Chakras & Kundalini

(an excerpt from the "Renewed Spirit Reiki 1 Workbook")

The Chakras

Every living thing has an energy field surrounding it.  Our energy field, normally in the shape of an egg or bubble, has energetic pathways that run from it, through our bodies, and back out again.  Along the pathway that runs along our spinal column are seven major energy centers, called Chakras, which is Sanskrit for “moving wheel”.  Energy, or Chi, enters us through these chakras where it’s channeled through our etheric and physical bodies, affecting everything from our psychological and spiritual well being to our glands, organs, and cellular metabolism.
Chakras can be damaged or blocked by an emotional upset such as conflict, loss, psychological problems, fear, anxiety, or stress.  Reiki master Karyn Mitchell points out that, when one chakra is affected, the others may make up for the deficiency by overworking themselves.  This strain can cause each one to malfunction one by one if the stress continues unchecked.  Eventually this can create a physical disease because our body and our energy field are interconnected so that, if either is out of alignment, both will be affected.    

Energy work is often used to repair damaged chakras.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to cause an imbalance, so they often become blocked again shortly after they’re repaired.  This is because the underling cause of the imbalance has not been addressed.  The Reiki system, and the energy it uses, goes to the root of the problem so that the chakra will remain open long after the session has ended

Kundalini

The name “Kundalini” comes from "Hathayoga Pradipika", a yoga sutra based on awakening ones higher consciousness.  “Kundalini” is a Sanskrit word meaning either "coiled up" or "coiling like a snake" and represents a great reservoir of dormant prana curled up in the back part of our root chakra.  Prana is interpreted as the vital, life-sustaining energy in the body.  Acroding to Hindo texts, we can awaken the Kundalini through Yoga practice and meditation.  This causes it to flow up our spine, passing through our chakras, and out the top of our head.  The basic hand placements of the Reiki system may stimulate the Kundalini, triggering a sudden amplification of energy through the chakras.  Because of this, we should have an elementary understanding of the chakras before performing healings using Reiki.