As a science consultant and yoga teacher, I enjoy bringing together frameworks from different worldviews to help explain useful concepts. I had some fun producing a video visualizing the chakras as akin to magnification layers of a microscope:
The basic idea is that what you see when you look through a microscope depends on the magnification level. You could be looking at an organism, cellular structure, or even molecular structure. Same biological sample — totally different picture.
The chakras can also be conceived as levels of perception, analogous to these magnification layers.
At the most zoomed-in, base layer is survival (root chakra). As our consciousness expands, we perceive our experience from a higher perspective, allowing for greater understanding.
Importantly, as with the microscope’s magnification layers, in order to see clearly at a specific level we have to focus specifically on that picture.
This helps illustrate why, for example, we have difficulty in our relationships when we are feeling fundamentally insecure.
Journaling Prompts:
Where does your attention tend to go with respect to the seven layers or states of perception categorized below?
Does the sequence of progression from lowest to highest fit with your experience, or do you perceive a different progression? For example, do you find that self-control is a precursor to meaningful connection? Is heart-centered connection a precursor to meaningful communication?
How would you describe the difference between self-control and self-awareness? Why would we need to pass through connection and communication with others in order to arrive at self-awareness?
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