It’s a common idea that any kind of spiritual path is for those who don’t have real problems to deal with. I’ve heard various versions of this underlying notion during my years of practicing and teaching Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program. 

One of them is that I’m a practical person and that’s how I approach things in my life. There’s this misunderstanding that spiritual evolution, a spiritual journey are somehow disconnected from real, everyday life. I use the word misunderstanding deliberately, as the above idea suggests that spirituality is something to think about instead of something to live.

Another one is I need to pay the bills and manage my life, I don’t have time for such ideas. Or I understand if someone would like to see meaning and purpose in their lives, but I rather base my judgement on the facts, on what I can see.

Let’s do a little experiment here. I’ll take an imaginary model who has similar views to the above ones and do a chakra diagnosis on her. She’s only invented to keep the personal part out of the way, but real enough for us to feel that we know her. I’ll give you a description of her body and some characteristic patterns of her thoughts and emotions. But before we dive into that experiment, I’d like to point out very clearly that such a diagnosis is never based on judgement. We all have our blocks and stories behind them. To use the diagnosis to judge each other in any way or to feel superior to others is a serious mistake and a misunderstanding of the whole point of it.

So please, while you read further, keep the above in mind. We’re all one, helping one another along this journey of life. Alright then, judging off, curiosity and the will to evolve on. Ready? 

Chakra diagnosis in Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program is always based on the body. That’s because it’s objective. The position of the bones, the way and place of the breathing, the tenseness or laxness of the muscles, the proportions of the body are all important landmarks. They show where the flow of the energy is blocked. It’s important to keep in mind that as long as we’re alive, the flow is never entirely blocked. And this whole beautiful system shows where we should be starting the work.

Root chakra

So let’s start with the root chakra. What exactly are we looking at here? The part of the body between the tailbone and the soles of the feet.

This chakra is responsible for how we are connecting to this physical world, to our roots: our ancestors and family. Our deepest fears reside here, especially existential ones. This is the chakra where our instincts are, the place of the fight or flight response. Our connection to survival and food are coded here. 

It provides us with a stabilizing force both physically and emotionally. 

And how does it look for our imaginary model? Well, she’s someone with curves, relatively short. She has a lumbar lordosis (an exaggerated inward curve of the spine, sometimes referred to as ‘swayback’), and because of that, her tailbone is pointing upward. 

Now, as we’re talking about a chakra that’s connecting us to the material world, the stability and its grounding force have signs on our bodies, too. It means that the hip bones and the tailbone are heavy, pointing toward the ground, sort of weighing us down. Otherwise the relationship to this material world is not optimal. As if something was pulling us out of it, leaving us lacking a free flow in our finances for instance, or destabilized in a challenging situation. 

What would happen if she started practicing Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program? 

Well, on the level of the body her lordosis would start to be corrected. It’d mean a bigger distance between her vertebrae in her lower back, giving the tailbone that downward direction. And because of that correction her usual lower back pain would start to diminish.

On the level of her emotions and life she’d begin to feel less fear, more stabilized and calm. 

Sacral chakra

Here, we’re looking at the girth of the sacrum and lower abdomen. 

This chakra is often referred to as the sex chakra. But it’s actually a lot more to it. It’s responsible for the flow of life, for enjoying life, creativity, playfulness and of course, plays a part in relationships and sexuality as well.

As for our model, remember her lordosis? As it affects not only the lumbar part, but her entire lower back right down to the last bone, the tailbone, the sacral chakra will have a bit of a closed position. And what does that mean?

Well, let’s dispel a common misconception here of closed chakras. There is no such thing as a closed chakra. As long as we are alive, the energy is flowing through our energy system and through our chakras, therefore they are not closed. There can be, and for all of us there are smaller or more severe blockages of course, but they never block the way of energy flow completely. 

So here, in our case the vertebrae at the sacral segment of the spine are closer to each other and as a compensatory mechanism, the muscles in the lower abdomen are more tense than necessary, resulting in that partly closed position. 

Such position of this body part makes it hard to relax and enjoy our lives. And by enjoying our lives I don’t mean the ability to feel joy over the positive things or events. I mean the joy that’s coming from the feeling of increasing flow of life, which is with us all the time, regardless of what does or does not happen.

That is the ideal way of working of the sacral chakra, and in such a state we feel relaxed and energized at the same time, creative, and enjoying the force of our femininity or masculinity.

Solar plexus

What are we looking at here? The abdomen and the lumbar part of the spine. This is the center for health and life force, self confidence and the ability to set and keep your limits. It’s an important chakra for equal, balanced relationships without games and the need for any party to win or to play the victim. 

For our model, her lumbar lordosis brings her back pain on the physical level and a sense of powerlessness in her life. Her somewhat rounded and soft belly indicates her need for protection, as she feels that she’s too week to act for herself and to defend herself against so many attacks from the world outside. She generally feels to be a victim of the circumstances.

What changes would the practice of Karma Killer begin to bring about?

Besides the above mentioned spinal corrections she’d have the energetic conditions of getting rid of unwanted belly fat. I say conditions because obviously, when we talk about losing belly fat, we’re all aware that it’s a complex matter: it’ll depend on several factors including her diet, her lifestyle and whether or not she exercises regularly, just to name a few. But when it’s all based on a clean and powerful solar plexus chakra, everything goes much smoother. 

She’d gradually realize her own power and feel that it’s up to her what to let inside her own world and appreciate her own limits and those of others. Her relationships would begin to change from the defense and offense games to equal ones, giving way to truly heartfelt connections. 

Her intentions to set and reach her goals and her deliberation would be enforced.

Heart chakra

Which part of the body are we looking at here? The chest and the upper back. For our model, this area has emphasis. It shows that she has a big heart, feelings play an important role in her life and also to love and to be loved. 

It also shows that it brings her quite some pain, too. How? The muscles here are tense, and this is also where her breathing is (a bit shallow and the belly hardly moves with the breathing). In this state she cannot allow herself to decide how much to be involved emotionally in a situation. Because of the tenseness, the chest is not flexible, not offering the possibility for her to stay out. 

As a result, she falls out easily from her center should anything happen that affects her emotionally. Also, she often has the feeling of just giving but not really getting back in her relationships. It also brings her fear that she’ll be loved back only as long as she’s giving, in some cases well over her limits.

And what changes could she expect with practicing Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program?

Balance, love and joy to put it shortly. She would begin to feel that her sensitivity is rather a blessing, not a burden, as she had often felt earlier. Instead of feeling emotionally exploited she would observe her own feelings and be able connect truly, deeply from that place. She’d feel a lot more balanced and emotionally centered.

Throat chakra

The body part for us to look at here is the neck and the throat. This chakra is responsible for so much more than merely communication. It’s about how much you can present your core values to the world. It’s also about the truth in your life, in your relationships and about your true calling. 

For our model this part is a bit closed. The tenseness of the heart area and the tucked chin create a choky feeling. This state makes it hard for her to communicate her needs and feelings clearly and openly. Therefore she either holds them back or lets them out in a passive aggressive way. She cannot live according to her real values and doesn’t trust that anyone would actually care.

Let’s assume that she begins to practice Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program. What are the changes she’d start to notice?

Symptoms she might experience at the throat chakra, like having a lump in her throat or an addiction, would begin to heal (it’s important to know, that as with any real healing, symptoms may temporarily intensify).

Her communication would get clearer, what she says more aligned with how she says it. It’d come less from the fear of being pushed into the background and more from the desire to remain in the truth of any situation. Also, she’d begin to see her values fairly and would find it easier talking and acting based on them – while appreciating those of others.

Third eye

All chakras are important, of course, and all of them have their own role and purpose, but the third eye plays an important part in all of them. Similarly to the heart chakra, which can store the pain and hurt of old stories connected to the field of any other chakra (subjects like the right to live and be happy, self confidence and career, relationships, etc), the third eye chakra stores the explanations and views that are connected to them. 

In the body it’s located in between the chin and the top of the forehead. Important signs here are the face and the look, the tightness or looseness of the face muscles.

In our model’s case, it is an active area. She has the intense gaze of usually smart people, and the overtension of constant thinking and calculating, evaluating and creating scenarios is visible on her face.

And how does it affect her life? On one side, she’s an intelligent person with good perception skills and quick comprehension. On the flip side, she has many limiting worldviews and is judgemental.

Practice would let her third eye chakra work and serve in an optimal way, which is seeing things clearly, as they are, not filtered and colored by viewpoints and ideas about how things should be, or what others should think and how they should behave. It’d bring her new opportunities, fresh ways of looking at things, different solutions, and a more open and free perspective.  

Crown chakra

This is probably the most underrated one, as it’s hard to even formulate what it is about. It’s not like, say, you want to be better at respecting your limits and saying no, you work with the solar plexus chakra.

Crown chakra is a connection with what is above us, to the spiritual world.

Now, this is something that sounds good but hard to capture how it works in your everyday life and what’s the actual use of it. To put it shortly, thanks to this chakra is how all the others will be enlivened. Why? Because whatever you may be after – less stress, a well paid job, a loving relationship – will only be filled with something extra, something magical when you know that there’s a purpose to all of it, and you’re not alone. Then, and only then will your life become a truly interesting, inspiring and happy journey instead of being a lonely fight for whatever you want to achieve for your own good. 

In the body it’s covered by the top of the head from about the hairline and above. 

For our model it has a look as if she was carrying something heavy at the top of her head. In her life it means to feel alone and unprotected, caught in the grayness of everyday life. In which she’s defenseless against the twists and turns of life.

What changes could she expect with practicing Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program?

She’d begin to feel her days begin to fill with life and meaning, instead of being just time that you have to spend, or even worse, have to endure somehow. The pain that she’s somehow forgotten would start to dissolve in the feeling of being taken care of and guided. Fear and despair would fade slowly to give their place over to hope, trust, gratitude and joy.

Summary

Your chakras are not supposed to be storehouses. As long as they are, they determine your relationship with the different fields of your life, having an effect on them and working on a much deeper level than that of the mind, which is mostly unreachable and unalterable by your consciousness.

The good news is that this is not some kind of a punishment: it’s for your own good and promotes your evolution. And once you decide that you want that progress, chakra cleansing with Karma Killer Yoga by Anamé Program is a powerful tool regardless of your age, your physical state or flexibility, your ability to focus or whether or not you’ve ever been into spirituality.

All you need is intention and deliberate action that you designate time and energy for practice. And then, layer by layer you’ll clean away all the obstacles keeping you from a happy, content and full life.

In the next post I’ll be awaiting you with a jumbo jet challenge and useful hints to induce real change in your life. Don’t miss it!😉