Chakra Seven – transcendence, immanence, higher power, belief systems, wisdom

May 20, 2013 by Jenna Filia Canty

The seventh chakra is depicted as a fully blooming, thousand-petaled lotus at the crown of the head. The roots of this lotus are connected to the Earth and its petals are stemming out from the crown and flowing back down through the chakras as a stream of divine wisdom and awareness. This chakra is about understanding our true nature and connecting it with a higher level of consciousness.  Here, we begin to expand awareness, pay attention without assigning thoughts, feelings or […]

Categories: Chakras, Meditation

Chakra Six: illumination, visualization, imagination, dreams, insight, intuition

May 19, 2013 by Jenna Filia Canty

“Learning to see is a matter of learning how to look and of having the patience to look long enough to find what you are seeking” (Anodea Judith).  The sixth chakra, the third eye chakra, is located in the center of the forehead above the eyebrows. The orientation is self-reflection and the main function is seeing, intuiting, imagining, and accurate interpretation. In this chakra, we aim to break open our internal wisdom and see at a deeper, more perceptive level.  We do this through […]

Categories: Chakras, Meditation

Chakra Five: creativity, purification, communication, resonance, self-expression, listening

May 17, 2013 by Jenna Filia Canty

After his awakening, the Buddha taught The Middle Way, which is a path of moderation that cuts right through the extremes. Neither too much or too little, but just enough. Yoga is a powerful practice for finding balance in two opposing forces as a means of opening, purifying and warming up the body. In tadasana, mountain pose, we are rooting down through our feet and stretching upwards through our crown; in trikonasana, we are extending our torso outwards – while pulling our hips back, spinning […]

Categories: Chakras, Meditation • Tags: better oneself, Chakra, Chakra meditation, challenges, healthy living, meditation, meditation challenge, mental health, yoga

Chakra Four: love, compassion, devotion, bonding, forgiveness, integration

May 16, 2013 by Jenna Filia Canty

“For one human being to love another human being; that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.” -Rainer Maria Rilke- Here we are at the midpoint in our journey, the fourth chakra.  Making our way up, we now find ourselves in the chest, heart, cardiac plexus, where the element is air, the color green, and the basic […]

Categories: Chakras, Meditation • Tags: cardiac plexus, Chakra, chakra four, healthy living, heart chakra, interior space, meditation, meditation challenge, Rainer Maria Rilke, self reflection, sorrow words, thomas moore, wellnes

Chakra Three – power, individuation, energy, fearlessness, confidence, strength of will, intution

May 15, 2013 by Jenna Filia Canty

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. -Joseph Campbell– As we continue to move through the chakras, please note that it is possible to have both excessive and deficient characteristics within the same chakra.  For example, in the third chakra, you can be excessive by needing to control people around you and things that are in fact, out of your control. At the same time, you may demonstrate deficiency by being fearful of exposure or making decisions. […]

Categories: Chakras, Meditation, Writers & Writing • Tags: better oneself, Chakra, Chakra meditation, challenges, healthy living, meditation, meditation challenge, mental health, yoga

Chakra Two – Grace, Emotion, Desire, Fluidity, Movement and Change

May 8, 2013 by Jenna Filia Canty

“You are what your deep driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.” (Upanishads) The second chakra (self-gratification) is located in the abdomen, lower back and sexual organs and is related to our emotions, sexuality, and desire. The color is orange and the element is water, which is why fluidity, movement, change and stimulation are the main focus.  A balanced second […]

Categories: Chakras, Meditation • Tags: better oneself, Chakra meditation, chakra system, chakra two, challenges, healthy living, meditation, yoga

Chakra One & Looking Forward to the Next Chapter

May 7, 2013 by Jenna Filia Canty

“To build a strong foundation is to gain solidity. Solidity allows us to be firm and make boundaries. Solidity has a consistency, repetition, accountability. Our bodies are the solid form of our existence; they have definable boundaries. To be solid is to face what is in front of us without fliching, to remain anchored in truth in the face of opposition, and to remain calm and secure” (Anodea Judith). What a fantastic quote for the first chakra in our meditation […]

Categories: Chakras, Meditation, Yoga • Tags: balance, better oneself, Chakra, Chakra meditation, chakra one, challenges, healthy living, meditation, root chakra, yoga

Meditation Challenge: Chakra Meditation

May 6, 2013 by Jenna Filia Canty

“Whether the symbol of the circle appears in a primitive sun worship or modern religion, in myths or in dreams, in the mandalas drawn by Tibetan monks, in the ground plan of cities, or in the spherical concepts of early astronomers, it always points to the single most vital aspect of life –its ultimate wholeness.” (Carl Jung) One weekend in college, I met my mother in Orlando where she was participating in a conference for work. Our last night, we […]

Categories: Chakras, Meditation, Yoga • Tags: better oneself, Chakra, Chakra meditation, healthy living, Kundalini, meditation, mental health, yoga