So a strange thing happened to me today. Walking on our daily walk I spotted a flower in the hedgerow and took a picture of it as I thought it looked like the Root Chakra or Muladhara, which is the foundation of the Chakra system. When I got home I realised I was mistaken as the Root Chakra has only four petals, and this flower has five.
The chakra which has five petals is actually a little known chakra called the Manas Chakra or Mind Chakra which is located inside your heart. It is a highly significant energy centre derived from the Sanskrit word manas which refers to the sensory processing mind. It serves as a bridge between your external senses and your deeper consciousness. I think this is an additional Chakra not referred to in standard texts but more esoteric yogic philosophy.
Although traditionally it had 6 petals sometimes it is shown as having 5. These represent the five physical senses – taste, smell, sight, touch and hearing. In Tantric texts it was seen as being just above the third eye, but in Ayurvedic and Yogic texts it is seen as resting in a cavity within the heart. Its role is to gather sensory data and present them to your ego and your intellect. It also governs the dream state including lucid dreaming and astral projection.
What is weird about it is that I have been struggling with being too much distracted by everything and getting overwhelm by all the information that is coming in at me 24/7 and struggling to find a way to process it all. Finding this quiet little known Chakra was a sign from the universe. To quiet the sensory mind and balance the Manas Chakra you need to practice Pratyahara which is one of the 8 limbs of Yoga. There is meditations and yoga asanas which can help you with Pratyhara, which is essentially turning off all external input so your mind can rest.
I have written a lesson plan for Pratyahara and have been listening to Tibetan Singing Bowls which create a sonic wall that naturally blocks out external noise.
After I practiced the lesson plan I definitely felt more focus and the feeling came from an area inside my heart. I am currently working on a video of this lesson.
We definitely need Pratyahara in this crazy world we are living in.
