First of all: It’s okay if you aren’t familiar with chakras (you´re not alone), but if you want to be, you have to start somewhere!

Whenever I try to learn something new, I like to pretend to be a kid again, looking at everything through beginner´s eyes. So what better way to get your first insight into Chakras through a very popular TV series for children?

In the Last Airbender, a boy called Aang, the last of his kind who can manipulate air, lives in a nation where the fire tribe rules over the water and earth tribes. In one episode, Aang meets a wise old nomad, the guru Pathik, who teaches him how to open his chakras.

Aang: Uh-what are chakras?
Pathik: I guess we’ll start with the basics.
The water flows through this creek, much like the energy flows through your body.
As you see, there are several pools where the water swirls around before flowing on.
These pools are like our chakras.
Aang: So, chakras are pools of spiralling energy in our bodies?
Pathik: Exactly!
If nothing else were around, this creek would flow pure and clear.
However, life is messy, and things tend to fall in the creek.
And then what happens?
Aang: The creek can’t flow?
Pathik: Yes. But-
-if we open the paths between the pools-
Aang: The energy flows!

Each pool of energy has a purpose, and can be blocked by a specific kind of emotional mark.

• The first chakra is the Earth chakra, located at the base of the spine. It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear.
What are you most afraid of? Let your fears become clear to you. You are concerned about your survival, but you must surrender those fears. Let your fears flow down the creek.

• Next is the Water chakra. This chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt.
Look at all the guilt that burdens you so. What do you blame yourself for? Now accept the reality that these things happened. But do not let them cloud and poison your energy. If you are to be a positive influence on the world, you need to forgive yourself.

• Third is the Fire chakra, located in the stomach. This chakra deals with willpower, and is blocked by shame.
What are you ashamed of? What are your biggest disappointments in yourself? You will never find balance if you deny this part of your life.

• The fourth chakra is located in the Heart. It deals with love and is blocked by grief.
Lay all your grief out in front of you. Love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. A love of your lost ones has not left this world, it is still inside of your heart; and it is reborn in a form of new love. Let it flow through you.

• The fifth in the chain is the Sound chakra, located in the throat. It deals with the truth, and is blocked by lies, the ones we tell ourselves.
You can not lie about your own nature. You must accept yourself as you are.

• The sixth pool of energy is the Light chakra, located in the center of the forehead. It deals with insight, and is blocked by illusion.
The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same. We are all one people, but we live as if divided. We are all connected, and everything is connected. Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one; four parts of the same whole. Even metal is just a part of earth that has been purified and refined.

• The final chakra is Thought chakra and is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachment.
Once you open this chakra, you will be able to go in the state of mind where you will have complete control and awareness of all your actions. Meditate on what attaches you to this world. Now, let all of those attachments go, let them flow down the river; forgotten. You must learn to let go, otherwise you won’t be able to let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the Universe.

As the Guru guides Aang through each chakra and the respective element that is blocking it, Aang learns to let go of each of them in order to connect to his higher self – and you can too.

Meditation, proper nutrition, and exercise are all key to unlocking your chakras. Join us in explore the chakras in our Tue evening meditations to find out how you can nurture and heal each one.