Muladhara Chakra and Chuugi

The root chakra, or Muladhara Chakra, is located at the base of the spine. Its energy is concerned with survival and groundedness...especially to mother earth. When it is out of balance there is fear. Fear, in early development, is about being part of a group or tribe. In a lot of ways, this Chakra is our Tribal Loyalty Chakra.

Take a look at Mixed Martial Arts right now. These are young men and women who are extremely tribal. Check out the tattoos, the t-shirts, caps, etc. Their concern is how they fit into the tribe...and how the tribe helps care for them. Loyalty is key in tribal survival.

The Muladhara Chakra is also the seat of an energy called Kundalini. This is a life energy that begins at this Chakra and coils its way up your spine through all the chakras. It does this through three meridians, called inga, pingala and shushumna.. If your energy gets stuck here you will tend to operate your life from fear and having to be the baddest ass on the block.  Martial Artists who get stuck here are usually young and loud-mouthed, as well as surrounded by their tribe or gang. They rule through preying on fear...and loyalty to the gang or tribe becomes paramount for survival.

One of the basic virtues of the Samurai was Loyalty or Chuugi. Loyalty to their feudal lord and clan. It was also very important for a Samurai to have this affiliation. His survival depended on it. As a Samurai you were awarded land, food and relationships. Without a lord, the Ronin, who were Samurai with no clan or tribe, had no land, food and relationships were mostly mercenary at best. They lived a lonely, meager existence. Chuugi was needed for the basics of living. Food, Shelter, Clothing.

To awaken the Kundalini that will spin your root Chakra, or throw this Shuriken safely, meditation and training in various Kiko or Qigong were practiced. As this energy rises, it allows for awakening the next in line Chakras...and provide awakening to the other virtues. Keeping this chakra spinning in a healthy manner allows for growth from blind loyalty to the tribe to other wonderful virtues.

Well, that's all for now. Any feedback or comments are greatly appreciated...even if it is to say,'this makes sense' or 'I have no idea what the hell your talking about'...'or 'can you please expand on xyz'.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

It's okay to be hungry

As I watching tv last week I saw a commercial for a meal replacement product that is guaranteed to help you lose weight. One thing that struck me was that he was talking a lot about the fear of being hungry. That people who go on diets still get real hungry and that this is a bad thing. 

Hunger is not bad. Starvation is.  A good hungry is a like a good hurt. In karate we get hit a lot. We get hit on purpose to manage pain on a physical and psychological level. It toughens the body and the mind.  After awhile, getting hit by a punch or kick is no big deal and you just keep moving. This is a good hurt. It propels you into the realms of introspection and discovery.

There is also a good hungry. The hunger you feel after a good day of hard work or the hunger you feel from purposeful fasting. Many cultures practice fasting for a variety of reasons, mental, physical and spiritual. It is important for us to really know hunger. It helps us realize that it has many benefits, and in terms of weight management and health, it helps us differentiate true hunger for food/nutrition versus cravings for sweets or emotional comfort.

As a culture, we tend to eat to comfort emotional cravings such as boredom, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, etc.  We eat based on clock time...not stomach/nutritional time.  Learning and touching hunger shows us the way to see how little we actually need to survive and that a lot of what we consider food is just crap. It can teach us that we can be hungry and okay. I recommend you try going a day and eating only when truly hungry, just not craving a piece of pie cause you're upset or excited. And when you find true hunger just watch it.  Embrace it and learn from it. Give it a go.

It's okay to be hungry. It's nothing to fear. It could actually make you healthier.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen