W ith the knowledge that
your time is limited, why not make the best use of it by working with
universal ener gy instead of against it? When you make the decision to
accept this spiritual aspect of who you are, you will see yourself grow by
leaps and bounds. Healing Ajna
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I follow the path of truth. Healing the Physical Body
T o h elp relieve blockages or im balances in the sixth chakra, it’ s important
to choose life-af firming foods, clean water , and a healthy , toxin-free living
environment. Move your body daily and practice meditation. Living in this
manner is essential as you awaken each of the chakras. However , if you
wish to experien ce the physical lightness that brings to you the gifts of the
sixth chakra, you must keep you r body free of toxins. Of course, you can’ t
control everything in your environment, but try to control what you can.Y ou wil l have increased ability to access your intuition if you spend
time in nature. Y our body will s ync up with the rhythms of nature, and you
will experience more flow in your life. Y OGA  E YE  E XERCISES
Great for strengthening the cone s and rods in the eyes as well as stimulating
the brain, these yoga eye exerc ises take only two to three minutes to do. Remove your glasses or contact lenses. Sit tall with your palms on your lap
facing up. Keep your head steady . Repeat each of the follo wing three
exercises ten times:
Look up to the right and down to the left. Then look up to the left and
down to the right. Look side to side, as if you were trying to look at each ear . Look up between your eyebrows, and look down toward your chin. Finally , look toward your nose, and hold for twenty to thirty seconds. When y ou’re finished, rub your hands together to create frictio n and heat. Place the heels of your hands over your eyes, and hold for about thirty
seconds. Still holding your hands over your eyes, gently move the heels of
your han ds in a circular motion over your eyes to massage t hem. When
you’re finished, remove your hands and open your eyes. L IGHT  T HERAPY
In additi on to eye exercises, you  can strengthen your sense of sight and help
heal a whole hos t of diseases by  using light therapy . The best source of light
therapy , of course, is the sun. N ever stare directly at the sun. However , you
can stare at the sun with your eyes closed. Y ou can also try circular eye
motions: with your eyes closed,  look toward the sun and trace its shape by
moving your eyes in a clo ckwise motion and then switching to
counterclockwise. Do this sunn ing therapy for ten minutes daily . In the
winter you can achieve a similar ef fect by using a full-spectrum light box
designed for light therapy . According to a M ayo Clinic article,  t he ligh t box
should provide an exposure to 10,000 lux of light and emit as little
ultraviolet light as possible to av oid skin and eye damage. In the same waythat you wouldn’ t look directly at the sun for your eye exercises, avoid
staring d irectly at the light box. Consult your eye doctor befor e using any
type of light the rapy for your ey es if you have glaucoma, cataracts, or eye
damage from diabetes. Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
S IXTH  C HAKRA
Practice these breathing techni ques and poses to help balanc e the Ajna
chakra. T o view a video demo of these exer cises, go to
www .youtube.com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor . Click on the Playlists tab, and select
Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas . Scr oll down the list until you find the one you’r e looking for . Alternate-Nostril Br eathing — Nadi Shodhana :  The practice of nadi
shodhana synchronizes the hemispheres of the brain. Begin by sitting with
your back straight and your eye s closed. Place your left hand on your lap,
with you r palm facing up. T ake  your right hand and place your index and
middle fingers on the third eye in between your eyebrows. Gently rest your
right thu mb on your right nostri l. Rest the inside of your folded ring finger
on your  left nostril. T o begin , inhale through both nostrils and exhale
through both nostrils with your lips closed. Block your right nostril with
your thumb, and inhale through your left nostril for the count of two. Block
both nostrils and hold for six. Th en exhale through your right nostril for the
count of four . In hale through your right nostril for two, hold both for six,
and then  exhale through your le ft nostril for four . Keep the same counts as
you alternate. Repeat this breathing pattern for two to five minutes. Bee Br e ath — Bhramari :  This breathing technique helps clear sinuses,
alleviate headaches, and calm nerves. Sit in a comfortable position with
your spine tall, and close your eyes. Gently press the middle and  ring fingerof each hand a gainst your eyes, covering them completely . Press your
thumbs into your inner ears to close of f your hearing. Rest your pinkies on
your up per cheeks and your in dex fingers slightly above your eyebrows. T ake a deep bre ath through your nose and into your belly , and exhale by
saying HUM  or OM , em phasizing the mmmmm  sound and prolonging it for
the entire exhalation. Y ou will feel the vibration throughout your head. Repeat for at least ten breaths. Y ou will feel invigorated after  completing
the bee breath. Eagle Pose — Garudasana :  Eagle pose is great for cultivating focus and
one-pointed attention. Begin b y standing on your mat with your feet
parallel. Bend your knees and lif t your right leg up to cross it over your left. If you can, wrap your toes be hind your left calf. Y ou will now be in a
seated-chair squ at with one leg wrapped around the other . If it’ s too dif ficult
to wrap your toes, place your right foot on the side of your left leg. Y ou can
also plac e a yoga block next to  your left foot and place your r ight toes on
the bloc k. Next, bring your ar ms up and bend them so they look like
goalposts. W rap your right arm underneath your left, and threa d it around
until your two h ands meet at the top. Y our arms will be interlac ed together
like you r legs. W ith your arms  wrapped, bring both palms together . Y our
focal point will be your hands. Bring your elbows up and your shoulders
down. Hold the pose for four to six breaths, and then repeat o n the other
side. Dolphin Pose — Ardha Pincha Mayurasana :  Dolphin pose is a mild
inversion, or a y oga pose in wh ich the head is at a lower position than the
heart. As a gene ral rule, inversions are good for all the upper chakras. Even
though dolphin pose looks easy , it’ s actually quite challenging a s it requires
some upper body strength. Y ou can work your way up to holding dolphin
pose by taking frequent breaks. Dolphin pose is also good practice to build
your strength for a yoga headstand. Begin on your h ands and knees on your mat. Lay your forearms on the
mat with  your elbows directly u nderneath your shoulders. Fold your hands
together in front of you, and lock your shoulders back to create a stable
base. Y o ur hands and elbows will form a triangle. Gently lift yo ur knees of f
the floor  and walk your feet tow ard your elbows until you’re in an upside-down letter V . Y our head will  float above the  floor . Lift your tailbone high
into the sky . T o enhance the ene r gy toward the Ajna chakra, lif t your head
so the third eye is facing direct ly down to ward th e earth. Stay in the pose
for four to six breaths, then low er your knees to the floor and take a child’ s
pose as a counterpose: lower y our hips to the floor , and then extend your
torso fo rward an d rest it betwe en your thighs, with your fore head on the
floor . Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
Then God said, “Let ther e be light,” and ther e was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated light fr om the darkness. — G ENESIS  1:3–4
A great obstacle in healing the emotional body , especially at the sixth
chakra l evel of consciousness, is the struggle of light versus dark. Earnest
spiritual seekers can be so inte rested in attainment of enlightenment that
they for get some crucial steps along the path. In the beginning of the chapter I discussed the duality dynamic of this
world. The push-pull of the world of opposites doesn’ t only live in your
environment; it also lives in you . There are aspects within you that seem to
work ag ainst eve rything you stand for on your spiritual path. Y et there they
are, either ever present or looming around the corner . The novice on the
spiritual path will try to push them away , hoping that they will n ever return. But these shadows must be con fronted and accepted in order to experience
the light fully . A  perfect example is if you never saw darkness, you could
never ex perience the night sky filled with stars, planets, and other astral
bodies. Often it is throu gh your own dar kness that you discover the light. In the
Bible, God created light out of the darkness since the darkness came first. My expe rience with cancer enabled me to help countless people  through my
writing about healing. When I talk to people in recovery from alcohol and
drug addiction, they all say that they would never have arrived at the
spiritual lives they now live if it weren’ t for the dark days of addiction.W e have all see n instances in the media demonstrating that pushing
away the darkness only makes things worse. Look at the sex scandals of
politicians, stories of embezzlement, and improper use of campaign funds. One of the grea test teachers I ever had, Dr . David Simon, used to say ,
“Y ou can do al l the meditation in the world, but if you don’ t work on
emotional healing, you can’ t reach enlightenment.” Emotional healing
doesn’ t mean you have to spend twenty years in therapy . It sim ply means
facing your demons, the shadow  aspects of you that aren’ t fun to look at. Invite th em in and have a conv ersation with them. T ell them they aren’ t
going to rule your life anymore. I use d to have quite an issue w ith anxiety . At dif ferent periods in my
life, it ruined my daily experiences. I became paralyzed by stories in my
head tha t, for the most part, simply weren’ t true. But I let my mind entertain
those stories. I used to say in jest that the great thing about being a writer is
that I have a wi ld imagination, and the worst thing about being a writer is
that I have a wild imagination. Learning and practicing meditation saved
me because I learned that I can control my thoughts and their direction. The best  way to face your shado ws is to transmute them. T ransf orm the
shadow ener gy into something great that can help humanity . Sen d light into
the d arkness. For example, if your shadow is that you succumb to obsessive
cleaning and or ganizing in your home, you co uld start a business where you
help others or ganize closets and  living spaces. If you’re a shopaholic, you
can contact your local women’ s  shelter and ask them what they need in a
care box. Y ou c an then use you r shopping skills to find the best prices to
make ca re boxes for women and children in a safe home. The greatest thing
about being human is that you a re human. There is no reason to be ashamed
of your weaknesses or your shadows as long as you are not harming
anyone, includin g yourself. In f act, it’ s often when we bring our shadows
into the light that their power dissipates. Professional help can assist you in
this process, but sometimes a simple decision to act is all you need. Healing the Spiritual Body
Meditation is the primary practi ce that will help you attain the s ixth chakra
level of awarene ss. T alk about m editation is bubbling under the surface ofAmerican culture these days, and ef forts to include meditation in daily
activities are popping up in hosp itals, corporations, and even schools. More
than the  word meditation , you may hear the word mindfulness , which refers
to a type of med itation. As a me ditation teacher , I find the word mindfulness
to be  a bit of a misnomer when it comes to the ultimate goal of meditation. A wareness is certainly the key to everything we have discussed up until
now . Y ou must be aware of your thoughts, words, and actions , as well as
your bo dy and mind. However , when I think of mindfulness , I think of
concentration or  fullness of the mind. T o meditate, you need focus instead
of concentration, and release of the mind rather than fullness of it. Most people come to meditation saying, “I’m too much in my mind! Get me out of it!” Y ou are liter ally going out of your mind in meditation. (That pun was completely intended.) Everyone has experienced the ef fects
of monk ey mind . Y our mind fl its from thought to thought lik e a monkey
swinging from branch to branch. W ithout awareness that you are  the thinker
of your though ts, you become subject to the mind’ s unwiel dy habit of
flitting a bout wi th no sense of control. It comes as no surprise that millions
of peop le suf fer from anxiety and depression. If you are under the
impression that you have no c ontrol over your thoughts and the strong
impulses of the mind, of course you have reason to feel anxiou s. However ,
the g ood news is that you do have control. Y ou simply need to le arn tools to
exercise the control muscle. By realizing that there are separate roles at play inside you, you can
harness the forces of your mind and get it to do what you want. Y ou achieve
this by cajoling your mind rathe r than forcing it to go in the direction you
desire. How do most of us try to control the mind? Let’ s sup pose you’re
trying to break a bad habit, such as eating a chocolate bar every night. Y ou
may try to break this habit by se tting a goal such as not eating chocolate at
all or eating chocolate only once per week. Then you might tr y to abstain
from ch ocolate by not purchasing it, distracting yourself in oth er ways, or
replacing it with something else . All these ways can and do wo rk. But they
all invol ve forci ng the mind int o distraction. If you have ever  tried doing
something like this, you know that it’ s dif ficult and tiring. Y ou really have
to f ight the mi nd frequently . Y our mind will tell you things such as
“Chocolate isn’ t  that bad. Studie s have shown it has antioxidant s that make
you healthy” or “Y ou’ve had a rough day today; don’ t you des erve a littlechocolate?” And  on and on goes the mind with great ar guments to separate
you from your goal. The thing about fighting or using strong resolve to get
to w here you w ant to go is that it’ s fatiguing rather than e mpowering. Eventually you will get tired of the battle and give up. Now let ’ s compare the above method with cajoling the mind by going
out of your mind. When you meditate, you are not in your mind. Y ou are
accessing your spirit or the par t of you that was never born and therefore
can never die. Y our spirit is the part of you that is eternal. My guru Dr . W ayne W . Dyer used to say  th at when you talk to yourself, there are two
people: you and your Self. The  Self with a capital S  is  the h igher self I’m
speaking of. The other self, kno wn as the ego, is the one who tries to push
through toward your goals and leaves you tired. The higher self is the part
of you who only wants good an d can harness the power of intuition. When
you get out of your mind through meditation, you gain greater access to
your higher self. One com mon misconception about meditation is that you’re stopping all
the a ctivities of the mind. The j ob of the mind is to think thou ghts. It will
always do that, no matter wha t. Through meditation you can lower the
number of thoughts and evolve your thoughts to get you closer to what you
desire, but you will not stop all thought. As you get out of you r mind, also
referred to as transcendence, you strengthen your relationship  with your
spirit or  higher self. Then you  return back to the mind with love and
acceptance. W ith these higher qualities of spirit, you cajole the mind into
thinking thoughts that lovingly , ef fortlessly , and easily help you. The chaos of th e monkey mind subsides, and you are left with a mind
that thinks more clearly . The more you meditate, the clearer your mind can
think and the more in touch you become with your intuition. AJNA GUIDED MEDIT A TION
Sit o r lie comfo rtably and close your eyes. Place your awaren ess on
the area between  your eyebrows at the third eye. If you want to make
your awareness clearer , lick you r thumb, and then press the moisture
on the third eye. T ake in a couple of deep belly breaths, exhaling
completely . W ith  your focus stil l on the third eye, ask your high er selfto st ep f orward. Y our higher self, also referred to as the witness,  is the
one who  has always been there . It is the still, small voice inside you
that always gives you truth. It is the aspect of you that was there
before y ou were born and that will be with you after you die. Y our
higher self is ever present, ever witnessing, and always acts according
to your higher good. Greet your higher self and welcome it in. Y ou are going on a journey with  your higher self from the time of
your earliest memory . Think back to your first memory . What was it? Who was there? What did the  scenery look like? What wer e you
wearing? What were others wearing? Do you remember your
witnessing presence being there? What wisdom did it share with you
then? Next, go  to a m emory in your e arly childhood years, between the
ages of six and t welve. Is there a particular moment that sticks out for
you? Do you re member your higher self being there and letting you
know what you should do? Did you follow your inner witness, or did
you go against it? Next, fast-forward to your teenage years between the ages of
thirteen and nineteen. What m oment comes to mind during these
years? W ho wa s there? What were you wearing? What were others
wearing? What did your surrou ndings look like? How did you  feel? Do you remember your higher self being there with you at that time? T ake a few mom ents to continue through the decades of your li fe,
going through one event per dec ade that stands out and noticing your
higher self in them all. Now co me back to the present moment. Bring your awareness  to
challenges you’ re currently having. Maybe there is a decision you
need to make o r a relationship you need to heal. Whatever it is, ask
your wi tness or  your higher se lf, “What choice is it in my h ighest
good to make?” Then scan your body for an inner tug or a sense of
knowing. Y our mind will instantly go to a thought or a solution that
hadn’ t occurred to you before. Y our higher self is now directing your
thoughts and helping you through the power of your intuition. Y our inner witness is always loving, truthful, and kind. Y o ur
higher self will never ask you to  do anything or make any choice that
is unlov ing. If you hear an unlov ing voice, that is your ego. When youhear you r ego, thank it and then send it away so you can feel the  voice
of y our higher s elf. Continue to do this with every problem you  have,
and feel the answer come through your witness. When yo u’re finished, thank your higher self for its guidance. Y ou
can ask it to hel p you be more present with it each day . Y ou ca n seal
your meditation by chanting the mantra sound SHAM  three times. T ake a few moments before opening your eyes. Y ou can always come back to this meditation anytime you need  to
reignite your connection with your higher self. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORS
Indigo, or bluish-purple, is the color of the sixth chakra. Y ou can wear
indigo or adorn a room with this color . Amethyst, lapis lazuli, and azur ite are great stones and crystals to help
align the  third-eye chakra. Indigo kyanite stimulates the pineal gland and
may help awaken psychic abilities. Sixth Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. My sens e of intuition is as rel iable as my senses of sight, smell,
hearing, touch, and taste. 2. I wi ll get in touch with my w itness or my higher self, and I will
practice watching myself in all aspects of life. 3. As I recognize my shadows, they will dissipate, and I will  live
stronger in the light. 4. Meditation is my path to knowingness and enlightenment.W7  T H E  C R O W N  C H A K R A
S a h a s w a r a
COLOR:  V iolet or White
MANTRA SOUND:  OM
e ha ve arrived at the top of t he seven chakras, the Sahaswara
chakra, our source of enlightenment and spiritual connection. This
chakra i s also referred to as the thousand-petal lotus. In Hindu and Buddhist
traditions, the lotus flower is a p owerful symbol. It grows through adversity
in murky waters and blooms w here there is no clarity . The beauty of the
lotus emer ges out of the darkness. And so it is for you: It has taken you a
long tim e to get here. Y our road  toward enlightenment has had s ome bumps
and setbacks. Y et here you are, a shining example for the world to see. The seventh chakra is located at  the crown of the head and incl udes the
cerebral cortex, the central nervous system, and the pituitary gland. Artists have depicted the crown chakra as a halo in paintings and
drawings of saints and great spiritual masters. A Sahaswara person always
has a white light glowing around his or her being. Here a permane nt channel is o pen to divine knowledge and wisdom. The state of se venth chakra awareness exists beyond space , time, and
causality . When you attain this state, you mer ge with oneness. Y ou
completely transcend duality . The mind is unaf fected by fluctuations and
separateness. Th e seventh chakra person possesses siddhi  powers, which
include clairvoyance, levitation, and psychokinesis.The Y oga Sutras of Patanjali give us a road map to open ing the
Sahaswara chakra through the fifth limb of yoga known as pratyahara, or
withdrawal of the senses. Through this practice of drawing your senses
inward by closing your eyes, observing silence, and minimizing sensory
experiences, you  access your inner world. Repeated journeys to your inner
world create a pathway to enlightenment. The colo rs we attribute to the crown chakra are violet and w hite. No
earth ele ments represent the seventh chakra, as it’ s a chakra of physical
plane transcendence. The mantr a, or bija (seed) sound, we vocalize for the
seventh chakra is OM . Seventh Chakra Ailments
Diseases and disorders of the se venth chakra include depression, alienation,
confusion, bored om, apathy , spiritual skepticism, and inability  to learn or
comprehend. An out-of-balance crown chakra can also lead to b eing overly
intellectual or feeling spiritually elite or superior . Seventh Chakra Energy
People who reach seventh chak ra ener gy have achieved what is known in
Sanskrit as guru darshana. They see and channel messages from the Divine
and are able to t ransmit those messages to others and become  dispellers of
darkness. They bring enlightenment to others through their wisdom and
healing. The ener gy they receive is pure and unadulterated. Gurus, or spiritual teachers, who  have attained guru darshana ha ve little
ego. Th ey have  overcome the confines of their egos, so seekers in their
presence experi ence only peace, love, and compassion. The persona we
typically extend  outward to others with our own ego disso lves in the
presence of guru darshana. Therefore seekers can experience spontaneous
healing, liberation from past karma, and release when they are with gurus. The pers on livin g in the ener gy of Sahaswara receives a clear channel of
divine knowledge. People livin g at lower levels of consciousness seek
answers from others. They look  for other people’ s opinions a nd, in some
cases, other people’ s approval. Confusion arises as they keep  asking andgetting c onflicting advice. In the end, they don’ t know whom  to trust or
whom to follow . Has this ever happened to you? Y ou spend a lifetime seeking outside yourself for the answers when the
entire tim e the answers were always inside you. They aren’ t lurking around
your intellect or your ego but rather are in your heart and soul. It’ s that
inner knowing that tells you the right answers. Naysayers will try to dissuade you. People will tell you you’re crazy . But wh ile you r choices and answers might be unconventional and
sometimes wacky , you will know what is right for you. W ith confidence
you will be able to say to others, “I don’ t know how I know . I just know .”
Our Societal Relationship with the Seventh Chakra
W e live in a society of nonbelievers. I understand the boldness in that
statement, but it’ s true. W e are a society that wants desperately to believe. Look at all the fantasy movies being produced. Is it any wonder that the
Harry P otter ser ies is still one of the bestselling book series today? As a
society we want to believe in m agic, superpowers, and transce ndence. Y et
we don’ t.
If I were to tell you that I have levitated, would you believe me? W ell,
since you are reading a book on the chakras, you might b elieve me. However , if I w ere to tell your brother , sister , mom, dad, or best friend,
would they believe me? Probably not. Y et I have. But I don’ t share that with
just any one, bec ause they either may not take me seriously or they may
have me locked up. It is my experience that when you suspend your
disbelief long enough to understand that levitation, instant manifestation, or
talking to angels is possible, a world of possibilities opens up to you. I p ractic e and use not only A yurvedic medicine but also hom eopathic
medicine. My eldest child, wh o truly is one of my greatest teachers in
patience, said to me with convic tion the other day , “Y ou know , homeopathy
isn’ t real. It’ s jus t a placebo ef fe ct.” My eyes opened wide at this statement. “Oh, really ,” I answered. This same child was healed of many ailments as
he grew up on homeopathic medicine. “So,” I continued, “you mean to tell
me that when homeopathy is used on babies, small children, and animals, it
has a placebo ef fect? They can have no psychophysical response to
homeopathy because they’re unaware.”My darl ing chil d is a single representation of society as a whole. W e
have ab andoned intuition and knowledge of the earth’ s gifts in pursuit of
hard-core scientific fact. If it’ s n ot proven, we don’ t believe it. Y et there is
so little we kno w scientifically . In this great big universe, we’ve barely
scratched the surface. So w hat are yo u to do with seventh chakra awareness as you live in
society? The answer: just be who you are. Once you reach sev enth chakra
consciousness, y ou feel no nee d to prove or defend who you are. Y our
knowingness transcends any de sire to convince or persuade others. Y our
light is enough to heal others and bring them to you. As for  those who
aren’ t ready? Y ou have loving co mpassion, an understanding for  where they
are o n th eir journey , and a simple knowingness that the world is perfect as it
is. Living Life in the Sahaswara Chakra
Few people live in the seventh state of consciousness on a daily basis,
because doing so requires transcending the ego. The people who have
succeeded at this include Jesus, Saint Francis of Assisi, Mother T eresa,
Mahatma Gandh i, and Nelson Mandela. I also include Amma, t he modern-
day saint whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting three times and whom I
wrote about in the chapter on the Anahata chakra. My expe rience w ith Amma was one that reflects being in the presence
of a person who is living in the highest state of consciousness. T wo years
ago I was waiting to get my hug from Amma. In order to get a hug from
her , you must go early in the day and get a number . Y ou then wait your turn
to li ne up. When it’ s time, you enter a line where you sit in a ro w of chairs
and move up in the chair line until you are next to her . I was ab out 150 feet
from the  stage where she was sitting, and I felt an ener gy I had n ever before
experienced. Th ere was minimal noise in the room, just a low-g rade hum of
people talking. Spiritual music was playing in the background from a CD,
so I knew the vi brations weren’ t from the music. At that distance from her ,
my c hair was vibrating. It felt as if I were entering a dif ferent ener gy field. T o b e honest, it was the strangest sensation I have ever felt. From that point
forward, as I approached the st age, I stayed in this vibrationa l frequency ,
which only got stronger .Another time I got a hug from Amma, I had a strong but d if ferent
experience. I didn’ t feel the vibrations, but as I approached the stage and
waited for my hug with just a couple of people ahead of me,  I began to
spontaneously c ry . It wasn’ t a normal cry but sobs. Moments before, I had
felt nothing in particular . I wa sn’ t sad, happy , or stressed. My thoughts
weren’ t on anything in particula r . I just started crying. A good friend, who
had spent time i n Amma’ s ashram in India, explained that when  you are in
the p resence of a being who is living at seventh chakra consciousness, your
ener gy i s cleared just by being near them. Crying was a release, a letting go
of negative ener gy , and some healing occurred. The pow er of healing is another ability shared by those living in  seventh
chakra consciou sness. All who live in the ener gy of Sahaswara have the
power to heal. Light emanates  from their bodies, and often people are
healed just by coming into the ir presence. Many stories in th e Christian
scriptures depict  Jesus healing the sick, but one story in particular tells of a
woman who has a bleeding disorder . She intuitively knows tha t if she can
just touch the cloak of Jesus, she will be healed. And sure enough, when she
does, she is indeed healed. Recognizing Seventh Chakra Imbalances
Imbalances in the seventh chakra can lead to strong limitations. Remember
that eac h chakra has its positive and negative aspects, and the highest
chakra i s no dif ferent. Although  you are an unlimited being, you are bound
in this life by your physical bod y and the human experience. A nd in each
stage of spiritual growth, there can be setbacks. One setb ack of seventh chakra growth is spiritual elitism. Perhaps you
are f amiliar with the stories in C hristian scriptures in which the rabbis and
religious elite challenge Jesus o n his knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and
Jewish doctrine . They try ever ything they can to stump him . That is a
display o f spiritual elitism, when people accumulate so much knowledge on
spirituality or religion that they deem themselves superior to everyone else. In fact, people who possess th is false sense of superiority often act as a
replacement for God. Unfortunately , this seems to happen a lot  in religious
or ganizations.In reality , spiritual awareness and connection are much les s about
knowledge than actual experien ce. When you experience God, no one can
take that away from you. Y our knowingness and reality are real. Y ou can be
illiterate and still have a seventh chakra awakening. Please d on’ t tak e these words as  an opportunity to bash religion . I have
nothing against or ganized religio n. On the contrary , religion provides a path
to highe r states of consciousness and spiritual connection. It becomes
dangerous only when it claims to take the place of God. Accepting Seventh Chakra Gifts
Gifts of the seve nth chakra are m any , and most of us spend our entire lives
trying to attain them. Imagine living your life in total peace and bliss. In
this space, you are free from worry , anxiety , and sadness. Y ou go through
life in total acc eptance of the present moment without conc ern for the
future. Y ou live in constant grat itude, awe, and wonder . Y ou are  a vessel of
unconditional love. Spiritual literatu re gives us a road map to acquiring these gifts. In the
Christian scriptu res, for example, the book of Matthew , chapte rs 5 through
7, and the book of John, chapte rs 14 through 16, tell of all th ese spiritual
gifts and  how to attain them. Th e Y oga Sutras of Patanjali and the wisdom
of the Bhagavad Gita can also l ead you to a place of peace and surrender . The T ao  T e Ching of T aoism and the sacred texts of Buddhism  are among
others th at pave  the way towar d enlightenment. All these texts give us a
step-by-step formula to freely attain seventh chakra gifts. Oh, how foolish
we are, those of us who don’ t take these gifts to heart. Consider worry , for example. How much time do you waste worrying
each day? Y ou worry perhaps about things you can’ t control such as the
weather , the state of the world, or the way people around you are acting. Then you probably spend time worrying about things you can  control but
for w hich you c an’ t control the outcome. For example, I know people who
worry co nstantly about losing their job. Y ou can control getting  to work on
time, doing extraordinary work, and being a good team player . But you
can’ t control the potential outcome of your company needing to downsize. When things are not going ac cording to your expectations, you worry .When th ings are going well, you  worry that they might turn bad. All in all,
worry steals you from your life and your bliss. Y et all the spiritual masters and all the spiritual literature tell yo u not to
worry . J esus him self spent three years in his ministry , and we only have a
limited amount of direct teach ing in his words, through th e Christian
Gospels. So you know that if Je sus taught something and said i t more than
once, it must be  pretty important. In the book of Matthew , chapter 6 , Jesus
spends no less than ten verses talking about how we shouldn’ t worry . In
verse 25 he says, “That is why I tell you not to worry  about everyday life,”
and he concludes with verse 34: “So don’ t worry about tomorrow , for
tomorrow will bring its own worries. T oday’ s trouble is enough for today .”
Other sp iritual masters speak about living in the present moment. Y oga
and med itation teach us present-moment awareness. W orry is living in the
past or in the future but not in the present. W orry is a thief who comes to
steal your joy and peace. Just as you would never welcome a robber into
your home to take your things, why welcome worry into your mind? By the time you have awakened to the seventh chakra, your
understanding of oneness with universal consciousness doesn’ t even allow
you to entertain  emotions such as worry . For if you are one with the
universe, there is no lack and therefore no worry . But I hope my example
has provided you with a vision  of where you are today in comparison to
where you would like to be. And whenever you need a reminder , spiritual
literature is there to point the way to the peace of the seventh chakra. Healing Sahaswara
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I am one with the Divine. Healing the Physical Body
Besides the practice of meditation, which we discussed in relation to the
sixth chakra, getting into the se venth chakra zone is best achie ved throughthe practices of silence, reading spiritual and inspirational literature, and
spending time in nature. Some times we spontaneously connect with the
Divine i n mome nts when we don’ t expect it, but most of the time it happens
because we make a conscious ef fort to create an environment in which
connection can happen. That is why people often feel connected to the
Divine w hen the y go to a church or synagogue but then feel d isconnected
for the rest of the week. As you  have seen, the road to spirituality requires
ef fort. What y ou move toward expands, and what you move away from
diminishes. For example, if you r focus is on your work, often your home
life suf fers. When your focus is on your relationships, your work may
suf fer . T he sam e goes for your  spiritual life: when you place  your focus
there, your connection to the D ivine will grow , while other , les s-important
areas will fade into the background. The othe r day I was in the car w ith my twenty-two-year -old, w ho after
fifteen minutes or so turned on the radio and said, “I hate it that you drive
around in silence. What’ s wrong with you? It’ s very disturbin g.” I hadn’ t
even not iced. I love silence. I’ve been practicing silence in everything I do
for years. On m ost occasions I keep the radio and TV of f. While I love
music, I  rarely listen to it now . I just love silence. I love listening to the
noises in the environment: the birds, the crickets, and even the cars passing
by . Silence is a  profound gift, and I believe it’ s God’ s one and only true
voice. W hen you reach the seventh chakra level of consciousnes s, you’re no
longer afraid of your mind and your thoughts. I have noticed that fear of
silence is fear of one’ s own mind. Y our mind is your frien d, not your
enemy . The more you believe that, the more you can sit in silence and not
only be comfortable in it but even crave more of it. Spend ti me read ing spiritual literature, whether it’ s poetry or s cripture. Immerse yourself in nature whenever you can to enjoy everything that
connects you to the heartbeat of the universe. Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
S EVENTH  C HAKRAT ry these breathing techniques and poses to help open and align the
Sahaswara chakra. T o view a video demo of these exer cises, go to
www .youtube.com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor . Click on the Playlists tab, and select
Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas . Scr oll down the list until you find the one you’r e looking for . Skull Shining Br eath — Kapalabhati :  K apala bhati is done by inhali ng
passively and exhaling forcefully , both through the nose. Exhaling in this
way contracts the lower abdomi nal muscles, so you may feel as if you have
done a lot of sit-ups after doing this breathing technique. Sit w ith your sp ine tall, and clos e your eyes. Inhale deeply throu gh your
nose, an d then exhale completely . Inhale passively through the nose, then
exhale f orcefully . Continue wit h this pattern for about one minute. When
you finish, take a deep breath in, and then exhale completely . W ide-Angle Standing Forward Fold — Prasarita Padottanasana :  For
this pose, stand on a yoga mat and have a couple of yoga blocks or a chair
in fr ont of you. Stand with your feet one leg length’ s distance  apart with
your toe s pointin g forward. Lift your torso tall and bend forward from your
hips, bri nging y our hands to the floor . If you have a dif ficult time bringing
your head close to the floor , bri ng your feet a little wider apart. Bend your
elbows a nd brin g the crown of your head toward the floor . T o assist you,
you can either p lace your head on top of the yoga blocks or on the chair
seat. Stay in the forward fold for at least five breaths. T o come up, bend at
your knees and gently roll up to standing. Fish Po se — Matsyasana :  L yi ng o n your mat, bend both knees with your
feet flat on the  floor . Lift you r hips, bring your arms unde rneath your
buttocks with your palms pressing into the floor , and lower your hips back
down to  the mat so you’re sitting  on your hands. Straighten your  legs on the
floor , an d bring your feet together so your big toes touch. Pre ss down on
your elbows and forearms, and lift your chest and head. T ilt your head back,and place the cro wn of your head on the floor . Hold for five breaths. T o get
out of the pose, press down on y our elbows and lift your head of f the floor . Bring yo ur head gently down i nto alignment with your spine, and release
your arms. As a  counterpose, lie in savasana , or rela xation p ose, for about
five even, slow breaths before moving on to the next pose. Headstand — Salamba Sirsasana : This pose is for advanced yoga
students only . If  you’re new to doing headstands, it’ s best to use a wall as a
support. Bring your mat to the  wall. Begin the pose on your hands and
knees about five inches away from the wall. Come down to your elbows,
and fold your h ands in front of you. Y our folded hands and elbows will
form a triangle . Make sure y our elbows are directly underneath your
shoulders. Lock your shoulders and shoulder blades back toward your spine
to have a strong support. Open  the palms of your folded hands and bring
your thu mbs straight up. Y ou’re forming a cup for your head. P lace the top
of y our head on the floor , with the back of your head in your cu pped hands. Lift your pelvis in the air so y ou’re standing on your tiptoes, as in the
dolphin pose. Y our body will lo ok like an upside-down letter V . W alk your
feet toward your elbows. When you feel ready , lift your legs straight up and
toward the wall. Y ou might want to do one leg at a time. Y ou can rest your
legs on the wall and then readju st your posture to maintain the  pose. Stay
for up to three minutes. As you hold your headstand, the crown of your
head will barely touch the floor . T o come down, gently lower one leg at a
time. Go  into child’ s pose (balasana) as a counterpose: lower your hips to
the floor , and then extend your torso forward and rest it between your
thighs, with your forehead on the floor . Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
By the time you arrive at the seventh chakra, you have worked through
blockages in your emotional body and have brought awareness to your
shadows. Through your practice of meditation, you will experience
increasingly frequent peak states and moments of bliss.P EAK  S T A TES
Chances are, you have had mom ents in your life when everything seemed
perfect. In these moments you w ere on top of the world. Life flowed, and
you kne w that nothing could go wrong. Y ou may have been ta king care of
your bab y , maki ng love, or wor king on a passion project. Mayb e you were
just walking in n ature or observing a sunset, and time stood still while you
experienced wonder and awe. Peak states are when you transcend space and time. At first, these
moments seem to come out of nowhere. They’re amazingly perfect, and you
don’ t w ant them to end. But when you try to grasp them or make them
occur ag ain, the y don’ t come w hen you want. For example, yo u go hiking
and hav e a marvelous feeling of connectedness, and then you tell a friend
about it, ur ging her to join you the next time. Y et the next time isn’ t quite as
magical, and you’re disappoi nted because you really wanted her to
experience the same feeling you had. That is generally how peak states
work. They happen when you mer ge into oneness through surrender , but
you can’ t necessarily replicate them. The more you practice meditation and
accept t he seventh chakra’ s spiritual gifts, however , the more readily you
will experience peak states. B LISS
I describe bliss as an extended peak state. In peak states, you experience
bliss. Bu t because of the turmoi l of the mind, as soon as you realize you’re
in bliss your mi nd comes in and gives you reasons why you s houldn’ t be,
and the peak state ends. That pesky mind of yours (and mine) can be a big
buzzkill. Bliss is not happiness. Happiness is a transitory state that is based on
external factors such as people, places, or things. Bliss comes from a place
that is internal. It comes wh en you repeatedly turn inward through
meditation, and over time you will find that you can remain there for
extended periods. Once you attain bliss, it can’ t be taken away from you. Y our bliss comes from oneness with God and divine unconditional love. Healing the Spiritual Body
Y ogastah, kuru karmani. Established in being, perform action. — B HAGA V AD  G IT A  2:48
E ST ABLISHED IN  B EING
Most people search their whole  lives for a solid spiritual connection but
never attain it. Remember the song lyric “Looking for l ove in all the wrong
places”? Many look for enlight enment in all the wrong places , such as in
material items, experiences, and other people. They are constantly
searching the world outside the mselves for the answers, when the answers
they seek are inside. When y ou finally come to an understanding that your spiritual
connection is here — that it never left you and that you can experience it
now — you may  crave it all the time. It can be all too easy to want to stay
in bliss and joy . So you want to do yoga five days a week, spend hours daily
in medit ation, a nd attend as ma ny spiritual gatherings as you can for fear
that this  connect ion might leave you. As a former yoga studio owner , I have
seen yoga students search for bliss in the same way they might search for a
buzz from alcohol. They need it and feel that they “gotta have it.”
T rue peace comes from a seventh chakra awakening that you don’ t need
to chase something that is ever present. Y our peace, joy , and bliss are there
when you wake up, eat breakfast, do the dishes, dress your kids, go grocery
shopping, drive, and do thousands of other things as you go about your day . In th e Hindu sp iritual text the Bhagavad Gita, which means th e “Song
of the Lord,” Arjuna, a warrior , has a conversation with his charioteer ,
Krishna, who is God incarnate. Arjuna is worried about many things and
does not  want to perform his duty out of fear . Krishna helps Arj una see that
as long as he is connected to God, he can let go and perform  action. It
comes from the realization th at he, Arjuna, is not in char ge of what
happens; God is. When you’re aware that you are  tethered to God, your actions, whatever
the outc ome, are  divinely guided. But you have to let go of fear and plungeinto your daily activities. B. K. S. Iyenga r , one of the greatest yogis of our modern age , was a
householder . He  had a wife and kids. He explains that staying true to your
duties as a hu sband, provider , and father is enlightenme nt. As an
enlightened bein g, you’re no good to the world if you stay hidd en in a cave
or a n en closed room, living alone and meditating all day . Part of living an
enlightened life is going out there, established in being — meaning
connected to God and your higher self — and actually living. The grea t sages and saints of all  time, from whom we have learned, did
this. For  example, Jesus of Nazareth spent three years of his life , leading up
to his death, fac ing all kinds of adversity . He didn’ t say , “I’m j ust going to
stay ove r here and pray to my Father and meditate. Apostles, y ou guys go
out and preach for me.” He went out there and healed the sick, talked about
God to people who thought he was not only crazy but also an imposter , and
inspired thousands with his words, all while people were plotting to kill
him. T alk about taking action! Another aspect of living life es tablished in being is authenticity — in
other w ords, being yourself. Y ou are not Mahatma Gandhi or Mother
T eresa, n or could you be them if you tried. Even in enlightenment, you are
still you . Y ou have your personality , your unique gifts and talents, and your
flaws. Many seekers try to be just like the spiritual masters the y love. But,
of course, when they try to be someone else, they invariably fall short. They’re left wearing a mask, and they become unauthentic. Since I’ m a yoga and meditation teacher , I meet all types of  people. Some people in New Age circles try to be perfect spiritual beings. They
speak their own language, alw ays talking about the chakras and saying
words in Sanskrit. That’ s well an d good, but there can be a disingenuous air
to it all. I’ve seen the same thin g in Christian circles too. Just because you
understand spiritual truths doesn’ t mean you must act a certain way and use
a dif ferent vocabulary . In fact, w hen you really understand spiritual truths,
you bec ome even more down-to-earth. Y ou’re even more in touch with
what it means to be human. Y ou can relate better to humanness. When you
perform action, you’re a conduit for God’ s work. C OCREA TING WITH  G ODMiracles occur at the seventh chakra level of consciousness, as you have an
inner kn owing th at you are a cocreator with God. When you are established
in being , you seek to do God’ s will in all things. Therefore y our desires
become God’ s desires. As such , you become a powerful man ifestor . Y ou
then experience spontaneous ful fillment of desire. Whatever you place your
attention on becomes real in ma terial form. Y our life becomes m agical each
and every day . T he struggles you experience aren’ t struggles at  all; they’re
only God’ s way of redirecting you into the path God has chosen for you. Y ou see beauty in all and throug h all. Opportunities await you at every step. Y our daily mantra shifts from “What’ s in it for me?” to “How can I help? How ca n I serve? How can I do your will, God?” Y our  needs are
automatically ta ken care of as you fully live your life’ s purpose. Bliss is
your permanent state. SAHASW ARA GUIDED MEDIT A TION
Sit or lie comfor tably and close your eyes. T ake in a full belly breath,
and exhale completely . Repeat the full breath seven times to fe el the
ener gy o f each chakra rising up ward toward the seventh. Now place
your awareness on the top of your h ead, the crown chakra. Imagine a
beautiful violet thousand-petal lotus flower sitting there and bringing
you its wisdom. Next, imagine a flood of white light pouring down
upon you from the heavens, co ming in through the crown of your
head and  then infiltrating your whole body . See this white light filling
every on e of your cells. The bo undaries in your body dissolve as the
light fills every gap and space i n your physical body . The ligh t is so
bright an d inten se that you feel it radiating from the inside out. Even
with you r eyes still closed you can feel and see light radiating  from
your fingers and toes, from your arms and legs, and then from the rest
of your body . F eel this fast vib ration of light pulsating through you. Y ou may even feel your body rocking, and that is okay . Go wit h it as
you feel this powerful force of light. Now bring to your attention an y ascended masters who resonate
with you. Ascended masters are  those divine beings who walk ed the
earth an d became great spiritual teachers. Y ou can call to Jesus,Moses, Mother Mary , the Prophet Muhammad, Paramahansa
Y ogananda, Mother T eresa, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, or any other
ascended master  who inspires you. Call to the great spiritual leaders
and ask them to  guide you in the highest light and love of God . Ask
that they show you the way to  the highest vibrational frequency of
seventh chakra awareness. Liste n to any messages they might have for
you now . Y ou will hear these messages as a sudden thought, intuition,
or hunch . Sit in the peaceful pr esence of these divine masters. When
you are finished, thank them for their peace and guidance. Feel the essence of being m er ged with the One. Y ou are
boundless. Y ou are whole. Y ou are one with the Divine. Y o u are
infinite perfection and infinite intelligence. Y ou know now that all
thoughts of separateness are an  illusion. When you come out of this
meditation, you will continue to  remember . Y ou will continue to feel
connected. Y ou will remain established in being. Rest in this state of perfection f or as long as you choose. When it
is time to return to activity , conc lude your meditation by chanting OM
seven times. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORS
The colors of the Sahaswara c hakra are violet and white. W e aring these
colors an d surrounding yourself with them will help remind you  of seventh
chakra ener gy . T wo gemstones for the seventh chakra are amethyst and diamond. Seventh Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. I fully and openly accept all the spiritual gifts of fered to me today . 2. I totally immerse myself in present-moment awareness. 3. I hold in my mind the great spiritual masters who continue to
influence my life, and I ask th em to stay with me throughout  my
day . 4. I am one with the Divine. I remain in the state of infinite perfection.OC O N C L U S I O N
M a x i m i z e  Y o u r  H e a l i n g  P o w e r
n your chakra h ealing journey , remember to have faith that you can
heal. Y our body is an amazing healing machine that is designe d for
perfect health. However , you have been raised in a family , social system,
and soc iety wi th certain beliefs about health and healing, including
skepticism of nontraditional modalities. Chances are you have
unconsciously a dopted limiting  thoughts about what is possib le, and this
type of social conditioning is not easy to overcome. Perha ps you can
understand and feel the possibili ties of ener gy healing, yet at times living in
this world of d isbelief weighs heavily on your newfound freedom. The
solution: just keep practicing. In chakra healing, as in anythin g you’d like to get good at, you need
practice. Practice adopting these principles. Reread ea ch chapter
thoroughly . Y ou  may need to put yourself on a program to gradually change
your mi nd-set. A s mentioned in the beginning of the book, you can take
seven days to be gin healing your chakras with one chakra for each day . Or
you can take one chakra per week or per month. Each time yo u repeat the
exercises for a given chakra, yo ur healing and understanding will deepen. Gradual awakening will take place as you uncover the lay ers of your
existence.Be Patient with Y our Healing Process
Remember how  long it has taken you to get to this point in yo ur life. Y ou
may have spent twenty , thirty , forty , fifty years or more th inking and
behaving in a certain way . Disease is not formed overnight. Imbalances are
created over time. Likewise, he aling them takes time. Also, ke ep in mind
that the feeling of wellness often precedes improvement of physical
symptoms. Have  you ever had a cold or flu and started to feel be tter in your
mind and noticed that your body was starting to heal, but your nose was still
running like crazy? That’ s beca use physical matter takes time to catch up. Stay the course, and even though you can’ t see anything in the physical
world, know that changes are taking place within you. Be Patient with Others
As you begin to see life with a w ider perception, you may notice that other
people i n your immediate circle are not on the same spiritual pa th. Not only
is this realization dif ficult, but it can also be downright frustrating. At those
moments, it’ s important to reme mber that each person has his or her own
path and  life purpose. It’ s counterproductive to try to drag a loved one of f
his or her path and onto yours. The best way you can help others is to show
by exam ple. When you attain greater peace, compassion, and love, you
attract others to your path. Even if your spouse, best friend, or child never
joins yo u on your path, the rel ationship will change as you r each higher
states of awareness. Adopt a Lifetime of Healing
The prac tices ou tlined and suggested in this book are designed  for you to
adopt for a lifetime. There may  have been a time in your life  when you
started a new pr actice such as yoga, meditation, healthy eating, or exercise,
and you began t o see results. But for some reason, you stopped, went back
to your old ways, and started to  feel bad again. T o experience a lifetime of
health, allow yourself enough time to not only feel fantastic but also adopt
each practice as a habit.When I started my meditation practice in November 2007, I meditated
every da y . I kept at it faithfully  for months. I trained my brain, mind, and
body to expect meditation and to need it. After a few months my body
began to crave meditation. If I didn’ t do it, I felt terrible. Y ou  want your
body to have th is type of resp onse. Y ou want to fill it with many good,
healthy practices so that when you don’ t do them, you crave them. Then
and only then will you know that you’ve made permanent and lasting
changes. Know That I Am with Y ou
I’m with you on your healing journey , and so are all the other people who
have accepted this healing path. Y ou can draw from our ener gy when you’re
feeling w eak or that something isn’ t working. W e meet in the i nfinite field
when m editating. Our ener gy extends outward to you. Remain open to
receiving. Stay strong, flexible, and rooted. Y our light is needed so we can
reach cr itical ma ss and raise the  consciousness of the world. Lo ve and light
to you always. Om shanti, shanti, shanti . Namasté.MA C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
y heartfe lt gratitude goes to Geor gia Hughes, New W orld Libra ry’ s
editorial director . Y ou took a huge leap of faith with an indie author
after meeting me at Book Expo  America in 2014, and now we’re on our
second book together . Thank you for believing in me. A b ig thank-you goes to Krist en Cashman and Emily W ichland for
patiently and graciously editing my work. Thank y ou to New W orld Library publicists Kim Corbin, M onique
Muhlenkamp, and T risty T aylo r for lining me up with great interviews,
reviews, and press. A big shout-out goes to Foreign Rights Manager Danielle Galat. W e did
it for The Wheel of H ealing with A yurveda  — five languages and counting
— and here’ s to getting even more translations this time. And finally , thank you to Marc Allen for founding and running such a
great pu blishing firm. It’ s hard for a new author to know all the work that
goes into publishing a single title, and New W orld Library does a great job
of it.G L O S S A R Y  O F  S A N S K R I T  T E R M S
ABHY ANGA :  Daily oil massage. AGNI :  Fire; in A yurveda, digestive fire. A JNA :  The sixth chakra; Ajna  translates as “to perceive or command” or
“beyond wisdom.”
AKASHA :  Space or ether . AMA :  A toxic residue caused by undigested food, experiences, and
emotions. The term translates as “toxins in the body and mind.”
A NAHA T A :  The fourth chakra; Anahata  translates as “unstruck” or
“unhurt.”
AR THA :  Material wealth, gain, or prosperity . One of the four goals in life
that are known, in V edic morality , as the purusharthas . ASANA :  Physical postures; the third limb of yoga. A YUR VEDA :  The science of life; the name is derived from the Sanskrit
words ayus , meaning “life,” and veda , meaning “science or knowledge.”
BANDHA :  Bond or arrest; in Hatha yoga, translated as “body locks.”
BIJA :  Seed; or the seed syllable contained within a mantra. BRAMACHAR Y A :  Celibacy or sexual restraint; the fourth of the yamas in
the Y oga Sutras of Patanjali. CHAKRAS :  The ener gy centers in the body . There are seven main chakras
from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. DHARANA :  One-pointed attention or fixed concentration on something
internal or external; the sixth limb of yoga. DHARMA :  An individual’ s purpose in life.DHY ANA :  Meditation; the seventh limb of yoga. DIRGHA :  Also called the three-part or complete breath, a yogic breathing
exercise that trains the body to breathe from the diaphragm. DOSHA :  The three main psychophysiological principles of the body (V ata,
Pitta, Kapha), which determine a person’ s individual mind-body
constitution. DRISHTI :  T o view or gaze; in relation to yoga, it means “focal point.”
GHEE :  Clarified butter . GUNAS :  The three fundamental forces or qualities of nature: sattva, rajas,
and tamas. GURU DARSHANA :  Auspicious sight given to a devotee by an
enlightened teacher (guru). I DA NADI :  The left subtle channel, which is feminine and lunar in nature. JALA :  W ater . K APHA :  One of the three doshas, it combines the elements water and
earth. It is responsible for bodily structure. KARMA :  Action or deed. It is also the principle of causality , in which a
person’ s intent in taking an action in the present equals a particular
result in the future. K UNDALINI :  Divine female ener gy that lies latent at the base of the
spine. K UNDALINI  S HAKTI :  The awakening of Kundalini as it uncoils and
makes its way up the spine toward Shiva (male) ener gy . MAHABHUT AS :  The great elements: space, air , fire, water , and earth. M ANIPURA :  The third chakra; Manipura  translates as “lustrous gem.”
MANTRA :  Derived from two Sanskrit words: man , meaning “mind,” and
tra , meaning “instrument.” This instrument of the mind is a sound or
series of sounds used to connect body , mind, and spirit. MOKSHA :  Liberation or freedom. M ULADHARA :  The first chakra; Muladhara  translates as “root” or
“support.”
NADI :  A subtle circulatory channel running through the body that carries
ener gy and information. The three main nadis are Ida, Pingala, and
Shushumna. NASY A :  Method of administering oil or herbalized oil to the nostrils. It is
one of the five parts of panchakarma.NIY AMAS :  Internal observances or duties; the second limb of yoga. OJAS :  Healing chemicals in the body that are by-products of properly
digested food, emotions, and experiences. P ANCHAKARMA :  “Five Actions”; a program of detoxification of the
body in A yurvedic medicine. P INGALA NADI :  The right subtle channel, which is masculine and solar
in nature. P ITT A :  The dosha in A yurveda composed of the elements fire and water . PRAKRUTI :  Physical matter; also, the biological constitution of an
individual, determined at conception and composed of certain
proportions of the three doshas: V ata, Pitta, and Kapha. PRANA :  V ital life ener gy , or life force. P RANA  V A T A :  One of the five subdoshas of V ata in A yurveda; controls
inhalation, consumption, perception, and the intake of knowledge. PRANA Y AMA :  Y ogic breathing techniques; the fourth limb of yoga. PRA TY AHARA :  W ithdrawal of the senses; the fifth limb of yoga. PRITHIVI :  The earth element. PURUSHA :  The cosmic Self (soul), cosmic consciousness, or the universal
principle; unbounded universal ener gy that has not yet taken form into
prakruti. RAJAS :  Activity , ener gy , passion, restlessness; one of the three primary
qualities of nature in yoga philosophy . RISHIS :  Ancient sages, or seers, from India. S AHASW ARA :  The seventh chakra; Sahaswara  translates as “thousand-
petal lotus.”
SAMADHI :  An advanced state of meditation, marked by oneness or
absorption of the self; the eighth limb of yoga. SA TTV A :  Purity , one of the three primary qualities of nature in yoga
philosophy . S HAKTI :  Ener gy , power , movement, or change; the female principle of
divine ener gy , especially in mythology when referring to a deity . SHUKRA :  Lucid, clear , bright. SHUKRA DHA TU :  In A yurvedic medicine, reproductive tissue in both
men and women. S HUSHUMNA :  The central nadi in the body aligning along the spine;
translates as “very gracious” or “kind.”SIDDHI :  Supernatural power; realization, attainment. SUBDOSHAS :  The five subdivisions of each of the three doshas in
A yurveda with physiological structures in the human body . S UR Y A  N AMASKAR :  Sun Salutations, a series of yoga poses that
coordinates with the breath. S V ADHISTHANA :  The second chakra; Svadhisthana  translates as “the
dwelling place of the self.”
T AMAS :  Inertia, lethar gy , darkness, or dullness, one of the three primary
qualities of nature in yoga philosophy . T ANMANTRAS :  Subtle elements. In A yurveda, refers to the five senses:
hearing, touch, taste, sight, and smell. T ANTRA :  An ancient set of esoteric texts originally from Hindu or
Buddhist tradition dating from the sixth to the thirteenth centuries of the
common era; translated as “to weave.”
TEJAS :  Fire. TRIPHALA :  A rejuvenating herbal remedy in A yurvedic medicine
composed of three herbs: amalaki, bibitaki, and haritaki. V A T A :  Composed of space and air , one of the three doshas, or A yurvedic
mind-body types. V A YU :  W ind or air . V ISHUDDHA :  The fifth chakra; V ishuddha  translates as “purity .”
Y AMAS :  Moral, ethical, and social guidelines for the practicing yogi; the
first limb of yoga, outlined in the first of the Y oga Sutras of Patanjali. YOGA :  Derived from the Sanskrit word yuj,  which means “to yoke” or “to
join together .” In yoga, we join together our mind, body , soul, and spirit. Y OGA  S UTRAS OF  P A T ANJALI :  The basic philosophical writings of
yoga, compiled around 400 CE , containing four chapters or books
separated into 196 sutras, or aphorisms. It outlines the eight limbs of
yoga: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana,
samadhi.N O T E S
Intr oduction
Page 5, “and br eathed into his nostrils the br eath of life” : Genesis 2:7, New International V ersion. 1. The Root Chakra
Page 26, “W e should have a liver appr eciation day” : W ayne W . Dyer , The A wakened Life , audio CD
set, Simon & Schuster Audio/Nightingale-Conant, 2006. Page 30, Can all your worries : Matthew 6:27, New Living T ranslation. 2. The Sacral Chakra
Page 43, Chr onic lifestyle diseases such as diabetes : Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, “The
Growing Crisis of Chronic Disease in the United States,”
https://www .fightchronicdisease.or g/sites/default/files/docs/GrowingCrisisofChronicDiseaseinthe
USfactsheet_81009.pdf , accessed November 30, 2017. Page 49, He calls this power sex transmutation : Napoleon Hill, Think and Gr ow Rich  (New Y ork:
Fawcett Books, 1960), 175–96. Page 58, the January 11, 2017, issue of  The Lancet: Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical
School, “Uncovering the Link between Emotional Stress and Heart Disease,” April 2017,
https://www .health.harvard.edu/heart-disease-overview/uncovering-the-link-between-emotional-
stress-and-heart-disease . Page 61, “The gr eat artists, writers, musicians, and poets become gr eat” : Hill, Think and Gr ow Rich ,
179. Page 62, “Everything in your external world” : Anthony Robbins, Get the Edge: A 7-Day Pr ogram to
T ransform Y our Life , 10-CD set, 2001.4.
_OceanofPDF.com_Chakra_Healing_for_Vibrant_Energy_-_Michelle_S_Fondin.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        W ith the knowledge that
your time is limited, why not make the best use of it by working with
universal ener gy instead of against it. When you make the decision to
accept this spiritual aspect of who you are, you will see yourself grow by
leaps and bounds. Healing Ajna
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I follow the path of truth. Healing the Physical Body
T o h elp relieve blockages or im balances in the sixth chakra, it’ s important
to choose life-af firming foods, clean water, and a healthy, toxin-free living
environment. Move your body daily and practice meditation. Living in this
manner is essential as you awaken each of the chakras. However, if you
wish to experien ce the physical lightness that brings to you the gifts of the
sixth chakra, you must keep you r body free of toxins. Of course, you can’ t
control everything in your environment, but try to control what you can. Y ou wil l have increased ability to access your intuition if you spend
time in nature. Y our body will s ync up with the rhythms of nature, and you
will experience more flow in your life. Y OGA  E YE  E XERCISES
Great for strengthening the cone s and rods in the eyes as well as stimulating
the brain, these yoga eye exerc ises take only two to three minutes to do. Remove your glasses or contact lenses. Sit tall with your palms on your lap
facing up. Keep your head steady. Repeat each of the follo wing three
exercises ten times:
Look up to the right and down to the left. Then look up to the left and
down to the right. Look side to side, as if you were trying to look at each ear. Look up between your eyebrows, and look down toward your chin. Finally, look toward your nose, and hold for twenty to thirty seconds. When y ou’re finished, rub your hands together to create frictio n and heat. Place the heels of your hands over your eyes, and hold for about thirty
seconds. Still holding your hands over your eyes, gently move the heels of
your han ds in a circular motion over your eyes to massage t hem. When
you’re finished, remove your hands and open your eyes. L IGHT  T HERAPY
In additi on to eye exercises, you  can strengthen your sense of sight and help
heal a whole hos t of diseases by  using light therapy. The best source of light
therapy, of course, is the sun. N ever stare directly at the sun. However, you
can stare at the sun with your eyes closed. Y ou can also try circular eye
motions: with your eyes closed,  look toward the sun and trace its shape by
moving your eyes in a clo ckwise motion and then switching to
counterclockwise. Do this sunn ing therapy for ten minutes daily. In the
winter you can achieve a similar ef fect by using a full-spectrum light box
designed for light therapy. According to a M ayo Clinic article,  t he ligh t box
should provide an exposure to 10,000 lux of light and emit as little
ultraviolet light as possible to av oid skin and eye damage. In the same waythat you wouldn’ t look directly at the sun for your eye exercises, avoid
staring d irectly at the light box. Consult your eye doctor befor e using any
type of light the rapy for your ey es if you have glaucoma, cataracts, or eye
damage from diabetes. Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
S IXTH  C HAKRA
Practice these breathing techni ques and poses to help balanc e the Ajna
chakra. T o view a video demo of these exer cises, go to
www. youtube. com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor. Click on the Playlists tab, and select
Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas. Scr oll down the list until you find the one you’r e looking for. Alternate-Nostril Br eathing — Nadi Shodhana :  The practice of nadi
shodhana synchronizes the hemispheres of the brain. Begin by sitting with
your back straight and your eye s closed. Place your left hand on your lap,
with you r palm facing up. T ake  your right hand and place your index and
middle fingers on the third eye in between your eyebrows. Gently rest your
right thu mb on your right nostri l. Rest the inside of your folded ring finger
on your  left nostril. T o begin, inhale through both nostrils and exhale
through both nostrils with your lips closed. Block your right nostril with
your thumb, and inhale through your left nostril for the count of two. Block
both nostrils and hold for six. Th en exhale through your right nostril for the
count of four. In hale through your right nostril for two, hold both for six,
and then  exhale through your le ft nostril for four. Keep the same counts as
you alternate. Repeat this breathing pattern for two to five minutes. Bee Br e ath — Bhramari :  This breathing technique helps clear sinuses,
alleviate headaches, and calm nerves. Sit in a comfortable position with
your spine tall, and close your eyes. Gently press the middle and  ring fingerof each hand a gainst your eyes, covering them completely. Press your
thumbs into your inner ears to close of f your hearing. Rest your pinkies on
your up per cheeks and your in dex fingers slightly above your eyebrows. T ake a deep bre ath through your nose and into your belly, and exhale by
saying HUM  or OM, em phasizing the mmmmm  sound and prolonging it for
the entire exhalation. Y ou will feel the vibration throughout your head. Repeat for at least ten breaths. Y ou will feel invigorated after  completing
the bee breath. Eagle Pose — Garudasana :  Eagle pose is great for cultivating focus and
one-pointed attention. Begin b y standing on your mat with your feet
parallel. Bend your knees and lif t your right leg up to cross it over your left. If you can, wrap your toes be hind your left calf. Y ou will now be in a
seated-chair squ at with one leg wrapped around the other. If it’ s too dif ficult
to wrap your toes, place your right foot on the side of your left leg. Y ou can
also plac e a yoga block next to  your left foot and place your r ight toes on
the bloc k. Next, bring your ar ms up and bend them so they look like
goalposts. W rap your right arm underneath your left, and threa d it around
until your two h ands meet at the top. Y our arms will be interlac ed together
like you r legs. W ith your arms  wrapped, bring both palms together. Y our
focal point will be your hands. Bring your elbows up and your shoulders
down. Hold the pose for four to six breaths, and then repeat o n the other
side. Dolphin Pose — Ardha Pincha Mayurasana :  Dolphin pose is a mild
inversion, or a y oga pose in wh ich the head is at a lower position than the
heart. As a gene ral rule, inversions are good for all the upper chakras. Even
though dolphin pose looks easy, it’ s actually quite challenging a s it requires
some upper body strength. Y ou can work your way up to holding dolphin
pose by taking frequent breaks. Dolphin pose is also good practice to build
your strength for a yoga headstand. Begin on your h ands and knees on your mat. Lay your forearms on the
mat with  your elbows directly u nderneath your shoulders. Fold your hands
together in front of you, and lock your shoulders back to create a stable
base. Y o ur hands and elbows will form a triangle. Gently lift yo ur knees of f
the floor  and walk your feet tow ard your elbows until you’re in an upside-down letter V. Y our head will  float above the  floor. Lift your tailbone high
into the sky. T o enhance the ene r gy toward the Ajna chakra, lif t your head
so the third eye is facing direct ly down to ward th e earth. Stay in the pose
for four to six breaths, then low er your knees to the floor and take a child’ s
pose as a counterpose: lower y our hips to the floor, and then extend your
torso fo rward an d rest it betwe en your thighs, with your fore head on the
floor. Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
Then God said, “Let ther e be light,” and ther e was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated light fr om the darkness. — G ENESIS  1:3–4
A great obstacle in healing the emotional body, especially at the sixth
chakra l evel of consciousness, is the struggle of light versus dark. Earnest
spiritual seekers can be so inte rested in attainment of enlightenment that
they for get some crucial steps along the path. In the beginning of the chapter I discussed the duality dynamic of this
world. The push-pull of the world of opposites doesn’ t only live in your
environment; it also lives in you. There are aspects within you that seem to
work ag ainst eve rything you stand for on your spiritual path. Y et there they
are, either ever present or looming around the corner. The novice on the
spiritual path will try to push them away, hoping that they will n ever return. But these shadows must be con fronted and accepted in order to experience
the light fully. A  perfect example is if you never saw darkness, you could
never ex perience the night sky filled with stars, planets, and other astral
bodies. Often it is throu gh your own dar kness that you discover the light. In the
Bible, God created light out of the darkness since the darkness came first. My expe rience with cancer enabled me to help countless people  through my
writing about healing. When I talk to people in recovery from alcohol and
drug addiction, they all say that they would never have arrived at the
spiritual lives they now live if it weren’ t for the dark days of addiction. W e have all see n instances in the media demonstrating that pushing
away the darkness only makes things worse. Look at the sex scandals of
politicians, stories of embezzlement, and improper use of campaign funds. One of the grea test teachers I ever had, Dr. David Simon, used to say,
“Y ou can do al l the meditation in the world, but if you don’ t work on
emotional healing, you can’ t reach enlightenment. ” Emotional healing
doesn’ t mean you have to spend twenty years in therapy. It sim ply means
facing your demons, the shadow  aspects of you that aren’ t fun to look at. Invite th em in and have a conv ersation with them. T ell them they aren’ t
going to rule your life anymore. I use d to have quite an issue w ith anxiety. At dif ferent periods in my
life, it ruined my daily experiences. I became paralyzed by stories in my
head tha t, for the most part, simply weren’ t true. But I let my mind entertain
those stories. I used to say in jest that the great thing about being a writer is
that I have a wi ld imagination, and the worst thing about being a writer is
that I have a wild imagination. Learning and practicing meditation saved
me because I learned that I can control my thoughts and their direction. The best  way to face your shado ws is to transmute them. T ransf orm the
shadow ener gy into something great that can help humanity. Sen d light into
the d arkness. For example, if your shadow is that you succumb to obsessive
cleaning and or ganizing in your home, you co uld start a business where you
help others or ganize closets and  living spaces. If you’re a shopaholic, you
can contact your local women’ s  shelter and ask them what they need in a
care box. Y ou c an then use you r shopping skills to find the best prices to
make ca re boxes for women and children in a safe home. The greatest thing
about being human is that you a re human. There is no reason to be ashamed
of your weaknesses or your shadows as long as you are not harming
anyone, includin g yourself. In f act, it’ s often when we bring our shadows
into the light that their power dissipates. Professional help can assist you in
this process, but sometimes a simple decision to act is all you need. Healing the Spiritual Body
Meditation is the primary practi ce that will help you attain the s ixth chakra
level of awarene ss. T alk about m editation is bubbling under the surface ofAmerican culture these days, and ef forts to include meditation in daily
activities are popping up in hosp itals, corporations, and even schools. More
than the  word meditation, you may hear the word mindfulness, which refers
to a type of med itation. As a me ditation teacher, I find the word mindfulness
to be  a bit of a misnomer when it comes to the ultimate goal of meditation. A wareness is certainly the key to everything we have discussed up until
now. Y ou must be aware of your thoughts, words, and actions, as well as
your bo dy and mind. However, when I think of mindfulness, I think of
concentration or  fullness of the mind. T o meditate, you need focus instead
of concentration, and release of the mind rather than fullness of it. Most people come to meditation saying, “I’m too much in my mind. Get me out of it. ” Y ou are liter ally going out of your mind in meditation. (That pun was completely intended. ) Everyone has experienced the ef fects
of monk ey mind. Y our mind fl its from thought to thought lik e a monkey
swinging from branch to branch. W ithout awareness that you are  the thinker
of your though ts, you become subject to the mind’ s unwiel dy habit of
flitting a bout wi th no sense of control. It comes as no surprise that millions
of peop le suf fer from anxiety and depression. If you are under the
impression that you have no c ontrol over your thoughts and the strong
impulses of the mind, of course you have reason to feel anxiou s. However,
the g ood news is that you do have control. Y ou simply need to le arn tools to
exercise the control muscle. By realizing that there are separate roles at play inside you, you can
harness the forces of your mind and get it to do what you want. Y ou achieve
this by cajoling your mind rathe r than forcing it to go in the direction you
desire. How do most of us try to control the mind. Let’ s sup pose you’re
trying to break a bad habit, such as eating a chocolate bar every night. Y ou
may try to break this habit by se tting a goal such as not eating chocolate at
all or eating chocolate only once per week. Then you might tr y to abstain
from ch ocolate by not purchasing it, distracting yourself in oth er ways, or
replacing it with something else. All these ways can and do wo rk. But they
all invol ve forci ng the mind int o distraction. If you have ever  tried doing
something like this, you know that it’ s dif ficult and tiring. Y ou really have
to f ight the mi nd frequently. Y our mind will tell you things such as
“Chocolate isn’ t  that bad. Studie s have shown it has antioxidant s that make
you healthy” or “Y ou’ve had a rough day today; don’ t you des erve a littlechocolate. ” And  on and on goes the mind with great ar guments to separate
you from your goal. The thing about fighting or using strong resolve to get
to w here you w ant to go is that it’ s fatiguing rather than e mpowering. Eventually you will get tired of the battle and give up. Now let ’ s compare the above method with cajoling the mind by going
out of your mind. When you meditate, you are not in your mind. Y ou are
accessing your spirit or the par t of you that was never born and therefore
can never die. Y our spirit is the part of you that is eternal. My guru Dr. W ayne W. Dyer used to say  th at when you talk to yourself, there are two
people: you and your Self. The  Self with a capital S  is  the h igher self I’m
speaking of. The other self, kno wn as the ego, is the one who tries to push
through toward your goals and leaves you tired. The higher self is the part
of you who only wants good an d can harness the power of intuition. When
you get out of your mind through meditation, you gain greater access to
your higher self. One com mon misconception about meditation is that you’re stopping all
the a ctivities of the mind. The j ob of the mind is to think thou ghts. It will
always do that, no matter wha t. Through meditation you can lower the
number of thoughts and evolve your thoughts to get you closer to what you
desire, but you will not stop all thought. As you get out of you r mind, also
referred to as transcendence, you strengthen your relationship  with your
spirit or  higher self. Then you  return back to the mind with love and
acceptance. W ith these higher qualities of spirit, you cajole the mind into
thinking thoughts that lovingly, ef fortlessly, and easily help you. The chaos of th e monkey mind subsides, and you are left with a mind
that thinks more clearly. The more you meditate, the clearer your mind can
think and the more in touch you become with your intuition. AJNA GUIDED MEDIT A TION
Sit o r lie comfo rtably and close your eyes. Place your awaren ess on
the area between  your eyebrows at the third eye. If you want to make
your awareness clearer, lick you r thumb, and then press the moisture
on the third eye. T ake in a couple of deep belly breaths, exhaling
completely. W ith  your focus stil l on the third eye, ask your high er selfto st ep f orward. Y our higher self, also referred to as the witness,  is the
one who  has always been there. It is the still, small voice inside you
that always gives you truth. It is the aspect of you that was there
before y ou were born and that will be with you after you die. Y our
higher self is ever present, ever witnessing, and always acts according
to your higher good. Greet your higher self and welcome it in. Y ou are going on a journey with  your higher self from the time of
your earliest memory. Think back to your first memory. What was it. Who was there. What did the  scenery look like. What wer e you
wearing. What were others wearing. Do you remember your
witnessing presence being there. What wisdom did it share with you
then. Next, go  to a m emory in your e arly childhood years, between the
ages of six and t welve. Is there a particular moment that sticks out for
you. Do you re member your higher self being there and letting you
know what you should do. Did you follow your inner witness, or did
you go against it. Next, fast-forward to your teenage years between the ages of
thirteen and nineteen. What m oment comes to mind during these
years. W ho wa s there. What were you wearing. What were others
wearing. What did your surrou ndings look like. How did you  feel. Do you remember your higher self being there with you at that time. T ake a few mom ents to continue through the decades of your li fe,
going through one event per dec ade that stands out and noticing your
higher self in them all. Now co me back to the present moment. Bring your awareness  to
challenges you’ re currently having. Maybe there is a decision you
need to make o r a relationship you need to heal. Whatever it is, ask
your wi tness or  your higher se lf, “What choice is it in my h ighest
good to make. ” Then scan your body for an inner tug or a sense of
knowing. Y our mind will instantly go to a thought or a solution that
hadn’ t occurred to you before. Y our higher self is now directing your
thoughts and helping you through the power of your intuition. Y our inner witness is always loving, truthful, and kind. Y o ur
higher self will never ask you to  do anything or make any choice that
is unlov ing. If you hear an unlov ing voice, that is your ego. When youhear you r ego, thank it and then send it away so you can feel the  voice
of y our higher s elf. Continue to do this with every problem you  have,
and feel the answer come through your witness. When yo u’re finished, thank your higher self for its guidance. Y ou
can ask it to hel p you be more present with it each day. Y ou ca n seal
your meditation by chanting the mantra sound SHAM  three times. T ake a few moments before opening your eyes. Y ou can always come back to this meditation anytime you need  to
reignite your connection with your higher self. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORS
Indigo, or bluish-purple, is the color of the sixth chakra. Y ou can wear
indigo or adorn a room with this color. Amethyst, lapis lazuli, and azur ite are great stones and crystals to help
align the  third-eye chakra. Indigo kyanite stimulates the pineal gland and
may help awaken psychic abilities. Sixth Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. My sens e of intuition is as rel iable as my senses of sight, smell,
hearing, touch, and taste. 2. I wi ll get in touch with my w itness or my higher self, and I will
practice watching myself in all aspects of life. 3. As I recognize my shadows, they will dissipate, and I will  live
stronger in the light. 4. Meditation is my path to knowingness and enlightenment. W7  T H E  C R O W N  C H A K R A
S a h a s w a r a
COLOR:  V iolet or White
MANTRA SOUND:  OM
e ha ve arrived at the top of t he seven chakras, the Sahaswara
chakra, our source of enlightenment and spiritual connection. This
chakra i s also referred to as the thousand-petal lotus. In Hindu and Buddhist
traditions, the lotus flower is a p owerful symbol. It grows through adversity
in murky waters and blooms w here there is no clarity. The beauty of the
lotus emer ges out of the darkness. And so it is for you: It has taken you a
long tim e to get here. Y our road  toward enlightenment has had s ome bumps
and setbacks. Y et here you are, a shining example for the world to see. The seventh chakra is located at  the crown of the head and incl udes the
cerebral cortex, the central nervous system, and the pituitary gland. Artists have depicted the crown chakra as a halo in paintings and
drawings of saints and great spiritual masters. A Sahaswara person always
has a white light glowing around his or her being. Here a permane nt channel is o pen to divine knowledge and wisdom. The state of se venth chakra awareness exists beyond space, time, and
causality. When you attain this state, you mer ge with oneness. Y ou
completely transcend duality. The mind is unaf fected by fluctuations and
separateness. Th e seventh chakra person possesses siddhi  powers, which
include clairvoyance, levitation, and psychokinesis. The Y oga Sutras of Patanjali give us a road map to open ing the
Sahaswara chakra through the fifth limb of yoga known as pratyahara, or
withdrawal of the senses. Through this practice of drawing your senses
inward by closing your eyes, observing silence, and minimizing sensory
experiences, you  access your inner world. Repeated journeys to your inner
world create a pathway to enlightenment. The colo rs we attribute to the crown chakra are violet and w hite. No
earth ele ments represent the seventh chakra, as it’ s a chakra of physical
plane transcendence. The mantr a, or bija (seed) sound, we vocalize for the
seventh chakra is OM. Seventh Chakra Ailments
Diseases and disorders of the se venth chakra include depression, alienation,
confusion, bored om, apathy, spiritual skepticism, and inability  to learn or
comprehend. An out-of-balance crown chakra can also lead to b eing overly
intellectual or feeling spiritually elite or superior. Seventh Chakra Energy
People who reach seventh chak ra ener gy have achieved what is known in
Sanskrit as guru darshana. They see and channel messages from the Divine
and are able to t ransmit those messages to others and become  dispellers of
darkness. They bring enlightenment to others through their wisdom and
healing. The ener gy they receive is pure and unadulterated. Gurus, or spiritual teachers, who  have attained guru darshana ha ve little
ego. Th ey have  overcome the confines of their egos, so seekers in their
presence experi ence only peace, love, and compassion. The persona we
typically extend  outward to others with our own ego disso lves in the
presence of guru darshana. Therefore seekers can experience spontaneous
healing, liberation from past karma, and release when they are with gurus. The pers on livin g in the ener gy of Sahaswara receives a clear channel of
divine knowledge. People livin g at lower levels of consciousness seek
answers from others. They look  for other people’ s opinions a nd, in some
cases, other people’ s approval. Confusion arises as they keep  asking andgetting c onflicting advice. In the end, they don’ t know whom  to trust or
whom to follow. Has this ever happened to you. Y ou spend a lifetime seeking outside yourself for the answers when the
entire tim e the answers were always inside you. They aren’ t lurking around
your intellect or your ego but rather are in your heart and soul. It’ s that
inner knowing that tells you the right answers. Naysayers will try to dissuade you. People will tell you you’re crazy. But wh ile you r choices and answers might be unconventional and
sometimes wacky, you will know what is right for you. W ith confidence
you will be able to say to others, “I don’ t know how I know. I just know. ”
Our Societal Relationship with the Seventh Chakra
W e live in a society of nonbelievers. I understand the boldness in that
statement, but it’ s true. W e are a society that wants desperately to believe. Look at all the fantasy movies being produced. Is it any wonder that the
Harry P otter ser ies is still one of the bestselling book series today. As a
society we want to believe in m agic, superpowers, and transce ndence. Y et
we don’ t. If I were to tell you that I have levitated, would you believe me. W ell,
since you are reading a book on the chakras, you might b elieve me. However, if I w ere to tell your brother, sister, mom, dad, or best friend,
would they believe me. Probably not. Y et I have. But I don’ t share that with
just any one, bec ause they either may not take me seriously or they may
have me locked up. It is my experience that when you suspend your
disbelief long enough to understand that levitation, instant manifestation, or
talking to angels is possible, a world of possibilities opens up to you. I p ractic e and use not only A yurvedic medicine but also hom eopathic
medicine. My eldest child, wh o truly is one of my greatest teachers in
patience, said to me with convic tion the other day, “Y ou know, homeopathy
isn’ t real. It’ s jus t a placebo ef fe ct. ” My eyes opened wide at this statement. “Oh, really,” I answered. This same child was healed of many ailments as
he grew up on homeopathic medicine. “So,” I continued, “you mean to tell
me that when homeopathy is used on babies, small children, and animals, it
has a placebo ef fect. They can have no psychophysical response to
homeopathy because they’re unaware. ”My darl ing chil d is a single representation of society as a whole. W e
have ab andoned intuition and knowledge of the earth’ s gifts in pursuit of
hard-core scientific fact. If it’ s n ot proven, we don’ t believe it. Y et there is
so little we kno w scientifically. In this great big universe, we’ve barely
scratched the surface. So w hat are yo u to do with seventh chakra awareness as you live in
society. The answer: just be who you are. Once you reach sev enth chakra
consciousness, y ou feel no nee d to prove or defend who you are. Y our
knowingness transcends any de sire to convince or persuade others. Y our
light is enough to heal others and bring them to you. As for  those who
aren’ t ready. Y ou have loving co mpassion, an understanding for  where they
are o n th eir journey, and a simple knowingness that the world is perfect as it
is. Living Life in the Sahaswara Chakra
Few people live in the seventh state of consciousness on a daily basis,
because doing so requires transcending the ego. The people who have
succeeded at this include Jesus, Saint Francis of Assisi, Mother T eresa,
Mahatma Gandh i, and Nelson Mandela. I also include Amma, t he modern-
day saint whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting three times and whom I
wrote about in the chapter on the Anahata chakra. My expe rience w ith Amma was one that reflects being in the presence
of a person who is living in the highest state of consciousness. T wo years
ago I was waiting to get my hug from Amma. In order to get a hug from
her, you must go early in the day and get a number. Y ou then wait your turn
to li ne up. When it’ s time, you enter a line where you sit in a ro w of chairs
and move up in the chair line until you are next to her. I was ab out 150 feet
from the  stage where she was sitting, and I felt an ener gy I had n ever before
experienced. Th ere was minimal noise in the room, just a low-g rade hum of
people talking. Spiritual music was playing in the background from a CD,
so I knew the vi brations weren’ t from the music. At that distance from her,
my c hair was vibrating. It felt as if I were entering a dif ferent ener gy field. T o b e honest, it was the strangest sensation I have ever felt. From that point
forward, as I approached the st age, I stayed in this vibrationa l frequency,
which only got stronger. Another time I got a hug from Amma, I had a strong but d if ferent
experience. I didn’ t feel the vibrations, but as I approached the stage and
waited for my hug with just a couple of people ahead of me,  I began to
spontaneously c ry. It wasn’ t a normal cry but sobs. Moments before, I had
felt nothing in particular. I wa sn’ t sad, happy, or stressed. My thoughts
weren’ t on anything in particula r. I just started crying. A good friend, who
had spent time i n Amma’ s ashram in India, explained that when  you are in
the p resence of a being who is living at seventh chakra consciousness, your
ener gy i s cleared just by being near them. Crying was a release, a letting go
of negative ener gy, and some healing occurred. The pow er of healing is another ability shared by those living in  seventh
chakra consciou sness. All who live in the ener gy of Sahaswara have the
power to heal. Light emanates  from their bodies, and often people are
healed just by coming into the ir presence. Many stories in th e Christian
scriptures depict  Jesus healing the sick, but one story in particular tells of a
woman who has a bleeding disorder. She intuitively knows tha t if she can
just touch the cloak of Jesus, she will be healed. And sure enough, when she
does, she is indeed healed. Recognizing Seventh Chakra Imbalances
Imbalances in the seventh chakra can lead to strong limitations. Remember
that eac h chakra has its positive and negative aspects, and the highest
chakra i s no dif ferent. Although  you are an unlimited being, you are bound
in this life by your physical bod y and the human experience. A nd in each
stage of spiritual growth, there can be setbacks. One setb ack of seventh chakra growth is spiritual elitism. Perhaps you
are f amiliar with the stories in C hristian scriptures in which the rabbis and
religious elite challenge Jesus o n his knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and
Jewish doctrine. They try ever ything they can to stump him. That is a
display o f spiritual elitism, when people accumulate so much knowledge on
spirituality or religion that they deem themselves superior to everyone else. In fact, people who possess th is false sense of superiority often act as a
replacement for God. Unfortunately, this seems to happen a lot  in religious
or ganizations. In reality, spiritual awareness and connection are much les s about
knowledge than actual experien ce. When you experience God, no one can
take that away from you. Y our knowingness and reality are real. Y ou can be
illiterate and still have a seventh chakra awakening. Please d on’ t tak e these words as  an opportunity to bash religion. I have
nothing against or ganized religio n. On the contrary, religion provides a path
to highe r states of consciousness and spiritual connection. It becomes
dangerous only when it claims to take the place of God. Accepting Seventh Chakra Gifts
Gifts of the seve nth chakra are m any, and most of us spend our entire lives
trying to attain them. Imagine living your life in total peace and bliss. In
this space, you are free from worry, anxiety, and sadness. Y ou go through
life in total acc eptance of the present moment without conc ern for the
future. Y ou live in constant grat itude, awe, and wonder. Y ou are  a vessel of
unconditional love. Spiritual literatu re gives us a road map to acquiring these gifts. In the
Christian scriptu res, for example, the book of Matthew, chapte rs 5 through
7, and the book of John, chapte rs 14 through 16, tell of all th ese spiritual
gifts and  how to attain them. Th e Y oga Sutras of Patanjali and the wisdom
of the Bhagavad Gita can also l ead you to a place of peace and surrender. The T ao  T e Ching of T aoism and the sacred texts of Buddhism  are among
others th at pave  the way towar d enlightenment. All these texts give us a
step-by-step formula to freely attain seventh chakra gifts. Oh, how foolish
we are, those of us who don’ t take these gifts to heart. Consider worry, for example. How much time do you waste worrying
each day. Y ou worry perhaps about things you can’ t control such as the
weather, the state of the world, or the way people around you are acting. Then you probably spend time worrying about things you can  control but
for w hich you c an’ t control the outcome. For example, I know people who
worry co nstantly about losing their job. Y ou can control getting  to work on
time, doing extraordinary work, and being a good team player. But you
can’ t control the potential outcome of your company needing to downsize. When things are not going ac cording to your expectations, you worry. When th ings are going well, you  worry that they might turn bad. All in all,
worry steals you from your life and your bliss. Y et all the spiritual masters and all the spiritual literature tell yo u not to
worry. J esus him self spent three years in his ministry, and we only have a
limited amount of direct teach ing in his words, through th e Christian
Gospels. So you know that if Je sus taught something and said i t more than
once, it must be  pretty important. In the book of Matthew, chapter 6, Jesus
spends no less than ten verses talking about how we shouldn’ t worry. In
verse 25 he says, “That is why I tell you not to worry  about everyday life,”
and he concludes with verse 34: “So don’ t worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will bring its own worries. T oday’ s trouble is enough for today. ”
Other sp iritual masters speak about living in the present moment. Y oga
and med itation teach us present-moment awareness. W orry is living in the
past or in the future but not in the present. W orry is a thief who comes to
steal your joy and peace. Just as you would never welcome a robber into
your home to take your things, why welcome worry into your mind. By the time you have awakened to the seventh chakra, your
understanding of oneness with universal consciousness doesn’ t even allow
you to entertain  emotions such as worry. For if you are one with the
universe, there is no lack and therefore no worry. But I hope my example
has provided you with a vision  of where you are today in comparison to
where you would like to be. And whenever you need a reminder, spiritual
literature is there to point the way to the peace of the seventh chakra. Healing Sahaswara
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I am one with the Divine. Healing the Physical Body
Besides the practice of meditation, which we discussed in relation to the
sixth chakra, getting into the se venth chakra zone is best achie ved throughthe practices of silence, reading spiritual and inspirational literature, and
spending time in nature. Some times we spontaneously connect with the
Divine i n mome nts when we don’ t expect it, but most of the time it happens
because we make a conscious ef fort to create an environment in which
connection can happen. That is why people often feel connected to the
Divine w hen the y go to a church or synagogue but then feel d isconnected
for the rest of the week. As you  have seen, the road to spirituality requires
ef fort. What y ou move toward expands, and what you move away from
diminishes. For example, if you r focus is on your work, often your home
life suf fers. When your focus is on your relationships, your work may
suf fer. T he sam e goes for your  spiritual life: when you place  your focus
there, your connection to the D ivine will grow, while other, les s-important
areas will fade into the background. The othe r day I was in the car w ith my twenty-two-year -old, w ho after
fifteen minutes or so turned on the radio and said, “I hate it that you drive
around in silence. What’ s wrong with you. It’ s very disturbin g. ” I hadn’ t
even not iced. I love silence. I’ve been practicing silence in everything I do
for years. On m ost occasions I keep the radio and TV of f. While I love
music, I  rarely listen to it now. I just love silence. I love listening to the
noises in the environment: the birds, the crickets, and even the cars passing
by. Silence is a  profound gift, and I believe it’ s God’ s one and only true
voice. W hen you reach the seventh chakra level of consciousnes s, you’re no
longer afraid of your mind and your thoughts. I have noticed that fear of
silence is fear of one’ s own mind. Y our mind is your frien d, not your
enemy. The more you believe that, the more you can sit in silence and not
only be comfortable in it but even crave more of it. Spend ti me read ing spiritual literature, whether it’ s poetry or s cripture. Immerse yourself in nature whenever you can to enjoy everything that
connects you to the heartbeat of the universe. Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
S EVENTH  C HAKRAT ry these breathing techniques and poses to help open and align the
Sahaswara chakra.
To relieve blockages or imbalances in the sixth chakra, it's important to choose life-affirming foods, drink clean water, and maintain a healthy, toxin-free living environment.
What is the best way to relieve blockages or imbalances in the sixth chakra?