YOGA has become such a trend among youngsters, these days. In Kuala Lumpur city alone, one can find many yoga studios offering different types of yoga such as Kundalini yoga, Hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Iyengar yoga and even dance yoga.
Recently, I learned about a new course being offered called “Journey through Chakra” at Yogshakti at Taman Duta (near Bukit Tunku), conducted by Shilpa Ghatalia, the founder of Yogshakti and has experienced over 30 years, in yoga and other fields.
It is not another branch or type of yoga but simply combines yoga postures, specifically targeting “Chakras” in our subtle body. So, I decided to join the classes for two hours, in the early hours, daily, for 14 days, beginning from Jan 9 to Jan 22, 2020. But first, let’s find out about Chakra.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word, which means “wheel” or a “disc” and it is a spinning wheel or energy at the spine, in the subtle energetic body. There are seven Chakras and it holds vital information such as emotional, physical and psychological.
Shilpa said Chakras holds information about how we live our lives such as “survival” programs to the way, we think and feel. “They are the link or bridge between body and mind, past and future, heaven and earth, spirit and matter.”
“According to the Yogis, we have 72,000 Nadi or energy channels in the subtle body of which, Sushumna Nadi is the main channel. Our Chakra are located along this channel. Our physical, psychological and emotional health rely on the free flowing energy, along this channel, ” said Shilpa.
“Yoga, when it is done mindfully, slowly with breath awareness as in a moving meditation can clear the channel and release blockages in the Chakras. When this happens, one feels an enhanced state of well-being on all levels. This takes time and is a process that one has to work through regular practice and patience,” said Shilpa.
In order to “balance”, one has to work on not just the physical but emotional issues, as well.
“We are caught in a cycle that keeps us at a particular level. This could be a relationship, a job, a habit but most often, simply a way of thinking. Being ‘stuck’ is either over-emphasis (excess) of a Chakra or underdevelopment (deficiency,” said Shilpa.
The Seven Chakra
The seven Chakra’s are; Root or “Muladhara Chakra”, Sacral or “Svadishtana Chakra”, Solar Plexus or “Manipura” Chakra, Heart or “Anahata” Chakra, Throat or Vishuddhi Chakra, Third Eye or “Ajna” Chakra and the last Crown or “Sahasrara” Chakra.
During the class, Shilpa took us through each of the seven Chakra and explained to us about the issues dealing with each Chakra, which could cause “block”, how to transform ourselves by letting go of the past, dig deep inside to see the cause of our own sufferings and change the perceptions.
For example, the Root Chakra at the base of the perineum of our body deals with security “Fear” such as fear of survival, stability and security can cause a “block” to this Chakra One of the questions posed by Shilpa was: “ Do you have fear of financial security?.”
“Grounding” is important for this Chakra because the feet are the roots of the body and one needs to “ground” and connect with the earth and find stability.
For Root Chakra, I did a series of yoga postures, involving the opening of the lower Chakra. Some of the yoga postures were challenging as it involved standing yoga sequences, focusing on the legs and stability while others. Qi-Gong with visualization
Shilpa also spoke excess and deficiency of a Chakra. For example, someone with deficiency in the Svadishtana Chakra will be afraid to express emotions while a person with excessive Chakra will tend to be overly emotional.
Her insights opened up our mind about issues, a person holds on and to review and release the emotions.
For each Chakra, Shilpa guided the class of 10-15 people with a different sets of yoga, breathing techniques and meditation, Qi Gong, mindfulness and Yoga Nidra
“My hope for students is to touch their divine potential within through reconnecting with their inner body. Chakras are the doorways that link the outer with the inner, they enable us to unravel the vast magnificence that lies waiting to be tapped. All we need to do to become conscious of this,” said Shilpa.
She said many students had glimpses of inner light and every one of them, in their own way was deeply touched.
At the end of the journey
To each is their own. It was a personal journey to delve deep into the life and everyone took home their own understanding and experience. It was about “letting go” of the past, connecting with family, enlightenment, changing the thought patterns and even acceptance.
As I journey through the Chakra, I felt it was a beautiful revelation about life and the way, we live our lives.
