As mentioned in my earlier hubs, Chakras are energy centers that control the inward and outward flow of energy from our physical being. In most cases these centers remain inactive / dormant as a result of which people remain ignorant about their psychic and intuitive powers. As a first step towards opening Chakras, one needs to awaken these centers from their dormancy state; the best way to do this is to sit in a quiet room with eyes closed, keeping the entire focus on the Chakras, one at a time. Try to visualize each Chakra like a flower (having the color associated with the Chakra on which you’re focusing) blossoming slowly outward from the spine. Before we proceed further, let’s take a moment to have a look at the colors attributed to each Chakra.

1. Crown Chakra…White

2. Third Eye………Purple

3. Throat Chakra….Blue

4. Heart Chakra…...Green

5. Solar Plexus……Yellow

6. Sacral Chakra…..Orange

7. Root Chakra…….Red

Remember not to force the Chakras to open, especially if they have been lying inactive for ages. It would create a lot of pressure on the soul and the mind which might even suffer a ‘psychic shock’. It would be like waking up someone from deep sleep and expecting him to dance in a full swing without giving him some time to attune his body to the sudden change from sub conscious to the conscious state. The body might pick up all kinds of energy around it and the consequent overload could cause total chaos and confusion for the doer of such meditative practice. So, the thumb rule is…..Work your way upward from the base and go slow.

Now that the body is prepared for going to the next level, let’s move on to Chakra-opening procedure. To have an insight into the steps involved in Spiritual Transformation check out the Sucess Module.

Let the tip of your index finger and thumb touch as shown in the image. Concentrate on the Root Chakra located between the genitals and the anus and chant LAM.

Place your hands in your lap (see the image), palms up, on top of each other, and left hand under the right hand and touching the back of its fingers; the tips of thumbs touch each other gently. Focus on Sacral Chakra (lower back) and chant VAM.

Place your hands in front of your stomach, just below the Solar Plexus. The fingers should touch each other as shown in the image and should point away from you. Keep the fingers straight and the thumbs crossed. Concentrate on the Navel Chakra just above the level of Navel on the spine and chant RAM.

Sit crossed legged with your index finger and the tip of thumb touching each other as shown. Place your left hand on your left knee and the right hand in front of the lower part of your breast bone (a little above solar plexus). Concentrate on Heart Chakra and chant YAM.

Clasp your fingers as shown in the image and let only the tips of thumbs touch each other. Pull the thumbs a little upward. Concentrate on Throat Chakra at the base of the throat and chant HAM.

Place your hand in front of the lower part of your breasts. Follow the image and join your hands as shown. The middle fingers should point upward while touching each other at the tips. The other fingers are bent and join each other at the lower phalanges while the thumbs (touching at the tips) point towards you. Focus on the Third eye Chakra located slightly above the point between the brows and chant OM or AUM.

Place your hands in front of your stomach and let the ring fingers point upward while touching each other at the tips. The rest of the fingers are clasped as shown and the left thumb lies under the right thumb. Focus on the Crown Chakra at the top of your head and chant the sound NG.

(A word of caution: Don’t use this procedure for Crown Chakra if you don’t have a strong Root Chakra)

What period of time you spend on each chakra, is something you'll have to find out for yourself. Be aware of how you feel and what you do and don't do. Notice if you really do need to open certain chakras and if you can sustain higher ones. It's probably a process of years, if not decades, but you'll be enjoying benefits immediately. It will not always be necessary to rigidly follow the order of the chakras, as long as you're aware of what's happening with you.