Pond - Chakras for beginners: a guide to balancing your chakra energies

About the Author

David Pond is a professional astrologer, national speaker, yoga teacher, writer, and guide for spiritual journeys to sacred sites around the world. He holds a Master of Science degree in Experimental Metaphysics and is the author of The Metaphysical Handbook, The Art of Relationships and Astrology & Relationships.

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Chakras for Beginners 1999 by David Pond.

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First e-book edition 2010

E-book ISBN: 9780738715919

Cover photo: Nanka (Kucherenko Olena)/Shutterstock Images

Cover design: Kevin R. Brown

Interior illustrations: Anne Marie Garrison

Editing and book design: Michael Maupin

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Manufactured in the United States of America

Dedication

To my children and their children:
David Jr., Eden, Skylar, Forest, Tawny, Coral, and Hunter.

The love we all share has been a constant source
of inspiration and meaning in my life.

Contents

: Introduction

: The Chakras

The Urge for Survival:
Your Chakra

The Pursuit of Pleasure:
Your Chakra

The Drive for Power:
Your Chakra

The Quest for Love:
Your Chakra

The Voice of Creative Expression:
Your Chakra

The Desire for Transcendence:
Your Chakra

The Surrender to Spirituality:
Your Chakra

: Essays

: Exercises and Meditations

: Chakra Chart

Acknowledgments

The material in this book is a distillation of being a seeker on the path of consciousness growth for nearly thirty years. To name all those who contributed to my understanding of the material presented in this book would be quite impossible. So I would like to express my deep gratitude collectively for the teachers, mystics, gurus, and philosophers of all ages who have left a legacy of their wisdom in books and on tapes so that we may benefit from their experiences. I would also like to express my gratitude for the community of seekers who have always been there as a tremendous resourceso many of the nuggets of wisdom Ive gained in this life have come through fellow searchers of the truth.

To my first teacher on the path, my sister, Lucy Pondthank you for opening my eyes. My yoga teacher and good friend, Bob Smith, deserves special recognition. His knowledge of the pathways that connect the chakras is unsurpassed. Through his workshops, I learned many of the techniques, postures, breath exercises, and meditations that contribute to my understanding of the chakras.

I would especially like to acknowledge my close friends, Julie and Robert Grattan. They gave helpful advice on the manuscript itself, but more than that, their belief in me and the material gave confidence and strength. Linda Joy Stone, Alex Holland, and Geri Froomer read the manuscript and offered insights into the material and editorial ideas. My wonderful mother, Mama Jane, blessed the book with her acceptance statement: I think you have something here. I would especially like to acknowledge my close friend Lynn Mitchell. Her careful attention to the manuscript helped bring the work into its ultimate form. I would also like to thank Robert Marritz for his editorial ideas and encouragement.

I would like to thank Nancy Mostad, acquisitions manager at Llewellyn, for her support, encouragement, and personal touch in her dealings with me. I greatly appreciated meeting Carl and Sandra Weschcke, the guiding forces at Llewellyn, and discussing the book with them. They both extended a warm interest in who I am and what I have to say. I was fortunate to be able to work with editor Michael Maupin. His genuine interest in the material allowed him to make very useful suggestions and made working with him very enjoyable. I would also like to thank William Merlin Cannon for creating a cover design that accurately reflects the spirit of the book.

I would like to extent my gratitude for my artist friend Jim Sorenson, who created a beautiful working cover for the book early in the project.

Finally, my loving wife Lauras role in the book could not be overstated. Her support and encouragement throughout the project was immense. She also was willing to experiment with the exercises and activities suggested for each of the chakras and gave invaluable feedback as to what was most effective. Thank you Laura for being by my sidethroughout the project and as my life partner.

Preface

We all want the same things out of lifehappiness, fulfillment, health and well-being, and satisfying relationships. It shouldnt be so hardit all looks so simple. But things get in the way. Life happens. We know when we are unbalancedwe can feel that! But what to do about it?

Weve been taught so much about how to develop the skills necessary for fitting into the world. It is assumed that if everything is going well for you in the outer world, youll be happy. This is putting the cart before the horse. We need to learn how to be happy and fulfilled at the inner level, then our outer world will fall into place as a reflection of our inner world. We need maps for sorting out these issues and achieving our birthright. The chakras can provide such a map for activating and balancing the various levels of life experiences.

The chakras are spinning vortexes of energy located just in front of the spine and positioned from the tailbone to the crown of the head. The chakras are a map of your inner worldyour relationship to yourself and how you experience energy. Life is energy. The same force that flows through all of life flows through you. This is the mannathe breaththe prana, the chi (Qi) of life. The chakras interact with this universal life force and animate the various aspects of your life, from the universalthrough the individual and into earthand then back again.

We have understood the chakras for a long time, dating back to ancient India and the Hindu yogis. But one neednt be a yogi to benefit from their insights. The ancient model has withstood the test of time because of its authenticity and its applicability. All seekers on the path eventually become aware of the chakras because of their universality.