9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

An Approach to Yoga of Life thru Cakras

Updated 8 February 2011

These notes are meant as reminders, not instructions,

for students of Ramanand Patel. They are neither
complete nor final. All suggestions to refine these notes
are welcome.

This is one of the many ways to awaken the cakras, or

more accurately, to awaken and raise the kundalini.

There seven cakras located in the subtle body

(sukshma sarira). These locations certainly have an
effect on different parts of the physical body (sthula
sarira). However, it is not useful to over emphasize the
exact location in the physical body as long as a general
location is understood. Each of the lower six cakras
have three types of energies. If left unattended
pressures and experiences of life create a negative
charge. This general negativity is first resolved thru
Ajna cakra as described below. Then the more specific
negativity and positive energies as they relate to
different aspects of life are resolved thru other cakras.
Next the student understands the neutral energy of
each of the lower six cakras. Finally the deeper aspects
of resolution thru Ajna are addressed.

The beginner is advised to spend one month on the

negative energy related to the lowest (muladhar) cakra.
www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 1/9
9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

The student then focuses for a month on the positive

aspect of that cakra before proceeding to the next
cakra. This process will take about twelve months.
While a month is prescribed here some students may
find that they need more or less time on a particular
aspect of a cakra.

Some students prefer to address the negative of each

cakra followed by the positive of that cakra. During
practice of pranayama it is also a useful practice to
address the negative for a few breaths, then the
positive for a few breaths and finally the neutral. The
exact sequence in which this is done will vary
depending on the student.

The next six months of the practice are spent on

understanding the neutral aspect of each cakra. Better
than either the positive or the negative is to see the
relationship of the “I” with the positive and the negative.
The I wants to escape from the negative and indulge in
the positive. Question who this I is. It is this neutral
aspect that lifts the kundalini energy up to the Ajna
cakra, from where its merger with the Sahasrara cakra
is beyond the scope of this writing.

The following text gives a brief meaning of each cakra,

its basic element, the related sound and an outline of
the negative, the positive and the neutral energies.
While the work proposed here is largely thru breath in
www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 2/9
9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

pranayama, it is equally applicable to breath in asana

as well as breath in life.

For a particular physical restriction or challenge the

student is first reminded to ask the mind to draw a well
defined boundary around this restriction, observe the
collapse of the boundary, either partial or complete,
before beginning to address the work on cakras. For
exact approach on how to do this please refer to class
notes. Same method can apply to psychological
blockage. However, for this to be effective the student
must first learn to locate the specific physical area or
organ of the body that is most affected by this
emotional experience. This by itself will not completely
resolve the underlying psychological issue, however, it
will help break the first layer of the pattern.

1. Muladhar Cakra: Mula means the root or the un-

manifest. Adhar means support or foundation. This is
the cakra where the kundalini energy lies dormant. The
element is Prithvi, the earth, and hence one's
relationship with all earthly possessions (including the
phyisical body) is to be considered. The sound is
Lumn(g).

This is related to attachment with material or objective

world. Nothing wrong in having possessions as long
they do not possess you. The negative charge is
created when the possessions own the possessor.
www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 3/9
9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

Observe how your energy is affected when you

consider (or fear) what would happen if these
possessions were to be lost. Let the breath take this
negative charge from the Muladhar to the Ajna. There it
gets helplessly resolved into the infinite past. Breathe
out loving, understanding, accommodation.

The positive charge is the energy related to willingness

to share. This positive charge becomes highly refined
when such willingness and resulting action are
effortless. The positive energy is the energy created
through sharing the possessions or using the body in
service of others who may be less fortunate. The
inhalation is used to receive this charge as a privilege.
One exhales a sense of blessing and humility.

Deeper understanding of this effortlessness by the

intelligence leads to the neutral energy. In this neutral
energy one first sees that one is a trustee, neither the
owner nor the giver. This neutral state looks into the
question of who is this “I” that owns or shares the
objective world. When the I is seen to be the image
created by the mind then the positive and the negative
become irrelevant and there remains only the neutral
energy of truth wherein there is a choice-less and
effortless awareness of what I is. Any sharing done is
without expectation of any recognition or reward. Care
is exercised to see that any pride connected with the
sharing is understood to be an error.
www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 4/9
9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

2. Swadhisthana Cakra: Su adhisthana means manifest

foundation. The element is Apas, water and the sound
is Vumn(g).
This is related to attachment to pleasure and aversion
to pain. The neutral is joy of being without any other
reason.

Negative charge is where the mind tries to increase the

personal pleasure and decrease the personal pain
without any regard for other life forms. Pleasure as it is
followed by pain will also create a negative charge.

Positive charge is enjoyment of normal pleasures

without violating the rules of dharma, particularly the
one of ahimsa, non-injury to all. It also entails the
thought and action to help others to gain pleasure and
decrease pain, again in compliance with dharma.

Neutral energy is when the “I” created by mind is

absent. There is the joy of “being” without a reason.
One observes pleasure and pain without any additional
reaction because these pleasures and pains belong to
the body-mind-sense complex (i. e. ego) rather than to
I, the consciousness.

3. Manipur Cakra: This is the abode of wealth. The

element is Agni the fire and the sound is Rumn(g).

www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 5/9
9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

This cakra is related to physical survival. The negative

energy is created by seeking increasingly more
physical security. Attempt to gather more and more
food, shelter, etc. are examples of this negative energy.

The positive energy is created by living in the world with

minimal attachment to the need for physical security
and also by providing others with this minimum security.

The neutral is to see that there is no such thing as

physical security and that the demands belong to the
image “I” which creates a false idea of future from the
past experiences.

4. Anahat Cakra: Anahat means primordial sound,

which is produced without anything being struck. The
element is Air, Vayu and the sound is Yumn(g).

This is related to attachment to emotional security.

Negative energy is generated when one demands
increasingly more emotional security. Learning to live
with minimal demand for such security as well as by
offering and providing such security to others generates
the positive energy.

Another example of positive charge is the result

generated when one understands that the only person
one can change is one-self.

www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 6/9
9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

The neutral is the wisdom to know that there is no such

thing as emotional security and the demands for such
security belong to the image “I” created by thought.

5. Vishudhi Cakra: Shuddha means refined or pure.

The element is Akasha, ether and sound is Humn(g).

This cakra is related to attachment to all aspirations

and need for spiritual survival.

Negative charges arise out of fear created by

misunderstanding about God that is created by blind
belief, by not reaching the goal and by unhealthy
doubts. One-up-man-ship amongst monks seeking
enlightenment is an example of such negative energy.
Being in a hurry to achieve the higher goals is also a
major negative charge of this cakra.

Positive charge is created by contentment that I am on

the right path, healthy doubts, repeated questioning in a
healthy way, thoughts and actions to help others along
the path, and prayers.

Neutral is uninterrupted effortless clarity to “what is”.

6. Ajna Cakra: Ajna means command or granting of

permission. From here kundalini is granted permission
to rise to the Sahasrara cakra. Its element is infinite

www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 7/9
9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

space or the very essence of space, Maha Tatva. Its

sound is Aumn(g).

This is the ultimate cleanser of all negative energy with

regard to different aspects of life. Attention to this is
initially used to create general initial cleansing before
attending to specific aspects of life through the other
lower cakras. The previous three cakras are all time
bound and finite, both physically and psychologicaly.
Ajna on the other hand being infinite is free of time
limitation.

As all negative energy is devoured here the resulting

energy is neutral. This neutral energy is the state that is
not time bound and hence free of lack of patience as
well as of infinite patience.

Whenever dealing with a negative energy of a lower

cakra, on inhalation let love drive all the charge of any
negative energy from that cakra into the Ajna cakra.
This negative charge gets sucked into the infinite past,
just as nothing escapes from a black hole. On
exhalation let forth loving, understanding,
accommodating energy. Remember this is not about
approving, accepting or forgiving; it is about reclaiming
your lost freedom. Remember exercise of bragging and
the meditation of “let it be”. Those who have not
attended my classes on these aspects of bragging and
www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 8/9
9/19/2019 Cakras Notes

"let it be" may find this confusing; sorry, it will be

clarified in some future writing.
7. Sahasara: What happens from Ajna to Sahasrara is
not a subject of discussion. No amount of verbal
explanation can bear any fruit. All expectation of such
fruit simply become a hindrance.

www.yogirama.com/CakrasNotes.html 9/9