When first introduced to the idea of the energy body, many people are skeptical. Swirling balls of colored energy called chakras that control my emotions and affect my behavior? It sounds kooky. We all know that rainbow colored orbs don’t really exist in the physical body; you can’t see your chakras with your physical eyes, and you can’t do an autopsy and find them inside. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t exist. What ancient Ayurvedic medicine and yogis have known for centuries is that the chakra system is actually real. Even as far back as 500 BCE, Buddhist and Hindu spiritual practitioners knew that the use of colors and the imagery of swirling balls or wheels of energy was simply a meditation aid; helping to provide something for the mind’s eye to latch onto while we balance our own endocrine system.
The human endocrine system is a set of glands and organs that produce hormones to monitor and control your body. They are real parts that you can really feel and see. These hormones have a wide range of jobs and they can have a big effect on your emotional, mental, energetic and physical bodies. Ancient Ayurvedic practitioners had an intimate understanding of this system, combined with a holistic perspective which included your spirituality as a part of your overall health, and they called this system the chakra system. They illustrated the endocrine system using simple imagery; colored interconnected orbs at certain points in the body, releasing energy which ran along the body's meridian lines. The chakra placements mirror the placement of important glands and nerve bundles in the body; the parts of the endocrine system. Still don’t believe me? Think about this:
Your root chakra is located near the bottom of your body, at the tailbone, exactly where you can find your adrenal gland, which monitors and controls your stress levels. While your root chakra is the center of your sense of security and safety, monitors fear, and seeks grounding, the adrenal gland monitors the amount of adrenaline that your body receives when it detects a threat. Too much adrenaline can make you feel like you are in fight or flight mode all day, so a balanced root will help you to feel safe and calm.
Your sacral chakra, the center for passion and creativity, is where we find the human reproductive organs and where estrogen and testosterone are created. These are the hormones which drive humans to reproduce and where new humans are created. These hormones can make you feel aroused in a sexual manner, but also excited and passionate for life in general. Too much might get us in trouble, but too little means no excitement for life at all.
Moving up the line, your solar plexus chakra, your center for self-confidence, drive and energy, is where you can find the pancreas, which monitors your insulin levels. Insulin is directly responsible for your energy levels, moving glucose into your bloodstream to bring power to your whole body. When your insulin levels, or your sacral chakra, is out of balance, you can feel lethargic and lack confidence or strength.
At the center of your chest, where your heart chakra is the source of love, is your thymus gland, which regulates both physical and emotional well-being by producing cells which fight off disease and illness and aid in healing. We have all heard about the healing power of love, and how isolation and a lack of love in our lives can affect our overall well being; in this case it is truly “love heals all.”
At your throat chakra, your center for clear communication, you find the thyroid glands, which help to monitor your metabolism and help to keep you clear and conscious, aid in breathing, and activates our nervous system for improved communication and faster reflexes, all very important when listening, speaking, or sharing thoughts and ideas succinctly or persuasively.
Your third eye chakra is your center for wisdom, intuition, imagination, and all things that happen in the mind. It is also where we find the pineal gland, which balances your circadian rhythm and your melatonin, helping us to sleep and dream. In sleep, the brain does a massive amount of work to process information and create what we refer to as the wisdom body, where our imagination and our intuition lives.
Lastly, we reach the crown chakra, the very top of the body, which Ayurvedic medicine says is your center for connected-ness, where you access your spirituality and ultimately find peace, liberation and enlightenment. What better place to find the pituitary gland, happily releasing endorphins to the body, bringing us those lovely feelings of belonging and joy… interesting isn’t it?
So, next time you sit down to meditate on a chakra, remember that although that glowing orb may not be real in a physical sense, it is a useful image that is going to help you to heal and regulate your own endocrine system with the power of your own mind! For example, you may not know what a thyroid gland looks like, so a beautiful blue ball of energy at the base of your throat is a tool for your mind’s eye to use instead. You are going to be directly accessing your own control panel and making adjustments to the flow of hormones in your body creating a direct, observable impact on your physical and emotional well-being. Your mind is powerful. You can balance yourself. and your chakras ARE REAL!
Comments