A Beginners Guide To Chakra Meditation

reply to post by Breifne


The biggest difference between "new age" and "traditional" stuff is that new age stuff is from relatively modern people, while traditional stuff is generally from someone who lived farther back. I think the quality itself varies much more regardless of when the teaching originated, than by the associations to new age/traditional.

Think of it like an immediate and local "law of attraction" thing when you are told to visualize anything. The general principle of, if you face the world with a more positive attitude, things will tend to get better for you, is magnified and brought to a fine point when you visualize things like pure radiant light around you. There are many subconscious associations with radiant light, where we have seen it in our lives, what we therefore associate it with, etc. By bringing it into your mind, you are also bringing all those associations with it and introducing something vital about it into your physical body. It "fights off" "demons" or what have you simply by aiming to put you in an elevated and serene state of consciousness from which negative tendencies will dissipate of their own.

These kinds of exercises are ancient, though. I have a book based on medieval alchemy, that teaches a visualization meditation in which you keep returning to this room in this castle, your personal throne room/chamber/whatever, and you travel from one room to another, in a very precise way, as you meditate day by day, until you have built in your mind an entire castle that becomes increasingly "solid" as you go back to it so many times in meditation. It becomes a giant metaphor for your body (your small point of consciousness in it becoming a metaphor for your consciousness exploring your own physical body!), and each room representing something not unlike what a chakra would represent, or a sephiroth from the tree of life, just a certain band of energies that relate to life in a certain way. It also includes visualizing various colors of light in various rooms, you occasionally leave your castle for adventures in the surrounding environment (also symbolic), etc.

It's hard to explain what all of this "is for" or "means" to your mind, in the same way that it's hard to fully describe the implications of simple duality in the world, or explain all the symbolism involved with the Star of David, or pentagram, etc. The best I can do is to say that "eventually" your physical body and your "imagination" become one, and in a very real sense your imagination CREATES your physical body. It's just a very, very slow process, compared to how fast your thoughts oscillate, and requires increasing amounts of energy as you make more dramatic changes. It's like self-healing in a way, and it brings your subconscious into the equation with various images to integrate into your consciousness.

Someone else may know what I'm getting at and be able to put it into more precise words. I personally came to a lot of this realization by trying to get inside the mind of the author of this alchemy book, and try to tell what precise direction he was trying to ultimately go with the student with these guided visualizations, as I was in the middle of an entheogenic experience. So the entheogen happened to help me a lot in this regard, though for reasons I shouldn't need to go into, I can't advocate that particular method. So, like I said, I probably create more questions than answers, maybe someone else can put it into better words.

[edit on 19-5-2009 by bsbray11]

Originally posted by Breifne
A couple of quick questions before my 20 mile cycle. eeekkk!!

Is it essential to envisage a 'white light' surrounding you (in your mind's eye) as part of the grounding process, or is this more 'new age'. This, apparently, is designed to 'protect' one from (astral) 'attack' - this was discussed in another thread, so I was just looking for a second opinion.

With this, can anyone differentiate the New Age stuff from the traditional. Just thought I would get those kind of questions out of the way early.

Thanks for the earlier response.

The white light is not essential, really visualization is not required at all sometimes. Feelings or emotions can be the trigger, a clear mind is devout of all things.

It is really a personal choice, I personally ground my self with an emotion, that of security, followed by serenity. Visualization comes only after I have felt each of my chakra's opened and connected.

Speed however should be discouraged. Meditation should be done at a pace that is totally comfortable, rushing things will only lead to hyper sensitivity and discomfort.

~Keeper

Edit Spelling

[edit on 5/20/2009 by tothetenthpower]

I have always wanted to try meditation but I just can't. I get very restless and anxious if there is no sound around me.
I tried to be in total silence a few times, concentrating on my breathing but I think I lasted not much more than a minute.
I start to get impatient and then my mind starts going: "this is boring", "I wonder how much time has passed", I'm probably doing it wrong because I shouldn't be thinking these things right now"...etc.

Does that happen to everyone at the very beginning?

reply to post by haika


Yes, this is very normal, especially in people who have restless minds. Over thinkers I call them. I do have help for you however, I used a breathing technique to help calm my mind and help it focus.

Here is what you do.

Note: This does NOT require that you block out everything around you.

Sit with your legs folded in a room, with palms facing upwards on your legs. Close your eyes.

Breathe in through your nose, and out your mouth, focus on the air flowing up your nasal cavity, down your throat, into your lungs and then back out. Feel your diaphragm expand and contract with each breath.

Focus on the breathing only, do not "over" try as I call it. Let other sounds around you blend into the feeling of your breathing. When you've focused on that for a good 5 or 10 minutes, you will feel extremely refreshed and then you may begin attempting to clear your mind of all things, all the while remembering and focusing on the breathing.

It's a technique I used when beginning, and although it set me back a bit in my meditations, without it, I would probably still be in your shoes.

~Keeper

reply to post by tothetenthpower


hi again keeper.

i have been following this thread ,i will try sitting in a room ,legs crossed palms upwards,see how i get on with that


i have been trying concentrating on breathing and not letting other things take over , but obviously i should not be doing it when i go to bed.
usually i struggle to sleep ,but when i do concentrate on my breathing,i drop off almost immediately .

May I ask if "astral attack" is nonsense? A misunderstanding, a fear of the unknown/new ?

It just, i have never ever feared of any sort of attack? I know so deep within myself that even if there are forces are out there, the cannot harm me directly. If anything, i would say that it is an influence to harm yourself? destructive habits etc.

Thanks

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Interesting thread, I feel I could learn a lot from you, I think you would be interested in this thread I've started, Chakra is one of the subjects talked about a lot on the site that my source for the thread topic came from, regardless I'd love to hear your opinions over on:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

The Chakra system itself has a unique signature. Each individual Chakra has its own set of Chakras.

Many people want to rush to the finish line , the fast food of meditation experience. Truth is it takes lifetimes of dedication to become proficient in this meditation voyage.

It is not that the Crown is any more important than the Base or Root Chakra. They are equally beautiful, important aspects of the whole.

And if you are looking for a quick buzz, then by all means rush through. Yet if you are looking for true liberation, then it is best to work on the Root first to it's fullest potential and move slowly upwards.

Allow the journey to be the ultimate goal of meditation and not the destination. Go slow, dont go too fast.

And remember there are seven sets of systems to work through for the higher realms to be shared with you.

Once you have learned how to unlock the lower the higher open on their own.

Originally posted by haika
I have always wanted to try meditation but I just can't. I get very restless and anxious if there is no sound around me.
I tried to be in total silence a few times, concentrating on my breathing but I think I lasted not much more than a minute.
I start to get impatient and then my mind starts going: "this is boring", "I wonder how much time has passed", I'm probably doing it wrong because I shouldn't be thinking these things right now"...etc.

Does that happen to everyone at the very beginning?

The mind does not want to loose control over you. The mind wants mastery over you and not you over it. So in meditation the moments that come close to the point of melting into the true center of your being, will cause the mind the play tricks and do anything to keep control.

You are more infinite than your mind, than your body and that it what meditation gives us a glimpse of the eternal flow within which was here before you were conceived and that will be here long after you leave this body far behind.

Thoughts and distractions will naturally happen in the beginning, it is normal. Instead of trying to stop them, simply be aware of the mind and trickery and go back into the focus on your breath. Each time the mind comes in whether a thought or a tickle on the tip of your nose, simply see that it is the mind doing its self preservation techniques on you again.

Bringing your focus back to your breathing will eventually and with practice help you to bypass the trickery and allow for a deeper experience.

Sometimes it is nice to have music to accompany your meditation here is a good Chakra balancing meditation that may help. I use these particular sounds when I feel to do a balancing or activation.
www.youtube.com...

You can continue to follow them in order as you move along, this is considered the Tail or Base and where you should always begin weather expert or novice.





[edit on 21-5-2009 by antar]

reply to post by antar

Sometimes it is nice to have music to accompany your meditation here is a good Chakra balancing meditation that may help. I use these particular sounds when I feel to do a balancing or activation.
www.youtube.com...

Excellent posts antar, thank you. I found your music link really good as Ive often found the root chakra the more difficult one to open, it doesnt have a "feeling" as such attached to it and its often hard to even know where to begin to open it but your music I found really helpful, thanks.

Whilst playing it I visualized the root opening, and the red vortex spinning. I often try to see the root colour going down into the Earth to act as a grounding, as a hold onto the Earth in preparation for the opening of the higher chakras. Some say you should not do this as its dangerous to send any chakra energy downwards though. The root is the grounding chakra though and Ive read that it is from this chakra that the energy is taken from the Earth so should I see energy rising into the chakra rather than its energy going down into the Earth to act as grounding?

May I ask how to visualise? I am extrememly new to meditation, the closest I have gotten to anything is a sense of weightlessness. I do not visualise anything :S all i see if the inside of my eyelids lol

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Thank you for your answer. I haven't been online for a couple of days but I will try to do what you recommended this weekend.



reply to post by antar


Thank you as well for the music. First I will try the breathing exercises without it and then while listening to it to see which makes it easier for me.

[edit on 5/23/2009 by haika]

Originally posted by Toughiv
May I ask how to visualise? I am extrememly new to meditation, the closest I have gotten to anything is a sense of weightlessness. I do not visualise anything :S all i see if the inside of my eyelids lol

By visualise do you all mean IMAGINE?

Definitely what i was looking for, immensely helpful, thanks!

I am fairly new to chakra meditation, but I have some meditation background.
I have meditated before so I have an idea about how to concentrate and relax, but I have read this thread and a good part of the large Chakra meditation thread - and I can`t figure out how to open these chakras through meditation...

Do you just concentrate on the first chakra and wait for it to open ?
Do you visualise or imagine it opening ( with or without energy going into or coming out of it ? Does it have to spin ? )
Do you concentrate energy towards the place where the chakra is located ?

Experience teaches me that I should just focus on the chakra itself and wait untill my state of mind allows the chakra to open - can this be correct ?

Thanks in advance !

Originally posted by Toughiv
By visualise do you all mean IMAGINE?

Yes visualize and focus. Focus seems to be a very important part to meditation. This link below is a small exercise in focus, it also helps you see what a visualization will look like.

www.beyondtheveil.net...

Sorry to dig this up - I just wanted to thank the OP for posting. I found this thread very helpful.

What do you recommend as far as 'setting the scene' for a proper mediation. I know you mentioned being outside, but are there any others? Candles? Incense? Or is it totally personal preference? I'd just like to set myself up for success with this as I try it for the first time.

Thanks again - S&F!

Each setting has a particular "flavor" to it that's perfectly appropriate to itself. It may or may not be appropriate to a state of mind you would like to explore during your meditation, and it may even be that inside your head is the only space that truly matters to you.

To me, the placement of the trees, hills, mountains, bodies of water, or conversely, the sofa, bed, TV, the dresser and the things sitting on it, all do have a certain "feng shui" to them, even though I have no interest at all in "feng shui." The thing is just that there is an energy pattern inherent to the way things are arranged. Why? Because 3D space changes in time and becomes a frequency domain when you can "see" all the 3D instances lined up consecutively over a period of time. Well that is one reason amongst many that can be given anyway. Shapes and things also subconsciously conjure up an infinite number of other images, feelings, connotations. Sitting on the grass under a tree, for example, has a distinctly different subconscious "feel" to it than sitting on the floor under a roof, whether your eyes are open or not. One is not "better" than the other, they are only different and should be felt and explored as different.

Your spirit is always connected to your physical location during any point in time, so your physical location is a spiritual thing and you can (and SHOULD) explore your physical environment as if it's a part of your body, because it very truly is a part of your body. The outside world is your body where your central nervous system stops, that's how I think of it. It's the only difference.

reply to post by bsbray11

Thanks for the response, bsbray.

The last paragraph in particular about your space being an extension of your self really spoke to me. Lots of pondering to do today...

Thanks again!

Hello guys I am a beginner at meditation and I have a few questions. I have recently begun to attempt meditation and have found that my state changes within three minutes into meditation. I have adhd and bipolar and find this necessary to help with my disorders. When I take my stimulant medication, I find it very easy to completely clear my mind and achieve an altered state very quickly.

When my state changes, I undergo R.E.M. where my eyes vibrate very rapidly. At the same time I experience spasms (twitches) in the muscles in my face and body, and at this time I start seeing most of the colors associated with said chakras. Is this a good sign of progress?

I first see red then green, then I start seeing the colors intermingled, as this occurs I start seeing the other Chakra colors present themselves with the ever present red and green colors. When I see green, I feel my heart beat very strongly. Is this normal or propper? I also meditate laying down because I find it easier to relax this way, is this ok?

I find it hard to relax during wide awake period of the day, so I have started very short meditations and plan to steadily increase the duration until I can meditate for long periods of time. Is this ok, because I do almost everything by starting out small and gradually progressing? This is how I keep myself from failing or giving up. I think this is right but I am asking if I am on the right track.

I can feel some benefit already in the areas of my mental health. Should I attempt several of these short sessions per day or keep it at one?

Thank you and good thread.