Chakra Meditation

A chakra meditation, I sometimes do in the morning:

First find a comfortable seated position. If you are sitting cross legged, make sure you are elevated on some kind of support, especially if when you cross your legs, your knees are higher than your hips. You want the knees to be descending well below hip level to sit comfortably for any length of time. If you aren't able to sit with legs crossed for at least ten minutes, you may do the meditation sitting up in a chair, or laying down on your back with knees bent and the soles of the feet on the floor.

Now, wherever you are (unless you're laying down :P), sit well, place your palms face down on your thighs. Feel the sitting bones descend into their support. From that descending, allow your spine to ASCEND, growing taller, gently spread the collar bones open to blossom the chest open. Now see if, in doing that, did you stick your bottom ribs out, creating a concave curve in the mid back, and soften the front ribs. Take a few natural breaths in and out. You may repeat to yourself: "breathing i am breathing in, breathing i am breathing out", so as to bring your attention inward.

Beginning at the root chakra and working your way up to the crown chakra, take your attention to the area of your body where each chakra resides, and keep it there for 20 focused breaths. Like this: inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3, exhale 4, and so on. If you lose count, or the mind begins to wander start over. If you are unsure where you chakras reside there is a list at the end of the post for reference.

I think this is a nice way to say hello to and wake up the energy centers of the subtle body.

After you've breathed prana into all 7 chakras. You may choose to spend a few minutes repeating the mantra of any chakra you feel needs special attention, either out loud, or to yourself.

root/pelvic floor: lam (l-ah-m)

sacral/pelvic basin: vam (v-ah-m)

solar plexus/navel: ram (r-ah-m)

heart: yam (y-ah-m)

throat: ham (h-ah-m)

third eye/in between eyebrows: ksam (ks-ah-m)

crown/just above your the the top of your head: om

To close my meditation practice I like to bring my palms to touch in front of my heart, bow my chin to my rising chest and say a short prayer. You may just repeat the syllable "om" one to three times. Then crack open your eyes and SMILE!!!!

Namaste!