The Root Chakra

Chakra is a Sanskrit concept meaning “wheel of energy.”

 As the energy wheels spin, each one generates a vortex that interacts with the world around you, generating influence into your environment and receiving energy and information into your own system.

"Muladhara" is the Sanskrit name for the first chakra, literally "root".

It is located at the base of the spine and draws energy from the earth.  When the root chakra is balanced in a person then they are said to be grounded in the earth’s energy.  The color red is associated with this chakra.

An unbalanced first chakra will make it very hard to settle down, to rest, or to relax. Your root chakra literally connects you to the ground.

 Muladhara is your survival program.  In our modern world we think that these things are luxuries, but sleep, food, and a safe place to feel quiet and nurtured are needs.  In fact, the chakra system corresponds almost exactly to the hierarchy of needs developed by Dr. Abraham Maslow.  At the base of the hierarchy are food, safety, and shelter.  If you are feeling a bit frayed around the edges, maybe it's time to get back to your roots.

Physical Location - base of the spine
Purposes - kinesthetic feelings, movement
Spiritual Lesson - material world lessons
Physical dysfunctions associated with base chakra - lower back pain, sciatica, varicose veins, rectal tumors, depression, immune related disorders
Mental/Emotional Issues - survival, self esteem, social order, security, family
Information stored in base chakra - familial beliefs, superstitions, loyalty, instincts, physical pleasure or pain, touch
Area of Body Governed - spinal column, kidneys, legs, feet, rectum, immune system

(Source: http://whisperingworlds.com/ayurveda/chakra_guide.php)

Questions to ask yourself about your Root Chakra balance:

·         Do you take pleasure in your family and your groups of friends?

·         Do you enjoy the companionship of your colleagues?

·         Do you feel a close connection to the earth?

·         Do you have a sense of belonging?

·         What about practical day-to-day living – is it easy or would you rather live in the realm of ideas, dreams, and myths?

·         Do you feel safe?

·         Are your basic needs (food, shelter, clothing) met? Or, on the contrary, are you overwhelmed by having too many possessions?

Here are some ways to bring life back into your first chakra.

·         Take a walk.

·         Sleep.

·         Take time to really enjoy a meal.

·         Get a foot massage.

·         Organize the space you occupy.

·         Get into Hatha yoga, especially the slow, deliberate kind.

·         Take time for silence.

·         Surround yourself with the color red.

·         Spend time in nature until you feel settled.

(Source: From: Feeling Stressed? Settle Into Your Root Chakra to Feel Better: An Ancient Energy System with Modern Applications, by Elizabeth Danu)

Root Chakra Affirmation

I am safe, I trust in the natural flow of life. I take my natural place in the world content in the knowledge that all I need will come to me in the right time and space. I am secure and grounded in the physical form and give thanks to Mother Earth for the nourishment, shelter and stability she gives me.

Root Chakra Meditation

Let us begin by paying attention to the quality of our breathe.  Reset your breathing by doing a series of deep abdominal breathing.  Exhale completely, and Inhale very slowly for 6 counts – holding for 2 counts – and exhaling slowly for 6 counts.  The key is to take your time.  Allow your breathing to return to a normal rhythmic pace, but still breathing deeply from your diaphragm.  Allow your breathing to be your guide into how totally you permit yourself surrender into this meditation.

With your mind’s eye, I want you to imagine an enormous, strong towering tree with its branches raising high into the sky.  The roots of this large tree spread deep underground, anchoring the tree into the earth.  Imagine that your body too has roots, going down from the base of your spine plunging into the depths of our planet and spreading out, just like the roots of that tree. These roots are the essence that will, enable you to draw into your body the positive frequency of mother earth.  Feel the awareness of the energy from the earth feeding your roots and absorbing into your body. Imagine the cooling, healing water and nutrients in the earth nurturing your body with unconditional love, and healing any wounds from your past.  You are empowered and strengthened by this experience.  Take this time to further this experience on your own and imagine your root chakra or red energy wheel spinning clockwise at a steady, natural pace.

Manifesting Miracles

"You can have a grievance or a miracle. You cannot have both." ~ A Course in Miracles

What sounds better to you, a grievance or a miracle?  We all prefer the miracle ;)

However, we have the tendency to wallow in “manufactured misery”, or what Martha Beck refers to as “Dirty Pain”.  This is when we take a detour off of the route to our objective – and our ego sounds the alarm.  This is when the manufacturing begins; when we start to complain about how much longer it will take or how much harder it will be...

“Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” ~ Marianne Williamson

“When you fail to follow the exact guidance of your GPS, it automatically creates a new route for you.  So does God.” ~ Marianne Williamson

If you look back on the deviations to your path, 9 times out of 10 it was a blessing. 

So, imagine if you actually practiced FAITH, and trusted that the changes in your path are blessings.
And what if, instead, you focused on the quality of your inner state of being. 

Your INNER ETERNAL SELF...

Ponder this: Within the finest form of yourself that you can ever imagine – lie the miracles that you would love to witness unfolding right in front of you in your life.

Here’s something else to ponder: You manifest miracles by projecting them.

How do you do this?  The more you tune into the higher, creative vibrations that you are capable of, the more confidence have in recognizing JOY, PEACE, LOVE.

The greatest way to experience and re-familiarize yourself with this Pure Divine Energy that you possess internally is through stillness and silence.  Meditation is a way to tap into this silence.

The more your practice this “recharging” – the more familiar you are with the feeling and you may begin to choose activities that activate this feeling. 

Another way to practice this feeling is by Giving and Receiving Love.

“Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.”      ~Marianne Williamson

“Real love isn’t passive.  We need to put as much powerful proactive and intentional energy behind our love as some people put behind their hate.” ~ Marianne Williamson


Tips for Meditation:

The quality of your breathing is the first step in allowing yourself to relax into a meditative state.  It should be deep abdominal breathing expanding down in your belly, and exhaling by emptying all of the air down through your belly. (Like a baby breathing)

The second is the quality of the feeling inside your body.  There may be a buzzing or tingling sensation that lets you know you are tuning into your inner energy field.

Meditation

We always begin by doing a series of slow, deep abdominal breathing – exhale completely first – then slowly begin to fill your lungs for a count of 6 – hold for 2 counts and exhale for an even count of 6.

Repeat this 3 more times.

Now allow your breathing to return to a normal rhythmic pace, but be sure and breathe from your diaphragm just below your rib cage.

As you breathe and relax, focus your attention to the space between your two eyes.  Allow all of your attention to go here.  This will activate your mind’s eye – and allow your creative energy to flow more freely.

And now if you will imagine yourself standing within a beautiful valley, surrounded by towering mountains all around you.  The valley is quite wide, and full of trees, greenery and beautiful cottage homes.  The sun is shining brightly overhead and there is a nice cool breeze in the air.  It is truly an exquisite day.  You notice you are standing on a natural path and you feel compelled to walk along the path towards a clearing up ahead.  As you approach the clearing you notice a large plot of soil that is tilled and appears to be ready for planting.  Near the clearing there is a red wagon that has several small buckets that are holding many different types of seeds.  You see a note on the side of the wagon that says – Happy Gardening!  So you decide, to begin to plant the seeds into the soil.

As you plant each different type of seed, you are flooded with a deep sense of Hope for what is yet to come along in your life.  You feel a sense of serenity and faith in the abundance of experiences that you will have a chance to be part of.  You are also aware of the life force that is in each seed that is planted.   And you feel immense hope, love and support for the success of each seed.  Each seed represents a miracle of life, and Love is the nourishment for its growth.  After you have finished planting all of the seeds – you decide to sit in a nearby reclining chair and ponder all of the miracles that you have sown with the Pure Divine Loving Energy that you naturally possess.

Take this time now for yourself and expand on this feeling of being a miracle producing eternal being.

Circumventing Drama

Just wanted to jot down this thought as a reminder to myself - be careful not to latch onto thoughts that can send you down a dramatic spiral.  Just say no to unnecessary drama. 

You actually choose the "higher road" by staying in the present moment, taking care of yourself by eating right, resting and exercising, going with the flow of a sudden change unavoidable to your course, and keeping yourself engaged in life with experiencing as many different healthy desires as possible.

Forgiveness & Non-Judgment

“Forgiveness does not require doing something.  It requires undoing something: Letting go of judgments.” – Diane L. Ross, Meditations for Miracles

“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” - Hannah Arendt

“One forgives to the degree that one loves.”  - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.” - Paulo Coelho

“Let's trade in all our judging for appreciating. Let's lay down our righteousness and just be together.” - Ram Dass

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  

I caught myself the other day judging and critiquing the decisions that someone had made and how they should have been better.  As I was picking it apart, I took notice of what I was doing, how it was making me feel.  I suddenly felt the pain in my heart for that person, for myself – and had a moment of clarity where I realized – we are all just trying to put one foot in front of the other and do what we need to do. 

The fact remains that we all very often take on too much.  It is part of our cultural make up.  We are here to work on that today – focusing on one thing.

The fact remains that we expect too much of people including ourselves.  We are here to work on that today – focusing on non-judgment & acceptance.

The fact remains that we have been and will continue to be at the receiving end of pain from another and ourselves.  We are here to work on that today – focusing on Forgiveness of another and ourselves – “They (and we) know not what they (we) do.”

Just for today…

~ We will focus on the nothingness and oneness that meditation can give us. ~

~ We will focus on the concept of Non-Judgment. ~

~ We will focus on the Art of Forgiveness & how FREEING it truly is. ~

Forgiveness & Non-Judgment Meditation

Place your hand on your abdomen.  Notice the movement of your belly expanding when you do your series of inhalations and exhalations. This is the key to knowing you are doing it right.

Now begin your series of very slow, deep inhalations & exhalations with a count of 5 for the inhale, holding your breath for two seconds and exhaling completely for 5 counts.

Let’s do this 3 more times.

Now take the next several moments and do a body scan of each part of the body, to allow every bit of tension to be released completely.   On your own breath intentionally and imagine the tension being released with your exhales from any part of your body carrying tension.

Now that your body is sinking into a relaxed state…you will begin a special visualization.

Imagine a person in your life that evokes frustration in you or has hurt you in some way.  Hold them in your mind’s eye.  Notice what they look like.  Any particular expressions that they tend to commonly have.  Now, notice any thoughts that may cross your mind about your relationship with them.  Any negative behavior or encounter with them that fills your mind.  Notice if there is any changes to your body at this time, any tension, or any shortness of breath.

Now, you are going to begin to set yourself free from these thoughts and feelings.

Imagine this person standing directly in front of you.  Visualize them being bathed in the most beautiful, shimmering, Divine Light that is radiating from above them and all around them.  You can feel the warmth of this light, and you notice them feeling it as well.  The light evokes a feeling of innocence – like that of a small child.  You notice the expression on this persons face lightening.  They begin to smile.  And you begin to see them in another light.  You realize that they are at their core no different than you.  This new perception softens them to you.  You have an overwhelming desire to give them a big embrace.  As you embrace you feel your heart fill with love.  You continue to hug, and then you open your eyes and you say to them – I forgive you.  And suddenly, you notice that you are staring back at your own reflection.  

Take this time now and dwell in the light of your newfound sense of forgiveness of all.  Focus on this feeling and allow your breath to take you deeper into this sensation.

The Power Within

   Happiness is a shared desire by everyone, every day.  Yet it is one of the hardest desires to attain.  It is no wonder that it is such an uphill battle, with the amount of false sources of happiness available to us.  There are so many people chasing happiness through external experiences.  And there are so few that are taking the time to access their God-given happiness within their very Being. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” – Aristotle

“Some pursue happiness - others create it.” - Unknown

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Don’t let circumstances dictate how you feel, or you will always be a victim… You must learn to tap into the power, the joy, the love and the bliss that lie within you, regardless of external circumstances.  As you learn this, your outer circumstances will naturally change to reflect these treasures (within).” - Diane. L Ross, Meditations for Miracles, p. 324

“There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them.” – Anthony de Mello

From Meditation for Miracles
 Bring Joy to the World, by Diane L. Ross

If you could feel any way you wanted, how would you feel?

If you could think any way you wanted, how would you think?

If you could be any way you wanted, how would you be?

   Decide how you want to be and then cultivate all your energies so they help you flow in that direction.  By being mindful of the thought, word, or action that you choose in the present moment, you hold the power to change your “vibration” or quality of your feelings. 

   This heightened energy level makes us more alert, more aware of our existence, more connected, more spiritually centered.  Our lives become deeper and richer. 

   Fear on the other hand is based on illusions, and you are paralyzed from experiencing Joy, your birth right.

 Practice

The following exercises allow you to raise your vibration, or energy level:

-          Reading or watching a comedy, or any means to make you laugh

-          Consciously focusing on one thing at a time

-          Counting your blessings

-          Participating in any activity that you consider pleasurable

      -          Mini-breathing breaks – a series of slow deep inhalations and exhalations

-          Repeating a Mantra or Affirmation in your mind – “All is Love”

-          Tapping your third eye chakra 20-30 times while saying a positive saying to yourself – “I am grateful to feel so positive, so connected and happy.” (This anchors the positive feeling)

Meditation

Let us begin by doing a series of slow, deep inhalations & exhalations with a count of 5 in, hold your breath for two seconds and 5 counts out.

Let’s do this two more times.

Now we are going to do a scan of each part of the body, to allow every bit of tension to be released completely.   Beginning with the crown of your head, inhale and exhale out all of the tension in your head. Imagine it coming out like smoke, and dissolving into the air.  Now move your attention to your face.   Breathe and be mindful of any tension that you may be carrying in our face.  Breathe and release it. Move down to your neck, and where it connects to your torso. Breathe and release the tension.   Be mindful of your upper body, your arms, your hands, your fingers.  Breathe and release all the tension.  Focus your attention on your abdomen, your hips.  Breathe and be mindful of any tension here, and let it all go.  Move your focus to your thighs, to your knees to your shins and calves.  Release the tension built up here.  Now move your awareness to your ankles, to your feet, to your toes.  Allow all of the tension to float away.  Now take a deep breath and let go of any lingering tension.  You are now free of the tension.  Notice that every breath that you take, you feel lighter and lighter and more and more relaxed. 

Now I want you to imagine a beautiful angel that is floating right above you.  This angel is iridescent, colorful and the most beautiful being you have ever seen.  This angel is incredibly nurturing and pure.  This angel is sprinkling magic dust that begins to evoke feelings of hope and love inside of you.  As your angel continues to sprinkle dust, you think about times in your life where your felt immense love.  It magically restores this positive, powerful memory. 

Take this time now to stoke the feeling of immense love inside of you with the power of this memory.  And then release the memory and expand in this feeling inside of you – as profoundly as you can.

Authentic

We all carry around non-dissipated feelings about "mistakes" that we have made in our past.  These un-dealt with feelings may also be from experiences in our childhood where we were taken advantage of by people that we trusted, or perhaps bullied by peers.  The pain from these negative experiences still lingers inside of us.  These wounded parts of our selves can hinder our ability to uncover our Authentic Self.  It is  like a physical injury that has not yet healed properly, and your body does not operate optimally.

Our Westernized culture does not encourage our emotional part of our selves to be fully engaged.  To be emotional is considered to be messy, irrational, unstable, self-absorbed and it is always inconvenient. 

But...our emotional self are just as much a part of ourselves as our beating heart.

If you ever want to uncover your Authentic Self, the very pure, real, genuine, best version of yourself - then you must acknowledge the value of every aspect of yourself.

Your mind, your body, your emotions, your spirit...

It takes time and practice to accept and love yourself fully.  Forgiveness plays a huge role in learning to fully appreciate yourself.  And because we are hardest on ourselves, then if we can learn to forgive ourselves,  it then becomes easier to forgive others. 

True Happiness can only be experienced by rediscovering one's own true nature or Authentic Self.


Through Meditation practice, you return to your true source of happiness, which is YOU.  By CONNECTING to your Authentic Self, you access the power within to deal with all of the changes in your life.  No fulfilled desire can match this power.  When you are in tune with your Authentic Self, you begin to identify desires that are EGO-based, and those that are in alignment with your Authentic Self.

"The Authentic Self is the "I AM" within that creates life, the originator of ideas, the "ONE", the possessor of Free Will" ~ unknown

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul." - William Ernest Henely

"Friends come and go, loved ones die, jobs shift, children leave home.  The only person you can count on to go the distance is you.  So, we must all develop IMMENSE self-love, so that when our worlds come unraveled, our Selves will remain intact and strong.  Because when all else fails, we still have ourselves, and selves that are grounded in truth and self-acceptance are spiritually indestructable." - Iris Krasnow

Emotional Guidance System ~ Abraham-Hicks

For the Law of Attraction to work for you, you need to raise your vibration with positive energy.  According to Abraham-Hicks, the authors of The Law of Attraction, your Emotional Guidance System is the ultimate tool.

Your Emotional Guidance System, communicates to you through your feelings.  It tells you whether or not your thoughts, actions and words are pointing you TOWARDS or AWAY form what you really want - at th deepest level of your being, not just on the surface. 

The key is to be aware of the sensations in your body. 

If you are feeling open and increasingly positive like: Optimism, Hopefulness, Excitement, Vitality and it then deepens into Joy, Love, Empowerment, and Peace...then you know that your thoughts and actions are moving you towards what your REALLY want.  And you are increasingly closer to your Authentic Self.

If you are feeling tension and increasingly negative feelings like: Discouragement, Frustration, Anger, Hopelessness, Shame, Despair, Depression...you know your thoughts and actions are pointed away from what you REALLY want.  And you are increasingly isolated and didsconnected from your Authentic Self.

What can you do about this?
Ask yourself : How am I feeling today?

If you are feeling negative - use this process:

1) Make a list of what you don't want - then from this list...

2) Make a list of what you do want.

For example:

I don't want to feel so busy that I don't take time to take care of myself. (What do you want?)

I want a balance life.  I want to enjoy purposeful, fulfilling work that energizes me, and allows me to have a balanced work load, where I can take time to tend to myself, re-center and practice Prensence,  no matter what I am doing.

This is a wonderful exericse to figure out WHAT YOU WANT!  So often we don't know what we want out of life, we just know we want to feel happier.  This exercise is great to fugure out specifics.  Then set an Intention of this WANT, and use this Intention as a daily Affirmation.

This is a link to a wonderful article with tips to live Authentically.  http://www.soulfulliving.com/living_authentic_life.htm

Meditation

Begin by focusing on your breathing - take a slow, deep inhalation counting up to 8, and a slow exhalation counting down to 8.  Repeat this two additional times.  As you breathe, imagine you are inhaling beautiful crystals (or diamonds) and you are exhaling old stale air.  Each breathe you take, you are freshening your body with beautiful energy.

In each moment that you are aware of your breathing, you are slowly sinking deeper into the comfort of your True Nature.  The eternal, flawless, complete YOU.  The Authentic YOU.

Imagine your breathe as a bridge - each time you are aware of your inhales and exhales you get closer and closer to floating over this bridge deeper into the realm of Your Pure Life Force.  This realm is unique only to you.  As you imagine your reconnection with this realm, where nothing and everything exist, you awknowledge a feeling of being home and feel connected to this perfection.  You also feel a sense of knowing that any time you feel a lack of peace, love or joy, this realm is always within your reach simply by breathing deeply and sliding aside your thoughts and looking beyond into this backdrop of infinity.

Take this time now, breathing easily and dwelling in this perfection that is YOU.

How Meditation Can Impact Your Life

"Prayer is when you talk to God.  Meditation is when you listen. “~ Author unknown

Do we listen enough?  Are we missing “signs” on a daily basis because we are caught up in our 50,000 thoughts per day?  What we all want is to feel happy – to have experiences that make us feel elated inside – pure joy.

"Happiness is a continuation of happenings which are not resisted." ~ Deepak Chopra

We very often live in this state of “resistance” or bracing ourselves from all of the “what-ifs” that can occur – according to the news, stories from acquaintances, friends, family.  We often are one stage away from being in fight or flight mode.  And so we are creating this existence that may not feel special very often.  We have expectations of what our experiences should be, and we try to control our outcomes.  And then we are disappointed that our lives are not what we want.

"The physical world, including our bodies, is a response of the observer. We create our bodies as we create the experience of our world."

Our Egoic minds are often in control, it dragging our bodies around, while our (eternal) spirit waits patiently.  In order to bring depth into our experiences we must deepen our relationship with our spirit – by becoming silent and acknowledging who and what our inner spirit is.  Learning about ourselves, by going beyond the realm of our ego – and seeing what we may learn – through feeling.

"Silence is the great teacher, and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it. There is no substitute for the creative inspiration, knowledge, and stability that come from knowing how to contact your core of inner silence." ~ Deepak Chopra

“Born from the recognition that all is suffering, meditation is this stopping, this passionate inward turn that thirsts for stillness, clarity, space and insight. The ancient angst of being human cannot be solved by thought alone, or by technology, or by any kind of cultural amusements. One must stop. One must take stock. One must look within, deeply, passionately, resolutely to see what, if anything, resides in the silence of a mind that has temporarily ceased talking to itself. If something is found, one can then make a gesture of appreciation. One may even discover the miracle of compassion.” – Rocco L Bosco, Author of Buddha Wept

    Two Main Types of Meditation 

                                                                                     

There are two major forms of meditation: concentrative meditation and mindfulness meditation.

Concentration meditation focuses on a person's breathing and/or a single object- such as a sound or an image.  By quietly focusing on the object and the breath, a person will find that his or her mind readily opens up to invite in peace and the body starts to relax.

With mindfulness meditation, we take on the role of an impartial observer of everything that passes before our attention. Our intention is not to be focused, but rather to be mindful, that is, to be fully aware and awake of what is going on in the present moment. Often the breath is still used as an anchor to the present moment in mindfulness meditation, but apart from that, no attempt is made to direct the attention.

Whatever thoughts, so called distractions, sounds, images, ideas, or feelings arise, nothing is excluded. Everything is welcomed. We simply pay attention to whatever is there. We do not judge or evaluate. Whatever happens, whatever occurs is okay – we just sit quietly and observe.

Mindfulness meditation can be applied to all experiences in life. Whatever is happening, we should not try to hold the experience outside ourselves. Mindfulness is about embracing reality and the present moment, whether we are working, running or enjoying a meal.

By P. Wilson, www.healthandyoga.com/html/news/theory/spm_dmy.asp

Breathing

Take three slow, deep, breaths; simple meditation breathing techniques use a count of eight for your inhalation, then hold the breath for the count of eight and exhale for the same. This keeps the breathing even and also gives your body an oxygen boost which relaxes you even further.

Guided Meditation

Begin with a series of three slow breaths using a count of eight for the inhalation and a count of 8 from the exhalation.

Now begin to be mindful of each part of your body.  Begin with the crown of your head.  And move your attention to your face, and all of the features on your face.  Breathe and be mindful of the sensations on our face.  Move down to your neck, and how it connects to your torso.  Be mindful of your torso, how it feels, move your focus to your arms, your hands, your fingers.  Breathe and be mindful of the sensations.  Come back to your torso, and down to your pelvis.  Breathe and be mindful of this part of your body.  Move your focus to your thighs, to your knees to your shins and calves.  Be mindful of the sensations in your legs.  Breathe and feel the energy.  Now move your awareness to your ankles, to your feet, to your toes.  Be mindful of the sensations in this part of your body.  Now bring your awareness from the bottoms of your feet back to the crown of your head.  And do one more complete body scan from head to foot breathing, and feeling the Life force within your body.

Notice the gentle, subtle energy that flows within your body.

Imagine this inner Life Force as a glowing multi-colored energy field that spans through your entire body and spilling out beyond your body. Become aware of how this energy feels inside of you. As you breathe, you strengthen the intensity of this energy, and it feels warm, relaxing and fulfilling.  

Now take the next series of moments to quietly be mindful of this feeling in your body.  Remember to be freely observe of your experiences without attaching to any of them.