Chakras

Chakras are the main pools and passages where energy flows in your body. In fact, 'chakra' is the sanskrit word for spinning wheel. Each chakra deals with a certain aspect of human and spiritual existence, and therefore opening them is vital to all forms of energy manipulation and training.  Chakras are located in the energy body, and are part of the energy system.

Opening Chakras

Basic Method:

To Open One:

1. Imagine the chakra you want to open as a glowing ball of {insert chakra color here} energy. Make sure it's in its correct location.
2. Imagine the glow getting brighter and brighter and have that glow spread throughout the whole inside of your body.

Here's a link to know more about the seven chakras: http://www.eclecticenergies.com/chakras/open.php

The Seven Main Chakras

Crown (Sahaswara) Chakra

• Location: Top of the head; the 'crown'
• Color: Violet
• Alignment: Spirit
• Description: The sahaswara chakra allows full understanding of the world around you, and essentially life itself. This does not necessarily mean looking at something and instantly knowing what it is, but when you see things, you understand them, and you learn from them. Once opened, you will have a full understanding of your inner self, and know your soul and the universe just as well as you know your body, and the earth. This is achieved by an acceptance of the fact that every living being is a creator, and that you are simply a spirit in a body, not only understanding both beauty and pain, but being detached and impartial to both of them, which is the beginning of what is basically known as an 'enlightened' mind. It is important to remember that this chakra can be helped and influenced by these meditations, but to open it fully is an extreme process that few people have done.
• Summary: Enlightenment

Third Eye (Ajna) Chakra

• Location: Just above the eyebrows at the middle of the forehead
• Color: Indigo
• Alignment: Light
• Description: The ajna chakra allows a connection to the energies that reside inside of you and the rest of the world, and the ability to view, understand, and manipulate them. In addition to this, it provides an overall better ability for energy work, to see through what is false and what is the truth, and to better visualize and create new things. It is opened by eliminating the stress, confusion, anxiety, and denial that you hold in your life and realizing what little power all of the things that cause these feelings have over you, and that you are the sole person who controls your life, and can create your own influence, and truths. This is the highest chakra that can be practically opened, and it is encouraged to do so for the sake of psionic practices, though should be done in addition to the five lower chakras.
• Summary: Intuition

Throat (Vishuddha) Chakra

• Location: Throat
• Color: Blue
• Alignment: Aether
• Description: The vishuddha chakra allows full self-expression. The first four deal with more basic human functions, but this energy center is where individuality shines and you can become your own person, freely expressing your opinions and truths regardless of other people. Lying to ourselves and obstructions from our own happiness that we accept into our own lives is what prevents us from maintaining a healthy throat chakra, so any lies such as these must be eliminated in order to fully open this chakra. This is a very important chakra, and without it, none of us would show any signs of what we consider to be humanity, so it is vital to keep it opened to allow our inner selves to flow.
• Summary: Expression

Heart (Anahata) Chakra

• Location: The Heart
• Color: Green
• Alignment: Air
• Description: The anahata chakra, when open, allows you to see through the hate around you and accept all of the love that goes on within the rest of the world, even the love for yourself, as in blocking out negative energies and accepting positive ones, which is important in order to show any strength in psionic practice. If you open this chakra, it is important to be very in touch with yourself during the process, forgiving past emotional scars once and for all (very difficult) and learning not to let those things hurt you the same way again, all the while letting even the tiniest seeds of love and happiness blossom and grow within you. This is essentially the point that connects your upper and lower chakras, and is very important to leading a healthy life. 
• Summary: Love

Solar Plexus (Manipura) Chakra

• Location: Just below the center of the ribcage, between the navel and the heart
• Color: Yellow
• Alignment: Fire
• Description: When the manipura chakra is opened, it strengthens our will and gives us the energy to make our wants and desires real and tangible things. It is one of the main 'storage centers' of energy within our bodies, and when gathering energy in your practices, this is a good place to allow it to pool, in addition to the dan tien. When opening this chakra it is important to maintain a respect for yourself and the world, and keeping your ego small and under control. In addition to this, you must eliminate and let go of the shame and guilt you feel in your life, possibly on a daily basis, and understand that you are not defined by anything someone says about you. Once this is achieved, the chakra is opened, and your energetic center is improved.
• Summary: Power

Sacral (Svadhisthana) Chakra

• Location: Just below the navel
• Color: Orange
• Alignment: Water
• Description: The svadhisthana chakra allows you to feel the deepest emotions and desires within yourself, understand them, and achieve the most basic and fundamental form of balance within your soul. Opening this chakra is all about seeing through what is and isn't beneficial to your life, including emotions that distract you from your goals and desires, and attaining the emotional stability you need to feel at all at peace within your own skin. To open the sacral chakra, you must also understand your limitations in addition to your desires, and learn a harmony between the two. This chakra is vital to any endeavor you make within your lifetime, and if you open it, you will feel a greater understanding of your emotions and conflicts in life.
• Summary: Desire

Root (Muladhara) Chakra

• Location: Base of the spine
• Color: Red
• Alignment: Earth
• Description: The muladhara chakra is the most basic chakra, all about survival and fear. When it is open , you are basically just able to fulfill your simplest human needs: food, water, primal desires, etc. The most important thing to opening this chakra, however, is fulfilling the innate human need to belong somewhere, among friends or family, and feel at home and safe. If this, and any of the previously mentioned points are not at least moderately fulfilled, any other higher energy pool cannot properly function. People who have opened their crown chakra yet not eaten for weeks are only able to do so because they've cut off their lower chakras, so please don't disregard the importance of this chakra unless you plan on doing this.
• Summary: Survival

Techniques

• Feel free to add any techniques you know here.

Exercise 1: Meditation for Opening All of the Chakras

This exercise is used to energize and "open" the Chakras.

Lie down flat on your back, probably on a bed, with your arms out to your sides, palms up. This is called Shivasana, or the "corpse pose".

Begin to meditate, breathing in through the nose, out through the mouth. Meditate until you reach a void mind state and a connectedness with all things and your energy.

a. Focus on the Root Chakra at the base of the spine. Begin to chant out loud, "om" ("oohhhmmmm"), over about 5 seconds, and let this mantra energize and vibrate through the Chakra. Focus on the color red. Use intention to spiral the prana around the Chakra counterclockwise. As you continue to chant "om", visualize a red flower blooming at the base of the spine. Continue this, taking note of any feelings at the Chakra, until you really feel that the Chakra has become active.

b. Move on, focus on the Sacral Chakra below the belly button. Begin to chant out loud, "om", and let this mantra energize and vibrate through the Chakra. Focus on the color orange. Use intention to spiral the prana around the Chakra counterclockwise. As you continue to chant "om", visualize a orange flower blooming at the sacrum. Continue this, taking note of any feelings at the Chakra, until you really feel that the Chakra has become active.

c. When you are ready, focus on the Solar Plexus Chakra below the chest. Begin to chant out loud, "om", and let this mantra energize and vibrate through the Chakra. Focus on the color yellow. Use intention to spiral the prana around the Chakra counterclockwise. As you continue to chant "om", visualize a yellow flower blooming at the plexus. Continue this, taking note of any feelings at the Chakra, until you really feel that the Chakra has become active.

d. Again, focus on the Heart Chakra in the chest. Begin to chant out loud, "om", and let this mantra energize and vibrate through the Chakra. Focus on the color green. Use intention to spiral the prana around the Chakra counterclockwise. As you continue to chant "om", visualize a green flower blooming at the heart. Focus on the idea of unconditional love blooming at the Heart center. Continue this, taking note of any feelings at the Chakra, until you really feel that the Chakra has become active.

e. Next, focus on the Throat Chakra in the throat. Begin to chant out loud, "om", and let this mantra energize and vibrate through the Chakra. Focus on the color light blue. Use intention to spiral the prana around the Chakra counterclockwise. As you continue to chant "om", visualize a light blue flower blooming at the throat. Continue this, taking note of any feelings at the Chakra, until you really feel that the Chakra has become active.

f. Moving on, focus on the Third Eye Chakra between the eyes. Begin to chant out loud, "om", and let this mantra energize and vibrate through the Chakra. Focus on the color Indigo (purplish blue). Use intention to spiral the prana around the Chakra counterclockwise. As you continue to chant "om", visualize an Indigo flower blooming at the Third Eye. Continue this, taking note of any feelings at the Chakra, until you really feel that the Chakra has become active.

g. Finally, focus on the Crown Chakra around the top half of the head. Begin to chant out loud, "om", and let this mantra energize and vibrate through the Chakra. Focus on the color Violet (purple). Use intention to spiral the prana around the Chakra counterclockwise. As you continue to chant "om", visualize an Purple flower blooming at the crown of the head. Continue this, taking note of any feelings at the Chakra, until you really feel that the Chakra has become active.

h. With all the Chakras active and spinning, try and put your focus on all of them at once. Continue to just breath, and experience the prana generated through the Chakras in the spinal column (Sushumna). There is no goal here but to experience the generated prana and the associated feelings. You may pass to a dream state and have visions. You may even experience spontaneous Kundalinic or Pranic awakening and a strong magnetic feeling creeping up the spine.

i. When you are finished, go back through the Chakras in reverse order and see them closing. Focus on each in sequence from the Crown back down to the Root. Visualize a flower of the appropriate color closing back up, and use your intention to slow the flow of energy until they are not fully active.

Stand up, stretch, drink a glass of water.

j. Please note that when 'taking note of any feelings at the Chakra' is mentioned, we are referring to eliminating or dealing with associated events that could have potentially set that chakra out of balance or closed it off. Even if you do not naturally notice these blockages, they are present in everyone, and you should try to meditate and take care of them if you wish to truly open the chakras. This is a vital part of the process.

• Side Note: If you so desire, you can use the full mantra: om mani padme hum (ohm mah nee pod may hum) in place of just 'om', if you feel you need something more powerful.