Modern Chakra Mantras

I AM DIVINE - by Theresa Mattiello   

   Hey guys! Welcome back! Today, I'm writing a short blurb about chakras, how they are blocked, and what to do (and meditate on) to open them. It doesn't really matter how you go about it, just as long as you are focused on the specific energy center you are trying to open. Visualization is key here, which is helped out by cultivating and utilizing mantras.

   You may have heard of chakras before. They are the invisible yet ever-present energy centers that run down the length of the front of your body. There are 7 basic chakras (although in some traditions there are more) which are, from bottom to top, Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye and Crown. When chakras are open, one feels balanced. When chakras are closed or blocked, one feels out of sorts, maybe afraid or sad or disinterested or "in a rut." Some chakras can even overcompensate for closed ones. The key is to have every chakra opened at the same time in order to achieve mind-body-spirit balance.

  Let's go through them to get an idea of what we are dealing with. 

ROOT

•  Located at the base of the spine/pelvis
• Visualize the color red
• Governs survival, security, presence, motivation, discipline
• Blocked by insecurity, detachment, fear of unknown or what's to come, apathy
• Modern Mantra: I am here. I am rooted to this earth. Gravity has got me, and I'm not floating off into space. I am present. I have a connection to the ground beneath me. I have a place in this world. I am safe and supported.

SACRAL

•      Located in lower abdomen/navel
•      Visualize the color orange
•     Governs pleasure, sex, relationships, creativity, manifestations 
•     Blocked by guilt, low morality, lack of passion, blame, fear of letting go
•    Modern Mantra: I am bursting with creativity. I can do anything I set my mind on. I will allow myself to let go of that which no longer serves me. I allow myself pleasure. I banish guilt and blame. I let the past be the past. I will grow my personal relationships. I will maintain inner peace.

SOLAR PLEXUS

• Located in upper abdomen/core/above the navel, below rib cage
• Visualize the color yellow
• Governs self-esteem, ego, personal power, intuition (gut instincts), self-love, mental fortitude, willpower, strength
• Blocked by shame or giving away one's power, sensitivity to criticism, self-image fears
• Modern Mantra: I am strong and resilient to what others think. I have positive self esteem, and I know my worth. I am not easily manipulated or intimidated. I love myself, and trust my instincts. I find strength in my powerful body and willful mind. I have tremendous will and I use my will to create the life I want. 

HEART

•    Located in the center of chest
• Visualize the color green
• Governs love, feelings of abundance and happiness, forgiveness, letting go, compassion, unconditional love, trust, confidence
• Blocked by hate, envy, jealously, lack of compassion, hatred, grief, inability to let go, loneliness 
• Modern Mantra: I am SO loved, by people near and far, by my personal pets, and of course, I love myself! I feel only compassion and happiness for others' abundance. People want to be around me. I am able to easily forgive and forget. I let go of that which no longer serves me. I strive to see all ends of a situation. I am not quick to pass judgment. I allow the heart to lead me. I trust in love and will be filled with love and in turn give love easily to others. 

THROAT

• Located in the throat and neck
• Visualize the color blue
• Governs the need for personal responsibility and accountability, truthfulness, willingness to give benefit of the doubt, expression (especially creatively), faith
• Blocked by lies, deceit, judgmental attitudes, lack of faith, inability to express oneself or opinions, not taking care of the physical and mental body, lack of authority 
• Modern Mantra: I express myself appropriately, creatively, and with conviction. I will continue to believe in the future, not dwell in the past. I take responsibility for my physical well being. I am honest. I give others the benefit of the doubt. I do not judge by how others appear. I trust that everything I need will come.

THIRD EYE 

• Located on brow line/forehead 
• Visualize the color indigo
• Governs intuition, insight, wisdom, opening of the mind, understanding, psychic abilities, intellect, reality check 
• Blocked by illusion, judgement, fear of truth, lack of discipline, confusion, inability to discern reality from fantasy
• Modern Mantra: I am wise. I am intuitive, and have the ability to look past judgement to see all ends. I can tune in accordingly. I have a healthy idea of reality. I have an open mind. My intellect is strong. I am connected.

CROWN

• Located at the top of the head
• Visualize the color violet 
• Governs connection to the divine, faith, communication with spirit, integration of the whole, point where pure cosmic energy enters the body, living for now
• Blocked by earthly attachments, lack of purpose, loss of identity or meaning, loss of trust in the universe's ability to provide
• Modern Mantra: I trust that the spirit will provide and protect. I trust that the universe will manifest what I need. I am open to receiving the goodness and abundance of the universe. I live for each moment. I am inherently connected to the divine. The divine lives in me. I am divine.
  

Light and love to you all. And always remember to LIVE FOR EACH MOMENT.

 

  

The Importance of Slowing Down

 Hey, everyone! Hope you are all having a great 1st week of 2015! I am writing AGAIN after my New Years Day post because I need to share something with you that is important to remember when you are starting out your new years' resolutions, especially if your resolutions include adding a new workout routine. Now, for many of y'all, just getting started and sticking with it is the real battle. But has anyone reading this ever overdone it to the point of overexertion, or even worse, suffered injuries as a result?

People, it has happened to me. I've been a little stressed as of late because I may or may not have some health issues that may cost big bucks at the doctor. Money, or lack thereof, always stresses me out, and has become so commonplace to me to the point where I don't even realize I'm actively stressing about it. I've been wising up lately. Once I identified this stress, I knew I had to get rid of it. I was more than eager to get into my 30 days of Yoga routine. I was so stoked about YOGA. I've been doing yoga for a while, but here was a steady program I could grow to love. Here was something I could stick with. I was even ready to try more difficult poses than I had ever done before. My body, at times, was trying to tell me to ease up and find what feels comfortable. Instead, I was so gung-ho about it, I have seem to overdone it and aggravated my old shoulder injury. It hurts. It hurts a lot.

 But there is a lesson to be learned here. A HUGE lesson.

I realize now that the whole point of yoga is to learn to listen to your own body. Yoga is not what gave me an injury. It was ME who gave myself an injury. I was stressing too much over things I cannot control, when I should have been paying attention to my body telling me to stop. Stop stretching that way if it hurts. Stop holding plank up if I'm feeling tension in my neck. But I didn't listen. My enthusiasm and my willingness to "just feel better, already" - call it what it is, IMPATIENCE - led to this injury. Not taking my time with yoga, and not taking care in how I positioned my body, was leading to more stress and tension on the body. And because I did it every day, plus worked busy shifts at work, I didn't give myself any time off to heal my muscles. And now, I have to wait for it to get better to even begin thinking about getting on the mat again.

This is why it is important - nay, imperative - to slow down! Anything that is new and more strenuous than your normal routine needs to be managed with care and precision. Otherwise, you end up like me. It is so painful, I had to get someone to pick up a shift for me at work. The time off I could have spent not straining my body is now being borrowed from my future obligations, and that is not a great thing.

But, silver linings and positivity are what I consistently strive for. I know now what I have to do. I need to take this time to tune into my body, meditate, relax, and maintain easy range of motion, as much as I can. I am still going to do yoga today. But I am going to examine my breath instead of contort my body. Focusing on the breath is both a form of yoga and meditation.

I will definitely learn from my experience. Hopefully, soon, I can jump back into my yoga routine. But until then, I cannot stress about it or anything else for that matter. Stress does nothing positive for pain.

Thanks for reading, and remember to always Live for Each Moment!