Chakra Cleansing
As I was looking for something new to try this week I came across free Chakra Cleansing and Reiki at the Center of Symmetry. I’d heard of it before, but I didn’t know much about it. I never want to make a judgment about something before trying it, so I thought I would give it a shot.

ChakrasChakra is Sanskrit for “wheel” or “turning” and they are are points in the human body that are centers of life force or energy. Apparently, this energy can actually be detected by something called a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device. There are seven major chakras in a human body: the root chakra, sacral chakra, solar plexus chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra, third eye chakra, and the crown chakra. Some believe that the chakras can affect a person’s physical and mental health.

The group was led by Dan Craft and Becki Baumgartner. There were about a dozen people present to attend the class, the majority of which were trying it for the first time. Dan and Becki started by having you lay down on a massage table and relax. First, Becki held a chakra pendulum over you. The one she used looked like it was made of rose quartz, which apparently is used for understanding emotions, love, and emotional healing. If she held the pendulum over your chakra and it was still, that meant the chakra was closed, if the pendulum spun (preferably clockwise) it meant the chakra was open. If the chakra was closed, Becki would spin a clear feng shui ball over you (which looked like a tiny disco ball) until the chakra opened. She explained that the way the ball reflected light had something to do with how it worked.

When it was my turn, I laid down and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see what was going on because I didn’t want it to alter my perception of what was going on. Some people said they could feel where Becki was holding the pendulum, but I could not. When she held the pendulum over me, she said that I was already incredibly open, apparently it was spinning like crazy. She asked if I did yoga (which I do), and said that yoga was really good for opening the chakras.

Reiki
Once our chakras were open it was time for Reiki. Reiki means “universal energy” and is the art of healing through touch and the adjustment of life force energy flow. Studies have shown that Reiki can lower blood pressure, reduce pain, and lessen anxiety.

Because there were so many first timers there, they gave us short sessions to try to fit everyone in. Dan cradled our heads in his hands while Becki placed her hands on our chests; everyone else formed a circle around the table and placed their hands on our arms and legs. I laid there for a few minutes doing a breathing exercise with everyone’s hands on me. After a few moments I started seeing vibrant hues of green and purple like a kaleidoscope on the inside of my eyelids. I can’t really explain it, seeing swirling colors isn’t something I normally experience when I close my eyes and when I closed my eyes in the same room at other points in the evening all I saw was darkness. When my session was over I felt incredibly dizzy and I took me a few moments to regain my balance. It seemed like about half of us experienced the same dizziness.

I can’t really say what I believe yet, it’s too soon to tell. However, I will say that I felt incredibly relaxed and peaceful after the session. If Chakra Cleansing or Reiki is something that interests you, then it is definitely worth giving it a shot. If nothing else, you’ll spend an hour learning something new . . . and that is never a bad thing.