Chakras

Going from the Buddhism meditation to the Hindu chakra meditation. There is a difference between the Buddhism believe in the chakras and the Hindu believe. Main difference is that the Buddhism chakras have 10 points, starting from the third eye, then the crown chakra and then down to the root. The Hindu chakras are more simplistic and better known. Also keep in mind that in Buddhism the soul does not exists. Something Hindus do believe in. There are other subtle differences but I will not discuss them here. The goal here is not to stick to one religion or faith but use different ones to get my point across.

There are seven main chakra points. Then four secondary chakras, one etheric chakra, some minor chakras and a lot of smaller chakras.
Chakras control your well being, your illnesses, your pains and your happiness. Other thing you need to know is that you have a front and back. Except for the root and crown chakra. All chakras turn clockwise both in front and your back. A closed chakra can cause physical and mental illness and if you feel something is wrong, focus on that chakra and heal your body and mind. The main way to check if a chakra is open or closed is by using a pendant. You will need somebody with a steady hand to check them. If the pendant starts to swing clockwise in an even motion, that chakra is functioning and open. If the pendant stays still, or worse: going anti-clockwise, it's closed. Wobbly movements in the pendant means you will need to work on that chakra.
There are many sites that explain what a certain chakra's function is, what it does and how you can open them. I'm not going into full detail on them, but will provide you with a link to get a better understanding.
Keep in mind that I'm using the Hindu explanation of chakras so here your chakras go only up. So red or root chakra is your main chakra, then your spleen or orange chakra, your solar plexus or yellow chakra, your heart or green chakra, your throat or blue chakra, your third eye or indigo chakra and finally your crown or violet chakra.
Before trying to open up any chakra keep in mind that the base chakras need to be fully open and functioning first. Don't attempt opening your third eye chakra when your root or solar chakra is off balance. Your base chakras are the root, the spleen and the solar plexus chakra. The other four are more advanced chakras.

An important thing is to cleanse your chakras first. You can find a qualified healer to do this for you and the healer can also inform you which chakras are open and which chakras need to be focused on.  I'm not a qualified healer, I just mention here what I've learned and what I practice.
The easiest way to cleanse your chakras is imagine yourself standing under a shower, a waterfall or laying in a pool. Feeling the water clean the inside of your body. Like the water is not only flowing over your body, but also inside you.
Another way is feeling a white light coming from the earth around you moving slowly through your body from the feet to the top of your head. Once your whole body is covered in a white light, you can start to focus on each point and fill that point with the designated colour.
After your meditation you will need to close your chakras too. Imagine a cloak or towel in each colour going from the crown to the root wrapping you. Shutting you down.

The most simple way of opening your different chakras is by doing the following:
Take an easy position, either the buddhist position with the knees crossed or laying down flat.
Close your eyes and focus on each section starting from the root.
You can hold a stone of a particular colour, or more easily think of a particular colour while focussing on that region. It may also help to guide that chakra by making a clockwise movement with your finger over that point.
Next what you do is: affirm the chakra. 

Root chakra (red)
Location: Pubic bone, base of spine.
This is all about you and who you are. So not only think of your body glowing in a red colour but also affirm that chakra with these lines:

- I honour my body

- I am and the world welcomes me

- I live with courage and consideration

Spleen chakra (Orange)
Location: about 5 cm below the navel. (for adults)
This chakra is all about what you feel. Your self confidence, needs and giving and receiving.
To affirm this chakra, let your body fill with an orange colour and repeat these lines:

- I let go of what I do not need and welcome change

- I am enough

- I trust the Universe to supply my abundance and prosperity

Solar plexus chakra (Yellow)
Location: about 5 cm above the navel.
This chakra is about self control and patience
To affirm this chakra think yellow or gold and repeat these lines:

- I own my own strength

- I appreciate all of my unique qualities

Heart chakra (green)
Location: in the centre of your chest, next to the heart
The heart chakra is about love. Love for yourself and love for others. It's also about accepting that you are God as well.
To affirm this chakra think green and repeat these lines:

- I am truly loved

- I accept myself fully

I'm going to take a break here and focus on the heart chakra. Remember what I said above. Make sure your three base chakras are open before continuing. Also keep in mind the colours that these chakras have. They are important, not only for your body but also for things that will come. Not having the first three chakras open will not prepare you for the things that are coming in the future.
Also notice that the heart chakra means that you are God as well.
This might come as a shock to some people but God is everywhere. God manifest himself in the universe, in trees, in rocks in every living creature. Everything is God. Or as Neale Donald Walsch put it in his wonderful and must read book: "When Everything Changes, Change Everything":
You are an Individuation of Divinity. There is only One Thing, and all things are part of the One Thing That Is. Life is God, expressing Itself. You are a part of Life, therefore, you are a part of God. The only way this could not be true would be if Life and God were somehow separate. Such a thing is impossible. 
This is important to further understand what changes are laying ahead. Life is in everything and Life and God are exactly the same thing. Not only here on earth, but in the whole universe!

Another important thing to point out are the colours. These colours can have different meanings and I'll come back to the colour yellow and green especially in a next post.
Just try to open up your root, spleen and solar plexus chakra as a start.
To learn more about all the main chakras and the consequences of having them open or closed, visit this website and this one.
To start your chakra meditations you can use videos as a guide. They focus on all points, but try to keep your focus mainly on the first three. As they are the most important ones.
When you're ready, watch these two videos to do meditations for your chakras:
Chakra balancing, Colour meditation and Solara An Ra.
Next post I will discuss the other chakras and also explain how to test them with a pendant.