Читать книгу Chakra Healing for Vibrant Energy - Michelle S. Fondin - Страница 11
ОглавлениеELEMENT: Earth (Prithivi)
COLOR: Red
MANTRA SOUND: LAM
Our journey begins at the base of the spine with the first chakra, Muladhara. The word Muladhara means “foundation” or “base” and comes from the two Sanskrit words mul, meaning “base,” and adhara, meaning “support” or “foundation.” This is the first of the three elemental or material chakras in the body, and it’s the thickest and densest chakra of the seven. While it’s associated with our being in our most basic state, it’s no less important than the other chakras on our journey. In fact, it’s the primary and fundamental chakra we must balance in order to enjoy our time here on earth.
The element of Muladhara is earth, or prithivi in Sanskrit. We are bound to earth through gravity. Everything we do to remain on earth is found here. Think of the word survival. We must find shelter, eat, sleep, and procreate. We must protect our environment, including nature and Mother Earth. We must find jobs, do work, and make money to fulfill our needs. We must obey the laws of nature, our environment, and society.
In the body, the first chakra is located in the middle of the perineum and includes the coccyx (tailbone), the pelvis, the base of the spine, and the first three vertebrae. The sense associated with the first chakra is smell, and the sense organ is the nose.
The color we attribute to the base chakra is deep red. The mantra, or bija (seed) sound, we vocalize for the first chakra is LAM.
While the earth element rules the first chakra, the ailments that occur with its imbalance resemble the same diseases or imbalances that occur with the Ayurvedic mind-body type Vata, which is governed not by earth but by space and air. As you may deduct, the elements of space and air are polar opposites of the element earth. Therefore, healing can begin when you bring balance back to the earth element through proper grounding to counteract the excessive space and air.
First-chakra blockages may include constipation, hemorrhoids, sciatica pain, degenerative arthritis, knee troubles, obesity, anorexia nervosa or other eating disorders, anxiety disorders, fears, nightmares, and psychosis. Almost all of these symptoms and disorders are directly related to imbalances in the Vata dosha or space and air mind-body type. Obesity would be the only ailment in this list caused by an excessive amount of the Kapha dosha, which is composed of water and earth.
First Chakra Energy: Solid Like a Rock
The energy of the first chakra is vital to our existence. It’s a downward energy that grounds us and gives us stability. In the body, first-chakra energy governs bone structure, feet, legs, and the large intestine to digest food. Everything we eat comes from the earth and its energy. The homes we build and the structures we enjoy, such as libraries, movie theaters, and skyscrapers, all come from first chakra energy. Gravity keeps us in communion with our planet. The art of manifesting emanates from acceptance of our material existence.
Tamas is the type of energy that rules Muladhara. Tamasic energy is slow, dull, inert. The Ayurvedic dosha that dominates the first chakra is Kapha, which is comprised of the elements of water and earth.
An overabundance of tamasic energy can make a person sluggish, lazy, overweight, and complacent. However, tamas is necessary when a pregnant woman grows a baby. She needs to be grounded, slow down, take more naps, reduce her activities, and eat more food. The same goes for the seasons. Winter is a tamasic season when nothing appears to be going on and nature seems dormant. Animals hibernate. Grass and trees stop growing. But this period of rest is necessary for the outburst of activity in the spring.
Kapha energy is similar to tamasic energy. A healthy Kapha person is grounded, slow, methodical, humble, and down-to-earth. Babies go through a Kapha phase to be able to experience life on earth fully and to grow properly. The two sense organs of Kapha are the nose and mouth (tongue: taste). All babies first experience the world by putting things in their mouths. Babies sleep more than older children and adults. They are drawn to and fascinated by nature and the earth’s elements. They are thus perfect expressions of fully embracing earth energy.
Adult Kapha types who are living in balance are peaceful people to be around. They are loving, affectionate, and kind. Their solid foundation gives comfort to others by being the stable pillars to lean on.
Our Societal Relationship with the Earth Element
While we must embrace earth energy to grow, expand, and raise our levels of consciousness, modern society tends to move us in the opposite direction of where we need to go.
Our experience of being on earth and staying grounded requires us to have direct contact with the material. In other words, when we take walks in nature, have picnics on the beach, gather with others for dinner or conversation, and take care of animals, we are directly interacting with the energy that grounds us. Many of our experiences today happen virtually. We are living in the ether without having a solid foundation. While being on our smartphones, computers, and tablets involves touching something material, we engage in a virtual reality through such technology. We talk or text with people out there in any number of places. We play games with people or bots without knowing the difference. We have one-sided conversations as we post on social media, hoping that someone will respond. These experiences keep us ungrounded. In addition, we live in a society that likes to take pills, drugs, and alcohol to transform our state. We seek the transformative ecstasy of spirit without having the proper roots.
As a result, we eat a lot of food to try to ground ourselves. Because the body has an innate intelligence, it tells us we need to do something to bring ourselves down to earth. So we consume loads of calories seeking the grounded, comforting feelings of a loving mother’s warm embrace. Yet too much food and eating the wrong foods does the opposite of making us feel grounded and safe. It disconnects us from the body and our true needs and desires.
In order to experience the earth, you must get back to it. Relearn how to enjoy life without a device in front of your eyes, in your ears, or in your pocket. Meet people face-to-face. Take walks and listen to the sounds of nature. Cook foods from scratch. Let the sunshine penetrate your face. Gaze at the stars. Get comfortable being here rather than somewhere else. Make earth your home again.
Living Life in the Muladhara Chakra: Security
In each of the chakras, there is a difference between embracing and accepting the energy and gifts from that chakra and living solely from that chakra. As you awaken to the limitations in each chakra, you are driven to discover ways to operate from different levels of consciousness. It’s human nature to want to explore and grow. However, not everyone operates from this level of thinking. Many people accept limitations as hard boundaries and don’t seek to move beyond them. If you’re ready to extend beyond the limitations of your chakras, it’s important to understand what living at the level of each chakra looks like.
People who live in first-chakra energy are in survival mode. Their basic emotion is fear. They are only concerned with security and how to obtain it. The parts of the brain responsible for survival are the brain stem, or medulla, and the limbic system, comprised of the amygdala and the hippocampus. Fight-or-flight is a primitive response hardwired in these parts of the brain, a reaction to fear and a need for survival. In animals, the onset of this primitive response helps them determine if they will fight predators or run away. Fight-or-flight is a chain reaction that begins in the amygdala. It includes a release of stress hormones, such as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. Your heart races, your blood pressure goes up, your blood platelets get sticky, your immune system becomes suppressed, your blood is shunted away from your digestive organs and moved toward the limbs; you sweat and feel compelled to either run or fight.
This primitive response to real and present danger is useful sometimes. Let’s suppose your small child runs into the street after a ball. You must have quick energy to run after him to save him from a moving car. Or if you’re driving and another vehicle suddenly pulls out in front of you, you need fight-or-flight to slam on the brakes. However, the fight-or-flight response isn’t so useful when your life isn’t in danger and you’re responding to fear rather than reality. People who live solely from the first chakra respond to fear most of the time. Their motives are fear of lack, fear of loss, fear of not enough, and the “what if . . .?” syndrome.
First chakra people would rather stay in a dissatisfying job than risk losing job security or a steady paycheck. They are not often leaders but followers with blind obedience. They fear standing out from the crowd and would rather blend in.
The need to fight for security can be seen in first chakra people’s job choices. They might choose to be soldiers or police officers to ensure security of their cities or countries. They constantly seek favor and acceptance from their superiors and work hard to serve them. First chakra people strive for rewards while greatly fearing punishment. While they obey and look up to authority, they are often harsh with people under them.
A person living from an instinctive and primal response is like a small child. Without proper instruction and limitations, a child can become greedy or hoard material goods. She can refrain from sharing. She can lash out physically at another child if she’s dissatisfied or hurt, or doesn’t get her way. She can ignore proper etiquette or societal norms. She can lose her temper and say mean things out of anger.
While all of us can and do revert back to this type of behavior some of the time, a first chakra person lives this way most of the time.
Trust is a big issue for first chakra people. We learn trust in the first two years of life through the care of our parents and caretakers. If the care is consistent, loving, and present, we develop trust in others and in our environment. Through trust we develop the value of hope. However, if we’re in a home where a parent is absent, or our needs are delayed or not taken care of properly, we learn to distrust that others or our environment will provide for us. Those stuck in the first chakra seem to be constantly working out trust issues, which is why they’re fearful.
Recognizing First Chakra Imbalances
The first way to move beyond a limitation is to recognize it. As I pointed out, each object and concept in life has its strengths and weaknesses. That is the nature of duality. The Muladhara chakra keeps us rooted to the earth. It allows us to fully enjoy our earthly existence and manifest our desires into material objects. Muladhara is solid, thick, dense, and real.
The flip side of Muladhara is excessive fear that leads to worry, anxiety, and lack of trust. You can feel the weight of the gravitational pull downward and feel burdened and heavy. In an effort to ground yourself, you can overeat, which leads to being overweight or obese and feeling disconnected from your body.
People with shaky foundations may feel that they never have enough or that what they do have will be taken away. They might hoard material goods and pile them up in their homes. They can be stingy or miserly with their money.
Think of the principle of survival of the fittest. When we are stuck in the first chakra, this becomes our guiding principle.
We live on this beautiful, bountiful planet called Earth. Our planet is filled with lavish abundance. Our ability to experience this planet through our senses is what can make us appreciate the objects that this life has to offer. First chakra gifts tell us we’re not in lack. All we have to do is look around and see the plentiful resources at our disposal. Nature brings us these gifts we don’t have to pay for. There is enough for everyone.
While gravity can seem weighty, it’s necessary for us to live out our purpose in life. We need to dig our hands into the dirt (so to speak) and live in the here and now.
I am secure and grounded. My basic needs are met. I am fearless.
Healing in the first chakra comes with accepting that you have a physical body and learning to appreciate and love it. Many people view their bodies as a hindrance to getting where they want to go. They say things like “Oh, eating is such an inconvenience” or “If I didn’t have to go to the bathroom or sleep so much, I could get more done.” Societal norms have us believe that the body is designed to break down, experience disease, and get worse with age. This is simply not true. Those are just beliefs.
Women often have body image issues. They feel shameful or hate their bodies. They want their breasts to be smaller or bigger. They feel their thighs are too fat or their bottom is too thin. Conversely, men can sometimes ignore the needs of their bodies by forgetting to get a checkup or not paying closer attention to the early physical signs of disease.
I recently had an Ayurvedic consultation with a client who has an inflammatory autoimmune disease. She was worried about taking prednisone daily and wanted to get off it, but every time she tried, she experienced the pain of her disease. In our consultation I discovered that her primary dosha was Vata and she was only eating once a day and was barely sleeping. I explained to her that if she wanted her body to heal, she had to get back into her body. She’s a highly creative individual and loves her creative work. She embraces her space and air qualities so much that she lives daily in the ether and reinforces that by not eating or sleeping. Getting back into her body means she needs to take care of it and do grounding practices. Then, and only then, will she be able to heal from her autoimmune disease.
Your beautiful body is comprised of the elements of the earth: space, air, fire, water, and earth. You’re a part of this amazing and miraculous existence. First, accepting your body as a vehicle through which you experience life is essential. Second, honoring your body by feeding it the proper foods, exercising it, and giving it adequate sleep shows that you respect it.
In Western society we don’t take time to appreciate the food we eat daily. We often eat food on the go, in our vehicles or while walking, or we skip meals throughout the day. Preparing food, serving it, and eating it should be a sacred act. Our body is the only channel through which we enjoy our time on earth. Loving your body means appreciating its needs and benefiting from its strengths.
To reconnect with your body through the act of eating, commit to taking at least one meal each week in silence. Shop for your food in gratitude and excitement at the prospect of sharing the gift of a meal with your body. Prepare the food with love. Take the time to smell your food and taste each and every bite. Be grateful to Mother Earth for providing you with the nourishment and sustenance that you need to live.
Your body is giving you the gift of life every day. If you can get up and walk, run, jump, and bend, you have so many blessings. I love what Dr. Wayne Dyer used to say: “We should have a liver appreciation day.” In other words, celebrate the parts of your body you normally take for granted. When I’m teaching yoga I sometimes have my students massage their own feet and thank their feet for supporting them.
Look at your naked body in a mirror. You read that correctly. Look at it. Send it love and appreciate its beauty.
YOGA ASANAS AND PRANAYAMA EXERCISES TO HEAL THE FIRST CHAKRA
Practicing yoga is a great way to heal your chakras. To heal the first chakra, you will focus on grounding poses or any pose that engages the base of the spine and the area of the perineum.
To view a video demo of these exercises, go to
www.youtube.com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor.
Click on the Playlists tab, and select
Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas.
Scroll down the list until you find the one you’re looking for.
Three-Part Breath — Dirgha: Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. As you breathe, inflate your belly like a balloon on the inhalation and deflate the belly on the exhalation. The complete breath is done through the nose only, with the lips closed. Begin the three-part breath by inhaling first from your lower belly, below your belly button, then expanding to the midbelly, and then allowing the air to rise up into your chest. As you exhale, deflate your chest, then your midbelly, and finally your lower abdomen. Practice this breathing technique for three to five minutes. For first chakra balancing, once you get comfortable with this breathing practice, focus on the tip of your nose while practicing the complete version.
Mula Bandha and Kegels: The word bandha means “lock” or “hold.” And, of course, mula means “root.” So the mula bandha is the root lock. If you are a woman and have practiced Kegel exercises, you will find mula bandha is similar in nature. For a Kegel exercise, a woman contracts the muscles in the perineum, holds for several seconds, and repeats the exercise many times. Both men and women can practice mula bandha. For a man, you contract the muscles between the anus and the testes. For a woman, you contract the muscles at the bottom of the pelvic floor. Hold this lock for as long as you can; some yoga practitioners suggest holding it for the entire class.
Mula bandha stimulates the pelvic nerves, the genital system, the endocrine system, and the excretory system. Regular practice of the root lock can relieve constipation and mild depression.
Knee to Chest Pose — Pavanamuktasana: Lie flat on your back. Bring your right knee to your chest while your left leg is still elongated on the floor. Clasp your hands below your right knee. Keep your head on the floor and inflate your belly, allowing it to puff out. On the exhalation, bend your elbows and bring your knee closer to your chest. You’re stimulating the ascending and transverse colon, liver, and right kidney. After five to seven breaths, release your right leg to the floor. Bring your left knee to your chest and repeat. On the left side you’re stimulating the descending colon, the large intestine, and the left kidney.
Lotus Flexion — Padmasana: Sit cross-legged on the floor with your back erect and tall. Place your left foot in to press on the perineum. If you can, place your right foot on top of your left thigh in a half lotus pose. Make sure your sitting bones are rooted down and pressed to the earth. Clasp your hands behind you, interlacing your fingers, and straighten your arms behind your back. Lift the spine tall, then hinge from your hips, and bring your upper body forward toward the floor in front of you. Bring your arms up off your back in the forward bend as much as you can. Hold the pose for five to seven breaths.
Squatting Pose — Malasana: Stand with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart and your toes turned slightly out. Sit into a squat as if you were sitting in a chair, but lower your tailbone until it’s a few inches from the floor. It’s okay if your heels lift up slightly. Place your hands in prayer posture with your elbows gently pushing out on each inner thigh. Lengthen through your spine, lower your shoulders, and lift the crown of your head. You can use a yoga block to sit on in this pose if your hips are tight or the squat is hard on your knees. Practicing Kegels or mula bandha (see description above) is ideal in this pose. If you can, hold this pose for up to one minute.
Pelvic Tilts: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart and parallel, with your toes pointing forward. Walk your heels close to your bottom. Place your arms alongside you with your palms facing down. The position looks like a preparation for bridge pose (setu bandhasana), a yoga asana you may be familiar with (described on page 130). Begin the tilt by squeezing your buttocks and lifting your tailbone and first three vertebrae, one vertebra at a time. Then squeeze, hold for five seconds, lower, and release. Repeat this exercise twenty-five times. Pelvic tilts bring heat and energy to the first chakra, stimulating all the nerves.
Standing Mountain Pose — Tadasana: Stand tall with your feet parallel and toes pointed forward. A great way to do this grounding pose is to use a yoga block and place it between your upper thighs. Spread out your toes, and firmly plant your feet on the floor. Draw the energy up through your legs. Squeeze your buttocks while slightly opening your thighs outward. Stack your vertebrae, each one on top of the one below, and lift the crown of your head with your head in a neutral position. Roll your shoulders back and down, and allow your arms to hang like plumb lines. Close your eyes and feel the dynamic of your feet firmly rooted to the earth and the crown of your head floating upward toward the sky. Notice how good it feels to be balanced, grounded, and immovable.
BALANCING THE FIRST CHAKRA THROUGH FOOD
It’s important on your healing journey to eat only whole foods that are fresh and come directly from the earth. Reduce your consumption of processed, packaged, canned, or frozen food.
When you’re feeling ungrounded, eat heavier foods such as proteins, hearty soups, bread, oils, and sweet fruit. You can also focus on eating root vegetables and potatoes. If you’re feeling too heavy and sluggish, try eating what Ayurveda calls a Kapha-pacifying diet: focus on bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes; eat more beans, lentils, leafy green vegetables, and whole grains such as quinoa; reduce meat consumption.
WEIGHT LIFTING TO BALANCE MULADHARA
Those who live mainly focused on the first chakra instinctually build up their muscles through weight training. In fact, lifting weights is an excellent way to physically balance the first chakra. You must be grounded to lift weights; otherwise you would topple over under the weight. The heaviness (even with lighter weights) will make you stronger and more rooted to the earth. Weight training is a great way to play around with gravity, the first chakra energy.
Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
When it comes to mental and emotional healing in the first chakra, you need to think about three basic thought concepts: worry, trust, and security.
We all suffer from worry at one time or another. It’s not always easy to delve into the past and think about our development of trust and security, but it might be worth doing this if you struggle with issues of trust or worry. Concern is valid at times, such as when you have difficulty paying bills on time or your marriage is on shaky ground. Yet worry isn’t warranted if you can do nothing to change the situation.
In many different religions and spiritual practices we’re warned not to worry. In the Bible, Jesus says in Matthew 6:27, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” In all 12-step programs, the meetings conclude with the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Worry is a blockage in and of itself. It blocks the flow of energy to creative solutions. Worry causes us to act out of fear instead of love. When we act out of fear — or rather react, in most cases — we usually create new problems and obstacles.
Maybe you developed worry from your upbringing — maybe your parents constantly worried. Or perhaps you developed worry from uncertain circumstances in your past, such as parents divorcing, poverty, or a dysfunctional family home. Whatever the case, you have the power to change it now. You can start by saying the Serenity Prayer to yourself daily and truly thinking about the things you can change versus the things you can’t.
If you didn’t grow up with a healthy sense of trust, you may find it difficult to trust others and your environment. There is no magic bullet to building trust back to a normal level. But if you’re open to learning, you can take baby steps toward its attainment. As you think about the concept of trust, think about things in the environment that are certain. For example, you can trust that the sun will rise each morning and set each night. You can trust that you have twenty-four hours in the day. You can trust that there are four seasons and certain celebrations or milestones on the calendar. You can trust that your body will need between six and nine hours of sleep per night, depending on your personal needs. You can trust that you will need to eat about three times per day and that if you follow the principles of healthy living, your body will perform for you.
Think about all the things you already trust but take for granted. For example, do you have a bank account? Do you deposit money into it? If you do, you trust that the bank will eventually give you back the money when you need it. Do you drive a car? If so, you trust all the other drivers to stay in their lanes and not run into you.
When it comes to people and loved ones, first try noticing little things you trust. When a boyfriend shows up on time for a date, you learn to trust him. Or when a new friend remembers it’s your birthday, you begin to trust that she cares for you. Do you see how trust is a flowing dynamic? We tend to overlook the little gestures in relationships, even though trust building is usually an accumulation of a lot of little things.
When you approach “feeling” concepts such as trust from the perspective of the first chakra, you might believe that things are cut-and-dry. Instead of trust being a flowing quality, it stays concrete and categorical. Take for example a two-year-old child, who can change like or dislike of a person depending on an individual experience. If a parent takes away a toy because of bad behavior, the small child might shout out, “I hate you, Daddy!” In that moment, the child feels hate because of a single experience that was displeasing to her. First chakra people behave in a similar way. They tend to be more rigid when it comes to deeper concepts like trust.
But as you move up the chakras, you will notice that things get a little fuzzier, without well-defined boundaries, when it comes to emotional matters. For now, allow yourself to be open to taking steps to trust and see where it takes you.
Tied into trust, feelings of security or lack thereof can be a problem in first chakra balancing. When you experience life through the first chakra alone, you might think you have to do it all alone. You might fall under the illusion that the world is a scary place and you have to fend for yourself or else you will die. (That is, by the way, the essence of survival of the fittest.) Until you can begin thinking otherwise, try living in the present moment. Present-moment awareness is not even a spiritual practice at this point. It simply means looking around you and looking at yourself. Are you living? Are you breathing? Do you have clothes on? Did you have a meal recently? Do you have a roof over your head? Are you okay right now? If so, you are secure.
If you’re in a precarious situation, such as being homeless or in an abusive household, go back to the Serenity Prayer. Is there something you can change about your situation? Is there someone you can reach out to?
