Harness the Positive

These days, there has been a surge in curiosity about Ancient Eastern spiritual arts as alternatives to and to enhance our traditional spiritual practices.

One art in particular is slowly gaining popularity alongside the practice of yoga.

According to the traditions of Kundalini and Tantric yoga, a person can harness energy through energy centers in the body called "chakras." The word "chakra" actually comes from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit and it means "wheel."

Chakras have actually always been described as "a wheel-like spinning vortex" that draws in vibrations or energy. Practitioners believe that our bodies contain hundreds of these spinning centers. However, there are seven chakras in particular which feature prominently in yoga practice.

These seven major centers are linked to our being on all major levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. What this means is that each chakra relates to a particular aspect of being human and how we express ourselves as such.

Within each chakra, energy pathways intersect and it is believed that when chakras are functioning properly, the body, mind and spirit are as well.

Chakras govern certain major organs, making sure that they function properly and that they can heal efficiently when ill or hurt. Practitioners believe that when you are sick, particularly with illnesses associated with a specific organ say heart disease, this means that your chakras are sick as well and vice versa.

Each chakra also functions as an "intelligence center." This means that each chakra also controls aspects connected to our emotional, mental and spiritual values. The goal of chakra meditation, then, is to stimulate each one and to balance the circulation of energies within and between chakras, resulting in harmony, physical health, inner peace and well-being.

Balanced and stimulated chakras bring about the positive nature and function of these aspects, and imbalances, while they show that you may be more gifted in certain areas than others, can bring about negative energies or dysfunction.

The seven main chakra centers are aligned along the spinal column. If there are imbalances or disturbances, these show up in the size and color of the chakra, elements that can be sensed by highly-trained, intuitive practitioners. If you would like to get an accurate chakra reading, you will need to consult an expert who can guide you in your healing.

How are chakras stimulated and balanced?

Yoga, meditation, diet, and self-awareness are essential parts of harnessing chakra energy and equilibrium.

These take years of serious study and training. On a daily basis, however, you can begin enjoying the many benefits of opening up your chakras. By being more mindful, by picking up valuable life lessons from knowing about the chakras, you can start practicing chakra awareness in your life and expressing its values within yourself and in your relationships.

Moreover, Kundalini yoga practitioners believe that the body's chakras respond to certain stimuli: through scent, sight and sound.

Yes, you can also attract chakra energy by surrounding yourself with the colors, sounds and scents that are said to resonate with each chakra. This is where candles come in. For thousands of years, the candle has accompanied human beings in their religious observance and celebrations. By using candles in meditation and prayer or as décor in your home, specific colors and scents can help stimulate and balance chakra energies.

Chakras benefit from scents but more so from scents made from essential oils. Being the pure essence of the heart of a plant or flower, essential oils contain the healing properties of herbs, flowers or plants.

Each type of oil also corresponds with particular colors and harness the energies of the same. Lighting a candle during meditation, prayer or yoga practice can stimulate and balance your chakras ensuring that you benefit from the energies that its color and scent can harness.

Summarized in the chart below are the chakras, the organs they govern, the positive and negative values they are associated with, as well as the colors and scents which can help stimulate and balance them.

If you don't know yoga or are just starting out, here is a simple candle meditation exercise to help you start in your practice as well as some guidelines that will help you make the most of any session with candles.

Have a quiet room with a comfortable mat ready for your meditation. Choose a time of day when you are sure you won't be disturbed and which intuitively connects with you. (Some analyze times and dates in terms of astrology but that's another article altogether!)

As you sit on the mat, take quiet, deep breaths. Then, say a little prayer over the candle before you light it. This cleanses the candle of negative energy. Do your meditation or prayer with the candle lit the whole time.

You can read from spiritual text or you can focus on the candle's flame until you reach a state of relaxation.

Once you have used a candle for this purpose, don't use it for anything else. This way, it will build up with positive energies. Put out the candle reverently. Don't blow it out. Use a snuffer instead.

Finally, if you're looking for candles to enhance your medication or yoga practice, check out our wonderfully scented Chakra candle selection in several types and sizes. Check them out and have a peaceful, harmonious chakra-blessed day!

References:

1.) Sidney S. Fels and James Gauthier and Patricia Smith. Responses in Light, Sound and Scent - A Therapeutic Interactive Yoga System. Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Entertainment Computing (IWEC'02). Pages 355-362. May. 2002. University of British Columbia, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Human Communications Techonologies Library. Available online at http://hct.ece.ubc.ca/publications/pdf/IWEC02.pdf

2.) Chakra Energy, www.chakraenergy.com

3.) Aloha Bay, www.alohabay.com

4.) Draper, Kim. "Healing with Candles." Suite 1010.com, Sept. 7, 2001. Article online at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/bathcrafts_candles/79373