Activating Sahasrara- the crown chakra

Sahasrara is the 7th chakra also known as the crown chakra. It is located just above the crown of the head. The body parts it governs are the pituitary gland and the cerebral cortex. The crown chakra is probably the hardest energy centre to connect with, although this may be different for everybody. When this chakra is balanced, we feel a complete sense of oneness with all that is around us and connection to the divine. Sahasrara represents enlightenment and reaching a pure awareness state, disconnecting of all personal identity. When the crown chakra is out of balance, we can experience depression, lose all sense of joy for life, feeling stuck and dissociated from the world or on the contrary, thinking as a self-guru, putting oneself above others.
 
The following practices can help activate and balance sahasrara. 

SIRSASANA
​HEADSTAND

​Named as the king of all asanas, sirsasana is a posture which requires complete self-trust, balance, shoulder and core strength. As it is an inversion, it is energising,  releasing mental pressure, symptoms of depression and feeling low. It boosts blood circulation and creates a balanced alignment within the physical, mental and emotional self. As this asana requires us to be upside down, it can often feel intimidating. But as we learn through our practice, yoga is spiritual journey we embark upon and patience, discipline and focus are needed. Sirsasana teaches us that sometimes we need to see the world from a different perspective (upside down) in order to bring it back into balance, similar from chaos comes order. Its energy is shaking things up, by completely turning the body from its standing natural state, engaging our core, legs and arms. As this brings a fresh supply of blood and oxygen to the brain, it also activates the crown chakra. 

SAVASANA
CORPSE POSE

​Savasana is actually a pose in which we can connect and bring in harmony all the chakras. As it requires no physical, mental or emotional effort, savasana encourages us to be completely still; to disconnect from any external chatter and observe the self. When we are in savasana, we feel a sense of lightness of the body, letting go of any physical feeling; a mental lightness, letting go of any thoughts and emotional clearness, not focusing on any type of feeling. We can start by focusing on the breath eventually withdrawing our attention away from it, knowing that it shall continue without us placing our awareness on it. As you lie there, just become an observant of the self. Connect with your pure essence within and lay there in with no effort of all senses. This is a powerful practice, one which can teach us to become one with the universe, understanding that all that is within is on the outside as well and vice versa. 

MANTRAS AND CHANTING

​Mantras and chanting are powerful ways to activate the kundalini energy, the dormant energy within ourselves. You can chant OM, the ancient sound known as the first sound ever heard. By repeatedly saying the mantra OM, we start to awaken any static energy within the body, mind and emotional self, creating a vibrant frequency which bring alignment in the body and connection to the universal energy. This mantra is also known as the sound of nature, for its vibration is at the same frequency for everything found in nature. Therefore, when we say this mantra, we become one with the nature around us and all that is. OM is a sound made of three syllables, A U M. Each one should be prolonged, feeling first the vibration in the throat, then moving onto the higher part and eventually to the final syllable M, bringing all three in harmony and becoming complete. This is a great mantra to do when feeling anxious, stressed or depressed, or simply before and after the yoga practice. 

Activating sahasrara is a powerful feeling, perhaps not often experienced. As always, it is not about the destination we reach but the process and the roads we take to get there. Therefore, the intention should not be on reaching enlightenment, but to become aware and embrace the moments we take towards creating more harmony and balance within our life. The connection we feel with the self, those around us and the universe can change at any moment, because after all, we are only human. We feel, we think, we move, we speak, we see, we listen etc… So we must not deprive ourselves from these tools we have given to experience life on material form, but maybe to understand that there is something more to what or who we think we are, the physical body, the mind, the emotions.