Over the past few decades, there has been an explosion of interest in complementary medicine. This has led to a deeper understanding of how the body functions and how energy flows. At the same time, people have developed a greater awareness of a more subtle energy system – the chakra system. This is like discovering a part of our anatomy’s existence that we have never been aware of before and being able to use it to enhance our health and well-being.

The Yogis have used the chakra system for thousands of years as an integral part of holistic healing. A person’s illness often manifests itself in his or her aura before it manifests into the body, mind and emotions. One could lead a healthy lifestyle if his or her chakras are in balance.

What Are Chakras?

In South & Far East Asian cultures, a chakra is thought to be a nexus of metaphysical and/or biophysical energy residing in the human body. The word chakra is derived from the San- skrit meaning “wheel” or “circle”. The chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. The chakras are thought to vitalise the physical body and to be associated with interactions of a physical, emotional and psychological nature. They are considered life energies which are thought to flow along pathways called nadis or meridians. The function of the chakras is to spin and draw in this energy to keep the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health of the body in balance.

What Is Aura?

An aura is the physical manifestation of the electric field surrounding all matter (persons, animals, plants or objects). An aura is also the energy field around all forms of matter that occupies space and each colour represents a different aspect of that matter. Auras can be useful in determining whether or not you should confront a person at a certain time, what you can do to improve your present condition, tuning you in to illnesses and conditions around you and many other benefits as well. Every time you come into contact with someone else, your aura reacts to theirs. If your aura’s frequency is close to theirs, you will feel close to them quickly and be drawn to them. If not, you may feel an instant dislike towards them.

Sex Chakra

The 2nd Chakra, Swadhisthana, is also known as the sex chakra and is located in the upper pelvic area of the body. It is associated with the hypo- gastric plexus and genitals. Due to its relation with sexuality, Swadhisthana is often associated with the testes or ovaries in men and women, as a part of the endocrine system. These produce the different sex hormones, testosterone or oestrogen, which are important factors in sexual behaviour. These are also the locations in which the spermatozoa or eggs are stored with their latent genetic information. Some of our sex chakras are congested or depleted, causing diseases to our reproductive and urinary system. If your sex chakra is not balanced, you will face some of the dysfunctions below:

• Unbalanced Sex Drive

• Instability

• Feelings of Isolation

• Impotence

• Frigidity

Sex Chakra Exercises

Now, let’s try some exercises to balance your sex chakra. Try not to be inhibited when trying out these exercises, as these are designed to stimulate the sex chakra.

Lie on your back with your arms at 45- degree angles to your body. Bend your knees and pull your feet up towards your genital area as far as it feels comfortable enough to do so. Allow your knees to fall out to the sides, stretching the insides of your thighs. Do not worry if your knees do not touch the floor as it depends on your age and flexibility and, more importantly, do not overexert your body as it can cause harm to yourself. Practice makes perfect, so you can try and gradually increase your flexibility.

Bring your knees together and up toward your chest. Enclose your knees with clasped hands and allow the weight of your arms to press your legs inward. Focus first on your lower back and try gently pressing yourself downward into the floor. Then, shift focus to your pelvis and try pressing your tailbone into the floor so that, as you change from one focus to the other, you engage in a gentle rocking movement. Imagine a warm orange liquid swishing inside you, so that every part of your sacral area is massaged internally.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and have your knees slightly bent and keep your arms extended as far as possible within comfortable limits. Tilt your pelvis — the area between your hips and lower abdomen —backward while keeping the rest of your body static.

Thrust your pelvis forward in a swinging motion. Once you get the hang of this exercise, you should be able to rock your pelvis rhythmically in a continuous motion while focusing your mind on the smooth spinning of an orange disk at the sex chakra.