The Nabhi Chakra
Saha means ‘with’, Ja means ‘born’. Sahaja also means effortless or spontaneous. Yoga literally means union or connection. This method of meditation is born with every human being and it connects us with the inner peace and silence that exists deep within each of us. Sahaja Yoga was founded by Her Holiness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1970. It involves the awakening of a subtle spiritual energy known as the Kundalini which lies dormant in the sacrum bone, rolled up in a spiral of 3-1/2 coils. The gentle awakening of this Kundalini energy and the inner journey of self-discovery is known as self-realization. This process of self-realization is centuries old and was practiced by saints throughout its history, for example Confucius, Moses, Sai Nath, Guru Nanak, etc. However this technique was passed by these primordial masters to just one or two disciples and this could never become popular. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi developed this method by which a normal householder can experience this awakening sitting in his or her house.
Shri Mataji was born in India, and was brought up with a Christian background. She started teaching the technique of Sahaja Yoga meditation to a couple of people in India in the early 1970’s. Then, slowly more and more people in India started to practice it. In the late 1970’s Shri Mataji moved to London, England. There she also started to teach Sahaja Yoga meditation to a small group of people. Now the meditation is practiced in over 50 countries, at no cost. Sahaja Yoga meditation is free. Previously, to get kundalini awakening, the person would have to dedicate a number of years of his life to get the experience. He would have to find a genuine guru who would then open one chakra at a time. Shri Mataji through the technique of Sahaja Yoga meditation was able to awaken the kundalini and the chakras in seconds. In this article, we will discuss the 3rd energy center which is the Nabhi chakra.
In the articles on Sahaja Yoga, published so far in Natural Awakening-Houston, human subtle/spiritual system, Mooladhara and Swadhisthana energy centers were discussed, respectively. As discussed previously, the human body is made up of three channels and seven energy centers. The left channel controls our emotions, the right channel controls the actions and planning and the central channel gets us into balance and is responsible for our ascent . Nabhi chakra is the third energy center in our subtle system. Nabhi Chakra is the place of our seeking and our satisfaction. This center is situated in the stomach area, in the center of the subtle body region known as the Void. At the gross level, this chakra corresponds to solar plexus as shown in figure above. This center gives us the power to sustain things within ourselves, governs the function of digestion and assimilation and controls the functioning of stomach, spleen, intestine and part of liver in human body. It has 10 sub-plexus and its element is water. Each chakra in the human body has different qualities and by healing and balancing these chakras, we awaken and enhance these qualities within us. The qualities represented by this chakra are evolution, generosity, righteousness and sustenance. Each Chakra is represented on our hands, feet and our head. Following figures show these places for the Nabhi chakra.
It is our seeking that is felt from this chakra, the needs for water, food, shelter, love, and fulfilment which ultimately manifest as our spiritual seeking. It is the power of our pure desire that awakens and sustains Kundalini's ascent and determines the quality of our Self-realization. The affirmation for enlightening Nabhi Chakra is "In my Spirit, I am satisfied".
After Self-realization, the awakened Kundalini pierces the Nabhi from side to side and soothes and nourishes this important center. The principle element of Nabhi is water. Water is the key element that sustains all earthly life and is essential to the evolutionary process. Shri Mataji describes the powers of water as parallel to the spiritual powers of a Sahaja Yogi whose awakened Kundalini can similarly nourish others. According to Shri Mataji, Kundalini quenches, cools, nourishes, permeates, cleanses, purifies, connects, revitalizes and evolves. Since Nabhi is closely related to water, clean water is good for it.
A person with a healthy Nabhi is relaxed, peaceful, generous, and is a satisfied person. The Nabhi Chakra relates closely to the home and well-being of the family. If our welfare seems threatened, if we do not feel at ease, or if we have trouble fulfilling our basic needs then the Nabhi chakra can feel pressured. We are often caught up in endless desires for security, sensation, power and control, including the desire for material wealth. To maintain our satisfaction within, we must also be able to exist in a balanced state of satisfaction without things beyond the basic needs.
Since this earthly realm is full of so many attractions and choices, it is easy to become dissatisfied. The way through these choices has been charted in all sustainable societies and true religions as a principled code or way of life called Dharma. The more one enjoys becoming the Spirit the less time one has for wrongful things, outside of Dharma. The seeker of truth surrenders desires and agendas so they feel satisfied within, whatever they have, and so they focus their desire power on their spiritual unfoldment.
The presiding deity, or personification of the Nabhi principle, is Shri Vishnu and his consort Shri Laxmi. There are many powers that are invested in these two. He is responsible for sustaining Dharma and leading the human evolution. She grants physical and material well-being, on the left, she is Shri Gruhalaxmi, the wife or Goddess of the household. The wife must be respected and also be respectable. So many of our society's problems often stem from poor quality of home life resulting in sense of dissatisfaction.
Food is also closely involved with satisfaction and the Nabhi. Too much attention on food, or fasting, or the wrong type of foods can cause problems for the Nabhi chakra. We eat to live not live to eat. Our food and well-being are prerequisite for our functioning both within and without. Food that soothes the Nabhi and cools the liver helps the attention attain thoughtless meditation.
True satisfaction can only be sustained when our Spirit comes into our attention. It is the Spirit's power, the Kundalini, which has created, evolved and sustained us and it is the Kundalini that connects us to that source of satisfaction.
These are some simple techniques that can help balance this chakra and establish its qualities within any individual. In order to get more information, it is advisable to attend Sahaja Yoga classes which are completely free. No money is charged anywhere anytime as it is a non-profit organization.
Seekers who wish to achieve their awakening can visit any center, which are run in various parts of Houston, Monday through Thursday in the evenings. Details can be found at www.houston-meditation.org for all Sahaja Yoga meetings in Houston. There is no prerequisite for the class. If you have questions regarding this chakra or questions on the practice of Sahaja Yoga, please feel free to send an email to [email protected]. Another website which can be referred to for further information is www.freemeditation.com.