Pranas and Chakras

Pranas and Chakras

I’ve talked before about the Purushas (body) or Koshas (shealth). Also the koshas and the chakras. But its worth looking at this yet another way.

While the 5 primary pranas (life force or chi) function in the Prana (energy) body (naturally), they also have a relationship with the chakras. In other words, while they primarily work in one body, they relate with others.

Kosha   Prana       Chakra
Atma conscious-ness na     7 Sahasrara
Chitta flowing na   universal 6 Ajna
Ananda bliss Udana upward moving throat to head, speech and sensing 5 Vishuddha
Vijnana intellect Prana respiration chest, vitality 4 Anahata
Manon mind Sama assimilating abdomen 3 Manipura
Prana energy Vyana whole body aura, movement overall 2 Svadhisthana
Anna physical Apana downward flowing pelvis down, elimination 1 Muladhara

Notice how, for example, the mental body corresponds with the 3rd chakra but thought movement is in the prana body, run by the 2nd. Assimilating experiences mentally is 3rd. The chakras in the head relate to the brain but on a much higher level than local mind.

We speak from the 5th, which is also associated with “mental speech” and with sensing but the senses are tied to the mind and the third.  It’s all tied together and works in unison.
Davidya

 
 
 

Last Updated on January 27, 2018 by Davidya

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11 Comments

  1. zen pig

    question. oh, hi Davidya….the Manon, the 3rd chakra. been experiencing what they call in kundalini, “Crea’s” for lack of a better word in this chakra. last week very strong. had not had these kinds of movements for a few years. when I first started down this path, when ever I would get close to having a “ah-ha” moment, this chakra would tighten up to the point that I would have to stop and walk it off. no one could answer what was going on. now it does not do this for many years, and now the crea’s are back. been doing some yogic reverse breathing that might have an issue with it, so I stopped. don’t know if I should let this work itself out, or stop it. any suggestions? thanks

  2. Hi ZP
    It’s usually spelt Kriya but yes, it’s not unusual at all to have sensations of various kinds when blocked or tight energy is released or cleared. People might also say unstressing or purification, etc.

    It’s also worth noting they’re not reserved to the main chakras. There are many secondary and smaller centres and thousands of nadis or channels throughout the energy or prana body that can clear. There are also common blockage points, like a large granthi (knot) between the 3rd and the heart.

    If it’s a large blockage, you may find it coming up several times over time as layers are resolved.

    The third is also the top of the “local” chakras and the home of our energetic protection. Partly for self-preservation and partly about protecting the heart.

    You may find this article interesting as it talks about our styles of protection and may give you insight into what you’re processing.
    https://davidya.ca/2014/11/11/our-protectors-part-2/

  3. It’s not so much the chakra thats tightening up or “closing” per say but your protection mechanism/ energy system thats clenching. The ego self does not see some aspects of spiritual development as safe and will repel or react in fear.

    Further, there can also be energetic purification going on as above. Noticing these 2 aspects can be useful so the release can be allowed and the protector can feel safe – be allowed to do it’s job but not overshadow.

  4. You do want to be careful with breathing exercises. Breath is prana and manipulating prana can trigger things that would unfold more smoothly with right approach.

    It is good to have stopped the practice at this point.

    If it does come up again, it is good to allow the process as much as is comfortable. I don’t recommend trying to stop a natural process. A big part of this process is learning to allow things to flow and complete.

    Yet at the same time, the 3rd is one of the more difficult places to allow with the protector at play.

    Certainly, something like normal alternate nostril breathing is good. It helps balance the prana and prepare one for meditation.

  5. Connor

    Hi David.

    You mention in the comments that breathing techniques can prompt much more intense purificatory periods. Most of my early practice had an exclusively neti neti approach, which seems lopsided in retrospect, and I can see the value in balancing things. The current “caseload” of purification seems a bit light, given how out of step atman and sattva are here.

    I’ll add that for about six months, almost every breathing technique or meditation has lead to convulsions of the body emanating from below the navel, Svadhisthana area. Any thoughts?

    Thanks.

  6. Hi Conner
    Well – our subjective experience is not the greatest for rating progress. We tend to over or underestimate ourselves.

    I don’t want to get into analyzing personal experiences via comments but suffice to say that would be strong kriyas. Sounds like something larger is trying to clear. Asanas can help, and when it’s strong, you may find laying down and allowing the attention to go to where there are sensations can help facilitate it.

  7. Just as a general comment, it’s useful to see kriyas as sensations indicating some release or opening. “something good is happening”. It’s not useful to try and figure out what it is nor make assumptions about chakras, etc. That will tend to be misleading and amplify what is leaving. We want to let it go, not amplify it.

    Allowing the attention to be with strong sensations can help facilitate it, but then we let it go. Body awareness techniques can be dulling if practiced excessively.

    The goal should not be having experiences, be they kriyas or flash. The goal is moving past all that into pure consciousness. Everything else is water under the bridge.

    1. Hi Kerri
      It depends. In general, the chakras are self-regulating and function to the degree we can handle. Efforts to get the kundalini process moving (rather than allowing it to rise naturally) is tricky and often leads to a much rougher unfolding.

      As in healing a cold, we just need to give the body enough rest so it can purify what it’s ready to. This is why i recommend an effortless meditation. Samadhi brings profoundly deep rest and healing.

      That said, it can be valuable to support this process with energy healing. We tend to have harder nuts or shadows that are harder to heal. Things like sukh pranayama balance the prana on the 2 sides of the body. A chiropractor can help us realign our posture. And so forth. Gentle practices to remind the body of optimal functioning may be useful.

      But note that the body has a number of sub-chakras and thousands of energy channels. Treating the chakras while ignoring the rest of it can itself create imbalances. Best to support the bodies natural intelligence, supplemented with gentle practices to help restore alignment.

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