Soothe Yourself Part 7 The Crown Chakra

This pranayama meditation focuses on the 7th chakra, the Crown or Sahasrara chakra. When this chakra is in balance, we feel connected. When unbalanced, we might feel the opposite; disconnected. We may find ourselves unconsciously 'calling in the bad' and feeling like we just can’t get a break. It may seem like you experience one difficulty after another.

Transcript

My name is Erica Anderson. This is a pranayama meditation focusing on the crown or sasarara chakra. The Sanskrit meaning for this chakra is thousand-petaled and it's represented by the thousand-petaled lotus, Which symbolizes the infinite, The limitless, And the mysterious. This chakra is located just above the top of your head and is said to be the gateway to the spiritual world. It's said to be at this point where our spirit enters our body when we're born and where it leaves our body when we die. When the chakra is in balance we feel connected. We feel light, We're clear-minded and limitless. When unbalanced we might feel the opposite, Disconnected. We may find ourselves unconsciously calling in the bad and feeling like we just can't get a break. It may seem like you experience one difficulty after another. The pranayama for the crown chakra is nadi shohana or alternate nostril breathing. We can practice that now. Place the index and middle fingers of your right hand between your eyebrows. Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril for a count of four. Hold the breath as you close the left nostril with your ring finger, Releasing the right nostril and exhale through the right nostril for a count of four. Keeping the left nostril closed, Inhale through the right to a count of four. Now close the right nostril with the thumb, Open the left nostril and exhale for a count of four. It might be helpful to remember this pattern by thinking of switching nostrils after the in-breath. The associated mudra or hand posture for the crown chakra is called maha mayuri and it's performed by positioning your hands in front of your stomach, Palms together, Interlacing all of your fingers except your pinkies, The tips of which touch and point skyward. The color associated with this chakra is violet or white. I think of it in terms of white and so we'll use that language in the meditation. However, Go with whatever comes most naturally to you. And let's begin. Go ahead and settle into your seat. Allow your eyes to close or you can leave them slightly open with your gaze lowered. Take your time as you're settling in. Perhaps adjusting your posture so that your spine is as upright as possible with your bottom held in the seat underneath you and the crown of your head reaching skyward. Find the balance between effort and ease in your posture. Breathe naturally, Finding comfort in the rhythm of your own breath. Now allow yourself to be drawn into a deeper state of calm by making your next few breaths a little bit slower, A little bit deeper, And a little bit longer. A long, Slow inhale. Pause at the top of the breath. Let your body take care of the exhale. Pause for a moment at the bottom of your breath. Allow yourself to be drawn into a state of calm by making your next few breaths a little bit slower, At the top of your breath. And notice what it feels like to take your next breath in. Now release your intentional breathing and let whatever happens naturally happen. Start by bringing your attention to your root chakra area at the base of your spine. Tune into the activity of the chakra wheel here. See it spinning like a spinning top. And your attention fuels it to spin and glow even more, Encouraging it to admit a ball of red light. Allow yourself to feel grounded and connected in the warmth of this light. Now move your attention up your body a bit to the area of the sacral chakra, Just below your belly button. Visualize the spinning chakra wheel in this area now, Except here it's an orange light that shines and glows. As you hold this vision while your body breathes itself, See yourself able to freely express your wants and your needs in relationships. See yourself honoring your own pleasure by making it a priority. Move your attention further up your body to the solar plexus chakra area, The area around and just above your belly button. Here the chakra emits a beautiful yellow light. Let your attention rest here, And let your attention be a part of the movement of this chakra. Feel the energy here, And feel for the activity. As the light glows and grows, So too does your self-confidence. You might feel warm and personable, Playful and happy. Move your attention now to your heart chakra, In the area of the center of your chest. Sense the green aura of this chakra growing and glowing under your attention. This area, The heart chakra, Is the nexus between our bodily experiences and those of the mind. It grows outside yourself. In this space, Love lives, Flourishes and grows. Let your attention travel now to your throat chakra. The color here is blue. As you witness this blue light growing, So too does your ability to speak fearlessly and with compassion. Move your attention to the space between your eyebrows, Your third eye chakra. Hear an indigo light illuminate your forehead, Connecting you to your inner wisdom. Continue to breathe in and out. Watch as all the auras, All the lights of the first six chakras grow. Joining colors to form a bright white light that surrounds your body, Healing and infusing you with balance, Creative energy, Motivation, Love, The courage to speak your mind. Healing and infusing you with balance, Creative energy, Motivation, Love, The courage to speak your truth and to see your truth. Now move your attention to the area of your crown chakra, Just above the top of your head. Imagine a small hole opening to receive the energy of beautiful love and light and allow yourself to receive it. Feel it filling you up from your feet and then moving up your lower legs, Up your upper legs, Into your whole pelvic girdle before spilling into your torso, Filling your stomach, Filling your chest. From your chest, Let the light spread to your shoulders and travel up and down your arms. Let it pass along your neck until it fills your entire head and then feel it pour out of your crown chakra and cascade down the exterior of your physical body. Feel yourself bathe in this light and be in this state of giving, Of being. And as you feel yourself being held and caressed in this light, Say to yourself, I surrender to the universe. I surrender to the universe. I release doubt and welcome faith. I release doubt and welcome faith. I'm a spiritual being in a human body. I'm a spiritual being in a human body. I am one with everything. I am one with everything. Let the imagery and the messages go and linger for a moment in stillness. We'll practice the Nadi Shodhana Pranayama now. I'll guide you through the first few breath cycles. Begin by placing the index and middle fingers of your right hand between your eyebrows. Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril for a count of four. Pause at the top of the breath as you close the left nostril with your ring finger, Releasing the thumb from the right nostril. And exhale for a count of four through the right. Keeping the left nostril closed, Inhale through the right for a count of four. Close the right nostril with your thumb. Open the left nostril and exhale for a count of four. Keeping the right nostril closed, Inhale through the left for a count of four. Close the left nostril. Release the thumb from the right and exhale. Keeping the left nostril closed, Inhale through the right for a count of four. Close the right nostril and exhale through the left. Inhale left. Switch nostrils and exhale right. Inhale left. Switch nostrils and exhale right. Inhale left. Switch nostrils and exhale left. Inhale left. Switch, Exhale right. Inhale right. Switch, Exhale left. Continue this on your own for three minutes and I'll keep track of the time. If you lose your way, Simply pause and breathe naturally and begin again whenever you're ready. Now you can let go of that pranayama and let everything settle. Just observe any activity in your body, Your mind or your emotions. Now we'll chant 11 rounds of the Bija mantra, Aum. If you want, You can add the Mahamayuri Mudra here by settling your hands in front of your stomach and interlacing all of your fingers except your pinkies, The tips of which touch and point skyward. We'll inhale together and on the exhale you can chant aloud or silently, Aum. Let's begin. Inhale. On the exhale, Aum. Inhale. Inhale. Aum. Inhale. Aum. Inhale. Aum. Inhale. Aum. Inhale. Aum. Inhale. Aum. Inhale. Aum. Inhale. Aum. Inhale. Aum. Let go of the mantra and we'll sit in silence for five minutes and I'll keep track of the time. Keeping your eyes closed, Start to take some deeper breaths now as you begin to transition out of your practice. Slowly reacquaint yourself with the sensation of being in your environment. And take your time. You might begin to wake your body up by bringing slow movements, Perhaps circling your wrists and ankles. You might adjust your arms and legs. Simply allow for any movement that your body is asking you for. Start to tune back into the sounds in your environment. Notice your connection to the surface beneath you. And when you're ready, You can slowly open your eyes.