When I started my journey with Reiki and chakras, I noticed that there is a lot of information out there, sometimes too much information for a novice, for a person who is inexperienced in practicing Reiki. Some of this information tallies up, others conflict. Often people use the terms as they learned them, by word of mouth, but never question what they mean in fact.
One day I received the following question: What is the difference between chakra balancing, chakra opening and chakra activating? It made me think and wonder how I feel and understand all these terms, because I use them for different things. So, here’s my understanding.
Activate – verb, to make active; cause to function or act.
Chakra activating for me is simply being in touch with your chakra with the intention of working with it. By doing a specific action, you feel the shift in the corresponding chakra. For example, if you pick up a tiger’s eye crystal with the intent of more confidence, you can feel a change in your solar plexus. The crystal has connected to the chakra. They are ready to work together. Also, if you twerk (dance throwing or thrusting your hips back or shaking your buttocks, in a low squatting stance), you can feel heat in your root and sacral chakra.
Open – verb, to make no longer closed or fastened, to remove obstructions from; clear; to make available for use
Opening a chakra is more in the direction of working with a chakra in order to obtain a certain physical, emotional, or mental effect. When you open your chakra, the life force energy in your body evens out. This is like opening a gate, you open your energy center and deal with the energy there – if it is an underactive chakra you energize it, if it is an overactive chakra you remove some stimuli.
Some practitioners advise that you close your chakras, not let them open all the time, because this can make you weak and negative strings can get attached to your chakras from the people around. If you do proper grounding and regular cleaning, I find this closing is not necessary. The process of opening and closing of chakras is through meditation: going through the chakras one by one, imagine the petals of the lotus opening and then closing when you are done with the work on them.
Balance – verb, to bring into or maintain in a state of equilibrium, to bring into or keep in equal or satisfying proportion or harmony.
Balancing is about addressing the need of a chakra in order to have each of your chakras in perfect energetic equilibrium. This energy balance is different for each individual and the energy need changes throughout the day, as we meet people, go through different events and interact with situations. At some point, we might need more energy in the heart chakra, for example, to be more compassionate and understanding, because a very dramatic situation requires it (and in order not to be judgmental or overreact). Other times we might need more energy in our throat chakra, for example during a mediation (to speak our truth clear). Balancing our chakras is in the end our goal. If we take action, work with crystals, meditate, use any methods we know, we balance our chakras and have a good and better life.
Article by Patricia Lidia
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Patricia Lidia is a corporate engineer, writer, blogger, and coach on creativity and emotional balance. She is passionate about reading and writing, alternative therapies, and spirituality. She is a Reiki master teacher with over ten years of experience. Her aim is to help women find their emotional balance and create the life they’ve always wanted.
She resides in Timisoara, Romania. You can find her at patricialidia.ro/ or patricialidiaemotionalhealing
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