Wheels of Life

by Anodea Judith

  To validate the body is to identify with it. If my chest is hurting, I admit that my emotional heart is hurting. To consolidate ourselves at this level, we must make peace with our body so that we can then be at peace in our body. It is through the first chakra that we gain our physical identity, which gives us solidity as human beings.

  Self-nurturance is a key to taking care of the body. Resting when we need to rest, eating well, exercising, and giving the body pleasure all help to keep the first chakra happy. Massages, hot baths, good food, and pleasant exercise are all ways of nurturing ourselves and healing the mind/body split that results from the mind over matter paradigm. We cannot be integrated and whole if the two polarities are pitted against each other. Instead, through the body, we can have an experience of mind within matter.

  Eating-the ingestion of solid matter into our bodies-is a first chakra activity. It grounds us, nourishes us, and maintains our physical structure. Through food, we take into ourselves the fruits of the Earth-the first chakra element. If we are going to study the material part of our existence, it is necessary to look at what it is that makes up that material body. The food we digest is the matter we transform to energy, and it follows that what we eat affects our energy output. Eating clean and nourishing food is a first step for establishing a healthy foundation in the first chakra.

  For some this means eating nothing that is not the purest and freshest of foods from the local farm. For most, this is not practical. A need for that much purity would leave us starving in a typical urban environment. The most we can hope for is to be conscious of what we eat. Avoiding heavily processed foods, foods that are rich in refined sugars, and "empty foods" without nutritional benefits are a beginning for anyone who wishes to strengthen the health of their body and their first chakra. One can still be malnourished while eating entirely out of health food stores. Natural foods do not always imply a balanced diet. Balance is of even greater importance than purity.

  The intricacy of human nutritional needs is far too complex to include here. It is a service to your first chakra to read a book about nutrition. It is surprising how many people do not consider this a necessity when eating is such a basic function in our lives. If we use our bodies for ninety years without reference to the owner's manual, no wonder they break down!

  FOOD AND THE CHAKRAS

  As culture and consciousness continue their inevitable evolution, it is only natural that our physical state is changing too. As our physical state changes, so must our eating habits. However, those who think they can eat their way to enlightenment may find the path slow and arduous.

  The proper diet for expanding consciousness cannot be prescribed as a generalization for anyone. The diet one chooses should fit his or her needs, goals, and body types. If you weigh 220 pounds and labor all day on the construction site, you have different needs than the ninetynine-pound secretary who sits in an office. Most commonly, a vegetarian diet is recommended for developing sensitivity and raising consciousness to "higher" states. Yet this diet is not for everyone, and can even be harmful if nutritional balance is not maintained.

  Food has basic vibrational qualities, which are above and beyond their nutritional makeup. Food prepared lovingly by a family member is far more beneficial than food prepared by someone who hates her job in a fast food restaurant. Various types of food have different vibrational qualities as well and can be roughly corresponded to the various chakra levels as follows:

  Chakra One: Meats and Proteins

  From flesh to flesh, meat is probably the most physically oriented food you can eat. Meat takes longer to digest than most other foods and, therefore, stays in the digestive tract longer. For this reason it occupies energy in the lower part of the body, often limiting or dominating energy that might otherwise flow toward the upper chakras. Meats and proteins are good foods for grounding. Too much of them, however, leaves the body sluggish and overly tamasic. If, on the other hand, one feels weak, disoriented, or out of touch with his body and the physical world, a good meal of fleshy foods can do much to ground him.

  It is not necessary to eat meat to be grounded. It is the protein that is most important for the structural tissue associated with the first chakra. A vegetarian diet with proper protein can provide enough "foundation food" to keep the first chakra happy. It is then important to eat such foods as tofu, beans, nuts, eggs, and dairy products.'

  Chakra Two: Liquids

  Chakra two is associated with water, therefore, pointing to liquids. Liquids pass through the body more quickly than solids and help cleanse the body and keep the kidneys from becoming overloaded with toxins. Juices and herbal teas can aid this cleansing process. We must have enough liquid to remain healthy.

  Chakra Three: Starches

  Starches are an easily converted energy food, relating to the fire element of the third chakra. Starches that come from whole grains rather than processed flours are assimilated by the body more slowly and more thoroughly. More quickly absorbed foods, such as simple sugars or stimulants, also provide energy, but prolonged use of them depletes the general health of the third chakra. Addiction to "energy foods" shows an imbalance in the third chakra. Sugar addiction can point to (as well as cause) third chakra imbalance.

  Chakra Four: Vegetables

  Vegetables are a product of photosynthesis, something that our bodies are incapable of producing. Vegetables trap the vital energy of the sunlight, as well as a good balance from the earth, air, fire (sun), and water. Vegetables are a product of cosmic and Earth processes in natural balance, reflecting the balanced nature of the heart chakra. In the Chinese system, they are neither yin nor yang, also representing the balance and neutrality characteristic of this chakra.

  Chakra Five: Fruits

  Fruits are said to be highest on the food chain because when ripe, they drop to the ground and do not require the killing of plants or animals to harvest them. Fruits are rich in vitamin C and high in natural sugars. They pass through the system the most quickly of all solid foods, and leave the energy free to travel to the upper chakras.

  Chakras Six and Seven

  It is more difficult to recommend foods for these higher chakras as they are not linked with bodily processes, but with mental states. Certain mind-altering substances such as marijuana or psychedelic drugs are known to affect these centers, sometimes beneficially and sometimes not. In relation to food, fasting is most relevant to the upper chakras.

  Note: It must be understood that mere ingestion of meat will not make someone automatically grounded, nor will a diet of pure vegetables open a heart chakra that is otherwise closed. The objective is to obtain a balance among the chakras, and a balance within a person's diet helps to bring this about. The previous listings are merely offered as a guideline for correcting existing imbalances. A person who eats few vegetables is not courting the vibrational aspects of the heart chakra with diet. A person who lacks protein may feel flighty and ungrounded.

  The body runs on energy, not food. While much of that energy is obtained from food, we will find that energy from other chakras, such as love, power, or higher states of consciousness, often decreases our need for food.

  MATTER

  The material world may be nothing but illusion-but ah ... such an exquisitely well-ordered illusion!

  -Anodea Judith

  We have described each of the chakras as being a kind of vortex-a swirling intersection of forces. These forces begin as straight movements (linear vectors) moving through the frictionless void. In the context of the Chakra System, we have described them as the downward movement of manifestation and the upward movement of liberation, much like condensation and expansion. One is centripetal-moving inward, toward a center and toward itself-and the other centrifugalmoving away from the center. When these two forces encounter each other, they encounter opposition and polarity, and assume secondary, circular movements or vortices, that create the chakras.

  Consider twirling a ball on a string. The string represents lim
itation-a centripetal force similar to gravity. If you shorten the string as you spin, the orbit gets faster and smaller-more tightly bound around the center. The field created by the revolving ball appears more dense, until it seems solid, just like a moving propeller blade. Shortening the string is analagous to increasing the gravitational field. The greater the mass of a body, the stronger its field of gravity, and the more it will attract other bodies.

  Materialization occurs when there are enough forces of similar nature and direction to reach a critical mass, resulting in manifestation. This can be seen in anything from streams of water running into the sea, to like-minded people bonding around a common cause. As the focus of energy increases, the manifestation becomes more pronounced, and then draws more energy toward itself-a vortex of positive feedback. The center of this focus is analagous to what the Hindus call bindu, a dimensionless source-point that acts as a seed for manifestation.

  At the bottom of our chakra column the forces coming down from the top have gone through six levels, gaining density with each one, so they are the most solid at chakra one. The upward forces of dispersal, however, are relatively undeveloped in the first chakra. With a heavy emphasis inward and little movement outward, we have many centripetal forces that lock into place with each other and create the material world we see around us.

  Materialization, then, is a cohesion of similarity created by the indrawing of the center. This core structure draws toward itself those forms that are responsive toward its particular cohesive force. Money attracts money-the more we have, the easier it is to create-especially when a critical mass is reached. Squares attract squares because they fit in with the central structure, as in the design of a house or a grid of streets.

  Gravitation is a basic first chakra principle, as it condenses consciousness and energy into materialization. Whether we're talking about mass or money, the more we have of something, the easier it is to attract more of the same. This principle can both ground us, giving us security and manifestation, or trap us, keeping our consciousness bound to limited forms. As something becomes larger and more dense, it also becomes more inert, or tamasic. This means it is less able to change. If you have a big house with lots of possessions, it is more difficult to move.

  The physical realm appears relatively solid and unchanging. In reality, however, the atoms that make up our perception of solidity are almost entirely empty space! If we enlarge one of the smaller atoms 100 billion times, its height and width become as large as a football field. The atom's nucleus would then be large enough for us to work with-about the size of a tomato seed. Electrons, traveling around the nucleus, are far smaller still-about the size of a virus. Imagine these electron/viruses occupying a space as big as a football field with a tomato seed in the center. Between the nucleus and the electrons there is nothing but empty space through which they move, yet we have the illusion of solidity.

  In fact, electrons (and photons) are described by physicists as diffuse fields of energy, and only "exist" as discrete particles when observed with the proper apparatus. It is consciousness itself, in the act of observation, that causes the diffuse field to collapse into discrete particles. In the words of Albert Einstein:

  We may therefore regard matter as being constituted by the regions of space in which the field is extremely intense ... There is no place in this new kind of physics both for the field and matter, for the field is the only reality. 6

  Einstein proved that matter is condensed energy. When energy becomes highly concentrated, it warps the structure of space-time, creating what physicists call a gravity well. The larger the mass of an object, the deeper the gravity well, and the stronger it pulls in other objects.

  The Hindus talk about the material world as being made up of maya, or illusion. In this century, research in physics has managed to pierce through the veil of illusion that upholds the solidity of matter. Through the use of huge particle accelerators, physicists have been able to probe the subatomic realm, discovering truths that shake our Newtonian perceptions of the physical world. (Even the apparent solidity of particles in the atom's nucleus is an illusion, because they are made up of point-like entities called quarks, which are about the size of an electron.) Strangely enough, these discoveries, while making earlier science sorely inadequate, have correlated many beliefs of Eastern religions. Now both science and religion are pointing to the conclusion that the universe is a dynamic interplay of varying aspects of energy and consciousness. If there is a unifying field behind the world we experience, it is the very consciousness with which we perceive it.'

  FIRST CHAKRA EXERCISES

  Grounding Meditation

  Find a comfortable chair, and sit with your back straight and both feet planted firmly on the floor. Take a deep breath. Feel your body expand and contract as you breathe. Feel your legs, your feet, and the floor they are placed on. Feel the solidity of that contact. Feel the chair beneath you. Feel the weight of your body in it, and how the force of gravity naturally pulls you downward, easily, soothingly.

  Bring your attention to your feet. Ever so slightly press your feet into the floor and feel your legs engage with the Earth plane. Do not let this pressure become tension so that the muscles in your legs tighten, but feel a subtle current of energy running from your first chakra down into the Earth. Try to keep this current going as we move on to grounding the upper body.

  As you tune into the weight of your body, you will gradually become aware of a center of gravity at the base of your spine. Feel how your body is now resting on that point, and focus on it as if it were an anchor, holding you down. When you feel anchored at this spot, you can begin to integrate the rest of your body into your grounding.

  Tune into your torso, focusing your attention on the central channel of your body. This is not the spine, which is closer to the back of the body, but that part of our internal core that is aligned over our center of gravity.

  Take a moment to align the top of your head, your throat, heart, stomach, and abdomen-all the other chakras-with the base chakra on which they rest. Take a deep breath and allow this alignment to gently settle in and balance over the first chakra.

  We have now established a vertical column of energy. Imagine this column as a great cord-preferably of a deep red color-running from far above your head, through the center of your body, and down into the ground, passing directly through the empty space between your seat and the floor. Take special time to make sure this cord runs through your anchor point in the first chakra and continues not only to the ground, but deep down into it. If you can, visualize it going all the way to the center of the Earth-with the Earth's gravitational field pulling it down to its core.

  Spend some time at this point checking to keep all the parts going-the feet slightly pressing into the floor, the chakras aligned directly over each other, the red column of energy pulling us downward, the harmonious feel of gravity rooting us, anchoring our physical and subtle bodies together.

  Gradually let your torso sway forward and back, side to side, and then in a circular motion over this first chakra point. Notice how the point at the base of your spine does not move-yet the body moves around it. We want to be able to keep our grounding even in movement, and this allows the body to practice this skill.

  Allow excess tension to drain off into the ground, still keeping the feet slightly pressed into the floor. Then return to stillness once again.

  Yoga Postures

  The following hatha yoga exercises work on stimulating and releasing energy from the Muladhara chakra itself:

  Knee to Chest (Apanasana)

  The simplest version of this posture is to lie flat on your back with both knees bent, placing your feet on the floor approximately two feet from the buttocks.

  Leaving one foot on the floor, bend the other knee toward the chest, lacing your arms around the shin bone just below the knee. (See Figure 2.4, page 89.)

  Take a deep breath, and on the exhale, allow yourself to pull the knee in even tight
er. Imagine the root ball at the base of your spine opening and expanding. Allow your groin to deeply relax, and feel the first chakra expand all along the place where your leg meets your torso. Keep the shoulders relaxed and the entire spine on the floor.

  Repeat on the other side.

  After doing each leg, you may wish to grab both legs at once, bending them into your chest.

  Bridge Pose (Setu Bhandasana)

  This pose allows the legs to make firm contact with the ground while making dynamic contact with the spine.

  Begin lying flat on your back with your arms straight at your sides, palms down. Bend your knees, placing your feet parallel to each other, hip-width apart, so that your heels come just to the tips of your fingers.

  Press into the feet (without raising your body), and feel the earth energy bring solidity to your legs.

  Next, press your feet even more firmly into the floor so that your spine is lifted, vertebrae by vertebrae, much as you might lift a strand of pearls one pearl at a time, until you are resting on your feet and upper vertebrae. (If possible, clasp the hands together under the back, pressing the chest upward and the shoulders together behind you.) Ideally, the line from your knees to your shoulders should form a straight plane. (See Figure 2.5, page 89.)