The Dance of the Chakras
/
Chakras are commonly described as spinning vortexes. The word “chakra” actually means “wheel”. How are these spinning vortexes created? What makes them spin? I’ve been leading workshops and trainings on chakras for many years. Most of the yoga classes I teach are based on chakra energy. Even with years of exploration and study, I still am discovering new ways to think about the chakras. Because the chakras are energetic, it can be difficult to put them into terms that we can understand. They are abstract and infinite – and there are nearly infinite ways to understand them as well.
When flows of energy moving in different directions meet, the opposing forces create the spin - just like a tornado is formed when warm, humid air collides with cold, dry air or a whirlpool is formed by moving water meeting its opposite force, something solid and stationary. It may be simplest to think of chakras in this way, the meeting of two opposing energies, though really it is much more complex than this. Energy flows through the chakras not only up and down, but also in and out. These energies are constant reorganizing, moving in and out of balance, pooling, flowing, and pausing.
When I was a little girl, my grandparents belonged to a square dance club. I loved to watch them dance!
I imagine the movement of energy through the chakras as similar to a square dance. Think about the many ways the dancers can move. Sometimes they move inward toward the center of a circle, and sometimes they move out. At times they move in straight lines, others they twirl and spin as they meet. They change partners, dance a while, and return home again and again. The specific paths the energies follow as they dance are called the nadis, or energy channels. The places where they meet, wheel around, do-si-do, allemande, swing through, or box the gnat are the chakras.
When the energies meet at a chakra, sometimes the opposites are balanced, resulting in a spin that is smooth and even. If the energies are unbalanced (like when you get a not-so-graceful dance-partner or your partner is too tall or short for you to connect well), the spin might be slower, faster, or uneven. Sometimes there is no spin at all. The dancer misses a call or turns the wrong way. The energies get stuck.
With lots of practice, a team of square dancers can perform a dance that is seamless and fluid, a wonder to watch. In much the same way, we can create fluidity and balance in our chakras through practice. The practice of yoga postures is one of the most effective and accessible ways to move our prana and balance our chakras. We also can move prana by using color, sound, food, meditation, affirmation, and many other methods.
Learn more about Chakras in Chakra Yoga Training. Training is open to yoga teachers and students.
