Hello and welcome to The Inner Map,
A chakra series for beginners.
In this introductory audio we'll explore what the chakras are and why they matter.
You'll learn the basic architecture of the seven chakras inside the body and you'll be guided through each one using three essential qualities,
Curiosity,
Compassion and commitment.
Together we'll take a brief journey through the full inner map of your chakra system and in the meditations that follow inside of this series you'll go deeper into each chakra individually,
Discovering their unique themes and learning to work with their energy in more nuanced ways.
The chakra system is the body's subtle energy network shaping how you think,
How you feel,
How you create and how you connect.
You don't need to know anything about the chakras to be here and receive something from this journey.
What matters is your curiosity,
A willingness to listen inwardly and an open mind to the possibility that energy and awareness move through you all the time.
Modern science shows us that everything,
Including the human body,
Is made up of energy and vibration.
Matter is simply energy slowed into form and while our minds are trained to trust only what we see,
Attuning to energy invites us to sense the subtler layers of life that are always here.
It takes practice to read and understand energy but the more you do the more you realize how directly it shapes your everyday experience.
So what are the chakras and why do they matter?
Your chakras are energy centers within your body.
You can imagine them as portals or whole universes of light and information.
There are seven main chakras aligned along the spine from the base of the body to the crown of the head.
Together they form an inner map that connects the physical,
Emotional and energetic dimensions of who you are.
When energy flows freely through this map life feels balanced.
You experience vitality,
Clarity and connection and when energy becomes blocked or overactive you may feel stuck,
Depressed,
Anxious,
Disconnected or uncertain.
Working with the chakras is a powerful way to check in with the body,
The mind and the energy field to sense what is out of balance and learn how to bring it back into harmony because our outer life is a reflection of our inner world.
Creating more balance within naturally brings more ease and more flow to the world around us.
You may begin to notice synchronicities,
Fresh ideas,
Creative energy and simple solutions appearing where there once was resistance.
So before we explore the seven energy centers it helps to anchor the mindset we bring to the practice because the quality of our awareness shapes the depth of what we experience.
As we move through this inner map we'll use three simple qualities as anchors for the journey.
Curiosity,
Compassion and commitment.
These are inner attitudes that help make your meditation experience more grounded,
More personal and easier to trust.
As you practice them you'll find the experience becomes lighter,
More creative and more natural.
You may notice the same softening ripple through your outer life too in your thoughts,
Your reactions to different situations and your relationships.
So let's take a moment to notice what these qualities feel like in our body before we marry them with each chakra.
So curiosity,
How does feeling and being curious feel like for you?
What's the energetic signature of curiosity for you?
Curiosity is the willingness to notice without judgment,
To ask what's happening here or what's here for me rather than what's wrong or what's wrong with me.
It opens the mind to the limitless possibilities that are available in every moment and so how does it feel in your body to be curious?
The next quality we're going to explore and work with inside of this meditation is compassion.
How does compassion feel in your body?
Compassion softens what you find.
It allows you to meet discomfort,
Boredom,
Resistance,
Fear or pain and the simple reality of the moment with gentleness.
When you practice compassion inside meditation you naturally begin to meet yourself and others with the same grace in your outer life.
So what is your signature of compassion in the body?
And our final quality to explore is commitment.
Commitment is your promise to stay present,
To return to the body,
The breath,
The now even when the mind drifts towards the past or the future it's the practice of building safety and capacity to be with yourself both the dark and the light within you.
So how does it feel in your body when you choose to be present?
So at any moment in your practice you might ask what can I let go of to be more curious?
How can I be more compassionate toward myself right now?
Or what anchor can I use in this moment to bring me fully into the present moment?
Okay you've learned what the chakras are,
Why they matter,
How energy shapes the way you move through life.
You've also met the three qualities that will guide this journey.
Now we'll bring it all together in practice mapping the seven energy centers through your own body.
So take a moment to get comfy.
Let the body find its seat or rest back if you're lying down.
You can gently close your eyes or just soften your gaze and notice your breath moving in and out.
Your body expanding with each inhalation and your body contracting with each exhalation.
I'm going to be guiding your awareness through specific parts of your body.
All you need to do is think of that area to place your attention there as if you're shining a small beam of awareness into that part of you.
And this isn't serious work.
You can be creative,
You can be playful,
It's just meditation after all.
And then just notice what you notice.
Warmth,
Tingling,
Heaviness,
Spaciousness or even nothing at all.
If you feel nothing then notice what that nothing feels like.
Let's begin at the base chakra located at the base of the spine connected to the legs,
The feet,
The pelvic floor.
The element that the base chakra governs is the element of earth.
Its color frequency is red and its themes are safety and grounding.
Physically our base chakra is linked with the skeletal system,
The large intestine,
The kidneys and the adrenal glands.
All parts of the body that stabilize and support you.
It governs your sense of security,
Your home,
Your work life,
Money,
Food and belonging.
As you rest your awareness here at the base of your body,
Feel the weight of your body making connection with the physical part of your environment that's holding you.
Be curious about what safety feels like inside of you.
Be compassionate with any tension or restlessness you're experiencing now.
And commit to this moment breathing steadily into the base of the body,
Into the earth of the body.
This chakra says I am.
Let's take a breath as we move into the sacral chakra,
Raising your awareness slightly up the body.
You'll find the sacral chakra located in between the belly button and the pubic bone nestled deep,
Deep,
Deep within the center of your body.
Connected to the hips,
The pelvis,
The lower belly.
The element here is water,
The color frequency is orange and the themes associated with the sacral chakra is creativity,
Flow,
Emotion,
Sensuality and sexuality.
The sacral chakra energy governs the reproductive organs,
The bladder,
The lower digestive tract and the reproductive and urinary systems.
This center influences pleasure,
Sensuality and emotional openness.
Sense a gentle fluidity here like the ocean inside of your body.
Be curious about what feels alive or numb.
Offer compassion to whatever arises.
And commit to staying present with your natural fluid breath.
And this is the part of your inner identity that says I feel.
Over the next breath let's move into the solar plexus chakra.
This is found in the upper abdomen just below the opening of the ribcage.
The element that the solar plexus governs is fire,
Your inner fire and its color frequency is yellow.
Its themes are confidence,
Purpose,
Action,
Will,
Self-confidence and self-belief.
Physically your solar plexus is related to the digestive organs,
The stomach,
The liver,
The pancreas and the gallbladder and the metabolic system.
This is the seat of your personal power and inner strength,
Guiding action and self-belief.
Imagine a steady flame here.
Be curious about where it burns bright and where it might dim.
Be compassionate with any doubt or any fatigue that lives here.
Commit to your breath here clear and steady.
It's here your inner identity says I do.
Okay final breath here as we move into your heart chakra,
The center of your chest connecting the lungs,
The heart and the upper back.
The element that the heart chakra governs is air and so we can use our breath to connect more deeply and open our heart.
Its color frequency is green or pink and its themes is love,
Connection,
Forgiveness,
Compassion and joy.
It's linked to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and the thymus gland,
All connected with breath,
Circulation and immunity.
It bridges the physical and the spiritual aspects of the self,
Sitting in the center of the seven chakras,
Three below,
Three above.
As you breathe here notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest.
Be curious about the sensation of opening and softening.
Let compassion soften the heart space.
Commit to staying with the simple natural rhythm of your breath.
It's here your inner identity says I love.
Beautiful work.
Okay moving up into the throat chakra next.
Located in the center of the throat and the neck,
The element here is sound,
The color frequency is blue and the themes that interact with your life through the throat chakra is your expression,
Your authenticity,
Your ability to express your truth and the ability to embody your higher purpose.
Physically the throat chakra is connected to the thyroid and the parathyroid glands,
The throat,
The mouth,
The jaw and the vocal cords and it governs the endocrine and respiratory systems.
This center is where your authenticity lives,
The space through which you express your truth.
Penetrate your awareness into the throat.
Notice what you notice.
Curious about what your throat feels like.
Be curious about the story in your life around speaking up,
Speaking your truth.
Be compassionate with any hesitation or any past experiences where your throat has been blocked.
And here in this moment committing to yourself and to the honesty of your inner voice.
This inner identity says I speak.
A final breath here and we'll move into the third eye chakra together.
Located between the eyebrows deep into the center of the head.
Connected to the eyes,
The temples and the forehead.
The element here is light.
Color frequency is indigo and the theme is intuition,
Vision and clarity.
The third eye chakra is linked with the pituitary gland,
The nervous system and the brain.
And this chakra is the center of perception,
Imagination and insight.
Imagine a soft light spreading through your forehead.
Be curious about the quiet guidance within,
Softer and more subtler than the noise of the mind.
While being compassionate toward the mind chatter.
And in this moment committing to yourself to trust your inner perception.
This aspect of your inner identity says I see.
Take a final breath here as we land in our final chakra for this inner map journey.
The crown chakra is located at the top of the head.
Connected to the brain,
The pineal gland and the entire nervous system.
The element associated with the crown chakra is consciousness.
The color frequency is violet or white and the theme here is higher awareness and unity to all.
This center represents connection to higher consciousness and your sense of the divine.
As you bring your awareness here sense spaciousness.
Openness to something greater than yourself.
Be curious about that vastness.
Be compassionate around any doubt or restrictive energy here.
And in this moment here you have an opportunity to commit to yourself.
To commit to being both grounded in your physical body,
In your physical environment while also being connected to an expansive inside of the multidimensional realm that you live inside of.
This brings our journey through the seven primary chakras within the body to completion.
You've located each center,
Felt its energy and connected with its core themes.
In the sessions ahead you'll journey through each chakra individually exploring its physical,
Emotional and energetic dimensions in more depth.
Each meditation will build on this foundation helping you to strengthen your awareness to balance your energy and to live with greater presence.
Let's take one last slow breath here together in through your nose and as you breathe out through the mouth integrating everything that you have experienced here.
Acknowledge your curiosity for beginning your compassion for yourself and your commitment to keep showing up.
When you're ready you can gently open your eyes.
Thank you for being here and I look forward to our next journey together.
Bye for now.
