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CHAKRA BALANCING MASSAGE UNDERSTANDING CHAKRAS Before looking at the specific techniques that make up a Chakra Balancing Massage, it is important to first explore (or review) the chakras, an essential part of the 5,000-year-old system of ayurveda that originated in ancient India. The chakra system is an energy system we can use for personal growth. Ayurvedic tradition recognizes seven main chakras, which are junctions between consciousness (mind) and matter (body) and which link the various aspects of what makes us human: our physical, energetic, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual selves. When we focus on the chakras, we can connect to these aspects and move toward balance, health, and well-being. Even though some people have a hard time with the concept of chakras, it is a commonly used system. Have you ever been heartbroken? What does that mean? Is your heart actually broken? Of course not. But when you experience an emotional hardship in connection to a relationship or friendship, you feel a pain in the heart area. Instead of feeling a broken heart, you are actually experiencing the energy of the heart chakra. The chakra system is located in the core of our being, in a channel that encompasses the spine and includes the tailbone to the crown of the head, as well as the nerve bundles associated with each individual chakra. This channel is called the sushumna nadi and the energy that flows through the chakras is called kundalini. Energy flows up the sushumna nadi from the first chakra at the sacrum up the spine and out the seventh chakra at the crown of the head. This ascending current is the flow of energy that takes us from the physical level of being, through our mind and emotions, and The chakra system is an energy system we can use for personal growth. connects us to the larger universe. The ascending flow is about finding a deeper meaning and purpose to your life. Kundalini energy also flows into the seventh chakra at the crown of the head and moves down the sushumna nadi to the first chakra. This descending or manifesting current of energy moves us from the world of mind and spirit and helps us manifest ideas into the physical world. Anytime you help manifest something in your life, you are using the manifesting flow. For example, at some point in time you thought, "I want to be a massage therapist." You took that idea, researched and chose a school, rearranged your schedule, found financing, and then studied and participated in the program to make that initial thought a reality. This is using the manifesting descending flow of energy in the chakras. When working with chakras, think of health as being on a continuum. Depending on your diet, exercise, stress levels, emotional states, and many other factors, you are either moving toward greater health or away from it. It is similar with chakras. "Closed" or "imbalanced" qualities of the chakras are on one end of a health continuum and "open" or "balanced" qualities are on the other end. Depending on your lifestyle, you are either moving toward greater awareness and balance within the chakras or away from it. Each chakra relates to a different aspect of life and by focusing on that chakra you can become more aware of those issues in yourself and then work with them to achieve greater health and happiness. 46 massage & bodywork march/april 2010