The seven chakras and their gift of creativity
What are Chakras?
The ancient yogis intuited that we all have subtle energy paths + centers all throughout our bodies. These centers are spinning wheels of energy called Chakras. Different spiritual paths describe different numbers of chakras and have assigned them different colors and attributes.
How to sense your own Chakras
The concept of the Chakras can seem really abstract and as with all subtle energy, not always readily accessible. In other words, you might not be able to feel into your own chakras and understandably, be a little bit skeptical about their existence.
And I totally get that. It’s one thing to read in a yogic text explaining that the body is made up of entities of subtle energy and when these major vortices of energy align, boom, you reach enlightenment.
It’s a whole other thing to experience the energy of these different centers for yourself. Can you really feel them in your body and have momentary (or sometimes sustained) glimpses of awakened connection with yourself and everything around you? And if you can feel them, what do they feel like?
“The Tantras tell us that we all are already awake, divine, creative and connected, we are just in an on-going process of forgetting that and then remembering it again.”
I like to think of the chakras as tiny gateways into the remembrance of that awakened state.
They offer us themes to work with and help us understand our experiences, traits, idiosyncrasies, and issues a little bit better. By working within the qualities and attributes of each chakra (qualities that might feel more tangible than subtle energy,) we can come to know ourselves a little bit better.
Kundalini + your divine creative nature
It’s hard to talk about the Chakras without also talking about the energy of Kundalini.
As I understand it, kundalini is a specific form of Shakti (divine feminine energy), it’s sometimes even referred to as kundalini-shakti.
This specific form of energy is said to be coiled at the base of the spine (the root of the word Kundal, actually means “coil”) and it arises up through each of the energy centers all the way to the Crown chakra where it unites with Shiva, consciousness.
This unification of Kundalini-Shakti (divine creative energy) with Shiva (consciousness) enables a full awakened and creative state for the individual.
This is called a Kundalini awakening.
But what does this mean for regular ole yogis like you and me?
I believe that even though most of us aren't walking around in states of enlightenment, we are all having tiny awakenings happening within us all the time; little moments of oneness, peace, stillness, and expansive creativity.
Awakened Kundalini=Inspired Creativity
I also believe that within the small awakenings we experience in our every day lives, there is something profound happening to our creativity.
When the creative energy flows through a chakra and we engage with the qualities of that center, we are awakening new pathways to experience and work with the different aspects of the creative process.
In my experience, blocked creativity looks a lot like blocked chakras. And when the chakras are awake, alive, energized and vital, and flushed with that crazy creative, powerful Kundalini-shakti, it results in flowing, inspired creativity.
Open chakras work in tandem to help you unfold your creative potential.
The Chakras
Name: Mulhadhara
Meaning: “Root Support”
Location: Base of Spine, Perineum
When the root chakra is awake and flowing with creative kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Strong and secure in your abilities
Like you deserve to create
That you can fully believe in yourself as an artist, as a creative being
Brave, gutsy even
Like a risk taker (in a good way)
A stable sense of self-worth
When the root chakra is blocked, cut off from the creative flow of kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Like a fake or a fraud
Insecure
Self-doubt
Unworthy to create
Like all the good ideas are gone (scarcity mindset)
Creative Exercise for the Root Chakra
Create a nature mandala.
Get out into nature with some time and the intention to connect with the earth. If it’s warm enough, go barefoot!
Find a place on even ground where you are feeling called to create your mandala.
Collecting sticks, or stones or any other element of nature that you find, begin to create a circle, a mandala that represents your sense of belonging on the earth.
Spend as much time as you need, breathing deeply while you work.
When you have finished your mandala, spend a few minutes in quiet meditation with your eyes closed or gazing down into your creation.
Name: Svadhisthana
Meaning: “Sweetness”
Location: 2 finger widths below the navel
When the Sacral Chakra is awake and flowing with creative kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Fluidity
Passion
Pleasure + joy
Expansive
Expressive
A sense of well-being
When the Sacral Chakra is blocked, cut off from the creative flow of kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Directionless (not sure of your passions)
Depleted
Disconnected from your feelings + emotions
Guilty about making art for the pure pleasure of it
Creative Exercise for the Sacral Chakra
Turn up the tunes, dance in your living room.
Put on your favorite song.
Turn it up.
Dance around the room, moving your entire body and especially your hips
Dancing is so good for bringing in more fluidity to the body and waking up sacral chakra!
Name: Manipura
Meaning: “Lustrous Jewel”
Location: between the sternum and stomach
When the Solar Plexus Chakra is awake and flowing with creative kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Like taking action + making stuff happen
Totally motivated to create
You can bring ideas to life
Empowered
Productive in how you spend your energy
You know yourself in relation to the world
When the Solar Plexus Chakra is blocked, cut off from the creative flow of kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Highly self critical
Depleted in your energy levels
Disempowered
Procrastination station
You can only find answers outside of yourself
No motivation to create
Creative Exercise for the Solar Plexus Chakra
Become an explorer in your own backyard.
Grab a sketchbook or journal
Head out for a walk around your neighborhood
Begin looking at items you see everyday (doorways, trees, houses, buildings, gates, etc.)
Look for patterns, textures, symbols, colors, anything unique and interesting that catches your eye and document them in your sketchbook.
Looking at ordinary things in a new way can help break your inertia and rev up the solar plexus chakra.
Name: Anahata
Meaning: “Unstruck Resonance”
Location: Center of the chest
When the Heart Chakra is awake and flowing with creative kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Free to create
Lightheartedness around what you create
Spirited + energized
Self-acceptance
Grace + ease
United with the world around you
When the Heart Chakra is blocked, cut off from the creative flow of kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Egotistical
Locked in your own self-defined boundaries
Fear of rejection
Separate from the world around you
Creative Exercise for the Heart Chakra
Paint with the Breath.
Get out some watercolor paper and paint.
Wet down the watercolor paper.
Put some paint on your brush and take a deep inhale. Exhale and let the paint move through the water and over the surface of the page. Continue this process until you have filled the page.
The Heart Chakra is connected with the breath and the energy that is carried into the breath, so tuning into your breath helps to open the heart chakra.
Related: Painting with the Breath: An exploration of Shakti
Name: Vishuddha
Meaning: “Purification”
Location: the throat
When the Throat Chakra is awake and flowing with creative kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Comfortable expressing your truth
Authentic
You are finding your voice and style as a creator
Connected to your creative energy
A zest for your creative life
When the Throat Chakra is blocked, cut off from the creative flow of kundalini-shakti, you feel:
You have to hide or suppress your truth
Disconnected to a higher truth
Like you don’t have a voice
Uncreative
Worn out
You have a hard time saying no to projects/plans/people that don’t fire you up
Creative Exercise for the Throat Chakra
Sing in the Shower.
If you are self conscious about your voice, find a time when no one is around.
Belt out your favorite song or make up one of your own, maybe about how you are feeling in that moment.
Sing at the top of your lungs and in a soft whisper and even if you feel silly.
Notice if you feel any differently after.
Singing wakes up the vocal chords, eases tension in the jaw and mouth, opens up the lungs and makes the Throat Chakra ring!
Name: Ajna
Meaning: “Perception”
Location: Just above the brow at the center of the forehead
When the Brow Chakra is awake and flowing with creative kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Intuitive (that feeling when “you just know”)
A sense of leadership
Imaginative
Like you are learning deep lessons from your life experiences
Confident in your knowledge
When the Brow Chakra is blocked, cut off from the creative flow of kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Dull thinking
Judgemental
Creativity is for other people, but not you
Foggy brained
Creative Exercise for the Brow Chakra
Draw a Yantra.
A yantra is a geometrical diagram that represents a particular energy or entity
The making of the yantra is a meditation in itself and then can be used as tool to meditate upon.
You will need paper, a ruler, a compass, a pencil and some instructions. I recommend this fantastic book to learn how to create a yantra: Nine Designs for Inner Peace by Sarah Tomlinson
Name: Sahasrara
Meaning: “Infinite”
Location: At the top of the head
When the Crown Chakra is awake and flowing with creative kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Connected to your deeper source
You have a positive outlook on life
Grateful
Accepting
Embraced
Whole
When the Crown Chakra is blocked, cut off from the creative flow of kundalini-shakti, you feel:
Disconnected from your source
Limited
Like you are striving
Like something is missing in your life
Creative Exercise for the Crown Chakra
Collage Vision board for what you want to manifest in your life.
Gather magazines, scissors, glue and some poster board
Set a timer for 10 minutes and flip through the magazines and quickly rip out any pages that speak to you about what you want your life to look like
Cut out bits and pieces from these pages and glue them to your board. These don’t have to be pictures of things, they can be textures, colors, patterns that represent what you desire and how you want to feel in your life.