If you are familiar with chakras, then you can tell from my logo that I love chakras. The rainbow-colored spheres within my logo are representative of the chakra system within the body.
If you are unfamiliar, here’s a quick lesson: There are seven energy centers called chakras (literally “wheels”) that store energy/life force/prana. They are along the spinal column and correlate to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. Each has a different relationship to a gland in the body’s endocrine system. Each stimulates different organs and systems in the body. Hatha Yoga activates these energy centers releasing the energy that flows through the spine. Yoga helps these energy centers/nerve bundles to function correctly clearing blocks that may be there. Each chakra also is associated with a mental/emotional focus. In each newsletter I’ll highlight how you can work with a particular chakra to correspond with the season.
Had any of your own God-winks lately? I had my own personal God-wink as I started to write this month’s newsletter featuring the CEO of a wonderful, resourceful, interesting, inspiring, Kundalini Yoga website, Yogamint.com (Sadly this webiste is no longer active but was when I first posted this post). One of my students had heard yoga referred to as creating “bad snake energy” and wondered just what that meant. I told her to tune in to this newsletter!
So what is this “bad snake energy”? It’s “Kundalini” and it has sometimes gotten a “bad rap”.
Since kundalini energy activates and awakens the seven chakras, I’m using kundalini as the topic for my “Chakrascope” this month. As referenced above, the folks at Yogamint all practice Kundalini Yoga. “Kundalini-based yoga …improves asthma, diabetes, pain, and stress-related disorders, and it decreases blood pressure, heart rate, metabolism, and breathing rate. These effects in turn lead to lower anxiety and depression, healing of heart irregularities, decreased anger, treatment of insomnia, and even aid fertility.
In Sanskrit, Kundalini means ‘life energy’. Known as the serpent energy in Hinduism, the first culture known to have labeled this mysterious force, kundalini is the natural divine energy inside of you. Your kundalini is the life force of your body that, when fully activated, leads to living as an enlightened sage.
If you were able to fully draw on your kundalini, the life force that lies within, what might you do? Well, you could lasso the stars and pull them to earth, plant your dreams in the soil and grow love, laugh in the wind, and heal the world. You could write your name in the water, author your life, and sing with the Divine.
At some level, kundalini has already been accomplishing all this and more for you. You’ve already been exercising its enchantment to become the great person you are. As mysterious as its name and as magical as its origin, kundalini has been pulsing in your body since you were conceived, performing tasks as basic as igniting the electricity in your cells and as elusive as attracting others to you. Kundalini is a god energy, and as such, it nourishes your uniqueness and upholds your sacred vocation. Since it originates from the Divine Source, it also interconnects you with all living beings, as well as with the Divine itself. Because of these connections, to tap into your kundalini is to open the channel to your intuition, to begin to hear the messages in the wind, to receive revelations colored with inspiration, and to know the unknowable. In short, kundalini allows you to be you—and encourages others to be themselves.” Kundalini Divine Energy & Divine Life by Cyndi Dale.
Hardly “bad snake energy” now is it? How many of you want more of that?! Kundalini is typically described as a serpent which lies coiled and dormant at the base of our spine until activated or awakened. “When kundalini wakes up, it primarily travels upward through our various energy bodies and channels, parts of the energetic anatomy that create and sustain our physical body. Energy is information that vibrates, and guess what kundalini does? It shakes up the energy of our body, mind, and soul.
The kundalini first rises through energy channels along our spine. These energy channels are called the nadis, and as the kundalini climbs through them, it activates the seven chakra energy centers also positioned along our spine, our center axis, and connecting our spiritual and physical selves.” Kundalini Divine Energy & Divine Life by Cyndi Dale.
Cyndi Dale explains how she’s used kundalini energy to write a five-hundred page book in three months, to chase off an attacker, and daily to keep up (almost) with her two sons, five animals, and a house that doesn’t clean itself. She says kundalini energy has changed her life.
“Cyndi has presented seminars and workshops in Russia, England, Wales, Amsterdam, Iceland, Scotland, and has led groups across South and Central America and into Africa.
Her training has encompassed studies in shamanism and healing across the world, taking her into the Peruvian, Belizean, Hawaiian, and Costa Rica jungles, the Moroccan sands, the Venezuelan savannahs, the glaciers of Iceland, and other exciting places. She seeks to unify the world’s most vital spiritual messages, encouraging understanding and community among all peoples. On a daily basis, Cyndi works with clients and groups, serving as an intuitive coach and an energy healer. Clients are commonly referred by professionals, including psychiatrists, medical doctors, and therapists.” http://cyndidale.com.
I met Cyndi several years ago at the Learning Annex/Open U where she gave a presentation on chakras. I believe it was entitled: Attracting Prosperity Through the Chakras. She was concise, energetic, entertaining, and spot-on to what I wanted to get out of the class. I would recommend her highly as both a speaker and an author. I own several of her books. So when she says she is in awe of kundalini energy and uses it for good, I am more than comfortable saying that kundalini is NOT “bad snake energy”.
As Cyndi Dale describes it, “It is a divine light here to shine on who you are an in all that you do. In that it unifies all aspects of you, it links you with life everywhere. You could say that to participate in kundalini is to sip from the communion cup of the Divine.”
Kundalini is energy. Can energy sometimes end up not being “good”? Well, can an electrical surge blow your fuse? Does that mean you don’t ever want to use electricity? Of course not! The key to “awakening” kundalini energy is to do it gently and slowly. “But know this: you can’t do kundalini wrong. The Divine has a way of knowing what we need and offering it to us.” Kundalini Divine Energy & Divine Life by Cyndi Dale.
There’s a whole chapter in Cyndi’s book about the science of kundalini energy. This chapter discusses possible theories for kundalini’s effectiveness defined through quantum physics, electrical energy, biomechanical movement of our bodies, hormonal, and the spine and central nervous system. She emphasizes that it’s not just yoga and breathwork that will work with kundalini, but other mind/body practices such as meditation, Qigong, and tai-chi. You also don’t have to be any particular religion.
There are those, for example, that equate kundalini with the Holy Spirit. “Kundalini energy is what Christians call ‘the power of the Holy Ghost’. This power of the Holy Ghost is located in the Sacrum Bone. The Greeks called it ‘sacrum’ meaning ‘sacred’.”
http://www.adishakti.org/_/kundalini_and_christian_experience.htm.
Philip St. Romain, a practicing Catholic devoted to a life of prayer, wrote more than one book about his personal experience with kundalini energy. You can look them up on Amazon.
“Thus, for a Christian at least, it is essential that their energy be directed by the Holy Spirit. In Christian spirituality, the unfolding of the stages of prayer described by St. Teresa of Avila in the Interior Castle may be the fruit of the kundalini energy arising under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality, Phihlip St. Romain
Even Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, found kundalini to be an interesting topic: “You see, the Kundalini in psychological terms is that which makes you go on the greatest adventures. …It is the quest that makes life livable, and this is Kundalini; this is the divine urge.” The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga, Carl Jung. Lecture 1, 12 October 1932, Notes of the Seminar, Princeton University Press, USA, 1996, Page 21.
Bottom line, you are responsible for your own development. If working with kundalini energy interests you, you get to decide your own experience with your own research and open mind. I consider working with kundalini as working on my divine potential. You get to define what kundalini is or is not by your own experience.
Just as in yoga you need to experience the pose vs. read about it or watching it being practiced, you need to define for yourself what you believe. This holds true not just for kundalini energy, but for all lessons in life—a sentiment expressed in the opening section by Yogamint CEO, Hari Bhajan. Find out through your own experience. It’s easy to believe what “they” say. What do you say? Many times I remind my readers to take what resonates with them and discard the rest. Remember this implies you’re open to taking it all in with an open mind first.
“Almost everyone who does yoga will tell you that their “energy” feels different after they’ve practiced. This is no doubt one of the main reasons why we practice: to change our experience of how energy moves in the body. We want more energy; smoother, more even energy; or energy that is quieter and less agitated.” Yoga Journal
In our bodies, the kundalini energy resides in the spine—the same place your chakra energy centers are. See my opening notes at the beginning of this Chakrascope section: There are seven energy centers called chakras (literally “wheels”) that store energy/life force/prana. They are along the spinal column and correlate to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. Each has a different relationship to a gland in the body’s endocrine system. Each stimulates different organs and systems in the body. Hatha Yoga activates these energy centers releasing the energy that flows through the spine. Yoga helps these energy centers/nerve bundles to function correctly clearing blocks that may be there. Each chakra also is associated with a mental/emotional focus.
Just as acupressure or acupuncture releases blocks in your energetic “subtle” body, yoga releases blocks along the nadis—or delivery system—in the body. Many of my students have heard me talk about hip openers releasing the stored emotions in the body. Emotional releases in bodywork are common occurrences for this same reason. I had one the first time I tried Qigong a few years before I started practicing yoga. It happened just as I was tapping the energy up and down my legs—immediate, unexplained tears. It wasn’t even that far into the program. It both amazed and intrigued me.
“Hip openers particularly have a knack for reaching into the depths of our emotional patterns. Occasionally in yoga teacher training programs and environments where it is safe to let go, yogis exploring the deeper dimensions of themselves may have episodes of uncontrollable crying. This is one way the body sheds trauma. People who have had this experience say the tears are not attached to a particular event or thought. The nervous system calibrates, and feelings of deep-seated peace immediately follow. Yoga is the best therapist you will ever have.” Michelle Myhre article from 2010. Her Website from then is no longer active.
“Yoga can help many symptoms of depression and bipolar disorder, including mood swings, fear, anxiety, tension, and lethargy. One way yoga helps is to release energetic blockages that are called granthis in Sanskrit. These are “knots” that form at the navel region, the seat of personal power; the heart center, the seat of the emotional body, and the throat, the seat of self-expression.
When we release these blockages, our physical and emotional layers open and energy flows freely. This energy, called prana, is the essential life-force of all beings. When prana flows freely through the body, we feel vital and healthy; we reconnect with others and become a part of the world.” http://www.beliefnet.com/Health/Emotional-Health/Bipolar/Yoga-for-Emotional-Balance.aspx
So to recap, yoga releases blocks along the nadis—or delivery system—in the body. There are three main nadis: The Ida, the Pingala, and the Sushumna nadi. “Nadi” means “movement”. They operate as a delivery system for the chakras and transport subtle energies throughout the body. They are often compared to the Chinese meridian system since both distribute energy and interact with the chakras. Basically the process involves using breath to guide energy through the Ida and the Pingala to the base of the spine. To recap the Beliefnet.com article above, when prana, or energy, moves freely through the body, we feel vital and healthy; we reconnect with others and become a part of the world.”
Perhaps it’s the use of Sanskrit that evokes fear or resistance among some. Perhaps it’s the “serpents” used to describe “kundalini”. Remember that both the snake and the butterfly represent transformation. The actual transformation occurs within you. It’s not the snake or the butterfly within you! So no worries! “Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna nadi?”—What the heck? Want a visual? Take a closer look at your local MD’s lapel. The most common illustration of the nadis is the familiar symbol of the medical practice—the caduceus. It shows the Sushumna (or nadi central, in the spine) depicted as a straight wand with two snakes (the Ida and the Pingala) coiled around it. (Notice how the unfamiliar description of it immediately makes you, perhaps, uncomfortable when a second ago it was just the familiar medicine practice symbol?) The Ida and the Pingala meet at nose level, the Ida from the left and the Pingala from the right. They cross the Sushumna four times intersecting with and surrounding the chakras while activating them. This allows for an upward path for the activated kundalini. The breath is vital in this process.
For more details on this process and the nadis as well as an in-depth study on chakras and subtle energy, local and internationally known author, Cyndi Dale, has another excellent book called “The Subtle Body. An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy”. (The Subtle Body has garnered over 75 five-star reviews on Amazon.com and continually sells in the 1,000 place, leading millions of books. It has also won four internationally recognized Publisher?s Awards.)
There are several books, DVDs, and classes offering Kundalini Yoga. I’ve mentioned only a few in this newsletter. “The practice of Kundalini Yoga balances the glandular system, strengthens the nervous system and enables us to harness the energy of the mind and the emotions, so we can be in control of ourselves, rather than being controlled by our thoughts and feelings…It is a precious gem of sacred knowledge and power. And you don’t have to be a pretzel. For the physical exercises, if you can breathe, and just lean in the right direction, you’ll be benefitted.” A Simple Guide to the Yoga of Awareness, Kundalini Yoga, The Flow of Eternal Power, by Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa.
“Kundalini yoga is considered the most comprehensive system of yoga at is combines meditation, prayer, asana (physical postures), and pranayama (breathing exercises)…The Upanishads, the sacred scriptures of Hinduism that date back to the fifth century B.C., provided a written description of Kundalini, although the oral tradition dates back even further. For thousands of years, this sacred science and technology was veiled in secrecy, passed along in the oral tradition from master to chosen disciple.
Kundalini Yoga was never taught publicly until Yogi Bhajan, Ph. D. challenged the age-old tradition of secrecy. Yogi Bhajan brought Kundalini Yoga to the United States in 1969.
Ready to be healthy, happy, and holy? Here’s one of my favorite songs and I found it at Yogamint.com (No longer an active website, unfortunattely) A Light Shining. It is my wish for you. It will mesmerize you:
(
“Something Beautiful”
May the Grace of God be always in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
Part of something beautiful…
And I thought that I saw, a light Shine, I thought that I saw a light shine,
Yes I thought, that I saw, a light Shine; I think I see a light shine,
now…
May the Grace of God be always in your heart
May you know the truth inside you from the start
May you find the strength to know that you are a
Part of something beautiful…
(Now that’s some good energy.)
Breathwork: Breath of Fire
“Breath of Fire uses deep, rapid breath cycles to warm your body and increase your energy. Traditionally the Breath of Fire is not a pranayama technique but rather a kriya, or cleansing, practice. Many of the toxins in your body are released during your exhale, which is your focus here.
Assume the Mountain Pose, or sit comfortably in a cross-legged position. Begin inhaling through your nose, keeping your mouth closed. Exhale half the air out of your lungs to a point somewhere between exhale and Inhale. Your exhale should be quick and sharp, contracting your abdominal muscles. In this exercise, exhalations are short, vigorous, and active; inhalations are light and passive. Continue this rhythmic pattern for 20 to 25 breaths. Repeat two to five rounds, finishing with a deep Three-part breath (filling up first the bottom of your lungs, then the middle chest area, then the upper chest and exhaling in reverse order.)
Restrictions:
- Avoid hyperventilating by focusing on strong, quick exhalations.
- Check for dizziness (if dizzy, return to relaxation breathing).
- If you have a heart or blood pressure condition, avoid this technique.
Effects
- Energizes and activates the right side of your pranic system.
- Stimulates your nervous system.
- Cleanses your respiratory system.
Source: Beth Shaw’s YOGAFIT, The program for a more powerful, flexible, and defined physique.
Fire In Your Belly
Detox with Radish and Breathing
Feeling down? You may be suffering from toxins in your blood. Eating a diet full of meat, sugar and processed foods pollutes your blood, as do pharmaceuticals, alcohol and environmental toxins. When your blood is toxic, it contributes to fatigue, depression, allergies and decreased immune function. When you want some fun in the sun, any of these conditions are unacceptable. Two simple fixes can clear out your blood and fire you up—eating radishes and doing Breath of Fire!
Breath of Fire–a powerful breathing technique–rapidly detoxifies your blood, releasing toxins from the lungs, mucus linings, blood vessels and other cells, bringing about a boost in the immune system and increasing oxygen delivery to the brain. Sit quietly with your eyes 9/10th closed and roll your gaze up to the point between your eyebrows. First, to understand Breath of Fire, open your mouth and pant like a dog. That’s what it sounds and feels like! Now, close your mouth and breathe deeply and rapidly through your nose—this is called “Breath of Fire.” Power the breath from the navel point, not the upper chest. Continue breathing through the nose, while pumping the navel, for up to three minutes.
Now…bring on the radishes. You may want to continue your blood cleansing regimen by eating some peppery radishes! Radishes stimulate the liver to expel toxins and improve elimination; they also do wonders for your kidneys, helping them to flush more efficiently. Radishes provide more oxygen to red blood cells, making you cleaner and stronger from the inside out.
The next time you feel drained and lifeless, try Breath of Fire, throw some radishes into your diet, and you’ll be back to Sun Salutations in no time!
Ramdesh Kaur
Kundalini Yoga Teacher and Writer
www.noordinarylight.blogspot.com
Affirmations:
I offer a song this month as your affirmation (from Yogamint’s website, of course!):
- “Long Time Sun” takes its lyrics from Yogi Bhajan’s “benediction” used at the end of every Kundalini practice. Even if you don’t practice yoga, it’s nice to just say this little song for yourself and the ones you love every day:May the long time sun shine upon you
All love surround you
And the pure light within you guide your way on
Diet:
Try these tips, recipes, remedies to increase your energy, kundalini or otherwise.
Aromatherapy:
Here’s a book I found on Yogamint:
The Fragrant Mind: Aromatherapy for Personality, Mind, Mood and Emotion by Valerie Ann Worwood.
As well as an article on using aromatherapy with yoga:
Attune to Intimacy
Heal Your Second Chakra
Your second chakra is home to your most intimate feelings and thoughts. Located between the sacrum and reproductive organs, this energy center supports your ability to express feelings of intimacy, self-love, passion and the physical aspect of sensual expression. Ruled by water, this chakra is most closely attuned with your emotions and also guides reproduction, enthusiasm and creativity of the soul.
While your second chakra is closely related to the throat chakra and expression, on an emotional level it deeply connects to your heart chakra. When you feel heartbreak, particularly with a loved one, you may tend to withdraw your intimacy. One of my favorite poses to balance the sacral chakra is Supta Baddha Konasana (reclined bound angle pose or Goddess Pose). This pose activates the sacrum, while opening the heart to expansion and forgiveness.
A wonderful way to balance your second chakra is to use some aromatherapy with Goddess Pose. Set out a clear glass bowl of water and add a few drops of the following essential oils: neroli for enthusiasm and intimacy, clary sage for emotional expression and sandalwood for sensual expression. Light a few candles and set them around the bowl to create a dance of light through the water.
Sitting upright on the floor with an elevated bolster or sturdy pillow behind you, lean back, bend your knees and relax them down to each side while bringing the soles of your feet together. You should feel a gentle stretch in the groin and hip area. If there is too much of a stretch, put a folded blanket under each knee. Lay your arms at your sides, palms up.
As you relax, take a deep breath, engaging your diaphragm. Open your heart and expand your breath into your shoulders. As you exhale, relax your face and shoulders as you pull your feet a little closer into your groin. Continue breathing deeply as you imagine water flowing through your body, bathing you in the divine ability to express and protect your feelings. Repeat the following: “I love all aspects of myself. I delight in the creation of all that is in my life.” Let the goddess in you be healed and uplifted!
If aromatherapy interests you, I use Young Living Essential Oils™ which are therapeutic, food-grade oils. Please inquire if you are interested in purchasing a favorite scent and I can add your request to my personal monthly order. Essential oils raise the vibrational frequency of the body. When the vibrational frequency of the body drops, we become more receptive to ill health: http://justalist.blogspot.com/2008/03/vibrational-frequency-list.html. Therapeutic-grade essential oils are great to have in your arsenal of health promoting natural products.
Gem therapy and the chakras:
Gemstones amplify the energy when placed in contact with your chakras. For those of you unsure on this subject, consider that it’s scientifically proven that everything is energy. Nothing is really solid. Why wouldn’t the energy of a stone work effectively with the energy in our bodies just as some research speculates that the energy of computers, cell phones, and microwaves may affect our bodies? At the very least, I find that holding a favorite stone is like a talisman for me, or a “worry stone”. As my favorite author, Wayne Dyer, likes to say, “If it’s a placebo effect, I’ll take two”.
Gem therapy book recommended on Yogamint: This is my all-time favorite gem book!
Some Articles on gems found on Yogamint (Since this site is no longer active, I have removed the weblinks but left the articles.)
The Healer’s Stone
Emeralds for Compassion
Emeralds are a symbol of love and good fortune. It’s said that if a man and woman present each other with an emerald stone their love grows over time and becomes permanent. Emeralds invoke the vibration of Kwan Yin, The Goddess of Compassion, which is why many healers are naturally drawn to this powerful stone.
Emeralds are known as The Healer’s Stone, because they give the healer inspiration and wisdom from the mental plane, and open the heart to give love, compassion and wisdom to others. Emeralds are beneficial in a personal meditative practice, as well as for healing. Placing an emerald on the heart while meditating can help restore the heart to balance, lift depression and help with insomnia. Doing this as a regular practice has a penetrating effect on the heart chakra (located in the center of your chest), perhaps because it access desires that are held deep within.” From Yogamint’s website back when I first posted this blog. Unfortunately this site is no longer active.
Royal Diamonds
Gems of Purity and Light
Since ancient times, diamonds were believed to exert favorable influence on the owner, providing strength, courage and invincibility. It was the talisman of Julius Caesar, Louis IV and Napoleon. Queens, princesses, princes and Maharajahs have adorned themselves with diamonds. Diamonds represent a highly-prized symbol of status, luxury and purity in today’s world. Couples often choose diamonds as the symbol for eternal love and commitment in marriage.
The white light of the diamond is the perfect balance of all colors, in which all the components work together to produce energy in its purest state, bringing clarity, creativity and ingenuity. A diamond allows the soul light to shine out, aiding your spiritual evolution and reminding you of your soul’s aspirations. Diamonds act like an amplifier, refracting the entire light spectrum. If the wearer has good intentions they amplify goodness; if combined with another gemstone or crystal they will amplify the energy of that gemstone or crystal.
On a physical level, diamonds purify all the body’s systems, rebalancing the metabolism, building up stamina, strength, treating allergies and chronic conditions. (For best results, have the diamond set so it touches the skin.) Wearing diamonds offers the same benefits as wearing white. Yogi Bhajan said, “Wearing white clothing triples one’s aura and widens it up to 27 feet. White clothing makes you look divine…it is good for your psyche, for your energy, and for your nervous system. Your way of dressing should be saintly and make you glow with grace.” So wear some white diamonds today!
The Raj Stone
Rubies for Health & Abundance
It’s an old adage that as long as you have a bit of ruby, wealth will never leave you. When building the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife, the Fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan had rubies inlaid in the marble of this magnificent palace. Rubies have been known throughout the ages as the stone of nobility and are said to bestow fame, virtue, vigor, personal warmth, and the power to command.
How does it work? Rubies balance the first and fourth chakras, located at the anus and heart respectively. When not aligned, the first chakra manifests issues relating to security and identity. Likewise, an unbalanced fourth chakra can inspire feelings of shyness, loneliness or jealousy. These two together are a potent cocktail, making for emotional aggression, a quick temper and sometimes leading to health susceptibilities such as diarrhea, constipation, asthma and bronchitis or high blood pressure. If you have Mars in your astrological chart (for example, if you were born on a Tuesday), it is particularly helpful to consider rubies, since you are especially susceptible to these issues.
Conversely, rubies help balance these areas of potential weakness. By restoring the balance of the first chakra, they create a foundation for the sense of your own Raj (regal) identity. From this platform, rubies help manifest vitality in the physical body, grounding it and bringing peace, love, and contentment through the fourth chakra.
Heaven-Sent Stone
Regal Blue Sapphire
It’s believed that Moses was given the Ten Commandments on a plate made out of sapphire, which makes this gemstone one of the most sanctified of all semi-precious and precious stones. Sapphires are revered as divine gemstones, highly desired by royalty and aristocracy as well as by high priests. The British Crown glitters with large blue sapphires, symbols of a pure and wise reign. They help to bring wealth, name and fame to the wearer.
Blue sapphires are associated with the throat chakra. When this chakra is out of balance you may feel emotional, shy or disempowered. On the physical level you might experience sore throats, TMJ or have imbalanced thyroid function, which can affect your metabolism and weight.
Blue sapphires help to open and heal the thyroid and the throat chakra, assisting in communication, expressing your truth and beliefs. This gemstone supports you to stay on the spiritual path, releasing blockages and providing strength.
The Eastern Diamond
The Green Energy of Jade
An old Chinese legend tells of an Ancient King who, falling deathly ill, was cured by wearing a jade stone. Many believe that jade transfers its virtues into the body. Long considered the health, wealth and longevity stone, jade is perhaps the most revered stone in the East. For the Chinese in particular, jade is thought of as “the Quintessence of Heaven and Earth,” and admiration for this stone surpasses even diamonds because of the healing properties and protective energy it instills.
Jade works by balancing the heart chakra, located at the center of the chest. If this chakra is out of balance, it essentially means you are out of touch with your heart. Emotional outbursts occur since the imbalance amplifies moodiness or depression. Over time this can lead to an obsessive or overly critical outlook and manifest some physical disorders like high blood pressure, heart disease or asthma.
Jade balances the heart chakra by tuning into its “green energy,” as the ancient yogis say. Green is the color of the light that surrounds this chakra and jade helps activate it, opening up the potential for compassion, unconditional love, joy and humility. It calms the nervous system and soothes the mind, bringing with it security, tranquility and peaceful energy.
If gem therapy interests you, you can find a great selection at www.crystallinelight.com. I’ve known Jennifer, the owner, for many years and love her products!
Yoga poses for stimulating Kundalini:
All yoga poses are essentially grounding and activate the chakras.
This month’s yoga pose section highlighted Kriyas for energetic benefits.
