Top products from r/Chakras

The sensation you describe is common, even expected, on the spiritual Path. Depictions of Shiva typically show the Serpent wrapped around Shiva's neck and he is blue from difficulty breathing. The story of how the Serpent got wrapped around Shiva's neck goes back to the story of the Churning of the Sea of Milk which is a beautiful origin of Creation story. The churning brought up a poison which was going to destroy Creation so Shiva drank the poison. He was going to die, but the Divine Feminine in the form of Parvati intervened and stopped the poison from killing Shiva by encircling his neck. The Serpent represents unconditional love. Shiva is sometimes called Nilakanta which means Blue Throated One because of this.

So in many ways what you describe is an auspicious and positive spiritual development on the Path that is heralded by the Ancient Texts. It still represents a problem to be solved, but that the issue is emerging signifies that you are moving beyond duality to the underlying substrate of Creation. I would suspect that your Heart Chakra has opened, or is in the process of opening, and now there is a lot of energy flowing up to your Throat Chakra which is blocked.

Whereas the Heart Chakra represents discovering your authentic Self. The Throat Chakra represents the courage to be who You are and express your authentic Self without conditioning. The voice of the open Throat Chakra is directed inward as unconditional love for your Self and outward as the courage to speak Your Truth.

The issue is that due to childhood conditioning most people's throat Chakra is closed. Not being allowed to be your Self and to express your Self freely is a core childhood wounding for many of us.

I had the same throat sensation and breathing issue with my Throat Chakra that kept reoccurring and made meditation difficult. The way I overcame the blockage was by using a modified technique of Vipassana meditation and Inner Child Healing. I have found that these blockages that we feel as somatic sensations are triggers that flash us back to the first time we felt the same primal sensation and developed a fear around it, usually in our childhood.

To over come the sensation I used this technique:

I dropped into meditation and opened my Heart Chakra which sent energy up to the closed Throat Chakra causing the uncomfortable energetic sensation and breathing difficulties. I then scanned the sensation in my throat using meditative awareness which is a Vipassana technique, but is easy to learn.

Most people who meditate already have some sense of this scanning method. It's the same as the meditative awareness that we use to feel sensations like air passing out through our nostrils. If you alternate back and forth between nostrils trying to sense air individually beneath each one then you have a sense of moving your awareness and scanning. It is like a pointer that you can move around your body to investigate somatic sensations.

So when the throat sensation arose I began to scan it with meditative awareness. After just a short bit of scanning a somatic sensation you will usually trigger a flashback. Where typically in meditation you try to stay present, in this technique you lower your guard and allow yourself to dissasociate. In this case, the sensation flashed me back to a childhood memory of sitting on my bed around the age of 4 with my Father threatening to hit me again if I kept crying. Most of us knows what this feels like in some form Trying to suppress uncontrollable crying as a child, feeling like you have a knot in your throat, gasping between cries for air. I then used inner child healing and my inner voice to speak to my inner child within this traumatic flashback. Letting them know that I was with them and that I would always be there for them. That I loved them unconditionally. That it was ok to cry. That I was there to protect them and from now on they could just be them Self. Immediately the energetic sensation lifted and my breathing became easy and regular. Now the sensation rarely arises, but if it ever does, I know what to do. I just quickly imagine my 4 year old Self sitting on the bed and give them the Love they deserve which clears the sensation.


Hope this helps. All Love

🙏💜🙏

Edit: If you feel called the Upanishads would be a beautiful ancient text for this stage of the Journey. The Upanishads are about the relationship between the trinity of Brahman, Brahma, and Atman. As you begin moving beyond duality, and unlock the Heavenly Chakras, Brahma may emerge as an important God for You. My favorite translation of the Upanishads is by Juan Cole. I haven't found a source to download his translation, but it is available here.

1. I've always worked on them while lying down. My back also aches when I try to sit upright without support for very long, so this is what works best for me.
   
2. I find caffeine throws my chakras out of whack, giving me energy, focus, and self-assertion, but clouding my emotional, intuitive, and transcendent centers.
   
3. Pranayama or the 8 Kriyas are good to start off with, but I find a constant rhythm to be easier to keep track of.
   
4. I have tinnitus, so I can't really speak to this. Mostly I find I need music to drown out the sounds around me (I live on a busy street).
   
5. Not bad, but it may be good to do what you can with Root and move on to experience the other chakras and what they have to offer. Like ogmk said, there are different schools of thought on this.
   
6. I've always heard that deep breaths are better, and nose is better, but if I did that for too long I'd hyperventilate. I generally start with the Kriyas or Pranayama and then breathe normally for the rest of the meditation.
   
7. I like the quizzes at Eclectic Energies, but the information at Chakra Energy seems to be a little more in-depth. Most of my information has been coming from shamanic sources, like Alberto Villoldo's Shaman, Healer, Sage.

> Best books on Chakras?

Beginning from West Occidental conversion?

First off "best" isn't going to cut it. That's level 2 seeking. "The Best" is like "The Truth" !!!!

> Best books on Chakras?

If coming from age 3 to 40 under Western modern life, I would suggest a good starting point as this book: https://www.amazon.com/OSI-Model-simply-explained/dp/1482315564 on ISO 7498. It's a hard translation.

I would highly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Body-Western-Mind-Psychology/dp/1587612259

She does an excellent job of combining mystical teachings about chakras with her knowledge of clinical psychology to help people build a balanced relationship between their body and soul. It is also chock full of good quotes and insights from some of the greatest mystics and philosophers, ancient and modern.

I would say you should begin with some research, just so you have a framework for understanding what you are going through. A good book on the topic would be Wheels of Life.

http://www.amazon.com/Wheels-Life-Chakra-System-Llewellyns/dp/0875423205

Meditation is basically the only way to develop this kind of ability (and others like it). Begin your meditation practice, and you'll be beginning a lifelong journey of psycho-spiritual development! Have fun!

This is one of the best energy medicine reference tools out there.

https://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Body-Encyclopedia-Energetic-Anatomy/dp/1591796717

Anodea Judith!

https://www.amazon.com.au/Eastern-Body-Western-Mind-Psychology-ebook/dp/B004G8PAH0

https://www.amazon.com/Wheels-Life-Chakra-System-Llewellyns/dp/0875423205

Also look her up on YouTube :)

Barbara Brennan's Hands of Light and Light Emerging are two classics --highly recommended.