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Chakras and Bandhas
Chakras and Bandhas
Chakras and Bandhas
AND
BANDHAS
Muladhara Chakra
1.st Chakra
Root Chakra, Terranean plexus
Base of the spine, coccyx
muladhara 'fundamental base'
ELEMENT: Earth
COLOR: Red
SENSE: Smell
FORM: Square
BODY PART: Secrum, rectum, legs, feet, bones, teeth, immune system, large
intestine, blood
DEITY: Ganesha
EMOTIONAL & MENTAL: Survival, Existence, Foundation for emotional and
mental health, roots (family, home, tradition, religion
Svadhisthana Chakra
2.nd Chakra
Lower abdomen, Fluidal plexus
Few fingers under navel; root of sex organ
'Seat of my energy'
ELEMENT: Water
COLOR: Orange
SENSE: Taste
FORM: Crescent moon
BODY PART: Sex organs, large intestine, lower vertebrae, pelvis, hips, appendix,
bladder, womb, kidney, circulatory system
DEITY: Indra, Varuna, Vishnu
EMOTIONAL & MENTAL: Sexuality, emotion, sensation, desire, need, pleasure,
blame, guilt, money, power, control, creativity, ethics and honor in relationships
Prashraya indulgence
Krurata cruelty
Manipura Chakra
3rd chakra,
Solar plexus, Igneous plexus
Few fingers above the navel
ELEMENT: Fire
COLOR: Yellow
SENSE: Heat
FORM: Triangular
BODY PART: Solar plexus,
DEITY: Agni, Surya, Rudra, Lakini
EMOTIONAL & MENTAL: Personal power center, ego, Energy, activity,
individuality, confidence, care, responisbility for decisions, trust, honor
Anahata Chakra
4th chakra; 'unstuck holy sound'
Heart chakra, center of chest
ELEMENT: Air
COLOR: Green
SENSE: Touch
FORM: Circle
BODY PART: Heart, circulatory system, ribs, breasts, thymus gland,
lungs, shoulders, arms, hands, diaphragm
DEITY: Vishnu, Laxmi, Krsna, Isvara, Vayu, Aditi
EMOTIONAL & MENTAL: Love, Hate, resentment, grief, bitterness,
anger, self-centerdness, self-lave, balance, relatiohsips, intimacy, devotion
Vishuddha Chakra
5th chakra, throat chakra
Sideral plexus
ELEMENT: Ether
COLOR: Blue
SENSE: Hearing
FORM: Formless
BODY PART: Throat, thyroid, trachea, esophagus, parathyroid,
hypothalamus, nech vertebrae, mouth, jaw, teeth, shoulders, arms, tongue
DEITY: Ganga, Sarasvati
EMOTIONAL & MENTAL: Choice and strength of will, personal
expression, following dreams, power to create, decision making, listening
resonance, finding own's path, judgment and criticism
Ajna Chakra
6th chakra, third eye, point between
eyebrows
Sixth sense, intuition, consciousness
COLOR: Indigo
ELEMENT: Light (the subtle of subtlest)
FORM: Beyond form
BODY PART: Brain, neourological system, pituitary and pineal glands,
eyes, face, nose, ears, sinuses, central nervous system
DEITY: Shakti, Paramasiva, Krsna
EMOTIONAL & MENTAL: Self-evaluation, truth, intellect, open to
ideas, feeling of adequacy, emotional intelligence, learn from experience,
insight, dreams, vision, intuition, visualization
Sahasrara Chakra
Crown chakra, crown of head
'thousandfold'
SENSE: Thought; sixth sense
COLOR: Violet or Light
BODY PART: Entry point of life force, major body systems central nervous, endocrine, muscular system, skin
DEITY: Shiva, Amakala, Varuna
EMOTIONAL & MENTAL: Ability to trust life, values, ethics,
courage, humanitarianism, selflessness, ability to see large
pattern, faith, inspiration, spirituality, devotion, belief system,
higher power, divinity, unition, vision
BANDHAS
3 principle bandhas in the body
(tri-banda when practiced together)
4 th that ties them all together
'lock, bond, join together'
Two poles of a battery between which energy flows in this way
bandhas conduct breath through the body. Working against the
force of gravity and achieving lightness
Bandha allows energy to flow; part of pratyahara
restraining the outward flow of prana while bringing it back toward
the center in order to achieve union (in the center)
Very subtle - physical action and muscle contraction are only a
small part
Practiced during kriya, asana, pranayama, mudra, visualization, and
meditation practice
!
Mula Bandha
"root or base" lock
contraction of the pelvic floor muscles
Activate Mula Bandha at the end of an inhalation,
as the exhalation starts
moves the earth energy up through the
muladhara chakra system connecting above it to
the water chakra (swadhistana)
Uddiyana Bandha
'fly up or rise up'; flyiing upward energy lock
moves the energy upward from the earth, water, and
fire centers into the heart (air) chakra strongly
influencing the efficacy of the lower bandhas by
"making room" on top
drawing the stomach inwards, at the end of an
exhalation, when the need to inhale begins
Mula Bandha is linked to exhalation, Uddiyana
Bandha to inhalation. Both bandhas remain
continuously activated throughout the whole practice
Jalandhara Bandha
'web or net', 'holding', throat
lower the chin a little. Roll your tongue back and up against
the palate and smile slightly
redirects the ascending energy in the spinal column in a
spiral motion forwards
connects you with the ether element, with the Ajna Chakra
in the middle of the head
compresses the sinuses on the main arteries of the neck
and in doing so helps regulate the circulatory and
respiratory systems. The pressure on the throat helps to
balance the thyroid and metabolism