Balancing Your Crown Chakra: the Essential Spiritual Practice
Sahasrara: the 7th or Crown Chakra at the top of the head, Sanskrit for “the lotus flower of 1000 petals.” This chakra is the gateway to all things spiritual, such as The Divine, Our Father, the Universe, and your Higher Self.
The Crown Chakra is thought of as our bridge between the gap of the Divine and Humanity, connecting us to both the physical and non-physical realm of our existence. It’s because of this chakra that enlightenment and our connection with Divinity is possible, as well as compassion for all life, bliss and wisdom. Slowly, we become aware that our life is but an extension of our own consciousness; that we are the dreamer, dreaming the dream. We understand that all manifestations (good and bad) are a result of our thought patterns that become subconscious beliefs – and in knowing this, we can begin to change the dream.
Sahasrara Self-Diagnosis
As you can see, the Crown Chakra’s balance is critical to any person’s spiritual life. Having it out of whack can seriously throw off your spiritual progress. Here’s the self-diagnosis you will need to see what your Sahasrara’s state is:
Balanced Sahasrara:
When everything is well with your Sahasrara is in balance you will have a great intuitive knowledge, and will be very wise. You will be aware of your spiritual self and be selflessly devoted to the well-being of others because you see them as a part of you, rather than as separate.
Over-active Sahasrara:
You probably will not be able to control your encounters with other realms of existence. Other people may consider you too far out there and you will have trouble grounding yourself. It will be hard for people to take you seriously. Because of an over-activity in this chakra, you may possess a god-complex and consider yourself better than others in the world around you.
Under-active Sahasrara:
If under-activity or a blockage is happening in your Crown Chakra, you will probably feel like you lack a purpose in life. You may think that it is all meaningless, and in this thinking, will develop a mental “disease.” You may feel unloved, or angry at God, and blame life circumstance on something that is outside of you. Coordination difficulties, clumsiness, or poor balance may result from an underactive crown chakra. New ideas or newer, positive out-looks on life will be hard for you grasp, if you accept them at all. You will probably lack spiritual exploration and have no desire to discover your inner self. You may also be excessively afraid of dying.
Physical Symptoms of Sahasrara Imbalance:
Yes, your chakra’s balances do indeed affect your body! Body and spirit are intimately connected in a way that doctors can’t quite pinpoint medically. If your Sahasrara is off, some of your physical symptoms will include: muscular disease, chronic exhaustion that has no medical explanation, sensitivity to light, certain sounds or environment (commonly found in autism).
The body parts that are associated with the Crown Chakra include the muscular system, pineal gland, and pituitary gland.
Balancing The Sahasrara
There are all kinds of ways that you can begin to balance your Chakras, from foods to meditation to yoga. Here are just a few methods that are particularly useful for the Crown Chakra:
Yoga Pose: Half Lotus, Ardha Padmasana
Sitting Crown chakra yoga poses are the gateway to higher consciousness. It is through meditation that much transformation occurs. Half Lotus is easier than Full Lotus and offers the almost the same stability for meditation.
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Sitting on a mat or a cushion, place one foot on the opposite thigh and the other foot on the floor beneath the opposite thigh.
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Both your knees need to be on the floor, otherwise your spine will be out of balance (see picture to the right – left knee is off the floor – should be on the floor).
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If you can’t manage both knees on the floor, then you might want to practice Burmese position where you place both feet on the floor, one in front of the other.
Affirmation:
“I trust my inner knowing to guide me through life. All people in my life are here to teach me something about myself, so that I can grow. I trust that everything happens for a reason and that what I do makes a difference. I am balanced between Heaven and Earth and all areas of my life are in balance too.”
Color Therapy
The Crown Chakra is associated with the color violet (or white, which is made up of all colors in the spectrum). Try lighting these colored candles while focusing your attention on the top of your head. This will indeed start to bring balance to it! You can also try wearing the color violet and surrounding yourself with flowers of this color, as it will greatly help it begin to vibrate in harmony.
Crystal Therapy
Crystals have powerful properties that mesh well with your chakras. Using certain crystals in particular will aid your efforts greatly, such as amethyst, celestite, obsidian, selenite, blue sapphire, peacock ore, clear quartz, apophyllite quartz, spirit quartz, moldavite, danburite, goshenite, petalite, fuchsite, stilbite, sugilite, cacoxenite, cavansite, and phenacite.
Nutrition
Choosing pure foods, that are grown in nature that absorb sunshine are great foods to help purify the crown chakra. Instead of going for sweets, choose dried fruits, such as dates, that are dried out by the sun. Start a gentle detox, drink plenty of water and avoid food with additives, generally found in processed, packaged food.
Aromatherapy/Essential Oils
Essential oils also have powerful effects on your chakras. Try cedarwood, elemi, frankincense, galbanum, gurjum, helicrysum, jasmine, lavendar, myrrh, neroli, rose, rosewood, sandalwood, spikenard, or vetiver in your baths, as perfume, or sprinkled on your pillow before you go to sleep.
Using Nature as Chakra Therapy
The Sahasrara’s element is inner-light, or thought, and is considered the most subtle element from which the Cosmos were created. It is Divine, it shines through creation, connecting all and is everywhere in Nature. Sitting or meditating outside and allowing yourself to feel this great energy that is in everything, will help awaken the deepest part of your being.
Sound Therapy
The seed sound of the Crown Chakra is “OM” – believed to be the creating sound of the Universe. It resonates in “B” note. Chanting OM in “B” will allow it to vibrate properly.
About the Author
Energize Your Chakras with Reiki Meditation
Did you know that you can meditate on the chakras with a Reiki meditation? The universal life force of Reiki provides deep relaxation, which is very helpful for the body organs. The chakras are “wheels” of energy which control the body organs. Upon energizing these energy centers, we not only heal ourselves but also strengthen these centers.
Visualizing the Reiki energy flowing through every cell in your body is a highly effective starting point. Feel it flowing out around you in your chair. As you continue to breathe, feel it flowing into the room and then the residence you are in, filling it with Reiki energy. Feel it intensify as the Reiki energy flows outside onto the property and beyond into the neighborhood. See it filling the region in which you reside and then beyond into the country, then whole globe and finally out into the cosmos.
Other than this, there are a few things you can do to prepare before getting started. Divine Lotus Healing suggests:
- Drawing the power symbol (if you are attuned to it) over your body before beginning
- Drawing the mental/emotional symbol (if you are attuned to it) over your body before beginning
- Drawing the master symbol (if you are attuned to it) over your body before beginning
- Drawing the distance healing symbol (if you are attuned to it) over your body before beginning
- Listening to soft, inspiring music
- Chanting a mantra
- Writing a goal and ask for clarification to come to you through the sitting session
- Asking for guidance to come to you about an issue you are currently experiencing
This meditation is taken from Reiki—the Healing Touch. According to their site, it was brought to us from Reiki master Renu Kakkar, which was passed to her by her Reiki teacher, who got it from his previous Reiki teacher, and so on. Therefore, it’s unknown how old this meditation actually is.
Phase 1: Preparation
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Set the stage with OM chants or light music.
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Sit down in a relaxed manner on a straight back chair or crossed-legged, whichever suits you. Hold your hands palm upwards on your knees in a comfortable position, such as in a prayer form or in your lap.
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Close your eyes and say OM three times.
Phase 2: Relaxation
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Take a deep breath. Close your eyes slightly, just listen to the sounds. Do not try to identify them. Tell yourself that your senses are getting relaxed.
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It’s time to relax your mind. Take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Keep breathing deeper and deeper like this three times. To go into deeper relaxation, count down from 10 to 1 slowly.
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Now relax your body’s organs one by one. While relaxing them, thank them for their support and request them to do so throughout your life, in a healthy way.
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Relax the right toes, right foot, right ankle, the right leg, the right knee, right thigh and the right hip.
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Relax the left toes, left foot, left ankle, left leg, left knee, left thigh, left hip.
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Now relax your pelvic region, and the organs there. Relax the back muscles, relax the abdomen, relax the stomach, liver on the right side and the spleen on the left, then relax the gall bladder and the pancreas bowels in the center and the kidneys at the back.
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Now relax the chest, heart and lungs. Feel them completely relaxed. Now relax the entire rib cage and the shoulder blades. Feel them completely relax.
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Relax the right shoulder, right upper arm, right elbow right forearm, right hand and the right fingers.
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Now relax the left shoulder, left upper arm, left elbow, left forearm, left hand and the left fingers. Now your left upper limb from the left shoulder to the left fingertips is fully relaxed.
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Relax the neck muscles from the front and back. Relax the face muscles around the mouth the eyes and the forehead. Relax the eyes the mouth and also the skull and muscles.
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Now your total body is completely relaxed. All muscles and all the organs from the head to toes are completely relaxed. Release yourself into the relaxation of the body and mind.
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In this state repeat silently, “I have full faith in Reiki. Reiki will energize and heal me.”
Phase 3: Energize
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Take a deep breath; inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose.
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Visualize a beautiful golden glowing ball floating above the top of your head. See it float down and blend with the violet chakra of the head. See the golden violet rays spreading to the various systems, energizing the nervous system and the right eyes.
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Say to yourself silently, “I am divinely protected, guided and at peace.”
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Now imagine the golden ball gently separate from the violet chakra and float down to merge with the brow chakra. Watch it blend with the beautiful indigo wheel of the brow chakra. Visualize the golden indigo rays energizing the pituitary, hypothalamus, nose, the left eye and ears and repeat to yourself mentally, “I am open to new ideas, people and situations and follow my gut feelings.”
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See the golden ball separate from the brow chakra and slowly floating and descending into the glowing blue wheel of the throat chakra. Imagine the golden blue rays energizing the entire throat, upper lungs, digestive track, bronchial and upper stomach areas. Say to yourself, “I feel safe to express my feelings. I love, trust and respect my creative gifts.”
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Now imagine the golden ball all separate and descend into the glowing green wheel of the heart chakra. See the golden green ray flow into the thymus, heart, blood, lower lungs, upper liver and arms. Repeat to yourself, “Love is the purpose of my life. It is everywhere.”
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Now see the golden ball separate and enter the solar plexus chakra and blend with the yellow wheel there and spread the golden yellow rays into the entire digestive system, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, intestines and spleen. Repeat to yourself, “I trust my worthiness. I am worthy of the best in life.”
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Now imagine the golden ball separate from the solar plexus chakra and floating down to the sacral chakra, to the orange wheel found three fingers from the navel. Imagine the golden ball blending with the orange wheel and the golden orange rays pass into the entire reproductive system. Say to yourself, “What I do is enough, what I have is enough.”
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Now see the golden ball separate and floating down to the base chakra, the seat of Kundalini energy. See it blending with to the red colored wheel. The golden red rays are spreading into the entire excretory system and energizing the kidneys bladder, spine and lower limbs. Feel the warmth. Repeat, “I am safe and secure all the time. I love my feet, they show me the way. I love my legs they support me.”
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Continue breathing in through the nose, out through the nose. Feel totally at peace. Feel the centers all flowing with abundance of love. All disruptive emotions have flown away. You are calm, fully relaxed and grounded.
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Now imagine that all light is surrounding you. Feel your aura expanding and being protected with white light. No negative energy can harm you. You are fully protected.
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Now you are fully energized with Reiki. Imagine yourself in front of yourself. Pass Reiki to yourself. Heal yourself, your family members. Forgive yourself, your family members.
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Now with Reiki energize the 5 elements. Imagine the earth in your hands, thank the earth, energize the earth and bless the earth with Reiki. Imagine water in your hands, thank the water, energize the water and bless the water with Reiki energy. Now imagine the fire in your hands, thank the fire, energize the fire and bless the fire with Reiki. Now imagine the air in your hands, thank the air, energize the air and bless the air with Reiki energy. Imagine the space/sun/stars/moon/planets in your hands, thank the space and energize the space with Reiki energy.
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Your meditation is now over. Return slowly from your head, your ears, your torso, and your legs to the tips of your toes. Stretch your arms and legs slowly. Slowly open your eyes and become aware of the environment. You are fully charged and feel fine in every aspect.
