SUBTLE ANATOMY OF YOGA 45well-known mantra OM. When it is balanced, we are calm, centered, and
connected to our higher guiding force.
Sahasrara
The seventh chakra is located at the crown of the head, the part that is soft
when we are newborns. Sahasrara transcends all the elements, colors, and
sounds. When it is balanced, we are connected to the source of all life.
Through the practice of yoga poses, chanting the bija mantras, and the use
of visualizations techniques, we can cultivate balance throughout all seven
chakras. Through these yoga practices, we awaken kundalini at the base of
the spine in the muladhara. Kundalini is this primal energy. It is like a serpent
form of prana or chi. Through the activation of the kundalini, we begin to
awaken the higher chakras, and the goal is to merge the individual self with
the cosmic self. This kundalini is incredibly strong, like a powerful voltage
of electricity. If the body and nervous system are not properly prepared, then
too much kundalini can blow the energetic circuits of the body. Therefore, it’s
important to practice slowly and steadily with a qualified teacher.
“Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble
for you are made of stars.” —Serbian ProverbI’ve had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful island of Bali three times.
Devotion is embedded within the Balinese culture: devotion to other people,
to nature, and to the divine. Almost everywhere you go on the island, you see
this devotion represented in the temples. They also build altars everywhere.
If you pay attention, you’ll see them behind homes, along the road, at street
intersections, and at the entrances to stores and cafes. This devotion to nature
supports the idea that the Balinese are woven of the same fabric as the Taoists.
My second trip to Bali was to colead a yoga retreat in the well-known town
of Ubud. At one point, we heard about a local Balinese shaman who was said
to be powerful and could do chakra readings. We invited him to visit us. He
arrived with his translator, and both were wearing all white. Like many of the
Balinese people, he had a calm and gentle demeanor.
After setting up, we sent in our first student. After about 15 minutes, we
heard sobbing. After half an hour, the student came floating down the stairs
looking as bright as a star! The afternoon unfolded like that for hours: a stu-
dent went into the chakra session, sounds of crying came cascading down,
and then the student appeared looking a decade younger.
I was the last to go. We started our session by doing a short meditation in
which the shaman asked me to close my eyes and relax. After the meditation,