To conquer oneself

"To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others."

Buddha

To help others

Chakra Balancing with Color and Sound

by Laura Hamilton

Chakras—those wonderful energy centers within the body. They provide us with vital life force and keep us healthy physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. But like any other form of energy, these vibrations need to remain in balance. Stagnant or overactive energy in these areas can lead to discomfort and illness. While there are many ways to balance your chakras, using color and sound are fun and interesting ways to keep your energy flowing.

Chakras and Color Therapy

Each of the seven main chakras resonates in a certain color frequency. Familiarize yourself with theses energy vortexes and their respective colors.

The first chakra or root chakra, located at the base of the spine is red.

The second or sacral chakra, located below the navel is orange.

The third chakra is at the solar plexus and vibrates yellow.

The fourth or heart chakra vibrates green.

The fifth chakra is located at the base of the neck and is blue.

The sixth chakra is known as the third eye and resides between the eyebrows, vibrating at deep blue or indigo.

The seventh or crown chakra is at the top of the head and is violet in color.

Each of the seven main chakras resonates in a certain color frequency. Familiarize yourself with theses energy vortexes and their respective colors.

If any of your chakras are unbalanced, you will likely feel out of sorts in the related area of your body. Sore throat? Your fifth chakra is probably out of balance. Headache? Check your third eye. Luckily you can remedy these situations. In addition to traditional medical care, you should balance your chakras. Using color therapy is easy and fun. You can get creative with it too!

Say for instance that you’re treating your sixth chakra. You will focus on the color blue. Surround yourself with this color in any way you can think of! When meditating, visualize your throat area or your entire body in blue. Expose yourself to this color by sitting in a blue room or under a lamp with a special colored light or filter. You can even wear a blue scarf or pendant around your neck! The possibilities are endless! Some metaphysical suppliers even sell color therapy oils and special color therapy glasses for this purpose. Go online and check them out.

Chakras and Sound Therapy

Just as each chakra fits into a particular color of the spectrum, each chakra also vibrates at a certain sound frequency. In fact, each chakra corresponds to a specific musical note. The first chakra corresponds to the note C, the second is D, the third is E, the fourth is F, the fifth is G, the sixth is A, and the seventh is B.

So how do you work with sound therapy? Easy, just match the correct note or tones with the chakra you wish to balance. If you play a musical instrument, focus on that particular note or key. You can also work with tuning forks or Tibetan singing bowls. When you strike the tuning fork or bowl, the sound travels and will stimulate the chakra you are working with. The chakra will resonate with the sound and come back into balance.

If you are not musically inclined or don’t have access to tuning forks or singing bowls, there are other options. Chanting CD’s and MP3’s work well. You can either listen to tracks or chant along. Look for Tibetan chakra meditations or try Chakra Chants by Jonathan Goldman.

If you’re on a budget and money is tight, there are plenty of free YouTube videos available that focus on these topics. Some can teach you how to pronounce the chants for each chakra while others have elaborate video presentations of chakra colors and music. Take the time to explore these options. There is something for everyone!

So the next time you are feeling “chakra challenged” try one of these healing methods to bring yourself back into balance!

Getting to Know Your Chakras

by Laura Hamilton

We often hear the term “chakras” when we learn about yoga, energy work or metaphysics. The word chakra itself comes from a Sanskrit word meaning wheel or spinning. But what are they really? And what do they do? Basically they are energy centers located at various points throughout the body. Life force energy also known as chi or ki flows in and out of the aura through these centers. Like mini vortexes, these centers appear to vibrate or spin.

Whether we are aware of them of not, they have a great deal of influence on our mental, emotional, spiritual and even physical health. After all when you consider that we are essentially energy beings composed of spinning atoms and molecules, it makes sense that these centers would affect us. While there are many chakras throughout the body, we will briefly explore the seven major ones and their locations.

The First Chakra: The Root or Base Chakra

This chakra called Muladhara in Sanskrit is located near the base of the spine. It is associated with the color red and helps to anchor you to the earth. The concept of “feeling grounded” takes place in this chakra. Mental and emotional issues related to security and survival is encountered here. This chakra generally governs the legs, feet, bowels, and lower back.

The Second Chakra: The Sacral Chakra

The Sanskrit term for this chakra is Swadhisthana and is located in the lower abdomen approximately two to three fingers width below your navel. Orange is its associated color. This area is houses creativity as the sexual organs (to create life) are located here. Mental and emotional issues related to sex, guilt, pleasure and manifestation are found here. Other bodily areas influenced are the kidneys, intestines, adrenals and mid back region.

Whether we are aware of them of not, they have a great deal of influence on our mental, emotional, spiritual and even physical health.

The Third Chakra: The Solar Plexus Chakra

The third chakra called Manipura is found in the solar plexus region and associated with the color yellow. Our willpower and “guts” are ruled by this chakra. Mental and emotional issues related to self esteem and power is encountered here. The stomach, liver, gallbladder and upper abdominal regions are the related physical areas.

The Fourth Chakra: The Heart Chakra

The Anahata or heart chakra as the name implies, is located in the heart region. Green is the color association and this is where love or the wisdom of the heart resides. Mental and emotional issues around love, apathy and connections with others are experienced here. The heart, lungs, breasts and upper back are governed by this chakra.

The Fifth Chakra: The Throat Chakra

Vishuddha the Sanskrit name for the fifth chakra is found in the throat area with blue as the related color. The concept of “speaking one’s truth” is expressed here. Mental and emotional issues around communication and expression occur though this chakra. It affects the neck, throat, thyroid, and oral regions of the body.

The Sixth Chakra: The Third Eye or Brow Chakra

The sixth chakra known as Ajna in Sanskrit is located between the eyes or brows near the center of the forehead. Associated with the color indigo, clairvoyance or “clear seeing” happens here. Mental and emotional issues related to understanding, wisdom and judgments are related to the third eye chakra. Parts of the body influenced are the pineal and pituitary glands along with the eyes, ears, nose, and brain.

The Seventh Chakra: The Crown Chakra

The final major chakra is the Sahasrara or crown chakra located at the top of the head. Represented by the color violet, the connection with the Divine is sought through this chakra. Mental and emotional issues regarding life purpose, spirituality and connection with the higher self are experienced here. The top portion of the head is governed by this chakra.

Exploration and Awareness

Now that we have a basic understanding of the seven major chakras, let’s take some time to explore them. A good way to do this is by using the energy of your hands. Your hands contain minor chakras and this can help you sense the vibrations in your bodily chakra regions. Begin by rubbing your palms together to get some energy moving. Start by placing your palms on your lower back or root chakra. Just relax and notice any feelings or impressions that come up. You may not notice anything and that’s ok too. Just be aware that you are an energetic being with a great deal of power contained in this chakra. After a few minutes, move your palms to the sacral area and continue the exercise, maintaining your awareness. Continue moving up the body along all the chakra areas, saying hello to each one and finishing with the crown chakra.

Final Thoughts

Consider working with your chakras on a regular basis using the exercise above. You may also want to start a journal to record your feelings and sensations while doing this. Getting to know your chakras is a lifelong process of learning and growing. It’s definitely a relationship worth pursuing!

Common courtesy

by Madisyn Taylor 

We often feel that we don’t have the time or energy to extend ourselves to others with the small gestures that compose what we call common courtesy. It sometimes seems that this kind of social awareness belongs to the past, to smaller towns and slower times. Yet, when someone extends this kind of courtesy to us, we always feel touched. Someone who lends a helping hand when we are struggling with our groceries makes an impression because many people just walk right by. Even someone who simply makes the effort to look us in the eye, smile, and greet us properly when entering a room stands out of the crowd. It seems these people carry with them the elegance and grace of another time, and we are always thankful for our contact with them. Common courtesy is a small gesture that makes a big difference. 

An essential component of common courtesy is awareness and common sense—looking outside yourself to see when someone needs help or acknowledgment. As a courteous person, you are aware that you are walking into a room full of people or that your waiter has arrived to take your order. Then, awareness leads to action. It is usually quite clear what needs to be done—open the door for the woman holding the baby, move your car up two feet so another person can park behind you, acknowledge your sister’s shy boyfriend with a smile and some conversation, apologize if you bump into someone. A third component is to give courtesy freely, without expecting anything in return. People may not even take notice, much less return the kindness, but you can take heart in the fact that you are creating the kind of world you want to live in with your actions. 

When you are out in the world, remember to be aware of others, lend your hand when one is needed, and give this help without an ulterior motive. Through these small actions, you make this world a better place in which to live.

Benefits of meditation