Chakras

Last night, I experienced a Chakra tuning. It was part of the Chopra Center's 21-Day meditation challenge, Day 19.  It was the longest meditation of the series, and it was quite enjoyable.

I found this great illustration of the Chakra's online:

Each Chakra serves a different purpose and is represented by the color that it emits.

From Wikipedia:
Chakra (derived from the Sanskrit cakraṃ चक्रं ([ˈtʃəkrə̃]), pronounced [ˈtʃəkrə] in Hindi; Pali: chakka ॰हक्क, Tamil: Sakkeram, Chinese: 轮, Tibetan: འཁོར་ལོ་; khorlo) is a Sanskrit word that translates as "wheel" or "turning".^[1]

1. Muladhara (Sanskrit: मूलाधार, Mūlādhāra) Base or Root Chakra (ovaries/prostate)
2. Swadhisthana (Sanskrit: स्वाधिष्ठान, Svādhiṣṭhāna) Sacral Chakra (last bone in spinal cord, the coccyx)
3. Manipura (Sanskrit: मणिपूर, Maṇipūra) Solar Plexus Chakra (navel area)
4. Anahata (Sanskrit: अनाहत, Anāhata) Heart Chakra (heart area)
5. Vishuddha (Sanskrit: विशुद्ध, Viśuddha) Throat Chakra (throat and neck area)
6. Ajna (Sanskrit: आज्ञा, Ājñā) Brow or Third Eye Chakra (pineal gland or third eye)
7. Sahasrara (Sanskrit: सहस्रार, Sahasrāra) Crown Chakra (Top of the head; 'Soft spot' of a newborn)

Click here to visit the Wikipedia page on Chakras - it is quite informative and tells you what each one means and how each one can be cleared to help you heal.

I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I did!

Namaste,

Debbie aka Sulilo



 

Thoughts, Desires and Actions

It's true that we control very little in our lives - but we can control how our thoughts, desires, and actions add up.  Together, these demonstrate integrity.

Tonight was Day 18 of the Chopra Center's 21-Day Meditation Challenge.

Another blogger captured the basis of the meditation in this clear, simple visual:

It is all a cycle. If we want to change something - a pattern, a behavior, a situation - we start by intervening at the desire.

Ask yourself: "What do I *really* want? What is my dharma (my purpose in life?" During the meditation, davidji suggests that the process in finding this answer involves asking the Universe how you can use your unique gifts and talents to be of service to others and then to wait on the Universe to reply.  


Let the desire be planted in your heart, then take the right actions to lead you in that direction.

May you find your dharma.



Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

What do I see in her?!?

Have you ever met or seen or heard of someone who led you to say, "Wow. I wish I were as graceful as her," or "I wish I had that kind of creativity" or, I really wish "I wish I were more like her"?

Last night was Day 16 of the Chopra Center's 21-Day Meditation Challenge, and the topic was Archetypes.

This is a fun one that may have you pulling out the collage supplies or a journal.  

We were given a number of attributes and were asked to think of who comes to mind as someone we admire for that attribute. That person would then become our Archetype, or representative for that trait.

I'll give you an example.

Grace.  Let's say you want a little bit more Grace in your life.  Who comes to mind for you as someone who flows with this quality?  For me, it's Audrey Hepburn. 

Audrey Hepburn

We then meditated on this, imagining that some of that Audrey's graceful nature would rub off on us, and we would sense and have more of it in our lives. (And, don't worry - if there are other attributes that this person has that you do not particularly like, you are only drawing in that which you are attracted to and seeking. Just that one attribute.)


Next: Success


For me, the person who comes to mind is professional celebrity makeup artist, Kandee Johnson.  Kandee is a single Mom who started making makeup application tutorial videos on YouTube and has grown her audience to where she now travels the world teaching "Glaminars," her makeup seminar classes.  

I was lucky enough to attend 2 of them last year and meet her in person.  To see how far she's come - her journey has her doing MUCH more than makeup - and how many lives she's touched, it is incredibly inspiring. 

I really want to be successful and live my dreams just as Kandee has done (and continues to do, I hope).  It's about finding your talents and passions, getting creative, and sticking with it.


So, for me, Success is Kandee Johnson.

Kandee Johnson | Image courtesy of Ian Ruhter

I'll share one more (and I hope you'll feel led to share at least one of yours as a response comment!).

Emotional Stability.  The first person that came to mind for me was Oprah Winfrey. She simply mentions something that she likes and everyone runs out to get it. You know why? They trust her.  She's established herself over decades. She's as cool as a cucumber whether she's talking to an audience member or to the next president of the United States. Pretty much always cool, calm, collected, and professional.  I would love the opportunity to just have lunch with her and pick her brain. She truly amazes me.

So for me, Emotional Stability = Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah | Courtesy Harpo Inc.

May you have a fun time identifying and connecting with your Archetypes, and I hope you enjoyed peeking at mine. :)


Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge | Day 15 | A little more time

Day 15 of the meditation challenge.  I didn't feel too well today, but I've been looking forward to my meditation session all day long.

Tonight davidji got us onto a mantra and then "watched the time" for us as we meditated for a full ten minutes.  My mind drifted a lot, but that's what minds do.

Very subduing and relaxing all over - both body and mind.  It was also soothing to hear the reminder that tens of thousands of others are also engaging on this challenge journey.

Have you begun yours?  Do you have a regular meditation or other practice that helps you stay grounded and connected?
 
Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge | Day 14 | Asking "Who Am I?"

If you have not yet signed up for the Chopra Center's FREE 21-day Meditation Challenge, here is that link again. If you are very busy (or not) and know that you need to start taking some time out of your day to connect with and find peace, you may want to give this a try.  If you do, let me know how you like it. :)

Tonight was Day 14 for me. The mantra tonight was "Who am I?"  davidji guided us through a series of what we are not: our titles at work, our hair color, our preferences. We are something deeper than beyond our physiology and mind. 

He says that we are the quiet observer who witnesses our own thinking.  I've read similar things in Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth," - a book I deeply connected with a few years ago.

In it, Eckhart recounts how he hit rock bottom emotionally before awakening spiritually. One evening, he was so depressed and anxious that he contemplated suicide. He caught himself saying aloud, "I want to kill myself."  He found it peculiar that two parts seemed to be involved: The "I" and the "myself" that the "I" could no longer tolerate.

It really is a good read, and perhaps I should revisit it at this stage in my healing process.

Who am I? Who are You?  The answer goes beyond anything on the surface or any simplistic answer, doesn't it?

Recommended Reading:



Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge | Day 13 | Forgiveness

Day 13 of the Chopra Center's 21-Day Meditation Challenge. The topic: Forgiveness.  davidji discusses how when we forgive, we break the ties to those who have hurt us.  He goes on to say that in order to forgive others, we must forgive ourselves.


How many of us walk around with, consciously or unconsciously, self-contempt or a feeling that we are somehow not "good enough"?   In this meditation, we are given the opportunity to connect to what may very well be at the root of this - a lack of forgiveness of ourselves for something that we have been holding on to for a long time. Something for which we have harbored guilt.  Something that we wish we did or didn't say or did or didn't do.


Sound familiar? Or, perhaps you know someone who is in a constant state of shame with regrets over the past.


Allowing ourselves the space to feel whatever comes up around these issues and offering up the space and opportunity for forgiveness can really jump start the healing process.


Toward the end of the meditation, we were to repeat silently to ourselves the mantra, "I forgive myself for _________." I filled in my blank, and after a few moments of repeating it, I noticed something odd - a warm smile emerging on my face.


Was I nuts? Smiling over this? davidji's voice soon returned as he announced that right about now, you should have a smile on your face. You've lifted a weight and released a thread that was holding you back.  Too funny.  It did really feel like a release, though I personally feel like I have a long way to go.


There were some situations in my past that caused so much pain that I have found it very difficult to TRULY forgive. On the surface I have, but inside the destructive side-effects of resentment, anger, and lack of forgiveness have taken their toll in the form of post traumatic stress.


Soooo many people go through this and may not even be aware that this is what is happening.


If we let go...if we truly accept the past and find a way to forgive those who have hurt us, can we really heal?  I'd like to find out.  I know that not forgiving and staying "stuck" sure hasn't helped much.


I am so thankful for these meditations and truly hope that after the 21 days I am able to stay in the habit of practicing. Not only does doing so create a little bit of stress reduction, but it also offers opportunities for self-growth and healing.


May you find your quiet moments. May you be able to forgive yourself and eventually others - truly, wholeheartedly, and completely. May you be FREED from the holds that have bound you for so long. May you accept that the past is the past and that now is now.  May you know that you have a choice to live a life full of hope and joy in the now.


Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge | Day 10 | Be Gentle With Yourself

Tonight's meditation, Day 10 in the Chopra Center's 21-Day Meditation Challenge, was all about the question "Who am I?" I think we all end up thinking this at some point in our lives on a serious level. Who am I? Why am I here?

I found this particular meditation to be quite timely. Though I am most often a sharer of joy and optimism and a cheerleader for the hurting, I have personally been going through a roller coaster of emotions with an unanticipated bout of depression and anxiety that comes and goes through out the day. My current state is not completely without explanation, but it is unpleasant nonetheless. The refuge I take in this experience is that I am alive and able to feel at such a deep level, which has brought some deeper inspiration from a different perspective. I think that at least some of this energy can be positively channeled through my writing.


No matter how sad we may feel at any given time, if we are still breathing, we have hope. It can be so difficult to see and remember other instances where we've persevered through difficulties to enjoy life to the fullest again when we are caught up in the darkness of depression or the overwhelm of anxiety.


I used to be afraid of depression. I'd experienced it in the past and worried that it would destroy me. Depression is serious and it is very important that we reach out to others for help and support (which I have done), but if we look at if from the perspective of experiencing incredibly deep and dark emotions that we would otherwise never encounter, we can appreciate what this experience means. Not that we want it. Not that we'd like it. Not that we'd wish it on our very worst enemy. Not that we'd ask for it. Not that we'd hope for it.


But if it has come, what might happen if we embrace it for a moment? Even asking that made me feel awkward inside. How do we "embrace" depression? Why would we want to? Shouldn't we run as far away from it as quickly as we possibly can? Shouldn't we deny it and fake it 'til we make it? Plaster on a smile and go about business as usual, fooling everyone but ourselves?

None of the latter has worked for me - so perhaps investigating the source of the depression - be it current life circumstances...old wounds that have been re-opened by some trigger...a chemical imbalance...something altogether different...or all of the above...and observing it without judgment as much as possible might be the answer.


What if we tap into the truth about who we really are through meditation and allow these things to reveal themselves in their own time? Most of us (including me at this time in my life) cannot afford the luxury of a sabbatical where we go on a trip and "discover ourselves" like Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of "Eat, Pray, Love" was so blessed to do.

But perhaps we can take a mini-break. I hope and pray that this opportunity avails itself to you should you need it. Let the Universe know that you are open and ready and willing to pass through this storm in order to connect with the parts of you that you are forgetting - the eternal, love-filled self that has always been and always will be.


The few lucid moments that I have when I am able to tap into this truth, my problems seem much smaller. In proportion to eternity, a bout with depression seems like something more tolerable and very temporary. That's not to minimize it. That's not to say it doesn't suck worse than anything else we can imagine. It also doesn't mean that acknowledging this will be the "cure-all" that releases you and sets you immediately on to a happier path (I speak from current experience).


But, it does take some of the edge off. It does make me think that there is SOME purpose to this current suffering. That somehow, if I deal with whatever has rocked my world, my mind, my body, my spirit, my internal chemistry, I may find healing and a more genuine happiness than the one I pretended to have for others' sakes for so long.


Perhaps I will feel freer. Perhaps.


Day 10 of 21. The journey continues.


Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge | Day 9 | The Sweet Sounds of Nature

I felt a little bit apprehensive when I found out that today's meditation, like last night's, was in video format rather than just audio.

Video meditations tend to make me feel a bit antsy. Even though we are given the option of keeping our eyes open or closing them, I find this irresistible urge to keep them open - not wanting to miss anything. Sort of like a child who resists taking a nap because they are afraid they'll miss out on something fun.



In my day-to-day life, I tend to very much be a visual learner.  You can tell me the same thing over and over, but if you show me what you are explaining - an actual sample, or a diagram, just something visual - I will get it.

Perhaps the antsy-ness that arises during the visual meditation is due to my mind doing what it naturally does when the eyes are open - analyzing and gathering information...interpreting it.  

I kept my eyes open during most of this meditation, primarily out of curiosity. It takes place at a lagoon in Carlsbad, California, a place that the Chopra Center refers to as "the sweet spot of the Universe."  It is indeed beautiful. I passed through Carlsbad and spent the night there while on a trip with my sister to the San Diego area.  

I'd felt drawn to that place at times, ever since, not knowing much about it.  Perhaps it is the Sweet Spot of the Universe that beckons us to it for deep meditation and prayer (thought this can be done anywhere).  

In any event, on the video this evening, I watched plants sway in the gentle breeze, clouds against an aqua blue sky, and waters gently flowing.  Due to the high quality of the recording and a good set of stereo speakers, it was possible to feel, for those few seconds where I actually closed my eyes, that I was outside at the lagoon.  With all of the various bird species singing, talking, and squawking away, in some moments, it felt like I was in a bird atrium.  

So whether you meditate better with your eyes closed or with them open, I'd recommend giving 10 minutes of your time to YOU to make your life feel slightly less stressed.  Since the Chopra Center published this video to YouTube, I can share it with you here.


I truly hope you enjoy.


Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge | Day 8 | The Salty Smell of Ocean Air

I find it interesting that tonight's meditation (video below so that you may experience it, too), was on ocean waves.

The video was shot in Carlsbad, a beautiful town on the coast in Southern California, not too far from San Diego.

I could literally smell the ocean breeze during this experience. It takes some suggestibility and a quite an imagination to have such a vivid sensory experience during meditation.  I really enjoyed how realistic it made the experience.  I felt, for those few moments, as if I were looking down at the ocean waves from one of the rocky cliffs overlooking the great expanse of water.

This particular meditation is somewhat of a personification of my present state of being.  I've been riding waves of emotion, sometimes crashing, and sometimes flowing naturally and smoothly.

 
As I participated in this meditation, I noticed that there were moments when I was paying full attention to the waves - their size, the color of the ocean, the spray emitted by their crashes, the imagined smell...and there were other times when my mind drifted off and my muscles became tense. I was thinking about things that have recently happened or worrying about upcoming events - both real and imagined.

Rather than try to force myself back into the present moment, I first acknowledged that the state I was in - one of anxiety and apprehension, was my reality at the moment. I didn't try to run away from it. I didn't fall into shame.

I noticed how, no matter whether I paid attention or fell into fearful thinking, the ocean kept doing it's thing.  It came in. It went out. Ebbs and flows.  The heartbeat of the earth...waves...

We carry on too, even in those times of ups and downs.  We make it through even the difficult waves that we experience.  Life is intelligent and supports us - it's quite easy to see this after observing the ocean, even for just a few moments.

I hope you enjoy.

(Watch in full-screen for the best experience.)





Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge | Day 2 | Following the breath

Today at work I was out in the field with my boss in San Francisco.  I was so excited to be in the city on an unusually HOT day - it was close to 90 degrees, truly unheard of in SanFran - and I wanted to share some of those moments with you...the moments that led up to Day 2 of my experience with the Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation challenge.

Although I was there to write and take photos, I had to wear a hard hat at a construction site. Do I look thrilled?

 I passed through the colorful Castro district.

I waited for my boss in a very cute little neighborhood called Noe Valley. I want to visit there again when I have time to explore.

I passed so many art schools and wondered how cool it must be to be creative in the way of design - to go to school in the city and study art.   I admired artsy, well-dressed people and met with a young woman who is an architect. It was all so inspiring.

I wondered what it must be like to have the potential to fly but to be held back from being able to do so...to be put on display for others to admire, but to not enjoy your own potential. Yes, those are real birds.

 

Sat in San Francisco traffic.

Didn't eat enough during the day - ended up having some massive shakes which led to gulping down some orange juice and an all natural bar. Felt better.

Mind you, these were all little moments in a very busy, near 10 hour day out in the field. I got a lot accomplished work-wise and found an even higher level of respect for my boss after seeing how hard he works out there.

By the time I got home, I was exhausted.  I sat on the kitchen floor with my cat, eyes closed, reconnecting with the moment and very much looking forward to entering the sanctuary of quiet meditation.

Today was Day 2.  The focus was on following the breath. Frankly, when I've been under stress in the past and have tried to do breath-focused meditations, I have gotten freaked out by the awareness of my breath, realizing that it was shallow or very rapid or that I was holding it.  Those thoughts came up, and I let them melt away. 

I allowed myself to move from a very Buddha like posture to more of a supported Savasana on my yoga mat and just followed the breath.  By the time the guider's voice began to gently wrap up the meditation, I realized that I was very much into it and quite relaxed.

I think I could really get used to this daily self-care time.

Namaste,

Debbie aka Sulilo

Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge | Day 1| I am my strongest desire...

Do you ever find yourself in desperate need of some "nothingness" time? Some time when you are free from expectations, both others and your own?

Do you find that most of your time is spent expending energy caring for others or performing tasks that just need to get done?

Perhaps, like me, you find this situation to be familiar.  Perhaps you've been searching (or hoping) for a way to find some balance - a way to take care of YOU without any guilt trips, whether real or imagined.

Perhaps you've also noticed that you don't have a ton of time in the day to make this possible with all of the other responsibilities that you have taken in your life.

I'll tell you what: You can find about 15 minutes a day to do something that will help you find balance on all levels.

I've decided to do this by way of the free online Chopra Center's 21-Day Meditation Challenge. I really don't remember how I stumbled upon it. I was probably googling "Guided Meditation Videos" at the time and happened to land upon this precious jewel of a program. Did I mention that it's free?!

From what I understand, you get on the email list, and when the new round of 21 days begins, you get your first email. For me, today was Day 1.

I was delightfully surprised by how completely relaxed and wonderful I could feel in just 12 minutes.  In fact, it felt far longer than that (in a good way), so when the guider announced how long the session had been, I was wowed. I was also touched by the some words that he said. He asked us to reflect for a moment on our deepest desires.  Mine are to be truly happy and content.

About a moment later, he said that whatever our deepest desire may be, that is what we ARE. I acknowledged that I am that that I desire - I am happiness and contentment. It was then that I decided that I would share this journey with you here.

Perhaps you'll be inspired to participate. Perhaps you'll even share your thoughts along the way in the form of a comment under my posts.  Maybe you just want to witness another human being's journey on this path before you decide to embark on it.  Whatever has led you here and has you still reading, I am glad. Hopefully you'll hang out with me long after the 21 days. :)


Evidently, each day will be a different type of meditation, and the hope is that you will find one you like and stick with it after the 21 days of guided practice. This particular session that I practiced tonight was a mindfulness meditation - probably the best type to start with, especially if you are an absolute beginner with meditation.

The guider's soft and comforting voice guided all of my senses into noticing what was happening in the present moment. Any time my mind drifted, I was instructed to become aware of what I heard, smelled, tasted or what my body felt, and this, so easily yet miraculously brought me into the present.  

And my mind did drift, indeed.


Some of the things I recall thinking about:


My friend who had a medical procedure today
Another friend with whom I emailed with today
Another friend who had just made a funny comment on one of my facebook posts
How I would like to ice the cake that was cooling down in the kitchen
What might happen at work tomorrow
And many other thoughts...

 


My intention in sharing that list with you is to encourage you.  Most people avoid meditation because they think that they have to somehow turn their mind off in order to have had a "successful" meditation session. Newsflash = your mind will keep thinking thoughts. That's its job.  You are not supposed to stop it.  Let it do its thing, and over time, you will become more disciplined and less bothered by it. 


At least, that's what I'm told, and that's what I am looking forward to.


May you step on this journey with an open heart and open mind.  May you find all that you are looking for, one step at a time.


Namaste,
Debbie aka Sulilo