend listening to this episode because you might garner a new perspective if this is brand new to you as well. We'll definitely go over the basics and then you can launch your learning from there. So what are chakras? C H A K R A S the definition of the word means wheel or disc in Sanskrit and they're seen as spinning centers of life force energy. Life force energy being prana in yoga, according to this view of the body, there are energy highways called nadis that flow all through the body and anywhere two of these NADIs intersect, become this whirling vortex of energy known as the chakra. These are traditionally part of the subtle body system in yoga, Ayurveda and Tantra. So there are writings and teachings about chakras dating back to texts like the Upanishads and shat chakra niropana.
[00:01:54] So it's an ancient concept dating back at least a couple of thousands of years. Although you'll find out, the way that we see them and use them has changed a little bit. There are a lot of different models of this system in different traditions. And the most popular model in the west is the seven chakra system, which are the seven major chakras along the spine. Again, again, there are many chakra systems that have been meditated on, studied through the millennia, but this has become the most popular and well known system.
[00:02:31] So like, if you've come to True Love Yoga, you'll see we have a banner hanging in the studio and it has symbols for these seven chakras. Know that it's not the only way to look at these symbols, but it can be a very helpful way to do deepen and develop your understanding of the energy body. So I'll dive into this particular system and what each of these seven chakras symbolizes. So again, these are whirling vortex of energy that are formed by intersecting nadis. And in the seven chakra system, there are three major NADIs that run along the spine. There is Shishumna, which is the main central energy channel. Then there are Ida and Pingala, which run alongside and weave around and intersect with each other, forming these chakras. And Ida is considered the feminine channel, the lunar channel, and Pingala is considered the masculine or solar channel. So each of these chakras embodies different masculine and feminine elements or different polarities, inviting in really a sense of wholeness. So the first we'll talk about is the root chakra, which is Muladhara. And this is located at the base of the spine. And the energy it holds is safety, survival, grounding. So in a psycho spiritual sense, this is sort of a metaphor for this space that holds your relationship with your body, with the earth, with a sense of home, anything that is very physical and grounding. Next we move up to the sacral chakra or Swadisthana, which is kind of in the metaphorical womb space, we'll say so just below the navel. And this is associated with emotions, pleasure, creativity, it's associated with water. It's about our relationship with others, about our creativity, about our ability to flow. So we consider often this deeply creative space. Next we move up to Manipura, which is the solar, solar plexus chakra just above the navel. And this is our power center associated with fire.
[00:04:50] It's known for confidence and will and determination and drive. It's our relationship with ourself, how we see ourself, our egos even. Then we move up to the heart. So right where the physical heart is, this is Anahata chakra. This is our center for love and compassion, connection, for passion and service, for giving and receiving. Then we move up again to the throat. So where the physical throat is, but also the ears and mouth, this is Vishuda, the throat chakra, which is our center for communication, both listening and speaking, for truth, for self expression as well. And then we move up again to the third eye chakra or Ajna. This is our center for wisdom, for intuition, insight, deep perception. And then the seventh chakra is Sahasrara, which is the crown chakra. So located at the crown of the head, it is our connection to the Divine, it's transcendence, it is our spiritual self. So if you look at all of these different centers, they really come together to form this puzzle of what makes us who we are from the ground up. So as we're looking at these chakras, are they a true map of ourselves and our energy or are they more Metaphorical, we can think of them as a map. And some practitioners and traditions work with chakras as these real energetic centers that can be felt, that can be visualized in meditation, that maybe can be infused with healing energy even if they're out of balance. And when they're seen this way, they can be used in breath work or pranayama and different types of yoga and mantra in Reiki healing, which is a hands on healing technique, and different energy healing modalities. Within these different modalities, you might hear of something like chakra balancing. So the balancing practice might include breath work, sound, movement, color affirmations, things like that. So again, when you're thinking of it as a map, you're thinking of them as these centers that truly exist and that can be balanced and infused with good healing energy. When they're in balance, you have a feeling of wholeness and well being. You can also think of chakras as a metaphor. So they can be seen as psychological archetypes or even organizing principles. Sometimes when I'm thinking about them, I think of like a filing cabinet. So my relationship with my body I could file into the root chakra. My relationship with my intuition, I could file into the third eye. Um, and they mirror human development and emotional life and inner transformation. So if you go from the root up, really we're looking at different phases of human development and the different physical, emotional, higher wisdom abilities that we develop over time as humans. And if we look at them as a metaphor, they can help us really see our whole selves and reflect on what might feel blocked psychologically or emotionally or spiritually within ourselves and what might feel expansive, what is going well. But if you're looking at it metaphorically, you're not really seeing them as these things that exist. It is more just this archetypal filing system for what makes us who we are. And it's a nice organized and beautiful system. The symbols are pretty, they're rainbow colors to look at to understand that from a scientific viewpoint, there's no anatomical evidence of the chakras. But science does acknowledge the connection between emotions and the nervous endocrine systems. And many chakras correspond to major nerve plexuses and endocrine glands. So there is some correlation there. And maybe it's something we just don't quite understand just yet from a scientific level. We also know from science that breath and movement and meditation absolutely do affect the mind, body and mood, and that chakra focused practice can support regulation and healing. So what do I believe are they map? Are they metaphor? Are they bs? Because science hasn't necessarily proven them yet. I don't tend to live in spaces where I fully buy into one thing or another, which can be difficult at times. But I'm all about nuance and possibility. So in my opinion, it doesn't need to be this either. Or you don't have to believe in chakras for them to work as tools for growth. You can think of them almost like poetry or mythology. Maybe they're not always literal, but they can still be really meaningful. And keep in mind that many important spiritual teachings and yoga philosophy often uses metaphor and symbol and subtle systems to support awakening, embodiment and self and communal understanding. So you can think of chakras as a tool, whether they're a map or a metaphor.
[00:09:58] That can be extremely beneficial and helpful in this understanding and awakening. Also, what is real isn't always measurable, at least not yet. Not until we have the right tools. Right? So sometimes what is felt and what is experienced has mattered most. Like I said, I kind of.
[00:10:16] I have a hard time forming like a super strong belief in things. I grew up in a very black and white household, I would say, where Christianity was the way. But when I started opening myself up and questioning things, I kind of got into this space eventually of accepting. I don't really know exactly what the nature of reality is or why I'm here, what happens after we die, et cetera. So. So for me, when I've worked with chakras, it's really. It's varied. I've done a Reiki training and I've visualized the chakras and I've. I've seen and felt things and I've. I've worked with them. Did that feel real at the time? Yes. I've also looked at them purely as metaphor, and that's been just as helpful, being able to organize who I am into these categories in a way and then feel what is on balance and off balance. So like I said, I've worked with the chakras in a lot of different ways, and I think my views on them are constantly shifting and expanding. But it is still what I consider an important part of my work. If you're interested in working with the chakras, there are a few things you can do. There are some yoga teachers who love to teach based on the chakra system. It's something I typically keep in mind while I'm teaching, even if my class isn't fully themed that way. So they might design a whole class around a specific chakra. For instance, it's a root chakra class. There's a lot of opportunities to ground through Pranayama, maybe through visualization, through the specific postures that are chosen throughout the class. So yoga is a really good way to connect with that. Also different self inquiry prompts. So looking into the different chakras and asking questions that relate to them about yourself. For instance, if you're honing in on the sacral chakra, you might say, where do I feel most creative right now? Where do I feel blocked? And that might give you some insight into what's happening in that area of your life. You might not overwhelm yourself with all seven in this system, but choose one to focus on for a while and really get a feel for that through its symbol, through its sound, through its color, through all that it embodies and encompasses. And I'll add that my book, Embody youy Inner Goddess, A Guided Journey to Radical Wholeness, is organized by the chakra. So if you want a really structured way to get to know these different parts of yourself, you can go through my book. It's organized so that each week is focused in on one particular chakra and then each day is focused in on some sort of aspect of that chakra. So it's a thorough way to really dive into these different aspects of the self and to garner this sense of wholeness. When we're looking at the chakras, yes, some of the books that are out there or teachings are all about like deficiencies or imbalances. But I think really as we look at all these different parts of ourselves, and like I said, the masculine and feminine that are embodied through each one, what we can really find is this sense of wholeness and this appreciation for being a complicated, nuanced, unique human being with all of these beautiful aspects of who we are. I'll add also for any yoga teachers out there, my 300 hour training through True Love Yoga, which will be available next year, is organized into the chakras as well. It's kind of how my mind works as I'm teaching. So each month is spent with a different chakra and we explore different teaching methodology, subtle energy, anatomy, business, et cetera, through that particular lens. So it's also another great way to deeply understand your own chakras in the chakra system as a whole, as a yoga teacher. So thank you for listening today. Again, this is an ancient system, but one that we definitely look at through a modern lens. One that we can look at as something that is tangible and real or simply as a metaphor. Either way, it can be extremely beneficial to work with this system. You don't have to choose between science and spirit. They can just be this doorway into deeper self knowing, deeper awareness. On and off your yoga mat. And I invite you to reflect on maybe where you're feeling open right now, where you're feeling blocked, and on all these beautiful aspects of who you are.
[00:14:42] Because who you are is whole. I hope you deepened your yoga practice today. Until next time. Om Shanti. Om. Peace.
