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| English: Sapta Chakra, from a Yoga manuscipt in Braj Bhasa lanaguage with 118 pages. 1899. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
I
have been thinking about inner potential as it relates to writing.
This is a very broad subject so when I decided to write about it, I
cast around for a convenient structure. I settled on chakra. I was
introduced to chakra through my martial arts classes, where the
points can be used for healing, harm, and release of inner potential.
The last – as it applies to writing – is what I will refer to in
next seven days.
I've
decided to make this into two blog series. In the morning will be
“The Light Side: Unleash Your Writing Potential” with each day
looking at a different area of inner potential based on a particular
major chakra point. I will start in the traditional manner at the top
of the head and descend the spine.
In
the evening will be “The Dark Side of Writing: Fight Your Negative
Emotions” with each day looking at a cluster of negative emotions.
These feelings can range from fear to prolonged confusion to
self-torture. Yes, those emotions. I think it is a topic seldom
talked about but they do occur from time to time in every writer's
life. But it is such a dark subject, I want to balance it with
something bright like the morning series. And thus the “Light Side”
and “Dark Side” post series were born.
A
BRIEF BACKGROUND IN CHAKRA
Chakra
are fundamental to several Eastern religions. The idea found renewed
popularity in the Western New Age movement, which draws heavily on
Chinese, Indian, and Tibetan principles and tried to make them
compatible with the Western religions. Although I am not Hindi, I am
drawing heavily on the psychological aspects of their chakra system
for this blog.
Chakra
are energy points in the body with physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual functions. Acupressure and acupressure use chakra points
for healing. As already mentioned, some styles of martial arts use
chakra for healing or harm or self-actualization. The theory behind
these practices is that energy flows in channels and chakra are the
points where the flow can be disrupted or enhanced. The goal is to
open the channels for maximum benefit. Belief systems differ on how
to open these chakra and what the effects are.
In
the Hindi system, there are seven major chakra that run from the top
of the head to the base of the spine. There are many, many minor
chakra. In
the 'Light Side" series, we start with the crown of the head and work
our way down. In the "Dark Side" series, we start with the soles of the
feet and work our way up to just below where the major chakra points end.
![[Day 22] {Thing 1}](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tEtk9hstvSCHZbSEOC1dz3MuFx82yfSqbx4WjqiLdFsZU2mgDPi-tI4BYf2JwS3fuxIOriWc7dd9QUJszdXsm9Co7OXhmfsxbQGA3IhWxo0La4SRMDS3Pk4hhejI7grpxQ=s0-d)
