Chakras: Energy Vortices from the book prana and pranayama 3/3

Vishuddhi chakra
Vishuddhi is the purification centre and is known as the fountain of youth. According to tantric philosophy, amrita or the nectar of life falls down from bindu into this chakra, generating vitality, health and longevity. In the yogic texts it is stated that with the awakening of this centre all diseased
states can be reversed, and even an old person can become young once again.
When vishuddhi is activated cool, sweet drops of nectar drip down into the throat, causing a feeling of blissful intoxication. The ability to neutralize poison, both internally and externally, is also associated with vishuddhi. At this level all the poisonous and negative experiences of life can be absorbed and transformed into a state of bliss.
Vishuddhi is associated with vijnanamaya kosha and initiates higher mental development. It is the centre for receiving sound vibrations and acts like a transistor radio, allowing one to tune into the thoughts of others, whether close by or far away. When vishuddhi is purified, the sense of hearing becomes very sharp, not only through the ears, but through the mind.
Vishuddhi is located behind the throat pit in the spine and is associated with the thyroid gland. The element is ether or akasha. By meditating on vishuddhi, the mind becomes free of thought, pure and empty, like space. Vishuddhi is seen as a violet lotus with sixteen petals. Its bija mantra is Ham.
Ajna chakra
Ajna literally means 'command' and is the monitoring centre, also known as the guru chakra. It is the point of confluence where the three main nadis, energy channels: ida, pingala and sushumna, merge into one stream of consciousness and flow up to sahasrara. During deep meditation, when all the senses have been withdrawn and one enters into the dimension of shoonya, or void, guru or the higher consciousness guides the aspirant from ajna to sahasrara by issuing commands through this centre.
Ajna is the centre of mind and represents a higher level of awareness. It is also known as the eye of Shiva, the third eye or the eye of intuition, which gazes inward rather than outward. It is often called divya chakshu, the divine eye, or jnana chakshu, the eye of wisdom, because the spiritual aspirant receives revelation and insight into the underlying nature of

existence through this centre. Ajna is the doorway through which one enters the psychic or astral dimension. When this centre is developed one acquires psychic powers. Direct mind-to-mind communication takes place at this level.
At ajna lies the rudra granthi, the knot of Shiva. This knot is symbolic of attachment to the psychic personality and to the siddhis which accompany the awakening of ajna chakra. It effectively blocks one's spiritual evolution until attach-ment to psychic phenomena is overcome and the knot is freed. The trigger point for ajna is located at the eyebrow centre. It is known as bhrumadhya and is an important focal point for the practice of meditation, concentration and visualization.
The development of ajna is very important for success in pranic science. Prana can never be experienced in the form of light unless ajna is developed to some extent. The vision of light is usually seen first at ajna or bhrumadhya, or in chidakasha, the space of consciousness, which is directly associated with ajna. In the practice of prana vidya, ajna acts as the control centre for the distribution of prana. If the vision of light at ajna is well developed, one will have no difficulty in visualizing the raising of prana and its movement throughout the body. Otherwise, the imagination must be used until the actual experience develops.
Ajna is associated with vijnanamaya kosha. It is located at the top of the spinal cord in the mid-brain and corresponds to the pineal gland. The tattwa or element is mind. This is the point where the mind changes from gross to subde, from outward to inward. Ajna is represented by a silver lotus with two petals. The bija mantra is Om.
Bindu
Bindu means 'point'. It is the point of creation where oneness first divides into multiplicity, the ultimate point from which all things manifest and into which all things return. Within bindu is contained the evolutionary potential for the myriad objects of the universe, the blueprint for creation. Bindu is

the gateway to shoonya. It is located at the top back of the head, at the point where Hindu brahmins keep a tuft of hair called shikha.
Bindu is represented by a crescent moon and a drop of white nectar. The tantric texts describe a small depression or pit within the higher centres of the brain which contains a minute secretion of fluid. In the centre of that tiny secretion is a small point of elevation, like an island in the middle of a lake. In the psycho-physiological framework, this tiny point is considered to be bindu.
The moon at bindu produces amrita, the life-giving nectar, and the sun at manipura consumes it. This means that during the course of life, the drop of nectar produced at bindu falls down to manipura, where it is consumed by the fire element. Due to this process one suffers from the three ailments of vyadhi, disease, jara, old age; and mrityu, death. Yoga and tantra employ techniques by which one is able to reverse this process, so that the amrita is retained at vishuddhi, or sent back up from manipura to vishuddhi, and then to bindu. In this way perfected yogis have experienced immortality.
The first manifestation of creation was nada or sound, and bindu is also the point where the original nada emanates. Bindu is associated with anandamaya kosha. When bindu is awakened, the transcendental sound of Om is heard. Bindu is very important in prana vidya and in many higher yogas.
Sahasrara
Sahasrara is the seat of supreme consciousness, located at the crown of the head. Actually it is not a psychic centre at all, because it is beyond the realm of the psyche. Sahasrara is the totality, the absolute, the highest point of human evolu-tion, which results from the merging of cosmic consciousness with cosmic prana. The experience of cosmic prana is the aim of the science of prana. Once mahaprana is experienced, one no longer needs to practise techniques. Transmission of energy will take place spontaneously with a thought, gesture, word or look.

Sahasrara is the master key that controls the awakening of all the chakras from mooladhara to ajna. The chakras are only switches; their potential power lies in sahasrara. When the kundalini shakti reaches sahasrara, self-realization or samadhi dawns. At this point, individual consciousness dies and universal consciousness is born. Sahasrara is infinite in dimension, like a huge radiant dome. It is visualized as a thousand-petalled lotus, unfolding from the crown of the head in all directions into eternity. Sahasrara is associated with anandamaya kosha.