Chakras: Sacred Centers of the Self

Anodea Judith
April 19-21

From the great spiral galaxies, thousands of light years across, to the billions of atoms swirling in a grain of sand, the universe is composed of spinning wheels of energy. At the inner core of each one of us spin seven wheel-like energy centers called chakras, centers of activity for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of vital life energies. The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel. The chakras come from the oldest written tradition, the Vedas and the Upanishads in India, well before the rise of Greece.

The chakras also correlate to levels of consciousness, archetypal elements, developmental stages of life, colors, sounds, body functions, and more. The seven basic chakras all exist within the subtle body, overlaying the physical body. They forming a continuum from matter to consciousness, earth to heaven, and body to mind that connects our physical existence to our higher nature, while honoring both. Each step upward includes and builds upon the level below. Each step downward brings our ideas into the physical plane. Chakras are the "wheels of life" that carry us through the soul's evolutionary journey to consciousness.

This experiential retreat will introduce you to the seven sacred energy centers that spin at the core of your being, generating your life patterns and physical health. Through yoga postures, meditation, bioenergetics, pranayama, chanting, partner work, and group discussion, we'll take a journey that validates the body and its needs, as well as expanding our consciousness into deeper understanding. We'll gain a holistic understanding of the chakra system and learn basic postures and techniques to access these centers in our own bodies. All levels of experience are welcome.

Anodea Judith's private healing practice has evolved over 20 years from bodywork, through psychotherapy, to what she calls Mind-Body Integration, which includes bioenergetics, trauma recovery, yoga therapy, hypnotherapy, acupressure massage, gestalt, standard psychotherapy, clairvoyant reading, yoga, reiki, and shamanic spiritual training. Her much translated Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System is considered the chakra classic, with over 100,000 copies sold in this country alone. The Sevenfold Journey: Reclaiming Mind, Body, and Spirit through the Chakras, co-authored with Selene Vega, arose out of their popular Nine-Month Chakra Intensive. The ground-breaking Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self, charts childhood development, related difficulties, and techniques for healing them within the chakra model. Sounds True released Anodea's six-tape audio course The Chakra System: A Complete Course in Self-Diagnosis and Healing. A dynamic and experienced speaker, workshop presenter, musician, and visionary artist, Anodea is dedicated to healing our world and evolving human consciousness. We welcome her on her first visit to Rowe.