Sahasrara: The Crown Chakra

Yoga means to unite or yoke together and that’s what the last chakra is all about: unity.

Overview of Sahasrara

The violet chakra is called Sahasrara which means ‘a thousand petals.’ It is positioned just above the crown, or top of the head and governs our ability to experience the super-consciousness. Just as the root chakra grounded us to the earth, the crown chakra tethers us to the spirit. It is the last milestone on our journey through the major chakras and when all seven chakras are in total harmony, we have arrived at our destination.

Crown Chakra Fast Facts

When Sahasrara is Imbalanced

Below you’ll find some of the symptoms of a crown chakra imbalance. When the crown chakra is strong we feel a balanced connection to the spiritual side of our lives. Our life’s work takes on a deep spiritual meaning and everything we do becomes humanitarian by nature.

If the crown chakra is overactive then we’re not living in the real world, we appear to be ‘off with the fairies.’ Day to day activities such as housework, talking to family and paying the bills are abandoned in favour of following our bliss. Overactive chakras can occur following intense meditation sessions, retreats or after a spontaneous spiritual experience.

If the crown chakra is underactive we are disconnected, mentally at least, from all things spiritual. It is impossible to completely cut ourselves off from spirit because it is one of the three elements that make us – the other two being body and mind.

Physical symptoms of an imbalanced crown chakra involve any problems to do with the nervous system, epilepsy and issues with the pineal gland. We may feel heady or ‘too open’ after meditation, yoga or prayer sessions leaving us feeling washed out and generally unbalanced.

Exercising the Crown Chakra

When participating vigorously in self-development it’s not unusual to feel your crown chakra is too open. By paying attention to your energy levels and taking action to balance them regularly you can prevent major imbalance and illness from occurring.

1. Heaven and Earth Exercise

Stand in Tadasana, hands by your sides. Spend a few moments calming the mind and allow your breathing to settle into a regular rhythm.

Now imagine that there is a string of light coming down from the sky and entering at the crown of your head. Imagine that string of light as a pure, white light of super-consciousness gently pouring down on you.

Imagine that light moving slowly down through your body, passing through each of the chakras in turn. Imagine the vividly the colours of each chakra as the light passes and diffuses down through your body. When you reach the root chakra, see the light continue down through your legs and deep, deep into the ground. Feel the solidity of your connection to the earth and to the heavens in complete unity and balance.

Stay and explore these energies as long as you like. Afterwards, rest in Savasana.

Pro Tip: This is a wonderful exercise to do outdoors with the earth beneath your bare feet, but it’s not necessary.

2. Expressing Our Unity

What does the word ‘humanitarian’ mean to you? The definition means to be concerned with or to promote the welfare of fellow humans. What humanitarian act would you choose to do? Would you visit a lonely person, volunteer at a hospital or help disabled kids explore sport?

Finding an outlet for your humanitarianism is a personal thing. Traipsing the city streets at night looking for homeless people to help isn’t for everyone. Besides, there’s more to being humanitarian than only helping people at their most desperate times. Expressing your unity with others can take many forms and you must feel comfortable with it. Be sure the ego isn’t looking for reward when choosing an activity as an ‘holier-than-thou’ helper is little help at all.

People-helping doesn’t have to be face to face. Writing a blog post about your life experiences to help another in a similar situation is equally valid. What humanitarian activity can you bring to the world?

3. The Sound of Silence

Momentary gaps of silence are everywhere if we are aware of them. Start to look out for them not only in the busy outer world but in our internal chatter too.

Gaps of silence most often occur when our daily lives segment from one activity to another. For example, that point between waking up and getting up is a segment in our day, and the next segment will be rising from the bed. The moment before we turn the key in our car transmission, the pause between breaths, are all gaps of perfect silence. Look out for momentary silence as the segment transitions from one to the other and just observe them.