What is the relationship between chakra concentration and kundalini awakening?
Concentration on chakras is a part of kundalini yoga. However, concentration on chakras alone will not awaken kundalini shakti. Before kundalini can awaken, sushumna nadi must be purified and brought into activity.
How do we become more aware of the chakras?
Awareness of the chakras depends on one's spiritual evolution. When the consciousness has been purified by spiritual efforts, awareness of the chakras is greatly enhanced.
In our various incarnations we have developed different chakras. If, when you practise concentration on the chakras, you feel one chakra more than the others, it means that from that point your evolution is to begin.
Can you give us a short description of each chakra?
Mooladhara chakra is the subtle root or framework of human existence. Moola means 'the root', adhara means 'support'. In the masculine body this chakra is situated between the anus and the sexual organs. In the feminine body it is found at the cervix, where the vagina and uterus join.
Next is swadhisthana, situated at the base of the spine or coccyx bone. Swadhisthana means 'one's own abode'; it is the basis from which most people express themselves in the world.
Manipura chakra is located within the spine directly behind the navel. The word mani means 'jewel', pura means 'city', therefore manipura is known as 'city of jewels'. It is the centre where the vital energy of the body is stored.
Then there is anahata, situated in the spinal column behind the heart. Anahata means 'un-struck or unbroken'; it is the centre of unbroken sound.
Vishuddhi chakra is known as the purification centre as it purifies and harmonises all opposites and all poisons. In vishuddhi, the poison and nectar are separated and refined. It is found in the spinal cord behind the region of the throat.
Ajna chakra is the centre of command where you receive instructions from the inner or outer guru. The word ajna actually means 'command'. This chakra is situated behind the mid-eyebrow centre at the top of the spinal cord.
Bindu is the exact point where Hindu brahmins keep a tuft of hair. The word bindu comes from the Sanskrit root 'bind' meaning 'to split' or 'to divide'. It is the point where oneness first divides itself into many. Bindu is the cranial point which feeds the whole optic system.
Sahasrara is the divine multi-petalled lotus. Its nature is infinite. The physical correlation of this centre is the pituitary gland which controls each and every gland and system of the body.
These are the major chakras and they each have a corresponding point of awakening found along the front side of the body. For mooladhara, it is the chakra itself; for swadhisthana it is at the pubic bone; for manipura at the navel; for anahata the heart; for vishuddhi the throat; and for ajna the mid-eyebrow centre. Bindu has a direct line to sahasrara.
It is also interesting to note that ajna chakra is the symbol of Hindus, bindu is the symbol of the Muslims, anahata is the symbol of Christians, and manipura is the symbol of Buddhists.
Are there any other chakras in the human body?
Below mooladhara there are other chakras which belong to the animal kingdom. They are only related to sense consciousness and not to mental awareness. When your consciousness was evolving through these chakras, your mind was associated with sense consciousness. There was no individual awareness, no ego; it began from mooladhara. These lower centres are not functioning anymore because you have transcended them and they don't hold any meaning for you now.
In actual fact there are 7 higher and 7 lower chakras, representing 14 planes of consciousness.
Why do the lotuses of the different chakras have different colours?
Just as flowers growing outside in nature are of different colours according to their type and the region in which they grow, so within the human being are flowers, representing the various aspects of development or evolution. They symbolise the inner being, the inner glory. One can conceive of himself as a composition of multicoloured flowers.
Can you tell us a little more about sahasrara chakra?
Sahasrara is supreme; it is the final culmination of kundalini shakti. The original seat of kundalini is in mooladhara while the abode of Shiva, purusha or higher consciousness, is in sahasrara. Shiva and Shakti are the two eternal entities. Sahasrara is the seat of higher awareness, and it is just pure awareness. It has no mobility, activity, movement, vibration; it is absolutely still. Shakti, on the other hand, is dynamic, creative, mobile and full of vibration. When Shakti ascends to sahasrara and unites with Shiva, a great awakening is experienced and a new dimension of consciousness is realised.
Is there an easy way to concentrate on the chakras for those of us who have difficulty in locating them?
Yes, there are a few master keys. How can you know the exact location point for mooladhara chakra? Putting a pin there is certainly not the way! You can practise nose tip gazing or nasikagra mudra and then your consciousness will fix itself at the exact point of mooladhara. This is one example of a master key.
How will you concentrate on ajna chakra? You cannot localise it, you can only imagine. Firstly, concentrate on the mid-eyebrow centre and try to reduce this area of concentration to a point. If you have difficulty, place some balm containing mercury at the eyebrow centre, close your eyes and the skin will contract slightly. Without making any effort, you will feel the sensation and develop awareness of that point so much so that it can be seen like a small radiant sun. Once you experience this, your mind will move backward and fix itself at that most difficult point to locate, ajna chakra.
There are various methods like this which enable you to discover the exact point without imagining and without effort or strain.
Can you suggest a technique for concentrating on all the chakras?
I will give you a few methods. You can sit down quietly and concentrate either on the actual chakras or on their connecting centres in the front of the body. With a musical instrument play the scales: sa re ga ma pa da ni sa or do re me fa so la ti do.
Equate those notes with the chakras and as you ascend and descend the scale, take your awareness from chakra to chakra, from mooladhara to sahasrara.
Another method involves the use of mantras. Each chakra has a bija mantra: lam, vam, ram, yam, ham and aum, from mooladhara to ajna respectively. Practise japa, repeating the particular bija mantra while maintaining your consciousness in the corresponding area. For example, keep your mind on mooladhara and repeat lam over and over again. Then concentrate on swadhisthana and repeat vam for some time. Continue repeating the appropriate mantra for each chakra.
You can also use the yantras and mandalas which are related to the particular chakras, or the tattwas or elements of the chakras. You will find that in the various religions there are techniques which involve concentration on the elements, whether fire, water, earth, air or ether.
These are just a few examples, but there are many different techniques.
Is there any benefit in concentrating on one chakra as opposed to many?
When you concentrate on one chakra, then the awakening relating to that chakra takes place. Every chakra is the seat of certain experiences. When you concentrate on manipura chakra, you have a great awakening of energy. When you concentrate on anahata, you have feelings of peace. If you concentrate on ajna, you have the experience of luminosity, and if you concentrate on swadhisthana, you have the experience of bliss which can be compared to orgasmic bliss.
These are some of the experiences you may have when concentrating on the different chakras. As your Concentration develops, related faculties of the mind are also influenced. The chakras correspond to extrasensory perceptions like telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, premonitions etc.
If a person took a lot of drugs in the past, would this prevent him from awakening the chakras?
No, but once you give up the drugs you must purify the body through hatha yoga and pranayama. The nervous system, the brain, blood, respiratory system, the glands, and in fact the whole body must be completely free of toxins for awakening to take place.
Would an operation on the spine affect the chakras and nadis in the region where the operation took place?
I personally knew a young man who was suffering from cancer of the spinal cord. I first met him after he had been to London for a spinal operation. He still had cancer then, and I began to teach him yogasanas, pranayama, prana vidya and some tantric practices. He was healed, and during the course of his sadhana, he had beautiful spiritual experiences. In deep meditation he saw Durga, and he felt sensations in mooladhara chakra when he concentrated on his nose tip.
I have also been observing many people who have had operations on the spinal cord and I have found that the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems continue to function in perfect balance. From these experiences, I have come to believe that even a major operation will not disturb the nadis or the chakras. But of course this is not conclusive; more work needs to be done in this area.