Chakra Tai Chi

by Alvina Quatrano | Oct 9, 2021 | Newsletter

Chakra Tai Chi was created by Dr. Aminah Raheem a transpersonal psychologist from California and the founder of Insight Acupressure (formerly known as Soul Lightening International) . It helps to clear and strengthen our energy field including body, emotions, mind and spirit…opening our potential ability to connect with our own soul messages.

I teach a Chakra Class both online and in person as part of my Art of Holistic Massage Foundation 1: Subtle Body Class. Here is a Chakra Tai Chi Card I like to keep handy for learning the moves and relevance of the chakras. alvinaq@me.com.

Chakra Tai Chi is a movement meditation, designed to activate and enlighten all parts of being—body, mind, emotions and even soul. It stimulates and aligns the energy from the base of the body to the crown of the head. When the Chakras are activated and aligned, they provide access to the full range of human consciousness and stabilize this consciousness in the body.

The purpose of Chakra Tai Chi is to bring more consciousness into all the chakras and all aspects of their influence on our lives as well as to bring awareness to integration of the whole person. It is a powerful tool for self-care. Practiced consistently, you can gain deeper understanding and connection with yourself and others.

Although it uses simple traditional Tai Chi movements its purpose is not technical refinement, although that may happen as you continue to practice. Like traditional tai chi, it activates the energy systems so that chi can flow more fully and smoothly. And as chi flows, more consciousness can open up, from within your own awareness, not as a result of following an outer teacher, but from contacting your own inner teacher.

The emphasis of this meditation is on expanding consciousness, at all levels. For example, as you practice you will become more aware of your body, in different and exact parts, you will attune naturally to the thoughts that flow through your mind and the emotions that arise. Then, even beyond these specific awarenesses, sometimes all of it will come together in a grand gestalt of insight, which perme ates you completely. An “aha” moment will occur and suddenly something that was a mystery before will become clear to you.

There are several advantages of keying the meditation to body movement

• the body’s wisdom becomes more available

• we can learn where and how emotions and thoughts arise in the body • we can instantly learn the effect of thought(s) and emotions on all parts of our being

• insight is immediately a whole-being phenomenon, not restricted to head and thinking

• as awareness of the body, thinking and feeling continue to open up as we go deeper with each session until we are finally accessing the very core of our being, our true nature, the soul.

• the more we move the body in harmony with the body’s energy systems (meridians, chakras and nadis) the more chi opens up in a cumulative fashion which in turn, enhances our health, awareness and well being.

At first the practice may seem too simple, especially if you compare it to traditional tai chi. But as you keep opening to inner awareness of all that is going on with you, the exploration becomes unexpected and fascinating. As you have a feeling in the body an image may arise, or a word, or song. Then a recent dream or a long lost memory may surface. As you keep moving up through the chakras all of these impressions may come together in a completely new perspective. You will experience consciousness of each chakra directly. And as you continue to practice you will come to know yourself at levels that you have not penetrated before.

You will also become more aware of your own auric field and, beyond it, to the field around you. You will experience how your field is connected to the greater field, for example how your movement may affect the environment around you, including plants, animals or humans. Then you may attune to the universal field and even tap into its wisdom, just as some indigenous people are able to anticipate weather changes. These awarenesses are not intellectual understandings but direct, body-felt realities.

The practice can be done in as few as 8 minutes, when you need to clear your field between clients or prepare for a presentation, or it can be extended to an hour, as a complete meditation. It is classic to do the movements in groups of three, that is 3, or 6, or 9, or 12, times for each movement. Experiment with different times of day and with your own rhythm and pace.

As you do the practice you will discover untold treasures within yourself and the world around you. With continued practice you will discover flowing with the Tao, within yourself and the cosmos. The New Millennium Chakra Tai Chi

Root & 2nd Chakra: Rocking with the Earth: Stand with feet flat, shoulder width apart. Swing arms up (as if lifting energy), rising on toes slightly. Then swing them back, coming back onto balls of feet and lifting toes slightly off floor. Exhale when lifting up; inhale when coming back toward body. Focus attention on root chakra for 3, 6 or 9 swings.Then bring attention to focus on second chakra for another 3, 6 or 9 swings. End with graceful conclusion.

Third Chakra: Clearing the Path: Place left heel out in front of body, while rocking forward on the left foot, swipe to the left with both hands (as if scraping around a platter). Then coming back with weight onto the right foot, swipe back around toward the body, making a full circle. Throw away whatever is no longer useful as you swipe away from the body. 3, 6 or 9 times. Repeat the same full motion on the right side but start with the right foot out in front. Focus attention on the third chakra 3, 6 or 9 times. End with graceful conclusion.

Heart Chakra: Giving and Receiving: Place left heel out in front of the body. Place both hands, palms facing forward, at the heart level, close in to the heart. While rocking forward on the left foot push hands away from heart, giving. Then coming back with weight onto the right foot, turn hands so they are facing your heart and bring them back into your chest, receiving. Give and receive the love you need as you keep attention focused in the heart. Repeat the same full motion on the right side but start with the right foot forward. Do 3, 6 or 9 times on each side. End with graceful conclusion.

Higher Heart Chakra: Gathering in to Serve: Foot motions same as beginning with left heel out. Begin with hands at higher heart, then reach arms out to gather energy from outside and draw it back into the body, at root chakra level. Then gather energy up, from inside your body, starting at the root chakra, coming up to the Higher Heart . Distribute this energy out to serve, each time you rock forward on the foot. 3, 6 or 9 times each foot. End with graceful conclusion.

Throat Chakra: Freeing Expression: Left heel out, left hand extended. Right hand at throat. Push right hand away from throat, clearing it, while left hand brings fresh energy back into it, as you go forward on left foot. Then right hand extends, as you come forward on left foot. As it comes back toward the body rock back with full weight onto right foot. 3, 6 or 9 times. Repeat the same full motion on the right side, starting with right side forward. 3, 6 or 9 times. Focus attention on throat. End with graceful conclusion.

Brow Chakra: Clearing the Vision: Scoop up fresh energy with hands and ground it. Using same footwork as before with left heel out in front of the body, swing your hands behind you to gather up fresh energy. While rocking forward on the left foot raise the energy with your hands forward. Then coming back with weight onto the right foot, raise the energy to your brow and comb it back through your brow chakra, clearing it 3, 6 or 9 times. Repeat the same full motion on the right side 3, 6 or 9 times. Focus attention on brow chakra. End with graceful conclusion. At the end, take whatever time you need at the brow for seeing beyond ordinary sight into clairvoyance.

Crown Chakra: Bringing down Heavenly Chi: Scoop up fresh energy and ground it. Lift the energy up to the crown over the top of your head. Clear the crown by blowing out while you come up on toes slightly and then take hands away from the head. Repeat three times. Then “stir” the energy. Repeat twice. Take time to connect to your soul and the Universe.

Finishing in the present moment

End with Chakra Balancing: Reach high above your head into Heaven. Sweep Heavenly energy down through all the chakras, all the way to Earth. Say the mantra aloud or to yourself, “I align with my Soul Now.”

Left hand over crown while right hand attunes all remaining chakras to crown with a downward motion.

©Aminah Raheem, 2007

Crown: cosmic consciousness, union with universal mind

Brow: intuition, objective knowledge, clairvoyance

Throat: manifested creativity, clairaudience, expression of truth

Higher Heart: manifested values and dreams of the heart, “walking one’s talk” Heart: unconditional love and compassion, ability to love and forgive all things

Solar Plexus: personal power, ego

Pelvis: sexuality, sensuality, fundamental creativity, physical energy

Root: physical survival, procreation, grounding, sense of security

CENTRAL ALIGNMENT AND THE CHAKRAS

Chakra development progresses as we age: it begins at birth with the root chakra and continues, chakra by chakra in stages up through later life (about 60 on) when the crown chakra can be predominant. As we grow and develop each of the chakras activates its corresponding abilities. In simplest terms: root activates survival instincts; second activates sexual and creative potentials; third activates personal identity and power; heart activates empathy and love; throat activates truth telling and higher creative expression; brow activates higher intuition, intelligence and witness consciousness and crown activates our conscious connection with the greater Cosmos.

LOCATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHAKRAS

All eight major chakras penetrate the midline of the body. They bulge out from the front of the body in energy centers which have been described as spinning wheels. They penetrate the body in a cone shape, extending through and beyond the spine in the back. They can be located with touch in either the front or back of the body but are easier to feel at first on the front. Location and position may vary from body to body.

Crown, or Seventh Chakra: Located directly above the crown point of the head, extending upward. Sometimes named the “thousand petaled lotus” to indicate the extensive consciousness potential an open crown provides. Associated with cosmic consciousness, union with universal mind.

Brow, or Sixth Chakra: Located at the middle of the forehead. Sometimes called the “third eye” because it can provide paranormal vision and knowing beyond thinking when activated. Associated with intuition, objective knowledge, clairvoyance.

Throat, or Fifth Chakra: Located in the middle of the throat. Associated with manifested creativity, paranormal healing abilities, clairaudience, expression of truth from the self. Higher Heart chakra: Located over the manubrium and thymus gland. Associated with manifesting the values and dreams of the heart. “Walking one’s talk.” Only recently recognized as important.

Heart, or Fourth Chakra: Located in the middle of the chest, in the heart region. Associated with unconditional love and compassion, the ability to forgive and accept all beings. Both Jesus and Buddha exhibited fully open heart chakras.

Solar plexus, or Third Chakra: Usually located at the navel, this chakra is the one most likely to have a variable position, all the way from the bottom of the sternum to the navel. Associated with personal power and ego. Sometimes termed the emotional center because most ordinary emotions are thought to center here. Also identified with ordinary thinking (analysis, logic, etc.). This is the center most likely involved when a person either over-identifies with others (feels others’ feelings in his/her body), or cannot connect with others.

Second Chakra: Located about 2 to 3 inches below the navel. Associated with sexuality, sensuality, fundamental creativity in general and physical energy.

Root, or First Chakra: Located at the base of the spine.It is the first chakra activated in early life. Pertains to physical survival, procreation at the most basic level, grounding and a sense of security in life.