This is a seven part series that will take you on a journey to explore your chakras. You will learn of their position within the body and the various symptoms in your life that indicate what is happening within them. You will receive tips on how to address the aspects of life that are out of balance and you will learn simple meditations upon each of the chakras to help restore balance. 




The Sacral Chakra


This chakra lies in the hip area of our body. In sanskrit it is known as the Svadisthana and the colour associated with it is orange. 

This chakra is associated with our emotions, sensuality, being open to receiving pleasure and our ability to go with the flow. In terms of physical symptoms this chakra relates to our sexual organs, our low back area, immune system, feet and legs.  


AFFIRMATION FOR THIS CHAKRA


"I allow myself to receive the pleasures of life."
"I allow myself to feel and experience all my emotions."



ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING ISSUES TO IMPROVE THE BALANCE



1) What goals have you felt passionate about pursuing in life but have not? If we judge our goals or passions, or fear what will happen when we decide to follow up on them, we find ourselves stalling and not taking action. This can cause blocks within the sacral chakra. Procrastination is not laziness though. It is an indication that within us lies a fear that is preventing us taking action. Identify the fear, put in the effort to transmute it and you will find the energy to move forward. What is your greatest fear with regards to your goal?

2) Do you consider yourself to be a controlling person? Are there relationships that you are controlling so that you don't lose something? We control when we fear losing something - love, money, support, connection. When we are aware of what we are afraid of losing we can begin to let go of the need to control. As long as we deny we need it, our subconscious will attempt to control the source of it in our lives. People pleasing, trying to change people, insincere compliments, using your temper to get what you want, refusing to accept a "no" when you hear it, refusing to take responsibility for your wounds and hurts - these are some examples of controlling behaviours.  

3) How do you feel about your sexuality? Many of us have been taught to see our sexuality as bad, as something to be suppressed. This is especially true for those whose sexual choices are not supported by elements within society. Allowing ourselves to experience conscious relations with others is anything but bad, it is a way to know another and ourselves more intimately. Sure, there are times when self-control will be beneficial, but this is not achieved by guilting, blaming or shaming parts of ourselves. Another indication of imbalance would be taking it to the opposite extreme and struggling with sexual addictions. 

4) How do you express your creativity? Creativity lies within each and every one of us awaiting expression. We may not necessarily have received support for it unless we were of Da Vinci's standard from the outset. Creative expression is a source of great joy for us when we detach from the outcome or the need to please others. Are there creative outlets that you have considered but not followed up on? It will be worth giving it a go! Even if it is something you write for yourself alone to bring a little more joy in to your life. You do not have to write the next bestseller. In fact that kind of expectation only gets in the way of the flow, I know from experience!

5) Are you able to master your fears related to survival and not having enough? The fear of not enough is one of the greatest fears plaguing our world at this time. Turning inwards to reflect on what you do have and appreciating all that you are, can have a profound impact on this worry. Instead of always giving attention to what is missing, we allow ourselves to focus on the beauty of life and those around us. Breathing through your anxiety and worry can help to alleviate some of the tension they cause.  From that space we are much more likely to create what we do need to produce in our life.  



A MEDITATION UPON THE SACRAL CHAKRA

1) When you are in meditation, focus your attention below the navel and picture an orange circle. 

2) Begin to tone a deep "Om" sound whilst maintaining attention and focus on this chakra. Repeat this process 7 times on that same spot and be aware of any messages from your body. 

3) Be aware of the releasing of energy over the next few days. You may notice emotional issues coming to the surface related to some of the above issues. Don't judge them, simply allow yourself to feel them and allow them to move through you. Love yourself! If you need a helping hand reach out to someone who can offer support. In those times you find it challenging to be compassionate towards yourself, the compassion of another can moved mountains. 



Meditation is a great process for any of us so that we can begin to restore balance to our lives. In this FREE guide I offer my top tips for you as you begin to set up a practice in your life. I address many of the concerns people have about meditation, how to breathe properly, different types of practice and much more. Click on the link below to download it and read it on your phone, tablet or computer. As I add more content to the guide you will receive updates and benefit from the feedback of others. 

                                        CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE GUIDE

This is a seven part series that will take you on a journey to explore your chakras. You will learn of their position within the body and the various symptoms in your life that indicate what is happening within them. You will receive tips on how to address the aspects of life that are out of balance and you will learn simple meditations upon each of the chakras to help restore balance. 


We start at the base of the spine and work our way upwards. 


The Root Chakra


The root chakra is located at the very base of our spine. In Sanskrit this is known at the Muladhara chakra and its colour is red. 

If we feel that we belong within a community we will have a strong sense of connection and our chakra is nice and balanced.  We will feel safe and most likely have a strong connection with others in our family or local community. 

AFFIRMATION FOR THIS CHAKRA:

"I am connected to all of life." 
"I choose to see how I am connected with all of life."

ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING ISSUES TO IMPROVE THE BALANCE


If you are experiencing issues of survival in your life, then at some level you are dealing with issues related to this chakra. Here are some areas you may want to address in your life, with some tips on how to begin that process. 

1. You may experience lots of worry or anxiety about problems. Are they problems you have a solution for? If so, take some action. Are they problems there is no way out of? What is being called for in this situation is a process of acceptance. 
   
2. Your safety may feel threatened in some way shape or form. Where do you feel unsafe? What are you worried about losing? Can you let go of that fear? What would it take to feel safe once more? What is the next step you can take?
   
3. Abandonment fears may cause blockages in this chakra. This may require some deep healing and forgiveness work. It may be helpful to find some guidance from a counsellor or someone else you trust. 
4. Any issues with your family of origin or the religious environment you grew up in can be reflected in this chakra. Address the issues head on with compassion and love and you can balance the chakra once more. It may mean cutting out toxic relationships or asking others for forgiveness. 
5. Do you stand up for yourself? Or do you let people walk all over you? As you stand up for yourself, the energy flows. 

A MEDITATION UPON THE ROOT CHAKRA

1) When you are in meditation, focus your attention on the base of your spine and picture a red circle. 

2) Begin to tone a deep "Om" sound whilst maintaining attention and focus on this chakra. Repeat this process 7 times on that same spot and be aware of any messages from your body. 

3) Be aware of the releasing of energy over the next few days. You may notice emotional issues coming to the surface. Don't judge them, simply allow yourself to feel them and allow them to move through you. Love yourself!!


Next time, we learn about the sacral chakra, central to the manifestation of your hearts desires upon your earthly quest!



This quick test below can give you an indication of the status of your root chakra, as well as the other chakras of your body. It is well worth taking 3 minutes to assess this for yourself!

You may have just started meditating. You may be meditating regularly. You may not notice anything changing in your outer world. How do you know it is working for?

I have been meditating for years now and sit for 90 minutes at a time. That is not expected of any beginner, or even advanced meditator. It is my choice. The reason I mention it is because there is a reason I continue to make the choice to do this every day and it wasn't because it was putting more money in the bank. The benefits are often a lot more subtle! 

Here are some simple questions you could ask yourself after about 4 weeks of practicing meditation. Then, you could ask them every few weeks to continue to track your progress.

Are other people commenting on changes in your behaviour? Ask around. You are in your head all day, others will notice changes in you that you yourself may not have.

Are you better at concentration than you used to be? With a regular meditation practice you should find that throughout your days you are better able to concentrate on daily tasks. 

Are you noticing any changes in your posture? Muscle tension is a cause of poor posture and the pains associated with it. Regular meditation can relax the muscles and help restore posture.

Are you more aware of your actions towards others? You may not always be able to control your temper and that is ok, you are a work in progress. But hopefully you will at least be more aware of those times when you do.

What behaviors have you become aware of that you want to change about yourself? As we meditate we become more aware of the behaviors that can hold us back in certain areas of life.

Do your meditations seem to go by quicker, even when they are longer? When we truly enjoy something, time can fly by in a moment. This is the reason that the most seasoned of meditators are able to sit for hours in meditation.

Are you noticing more of the beauty in the world? You may find that you have become much more aware of the small things in life and find yourself appreciating them more. This is definitely a side effect of meditation.

And finally, are you attracting more hippies in to your life? Hippies can smell meditators, they notice the glow in your eyes and they want to know you. So if there are more of them around you, your meditation is working!


Review these questions every so often and you will be able to see that the meditation is indeed having a positive effect on your well being. 


This is an excerpt from "How To Meditate: A Beginner's Guide". It is $2 and you can download it to your iphone, tablet or computer and tap in to your meditation practice more regularly. Included are a number of meditation examples. What is cool about this is that as I add new meditations you will be able to access them, at no extra cost! :) Click on the picture below and begin your journey today....

"If it wasn't for my mind, my meditation would be excellent."

                         - Pema Chodron


"How hard could it be to meditate?" This is a question asked by many who have yet to sit for the first time. You may think that during your day you sit and do nothing, but if you truly tune out all the background noise you will probably find that you are actually chattering constantly away in the back of your mind. And it will soon become obvious as to how many petty thoughts you think in one day and how much resistance those thoughts bring to the simple act of sitting in silence.

Our little mind resists meditation and will throw out a whole bunch of reasons as to why you cannot take the time to meditate. It is worth being aware of some of the common forms of resistance so that you can move beyond them. 

1) "There are too many responsibilities to attend to in life." The funny thing is we can ignore these responsibilities throughout the rest of our day, but we have to sit and meditate and suddenly now we have thoughts that tell us we should be doing this or that. You are only dedicating a few minutes to meditation to start with, those responsibilities will get met later on in the day. Make a promise to your chatty mind that you will address it later. Meditation is your responsibility to yourself. 

2) Nasty negative emotions and thoughts seem to arise a whole lot more. When we meditate we oftentimes surface the various parts of ourselves that need our healing attention. Anything that is in the way of feeling calm and peaceful is going to surface for you to release. This can be a reason that many people want to avoid meditation, to avoid those raw feelings. Sometimes they release during the meditation, sometimes they do not. If you are finding that some strongly negative feelings are emerging, be sure to speak with a counsellor or therapist who can help you. These feelings do not indicate that your meditation is not working. On the contrary they are telling you that it is working very well.

3) Our chatty little mind would have us believe that sitting and meditating is not going to benefit us. The days when we least want to meditate, the days when that voice is the loudest, are the days when you will probably experience the most profound breakthroughs in your meditation. You will have those days, we all do.  Even those of us who have been at it for years. On those days insist that you do it, breathe through the resistance and the turbulent thoughts. This is like the mental and emotional resistance to a tough workout, you will be grateful afterwards.

4) "Nothing has changed in my life, it cannot be working." Meditating will not suddenly make you richer, more successful or better looking. Sure, some of these things may occur over time as a result of the awareness that comes with meditation. But the true value of meditation is who we become in the process. It is easy to measure tangible changes in our outer world, not so easy to measure the changes that happen within us. Instead of looking and expecting your outer world to change, be aware of some of the subtle changes within yourself that others may be mentioning. Are you kinder? More gentle? More calm? Less anxious? These are all very positive experiences that come with long-term practice. 

5) Our ego resists the joy it does not understand. Joy and happiness come through a choice to allow them in. Our resistance to meditation could be our resistance to allowing those states of being in our life. Maybe you had religious conditioning that said you did not deserve it, or societal beliefs that it is not possible, or fears you yourself generated through life experience. To your ego mind, life as it knows it is comfortable. Life as it does not know it is uncomfortable. So not only is your mind resisting the negative thoughts and emotions, it is resisting the positive feelings of joy and happiness. "It is our light not our darkness, that scares us." Famous words from Marianne Williamson. Remember that your thoughts of fear are not always fearing the bad, but sometimes fearing the good that is unknown to the ego. 

Resistance is bound to come up, but it is only the part of you that resists the change that is speaking up. Beyond that resistance lies the very experience you are seeking for in meditation. I have been meditating for years, and now I sit for 90 minutes at a time. Sometimes I experience total peace, other times my little mind wants to yap away out of discontent.