During midlife we must come to terms with changes in our body and mind if we are to enjoy a happy, healthy journey to old age. But we are not just our physical body…
Chakras are energy centres in the body that can become blocked over time, but energy clearing in midlife can restore your life with vitality. According to the yogic scriptures the body has three parts:
- Physical body
- Subtle/astral body
- Causal/soul body
What is the subtle body?
The subtle body is our energetic body with energy channels called nadis running through it, not unlike the nerve endings found in the nervous system of the physical body. The central channel, sushumna, is found in the spinal cord, with two secondary nadis either side called Ida & Pingala.
Prana, our life-force, pulses through the sushumna canal, that aligns with the spine in the physical body, radiating out through the nadis in the subtle body.
“Not only is the Earth a great magnet, our whole living basis depends upon what we call Prana or Life Force, which includes, but is not limited to the electromagnetism within our own bodies.”
Howard Kent, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Yoga
Energy is electric, produced in the muscle and nerve cells through the conversion of chemicals, and forms around us as an electric field. This electric field affects us personally as well as those within our energetic sphere.
Yoga physiology recognizes that we are also part of a biofield, which includes other energy such as etheric or cosmic energy.
Prana is vital energy, life force, which is carried in the sun, air, and water. According to yogic thought, is the motivating force of all living matter. It is understood that when prana enters the body we become bio-electrical beings, infused with light or cosmic energy that moves with the electromagnetic flow in the body and emits from our subtle body. We see it in those people who vibrantly glow, emanating a positive energy, full of vitality.
What is the function of the Chakras?
The chakras are pranic energy storehouses in the subtle body, responsible for establishing emotional, spiritual, and physical balance in the body. They are likened to a spinning wheel of light, revolving in accordance with the laws of electromagnetism, which can become blocked due to trauma, or the chronic manifestation of unhelpful habits built up over the years.
Modern investigation has confirmed that the light emanating from these chakras changes according to the health of a person. Each chakra links to one of the gland organs in the endocrine system of the body, with the first five also connecting to the five senses and elements.
They are integral to the free flow of energy.
Like a house, strong foundations are as vital as the design and finer features. In the same way, each chakra is valid and relevant to the overall functioning of the body. The lower chakras affect our relation to the material world and our quest within in this world, whereas the upper chakras relate to our spiritual self. For a healthy body and mind, we need all chakras to be clear of any blockages.
Why chakras are important for overall health
“All are parts of the whole and the whole is embodied in all its parts”
Lyall Watson, The Gift of Unknown Things
The endocrine system mediates between the physical body and the subtle body and is controlled by the nervous system. Together the endocrine and nervous systems help the body maintain homeostasis and influence metabolism, growth, and the reproductive cycle.
Blocked movement of energy can affect the state of equilibrium within the body.
Keeping the Chakras energetically clear maintains equilibrium in the subtle body which positively impacts the physical body via the central nervous and endocrine systems. The ancient yoga practices are designed to rectify blockages that can occur in the body to enable a free flow of energy.
“One can think of the chakras and glands as electrical transformers which will deliver maximum power if they are balanced with respect to each other”
Jeffery Mishlove, The Roots of Consciousness
Why midlife is a crucial time to clear your chakras
By age fifty the seven principal chakras have been fully activated, which means there is potential to self-actualise. To realise your higher purpose in life and manifest this in the material world. When most of our basic needs are met, midlife can be a time of profound transformational growth given the right guidance and support.
In midlife we reach a crossroads.
To pursue a life of convenience and pleasure will only bring suffering as it is no longer possible to hold such levels of mental and physical levels of toxicity in our bodies.
Adapting to the changes in our physical body by leading a healthier lifestyle, devoting time to self-care, and healing past traumas, develops a strong and resistant mind body. Clearing the energetic body of blockages restores the physical body with vitality. And feeling renewed, can lead us into an empowered future full of opportunity and possibility.
Ceri Lee BA (hons) is a senior yoga teacher, midlife mentor, founder and owner of the Yoga Light Centre, North Wales, from where she offers Reiki, Menopause Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, and online classes
She also runs 1-1 and group midlife mentoring programs