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chakras:
an inbuilt growth
detector
located within our astral body are seven vortices of energy called
chakras that hold the secret of our emotional, mental, and spiritual maturity. through balancing the chakras and the energy needs
they represent, we grow until we attain enlightenment
by Jamuna Rangachari and Suma Varughese
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fundamental needs like food and clothing before he can go on to higher needs
such as for self-esteem and ultimately
for self-actualisation.
The chakra system too starts with a basic
need and each successive chakra represents
a progressively higher or rarefied need.
The first is the mooladhara or root chakra
which centres around the need for security. The second is the swadisthana which
focuses on the need for pleasure. The third
is the manipura or the solar plexus chakra
which focuses on the need for power. The
fourth is the anahata or the heart chakra,
which deals with the need for love and connection. The fifth is the vishudha or throat
chakra which stands for the need to communicate. It is alternatively recognised as
standing for the need for acceptance. The
sixth is the ajna which is oriented around
intuition. And the seventh is the big one,
sahashara chakra, standing for oneness or
self-transcendence. Our spiritual progress
can be tabulated by our capacity to meet
each of these needs successfully and in the
process balance the chakras.
Security
I am so scared now, Amma. I dont want
to go there, said Jamunas daughter,
Samyukta, after the family moved back to
Colaba again recently. She had been there
earlier and Jamuna had thought she would
be thrilled at the move. Alas, we often dont
know when and where insecurity can strike.
Her appetite became erratic, she was not
able to concentrate or even watch a movie
in peace. Fortunately, after a couple of
weeks, she re-established bonds with her old
friends and voila, her confidence, appetite
and joie-de-vivre returned.
When I left a stable and very prestigious
job to join a start-up magazine of my liking,
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Power
The next step up the ladder is towards power
and the I can stage, which is centred around
the manipura chakra.
All of us have a need for power, for significance
and importance. When realised in a healthy way,
this need can motivate us to achieve great things.
The term fire in the belly, is really very
appropriate for the manipura chakra, as the
element associated with this chakra is fire and
it is located in the area of the belly.
When this chakra is imbalanced we can either
veer into domination or helplessness.
When I (Jamuna) first met Promila Gurtu
and attended her workshop, the chakra which
seemed most out of sync was the manipura.
Quite surprising, I thought. In fact, I was quite
successful as an IT professional then and things
were all right at the home front too. However,
it was also a fact that I was not comfortable with
some of the decisions being taken and I could
not accept that my power had certain boundaries too.
Why does my son never listen to what I say?
Why do my parents never allow me to do
what I want?
Why doesnt my boss understand that I want
to do it my way? It is after all, for the good of
the company
How often do we hear these statements? In
each of these cases we are trying to derive power
by controlling others. However, the source of
our power has to be vested in ourselves, that
we can only control our responses and not of
others is a fundamental spiritual rule. It is this
rule we need to yoke in order to move away
from being affected by what others do or say.
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tions?
Do you worry about your job whenever a new entrant arrives in the of-
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c) Rarely
d) Never
a) Often
c) Rarely
b) Sometimes
d) Never
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Communication
I used to feel helpless with regard to my
boyfriend because
I could never tell
him what was
going on within
me. He would
either make fun
of me, or dismiss the issue as
unimportant. It was only after we broke
up that I gathered the strength to confront him and express myself fully. The
moment I did that a lot of the power he had
over me dissolved, says Varsha, a 20-yearold law student.
Communication is not easy and it is
this challenge that the vishudha or throat
chakra stands for. We all know that what
we want and what we say can often be at
variance. Very often all we want from the
other is an apology, but what comes out
of our mouth propelled by hurt is You
are an idiot.
Even with the best of intentions, it is difficult to convey what we want to others. A
friend was wooed by a swain who simply
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Our intuition
I (Jamuna) instinctly
knew I would gravitate
toward Life Positive
the moment I met the
present editor many
years ago. The place
and time was quite
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Oneness
If the mooladhara
chakra stands for security symbolised by the
mother figure, the
sahashara or crown
chakra stands for father or the direction
and guidance we get in life.
I can never forgive my father, said
Leena (name changed), whose father had
been an alcoholic and often got fired from
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