Chakras as a system for mindful cognition

Chakras are often represented as energy centers that can be flowing or blocked, in which case they prevent us from living a joyful, fulfilling life.

Without a doubt, the traditional approach to understanding chakras is the guiding principle of this article, and we can say that this is not the best terminology. We have no blockages that prevent us from being finally happy, we are not “tainted” by life and traumas that we need to resolve in order to breathe a sigh of relief from all problems once and for all. When I think like this, I always ask myself, “what if I finally clear all the blockages and reach a free, happy soul?” The answer is always the same – there is no ultimate happiness. We are subject to illness, we grow old and we will die, separation and pain are not blockages on a personal level inscribed in our “natal chart” but a natural part of the flow of life. This is not in the least pessimistic contemplation*, I mention it so that it could be added to and said that we can only find true peace in agreeing to this natural process and flow.

Life is a constant process of becoming and disappearing, all our states come and go, we actually only have an experience in which the present experience is present from moment to moment.

It is true that through upbringing we have picked up patterns of action and thinking that have conditioned us in one way or another, but that is natural, we cannot be unconditioned by upbringing and the culture we live in. For example; as a child we cry and show dissatisfaction when something is wrong, if our parents tell us to “be good” or “you are not good” when we behave in this way, we are in conflict – I am in pain and I show it as best I can, and for that I am punished… This is how we learn that it is not safe to be honest, that we are not accepted when we are in pain and that we do not have a shelter in our parents. This is conditioning by upbringing. When we grow up, these beliefs and patterns of behavior are repeated automatically (unconsciously) in close relationships.**

Discontent (from small irritations to deep pain), the feeling of being “blocked” and frustration are states that we live with, which we learn to keep close to our hearts in the understanding that we cannot escape them, that there is nothing wrong if we feel dissatisfaction and pain, and that living a full life means allowing ourselves to feel everything, regardless of the cause.

While we strive for a life without feeling pain and dissatisfaction, we chase happiness that does not exist, we are not good enough as we are (because there must be something wrong with me if I suffer) and we live with the feeling that we still need to improve ourselves, “solve everything completely” in order to be happy.

Disappointment is in the belief that now is not how it “should be”.

Instead of looking for a way to solve our “rooted problems” and “blockages in the chakras” because of which we even allow ourselves to think that we are not good enough and that now is not how it should be, let’s try to see life as a constantly changing process. Every moment is new, no experience is repeated. Although it seems to us that our dissatisfactions are constant, they are present when the conditions for them are present. That is why we turn on the light of awareness, the “mindfulness lamp” precisely in those aspects of our lives that seem rigid, unchangeable and that we would prefer not to look at.

We train our mind to be present with the present moment so that we can see under what conditions these states of mind and body occur. If we can be mindful enough to feel, accept, and ultimately let go of the experience that is now there, we have lived it and let it pass – we cultivate this habit of mind through meditation. We see that this blockage is not a personal thing that “recurs to me all the time”, but only an experience that appeared at that moment under those conditions and passed when the conditions changed. By thinking abstractly, we see the non-personality of the experience and take refuge in the transience that is certain.

We can use the yoga chakra model as a system that helps us illuminate part by part of the body and the complexes that are the causes of the vortex of dissatisfaction. We cultivate a healthy mindful awareness with a compassionate attitude for each part of our body and learn to look with new eyes, from a different perspective, at what we become aware of. Little by little, we see the nature of that dissatisfaction and more easily let it be and pass in our scenario while we, this time aware, react differently. This is precisely the “spin chakra”, in other words, the energy in the body that passes and flows, and the attitude in which life is not a struggle but a journey.

*The wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings says that pain is a noble truth, it says that we should recognize pain, allow it to be, know how to live with it, and not run away from it. Pain (dukkha) is a noble truth because it teaches us to see the true nature of reality: impermanence (anicca) and the impersonality of experience (anata), says the Buddha.

**This thesis is addressed by Gabor Mate in his book “When the Body Says No”. Gabor states that we sacrifice our authenticity (the honesty of how we feel) for attachment (so as not to lose our primary relationship – a caregiver or partner). It is precisely in being dishonest with ourselves and not expressing our sincere feelings that the cause of illness lies.

Join the cycle of awareness of the 7 aspects of being – the chakras ILLUMINATION from 5.11. – 17.12.2022.
The intention of the cycle is to illuminate the main aspects that drive our lives.
The seven energy vortexes, the chakras, create the chemistry that dictates our mood and quality of life.

Watch clips from workshops from the previous cycle…
Awareness cycle
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