When hearing or talking about energy work there is always a part of us that questions what we hear. Results that come from energy work are highly subjective and very hard - if not impossible - to measure.
My aim with this article isn't to go deep into explaining what chakras are (for that you can read my previous article) but simply to give you a relatable example that might help you to understand why learning about the chakras could be an interesting self-discovery tool to explore and open you up to the possibility of life being more than we think!
The chakra system and Yoga originated around the same time in India, Tantrik Yoga and Kundalini Yoga include the chakra system within their methods, whereas in other schools of Yoga, the chakras aren't always mentioned as a central part of the practice, but simply as another tool to add to our toolbox.
As a Yoga teacher and enthusiast I learnt about the chakras during my first training in India, where I bought my first book about the subject. I remember learning about them and thinking how accurate and incredible everything I was reading was. I had to start looking back into my childhood to understand how certain wounds corresponded to certain things I was experiencing at that time on a physical, mental and emotional level.
What's interesting with the chakras is that it is ever-changing, one month you may find yourself with an imbalance in chakra one and next month it has shifted. Just like the elements in Ayurveda, the balance of your seven chakras depends largely on past traumas, childhood memories and conditioning as well as recent traumatic or life-changing events (such as a big move to another country, a separation, childbirth etc).
Certain wounds and traumas are deep and might not come into your awareness from the first moment you start learning about the chakras, while others may be more obvious.
I recently redid the test to find that my third (solar plexus) and fourth (heart) chakras were out of balance.
So what does that mean?
I'm not going to go too much into my personal life here but I was surprised at first, and then realised they were asking me to rethink two things:
- my relationship with myself, my ego-strength: solar plexus chakra
- my relationship with others: heart chakra
Two things I struggle with.
For as long as I can remember, one of my deep rooted beliefs has been that I am not good enough. I have managed to challenge this belief in a great way and worked on my self-worth immensely, especially when going through my recovery from anorexia.
But seeing those results showed me that this belief was still influencing my life in dark and vicious ways.
I decided to become more aware of my thought patterns and discover how.
I had two clients working with me privately at the time and they would both tell me how amazing they felt after our sessions and how eager they were about continuing to work with me. In both instances, I noticed I was making excuses for them, to make sense of why they were being so supportive...
My mind would just not want me to accept these compliments (heart chakra imbalance) and instead made up stories about the ulterior motives they had for being "nice" to me (solar plexus chakra imbalance).
This was a huge realization.
And it gave me the opportunity to challenge those thoughts and transform them into "I am valuable and my work brings value to the world". Which is way more empowering and leaves me feeling a lot better!
Especially, when you work in the wellness space; you meditate a lot, take care of your body, and 'walk the talk', you sometimes have this feeling that you are in control of your life and that you have a sort of superpower awareness of all the sh** that may be disrupting your balance.
But in fact you don't.
There are still (and perhaps always will be) stuff to figure out. There are still behaviours and thought-patterns that unconsciously happen - until you bring light onto them and decide whether you need to change the narrative.
It gives the power back to you - rather than letting yourself act and react from an unconscious place.
That's where chakra work can become interesting.
It can serve to shine the light on things that still haven't been understood or discovered within yourself. It can work as a great tool toward self-discovery and self-mastery.
Wanna learn more?
I am hosting an Online Chakra Balancing practice this Sunday 6-7.15pm WEST.
It is open to all levels - no experience with chakras or Yoga required. There will be gentle movements and meditation exercises.
BONUS: you'll receive the in-depth chakra test I have been using to find out which one of your chakra(s) may be out of balance.
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