During this uncertain time, more than ever, our yoga practice has a LOT to offer us. The challenges we’re facing are various and different people will, of course, be suffering in different ways and to different degrees.
But if you practice yoga, or are interested in it, now is a really good time to find new ways of taking your yoga off the mat and integrating it into your way of life. Really, that’s what yoga is — it’s never just postures on a mat. Sometimes, we need the motivation of new challenges to make us see that.
The fourth chakra is Anahata: the heart chakra. Let’s look at the qualities and functions of this love-laced energy centre.
Anahata Chakra and the Body
Anahata is located in the spinal area, in the region of the heart and the cardiac plexus. It is behind the sternum and level with the heart centre. Its colour is sky blue, with 12 petals.
Associated with the air element and with deep love and compassion, Anahata governs the sense of touch and the skin.
In An Introduction to the Chakras we touched on the basics of each of the seven chakras.
Here we delve into more detail on Manipura — the naval chakra.
Manipura Chakra and the Body
Manipura is located in the spine, behind the naval. Its colour is yellow and it has 10 petals. Its element is fire — and in particular, agni, the digestive fire. So it governs our metabolism and digestion.
Do you need to catch up on what the chakras are and how they work? Head over to An Introduction to the Chakras to read the basics.
Now, we’re going to explore the qualities of Swadhisthana — the sacral chakra. It is the second chakra and the name roughly translates from Sanskrit to English as ‘dwelling place of the self’.
If you read An Introduction to the Chakras you’ll know that the chakras are seven energy centers situated at certain points in the body. These centres are like transport hubs for your energy — they receive, restore and direct energy through the 72,000 nadis (energy channels) that run through you.
Here we look in more detail at Ajna, the Third Eye Chakra. It’s actually the sixth of the seven chakras. But it’s useful to study Ajna first, because it allows you develop the transformative and regulatory ability to observe and process emotions.
This means that when you go deeper into the other chakras you will be ready to manage any deep emotional shifts that may arise.
Do you feel as though the chakras are a bit of a mystery — or perhaps too ‘out there’ to be relevant to you? Don’t write them off just yet.
When you spend a little time getting to know what the chakras really are, they actually become an incredibly useful way of thinking about your energy and your body. Crucially, you discover how a deeper understanding of chakras can, in turn, help you deepen your yoga and meditation practice and enhance your wellbeing.
The chakras are seven energy centres located at different points through the body; they radiate, receive and direct energy through all of the nadis, or energy channels.
