I have a group of yoga students who have been studying and practicing with me for a few years now. We are all friends, and before class starts, we all laugh and ‘bitch’ a little, we help each other process stuff, we keep it real. Then class starts, we quiet our worries and thoughts, and focus on the breath. Then we begin to flow, linking the body and the breath in movement.
Anyways, after several years practicing together, everyone is able to do their asanas, listen to their bodies, honor their bodies, and comfortably meditiate. Everyone is becoming more sensitive. Last week, I felt intense amounts of energy,while teaching. I opened my eyes during our final seated meditation, looked at my students (friends) and I saw that everyone was really in a deep meditation. Blissed out, connected, and healing. After class ended, nobody moved. For about 20 minutes after class, no one spoke, no one moved. I decided then and there that it was time, to week by week, teach in depth, about the chakras. So starting today, with this particular class, I am going to add a new element to our practice -Yoga and Chakra Therapy..
My Lake Worth Yoga crew….I Love you!! (I am the one standing under the orb)
Focusing on the Chakras while practicing yoga helps activate, cleanse, and heal the Chakras and it helps encourage the energy to flow , upwards and towards the crown of the head. This is often referred to as awakening the Kundalini. Kundalini is often described as a coiled energy that lies dormant at the root chakra, and as people ‘awaken’ the energy activates and starts to move.. I have experienced major surges of energy and felt the power. It is intense. When you are able to truly feel the energy, there is no turning back, it is undeniable, it is life changing. It opens the door to a new path. A path of healing, connection, wisdom, and magic.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means spinning wheel or vortex. There are seven major chakras in the human body and over 72,000 nadis, smaller energy centers. The study of chakras and the human energy system is over 5,000 year old and various religions, ethnicities, and cultures in the past and present share the core belief of chakras.
Chakras are usually invisible to the human eye but practicing yoga and other healing arts and sciences helps bring the bring the practitioner into awareness of the subtle (or not so subtle) energies of the chakras, the nadis and the entire energetic system.
The seven major chakras in the human body run parallel from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Chakras are centers of prana (life force energy).
The chakras basically act as pumps or valves and they regulate the flow of energy. Each chakra resonates with a certain color, sound, or frequency. Tuning into the chakras helps bring us closer our true nature.Each chakra gives off one of the seven colors of the rainbow. When all the chakras are open and balanced the person is vibrant, healthy, and all of the colors of the rainbow surround the persons body, which is known as the person’s aura.
There are specific issues, emotions, and energies that correspond with each chakra :
The Root Chakra, the Muladhara represents survival, relationship security, and inner safety. The element is earth.
A little farther up and orange in color is the Sacral or Svadhisthana Chakra. This Chakra represents water and the emotional connections are blame and guilt,money and sex, power and control and relationships.
The next chakra,the solar plexus, or Manipura represents the element of fire. The color is yellow and it said to be the core of our will power. The emotional connections are will power, self-esteem , sensitivity to criticism and care for oneself and for others.
The fourth Chakra, the heart Chakra, also known as Anahata is a vibrant green Chakra located at the heart center. The element is air and the emotions associated with this Chakra are, love and compassion, forgiveness and acceptance,but also hatred, loneliness, grief and anger. These emotions are all connected to the functioning of the heart Chakra.
The fifth Chakra is the Vissuddha, the throat Chakra. The element is ether or space and the emotions are personal expression, judgment, criticism, addiction.The key function of this Chakra is communication.
The sixth Chakra is commonly known as the third eye Chakra. The color is purple, or indigo and it is located near the center of the forehead. The Chakra is associated with truth and intuition. It is said that psychic abilities center around the third eye. The element is light.
The seventh Chakra the crown Chakra is located at the top of the head and is commonly thought to be white, violet, or gold in color. The element for this Chakra is ‘not of this world’ and awakening this Chakra is believed to lead one towards enlightenment.
If one finds they have unbalanced energy they can set their intention for their yoga practice to be on healing and balancing the chakras.
Practicing breathing exercises encourages the energy to balance. Finding time for self-care can have enormous healing effects on an unbalanced Chakra system. Sometimes people have excessive Chakra energy usually one or two Chakras. This can be seen in people with addiction to sex, drugs, alcohol, relationships, food, etc. or it can be seen on someone with a large ego or a “I am better than you” type of personality.
Sometimes a person is so ‘closed off’ that they are deficient in Chakra energy. This sometimes happens after a traumatic events, broken hearts, or health issues. Use of color therapy along with chanting, yoga and meditation will help balance the Chakras.
I have found that Gemstones that correspond to specific Chakras are very useful as well.
The goal is a strong clear and balanced energy system. Consciously and unconsciously yoga works to purify, re-balance and awaken the Chakras, individually and also as a whole. Through the practice of yoga we can awaken and cleanse the Chakras and heal our spirits. Once the Chakras are functioning in a healthy manner we are able to safely raise the Kundalini energy up the spine to the crown of the head. What a ‘trip.’ 
I know this post is a very basic introduction, but I hope you found it helpful..if you have any questions, or wish to add something.. please contact me..
Growing and Healing…retreat with my teacher
To our healing, and with love. ~T
(The Aerial yoga teacher teaches Vinyasa classes there too). If you are in Sarasota, you should check out both Reflex Arts and Rosemary Court! Whether flying or floating, Sarasota has some good yoga classes. 
