Sanskrit, Chakras,Breathing and Some Simple Meditation Guides

Sanskrit, Chakras,Breathing and Some Simple Meditation Guides As I had many inquiries about the article on Sanskrit and the meanings of some Sanskrit symbols I am following some of those questions up with a little bit about how the sounds of certain Sanskrit letters )and a few simple mantras affect those energy cycles in the body that we all know as chakras. Let me start by saying that there are many energy centers in the body and that a chakra is like a super intersection of highways where many of these energy systems just so happen to cross. Chinese systems are aware of this and treat smaller intersections with acupuncture and other methods. In the yogic systems these smaller intersections are known as nadis. The 7 major chakras that have been focused on so much n the west are: Sahasrara-the crown chakra which gives one access to the higher self Ajna-third eye which has to do with greater seein into higher planes and greater iner wisdom Vishuddha-the throat chakra which has to do with speaking out, having your Truths be heard Anahata-the heart chakra..a move of energy into this energy center allows the individual to start experiencing compassion, divine Love and to see things on a higher level Manipura-third chakra which is responsible for the drive for power Svadhisthana-the second chakra located approximately below or around the pubic bone responsible for sex and procreation and creation in general Muladhara-the root chakra. responsible for survival This is a rough outline as each chakra is responsible for so much more than just these basic elements. However, this is a good outline of what these super highways do and how they are activated when prana, chi, the Holy spirit, or Shakti begins to travel up the spine and activate them. Most the world is living in the first three chakras. In this special day and age we live in it seems more and more people are awakening to higher levels of consciousness, particularly in the heart and in compassion. If you are working with breath and meditation in a yogic practice you will find that certain sounds are related to each chakra (and there are certain colors associated with them too, but for the purposes of this article we will stick with the basics outline about what the chakras are ..I recommend that you work with a teacher if you are going to start to work with sound and color in relation to chakra work.) However, if you do use the sound while focusing on a certain chakra always remember to connect them with a breathing exercise. In yoga it is most useful to use two to one ration breathing according to your capacity. In other words, if you inhale for 2 counts you should exhale for 4. When you can breath more deeply you may increase that from an inhalation of 3 counts to an exhalation of six and so forth. There are many great breathing exercises in yoga and I will cover that in future articles. For now the main thing is to always keep the ratio two to one and to always inhale AND exhale through the nostrils. Also it is most useful to ALWAYS breath only through the diaphragm. Diaphragmatic breathing for yoga or for anytime occurs when the diaphragm muscle contracts. It then pulls the bottom of the lungs downward, causing them to fill, while the ribs flare outward to the sides. The chest and abdominal muscles are not used in diaphragmatic breathing. When done correctly the chest should not rise and fall at all. Diaphragmatic breathing is extremely relaxing to the autonomic nervous system . The shoulders should always be relaxed and never rise and fall. One good way to practice this is to lie on one's back with a medium size bag of rice on the diaphragm. practice moving the bag of rice without moving anything else while using the diaphragm to breath in and out! If you would like to practice using a mantra there are two that I would recommend: So-ham..(translated means I am) pronounced more like ...so-ha-um when combined with the breathing The so should occur on the in-breath and the ha-um on the out breath smoothly. Secondly of course one may choose to use the mantra Aum (known as Om..but pronounced as it is spelled more or less...).In the case of Aum the in -breath is silent and the out-breath carries all three parts of the the mantra. The mmmm should actually vibrate gently on the lips and a fourth "syllable " should end in silence. You may start these mantras by pronouncing them out loud for awhile. Eventually you may find yourself repeating them inside your mind. This is still a form of pronouncing them verbally..but it is moving inward. Over time they may become more silent and even become a vibration that even leads to silence. And yet the mantra will still be there like a rhythm. This comes in time after a lot of daily practice. Do not become frustrated with yourself or your mind when your mind wanders off. IT WILL WANDER OFF. Try and catch it sooner and sooner each time it wanders off with no judgment towards yourself and simply restart the mantra and stay with it. This topic is very complicated. There is much more to it than has been presented here. However this is a start to understanding a little about Chakras and expanding on how Sanskrit fits into them and the very beginnings of meditation work in the Himalayan Yogic traditions. Sound -------------------------------- LAM for the root chakra VAM for the second chakra RAM for the third chakra YAM for the fourth (heart) chakra HAM for the fifth (throat) chakra AUM for the sixth (third eye) AH for the seventh (crown) chakra