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kami
USA
921 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 05 2013 : 1:32:58 PM
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Most of what I'm expressing in this post is academic and hypothesis generating.
There are innumerable chakras in the human body - chakra being a wheel, a conglomeration of several "nadis" or energy meridians intersecting at specific locations. In general, 6-12 are given importance depending on the tradition. In yoga, 7 chakras are most often discussed - mooladhara/base, svadhisthana/sex, manipura/navel, anahata/heart, vishuddha/throat, ajna/third eye and sahasrara/ crown, each roughly corresponding to major nerve plexuses within the human body.
When delving into the theory and practices related to chakras, they are described as "opening" or becoming activated in a specific sequence, starting with the first that represents survival and grounding, second - pleasures and fulfillment, third - dynamism and material success, fourth - compassion and love, fifth - creativity and expression, sixth - intuition, and seventh - merging with the Absolute.
However, the sequence of activation in each person is unique, and does not necessarily follow any particular order. And I suspect that the above sequence is indeed important for a smoother ride. The vasanas we carry over from previous lifetimes and have decided to work on in this incarnation reside as blocks in specific chakras, as unique to us as our fingerprints, usually in the lower chakras. Those with minimal work left to be done in lower chakras are probably born "ripe" for spiritual advancement.. Hard to know.. However.. Premature activation of the higher chakras with residual dense blocks in the lower ones may be the cause of many mental illnesses including psychosis, personality disorders, perversions, addictions, etc. (hypothesis 1)
For example, premature ajna activation in someone with major obstructions in lower chakras may cause them to "see" beings and things which may simply represent their own negative energies being projected out due to an active ajna.. Add lack of inner silence and discriminating wisdom to this mix and it is nothing but a chaotic ride. I also wonder if this is also one possible cause for energetic overloads - simply pointing to where the blocks are. However, only in the presence of enough inner silence can we notice where such blocks are and how to release them. Without this, the scenery created by the imbalanced openings cause accelerating mind stories and heavy identification with them, trapping one in an endless cycle. (Hypothesis 2)
This is probably one reason that people who have premature Kundalini awakening have all sorts of issues and scenery as the energy moves chaotically among chakras that are on the spectrum of being completely "closed" to relatively open. And yet, so many that first get established in inner silence have minimal symptoms as K rises..
Would love to hear from anyone who has a theory on this.
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jeff
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2013 : 2:06:31 PM
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Hi Kami,
Do you think that Chakras themselves may also just be a projection in our mind (of our mind) that are mapped to the body? Many traditions like Taoism (3 Dan tiens instead) and Buddhism (not used) have completely different concepts.
Thanks,
Jeff |
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kami
USA
921 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2013 : 3:34:17 PM
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Hi Jeff,
On a more basic level, anything that is perceived is a projection of the mind, a form of maya. At the level of the local mind, everything perceived in the body, energy field, environment, etc is a projection of the mind, albeit largely subconscious. At the level of the universal mind (Ishwara), everything is a projection of His/Her/That mind. So yes, chakras also are a projection - specific issues being held in different areas that correspond to nerves and endocrine glands.
With the 3 tan tiens, it is the same concept - activation of the upper tan tien that corresponds to the ajna/sahasrara before the lower two may cause the same issues.. It's not that yogis have chakras and the taoists have tan tiens and the Buddhists have neither.  It is a universal thing..
In Buddhism, Kundalini/energy activation is a by-product of cultivating inner silence; perhaps it is because of this emphasis on inner silence and "emptiness" that K activation in them is *relatively* uneventful, without too much drama? Advanced and aggressive practices like Tummo are taught only after establishment of inner silence; thus, there is less concern for imbalanced chakra activation and issues can be let go of easily as they arise. Again, just a theory..
What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2013 : 10:41:08 PM
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It's interesting, my own theory based on observation corresponds with some of your comments. I was friends with a psychic medium who struggled with addiction, and I came to label him as "top-heavy". He was full of third-eye visions and contact with angels, but there were remaining lower-chakra, survival issues that needed to be addressed. It was no coincidence that after practicing some esoteric prayers and ajna-activation techniques (which he taught me) that I got blasted with a root-to-crown kundalini surge, along with the higher-dimension scenery. It was shortly after that that I found AYP.
It's all made perfect sense to me in the context of maturity, development, and personal evolution. My goal here has been to move from material-bound addictions to a more purposeful life of devotion to Spirit. That devotion has been very focused on properly utilizing the lower chakras: taking care of myself financially, regarding sex as a spiritual practice, using the solar plexus as a place of spiritual empowerment, rather than egotistical control or manipulation, and so on.
Being top-heavy by virtue of my karmic matrix, I've had to learn to let God rain down upon me--keeping my feet on the ground, even though my head may be in the clouds. So, I agree 100% with you that each of us leans in certain directions, and therefore, full integration of all chakras is a highly desirable goal to achieve flowering of enlightenment.
Thanks for the breakdown. (Also, I'd be curious to hear your perception not only of OTHERS, but of how YOU actually fit into the spectrum of chakra alignment).
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jeff
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2013 : 12:13:45 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by kami
Hi Jeff,
On a more basic level, anything that is perceived is a projection of the mind, a form of maya. At the level of the local mind, everything perceived in the body, energy field, environment, etc is a projection of the mind, albeit largely subconscious. At the level of the universal mind (Ishwara), everything is a projection of His/Her/That mind. So yes, chakras also are a projection - specific issues being held in different areas that correspond to nerves and endocrine glands.
With the 3 tan tiens, it is the same concept - activation of the upper tan tien that corresponds to the ajna/sahasrara before the lower two may cause the same issues.. It's not that yogis have chakras and the taoists have tan tiens and the Buddhists have neither. It is a universal thing..
In Buddhism, Kundalini/energy activation is a by-product of cultivating inner silence; perhaps it is because of this emphasis on inner silence and "emptiness" that K activation in them is *relatively* uneventful, without too much drama? Advanced and aggressive practices like Tummo are taught only after establishment of inner silence; thus, there is less concern for imbalanced chakra activation and issues can be let go of easily as they arise. Again, just a theory..
What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks.
Very well said.
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jonesboy
USA
594 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2013 : 3:28:14 PM
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Now I admit I know very little on this subject. I found this yesterday right before I found this topic kami so I am going with it. It is called the 5 Tibetan Rites. It is a asana that is a short routine done 21 times that is suppose to get the chakras spinning and billed as the Fountain of Youth. Is there any danger of overloading on opening your chakras in such a direct manner?
http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm |
Edited by - jonesboy on Oct 06 2013 3:56:32 PM |
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kami
USA
921 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2013 : 9:06:00 PM
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Hi Jonesboy,
Love the 5 Tibetan rites!! I practice them quite regularly, and have not experienced overload; in fact, I don't overload as much these days despite quite intense practices..
Whether this is harmful or not, I don't know, but suspect that with enough inner silence and cultivated witness, it should be fine. Besides, it is a great set of flexibility exercises.
Love |
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kami
USA
921 Posts |
Posted - Oct 06 2013 : 9:35:51 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Bodhi Tree
Also, I'd be curious to hear your perception not only of OTHERS, but of how YOU actually fit into the spectrum of chakra alignment.
Hi Bodhi,
Yes I'm sure.
Most of my issues in my younger years revolved around proving myself. Having a deep-rooted insecurity about my appearance made me an over-achiever to compensate for what I felt was a lack; this probably had a huge role in my choice of career, which is both demanding and overtly male-dominated. Early in my career I struggled with my own need to prove myself and to be recognized. However, it was not until I began to let go of the "I-ness" that recognition actually came - the less I cared, the greater was the ability to publish and be respected and to be invited to national committees and talks, etc.
As a teenager I was intensely drawn to a monastic life that was not agreeable with my family - it seemed so much "cleaner", a path I could see myself treading and longed for. But Life had other plans for me and I'm glad for this. Being a "householder" is indeed the better path for the vast majority of us. Mistakenly choosing a life of celibacy and suppressing/repressing lower chakra issues (instead of sublimating/transcending them) causes people great stress and sometimes induces them to commit heinous acts (like targeting children). As I'd written in another topic, the Vedic system was designed to progress along the chakra system according to a very sensible system:
[..] there was an "ashrama" system - upto a certain age, everyone was a student (Brahmacharya). Upon entering adulthood and finishing studies, most married and became householders (Grihastha). Once these duties were performed and children raised, the householder left all material ties (except the spouse) and retired to a quiet place for reflection (Vanaprastha), becoming celibate again. Finally, with further non-attachment, one entered the final stage of life (Sannyasa), renouncing everything and withdrawing inward.
Seems to make a lot of sense.
Love to you. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Oct 07 2013 : 10:16:20 AM
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Thank you for sharing, kami. That is very illuminating and inspirational. I just want to echo your sentiment regarding not caring about superficial images and reputations. The less I care about projecting a facade, the more I'm actually freer to help people, regardless of whether or not I'm recognized for it. Now I just crave the ecstatic bliss, which far exceeds any attention garnered from a celebrity-seeking mentality. The former is dependent on my internal condition; the latter is ultimately a unsatisfying hunger for external validation.
Thank you again for offering both an academic, third-person perspective AS WELL AS your personal, anecdotally-infused illustration of these spiritual concepts.
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JosephUK
United Kingdom
212 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2013 : 08:23:44 AM
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Hiya kami,
this is an interesting topic. For me, having studied my mental health problem i can see that mental health is such a complex thing that no two are the same.
i find that the hormones that bathe the brain are causing the problem most of the time (ie a blockage in higher chakras) when the micro cosmic orbit opens all that just drains out of your soft palate and you are left with the conditioning of the mind (karma)
depending on circumstance one might recreate the problem afterwards or with the right therapy heal.
i guess the underlying conditioning is what your talking about, for me i guess it just depends where you are on your path of evolution, what the karma is. it maybe that some karma is maturing which means you need to learn about some mental suffering. but i dont know enough about karma to say.
often imbalances are due to misdirected energies as you say, and a lack of acceptance of how things are (in the mind). with acceptance there is more energy flow instead of build up.
in buddhism they are practicing heavy practices to realise the inherent emptiness of mind combined with a clear seeing awareness which can cut the mental obscurations.
i think (its a guess) that buddhism's realised kundalini awakening is known as jnana (for relative openings) or absolute boddhicitta.
they still use spinal breathing though but much later (tantric practices are considered very high and must be achieved)
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dv2014
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2015 : 6:50:36 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by kami
Most of what I'm expressing in this post is academic and hypothesis generating.
However, the sequence of activation in each person is unique, and does not necessarily follow any particular order. And I suspect that the above sequence is indeed important for a smoother ride. The vasanas we carry over from previous lifetimes and have decided to work on in this incarnation reside as blocks in specific chakras, as unique to us as our fingerprints, usually in the lower chakras. Those with minimal work left to be done in lower chakras are probably born "ripe" for spiritual advancement.. Hard to know.. However.. Premature activation of the higher chakras with residual dense blocks in the lower ones may be the cause of many mental illnesses including psychosis, personality disorders, perversions, addictions, etc. (hypothesis 1)
This is very interesting and somewhat similar to what I was deducing from observing people, especially my mom who has had some mental discomforts (http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....14984#127192). Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
So, regarding Hypothesis-1: Can there be an alternate way out for people with propensity for mental disorders? Of course, deep meditation or other meditation practices may be too much for them. But those practices are critical for developing the much needed inner silence, the key in ongoing unfoldment and purification. I understand that the AYP approach is to let the impurities dissolve naturally as dictated by the individual's own obstruction matrix, without really focusing on a specific chakra. But if we assume that mentally ill people have dense lower chakras and lighter upper chakras, wouldn't it be possible to at least temporarily focus on cleaning the lower part? If so, I wonder if there are any specific practices for that, apart from the grounding activities like walking, gardening etc. For example, can we have a practice where we imagine light at the root chakra or some sort of focus on solar plexus, akin to solar centering?
This is certainly going 'under the hood', and manipulating the natural flow of purification - but as long as people are willing to experiment and report results, that is OK I guess, which is perhaps the basis of the modern applied yoga.
Just thinking out loud, I would appreciate if anyone has anything to add. |
Edited by - dv2014 on Jul 11 2015 8:31:26 PM |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2015 : 02:58:25 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by dv2014
quote:
Originally posted by kami
Most of what I'm expressing in this post is academic and hypothesis generating.
However, the sequence of activation in each person is unique, and does not necessarily follow any particular order. And I suspect that the above sequence is indeed important for a smoother ride. The vasanas we carry over from previous lifetimes and have decided to work on in this incarnation reside as blocks in specific chakras, as unique to us as our fingerprints, usually in the lower chakras. Those with minimal work left to be done in lower chakras are probably born "ripe" for spiritual advancement.. Hard to know.. However.. Premature activation of the higher chakras with residual dense blocks in the lower ones may be the cause of many mental illnesses including psychosis, personality disorders, perversions, addictions, etc. (hypothesis 1)
This is very interesting and somewhat similar to what I was deducing from observing people, especially my mom who has had some mental discomforts (http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....14984#127192). Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
So, regarding Hypothesis-1: Can there be an alternate way out for people with propensity for mental disorders? Of course, deep meditation or other meditation practices may be too much for them. But those practices are critical for developing the much needed inner silence, the key in ongoing unfoldment and purification. I understand that the AYP approach is to let the impurities dissolve naturally as dictated by the individual's own obstruction matrix, without really focusing on a specific chakra. But if we assume that mentally ill people have dense lower chakras and lighter upper chakras, wouldn't it be possible to at least temporarily focus on cleaning the lower part? If so, I wonder if there are any specific practices for that, apart from the grounding activities like walking, gardening etc. For example, can we have a practice where we imagine light at the root chakra or some sort of focus on solar plexus, akin to solar centering?
This is certainly going 'under the hood', and manipulating the natural flow of purification - but as long as people are willing to experiment and report results, that is OK I guess, which is perhaps the basis of the modern applied yoga.
Just thinking out loud, I would appreciate if anyone has anything to add.
Hi dv2014,
Very interesting. I studied chakra psychologie, (the ancient tantra tradition) but unfortunately this goes to far for my English to give a deeper answer here. That is not the only reason, it is the more you dive in, the more difficult it is to talk about the chakra psychologie. We have to deal with our unique karma. The more knowledge in this, the more you see every human being has his or her journey in life to go. You can not force finding the inner guru (chakra six).
The most important is a stable fundament, otherwise the building collapses.
Edit: Grounding, practice, purification, bring balance, self-pace. Step by step we will find more and more light. AYP. |
Edited by - Charliedog on Jul 12 2015 05:04:33 AM |
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kumar ul islam
United Kingdom
791 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2015 : 08:31:39 AM
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dv2014
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2015 : 12:06:11 PM
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Thank you Charliedog and kumar ul islam
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ak33
Canada
229 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2015 : 4:58:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by kami
quote:
Originally posted by Bodhi Tree
Also, I'd be curious to hear your perception not only of OTHERS, but of how YOU actually fit into the spectrum of chakra alignment.
Hi Bodhi,
Yes I'm sure.
Most of my issues in my younger years revolved around proving myself. Having a deep-rooted insecurity about my appearance made me an over-achiever to compensate for what I felt was a lack; this probably had a huge role in my choice of career, which is both demanding and overtly male-dominated. Early in my career I struggled with my own need to prove myself and to be recognized. However, it was not until I began to let go of the "I-ness" that recognition actually came - the less I cared, the greater was the ability to publish and be respected and to be invited to national committees and talks, etc.
As a teenager I was intensely drawn to a monastic life that was not agreeable with my family - it seemed so much "cleaner", a path I could see myself treading and longed for. But Life had other plans for me and I'm glad for this. Being a "householder" is indeed the better path for the vast majority of us. Mistakenly choosing a life of celibacy and suppressing/repressing lower chakra issues (instead of sublimating/transcending them) causes people great stress and sometimes induces them to commit heinous acts (like targeting children). As I'd written in another topic, the Vedic system was designed to progress along the chakra system according to a very sensible system:
[..] there was an "ashrama" system - upto a certain age, everyone was a student (Brahmacharya). Upon entering adulthood and finishing studies, most married and became householders (Grihastha). Once these duties were performed and children raised, the householder left all material ties (except the spouse) and retired to a quiet place for reflection (Vanaprastha), becoming celibate again. Finally, with further non-attachment, one entered the final stage of life (Sannyasa), renouncing everything and withdrawing inward.
Seems to make a lot of sense.
Love to you.
Cool topic btw. Yeah I agree with you when you say that the householder life is most appropriate for most of us. Some technical problems are that we are not used to isolation, and though we crave silence and isolation often, it would cause quite a bit of suffering (if you've been on a 10 day vipassana retreat you know what I mean). The effect of issues/repressed emotions are magnified in isolation, which would lead to, as you say, heinous acts (if the issues are not dealt with appropriately). Personally I think monasticism is a super accelerated path to enlightenment, but the difficulty level is higher than a lot of us can handle. |
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Rudra07
Poland
1 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2019 : 12:12:25 PM
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Well said.
quote:
Originally posted by kami
Hi Jeff,
On a more basic level, anything that is perceived is a projection of the mind, a form of maya. At the level of the local mind, everything perceived in the body, energy field, environment, etc is a projection of the mind, albeit largely subconscious. At the level of the universal mind (Ishwara), everything is a projection of His/Her/That mind. So yes, chakras also are a projection - specific issues being held in different areas that correspond to nerves and endocrine glands.
With the 3 tan tiens, it is the same concept - activation of the upper tan tien that corresponds to the ajna/sahasrara before the lower two may cause the same issues.. It's not that yogis have chakras and the taoists have tan tiens and the Buddhists have neither. It is a universal thing..
In Buddhism, Kundalini/energy activation is a by-product of cultivating inner silence; perhaps it is because of this emphasis on inner silence and "emptiness" that K activation in them is *relatively* uneventful, without too much drama? Advanced and aggressive practices like Tummo are taught only after establishment of inner silence; thus, there is less concern for imbalanced chakra activation and issues can be let go of easily as they arise. Again, just a theory..
What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks.
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Chakras, energy and mental health
