Every day, singers explore the most profound human emotions through their songs. Knowledge of the “chakra,” or energy-center system in the body, can be a valuable tool for singers to use in this exploration.
The word “chakra” comes from the Sanskrit word for wheel. Chakras are energy centers located along the spine, and each chakra is associated with a specific nerve, gland and organ system in the body. Chakras are a nexus for moving energy throughout the body. They are like CDs spinning at the corresponding energy centers of the body—when they are spinning, the energy centers of the body are open and balanced.
The Chakra system is not taught in many traditional forms of yoga until students are advanced. Singers, however, are so in tune with their emotions that in general, they are ready to absorb these concepts before reaching this advanced level of study.
When teaching the Chakra system to singers, I concentrate on seven energy centers in the body. These energy centers may be stimulated through yoga postures, as well as different vibrations and emotions in art songs and arias.
Singers familiar with the Chakra system can compare it to learning a new language.
Most singers have a precise knowledge of the elements involved in their singing mechanism, but are not fully connected with the other messages their bodies are sending them. Chakra 1, the root chakra, for example, deals with the grounding of the body. Singers need to be grounded on the stage for optimum performance. If singers are in touch with their root chakras, they can recognize the need for adjustment and know the poses that will assist them in this area.
The following is a brief introduction to the different chakras. In the coming months I will explore each chakra in greater detail.
Chakra 1: The Root Chakra
The root chakra is at the root or base of the spine. When your root chakra is in balance, you feel safe, secure, grounded, and at home with yourself. You are confident you can provide for life’s necessities and stand on your own. Singer’s may use their knowledge of the root chakra to fully ground themselves on stage.
A singer’s life may require a lot of traveling. Work on chakra 1 may help the singer feel at home within themselves, even when they spend only two months each year at their physical home.
Chakra 2: The Belly Chakra
The belly chakra is between the navel and the groin. It is the center of emotions and feelings, as well as the appetite, and is sometimes called the “partnership chakra,” because it emphasizes the need for people and relationships in our lives. A balanced second chakra manifests in creativity, sexuality, and power, ethics, and honor in relationships. Knowledge of this chakra is important for the singer—it is connected to creativity.
If you feel a creative block in your life, working with the second chakra may help.
Chakra 3: The Solar Plexus Chakra
The solar plexus chakra is at the base of the breastbone or sternum. It has to do with your personal power, self-esteem, confidence, and self-respect. If you feel secure in your self-image, and in how you are caring for others in your life, your third chakra is in balance. But if you have fears of rejection or criticism, third-chakra work would be beneficial.
Singer’s lives are full of competition, plus reviews by critics, audience members and coworkers, rejection for roles, and applause. A strong third chakra helps all of these factors stay in balance, and gives the singer a presence on stage that people are comfortable watching.
Chakra 4: The Heart Chakra
The heart chakra resides in the heart area, behind the central breastbone. It deals with love, compassion, forgiveness, loneliness, grief, anger, trust, and hope. (Sounds like the first five minutes of an opera!) It mediates between the body and the spirit, and determines their health and strength. A balanced fourth chakra is vital for the singer’s career, since singers explore these characteristics daily, from the practice room to the stage.
One of my students provided the best example of the singer’s connection with the fourth chakra. After a yoga class concentrating on the heart chakra, she said, “This is exactly what singers do every evening at the curtain call. … They open their arms wide out to the side, opening up their heart and self to the audience, and then bring everything in by clasping their hands into their chest as they bow.”
Chakra 5: The Throat Chakra
The throat chakra resides in the whole of the throat area. This chakra deals with personal expression, the capacity to make decisions, choice, and strength of will. If you feel you are expressing yourself fully, following your dreams in your life, and using your personal power to create, your fifth chakra is balanced.
Needless to say, a healthy throat chakra is essential to the singer. Through my experiences with singers, I find that this chakra has a tendency to be blocked more than the others, because singers have been judging this area of the body for years and have a different relationship and knowledge of the throat area than my average (non-singer) yoga student.
Chakra 6: The Brow Chakra
The brow chakra is in the center of the forehead. Sometimes called the “third eye,” it is the center of insight, intuition, and perception. If you are aware of your intuitive nature, your sixth chakra is in balance—but if you feel an unwillingness to look within yourself, it needs work. Sometimes it is just too painful for singers to look fully within if they are performing an art song or opera that hits “too close to home.” Working with this Chakra can help singers delve in and find a personal connection with the meaning of the music, rather than distancing themselves from the music.
Chakra 7: The Crown Chakra
The crown chakra involves values, ethics, and courage, plus the ability to see the larger picture of life, faith, inspiration, spirituality, and devotion. This is the most personal of the chakras. It plays an important role in the private preparation each singer needs before performing in public.
Chakra yoga poses allow for the free flow of energy through all the energy centers, creating new sensations and heightened body awareness. When a person opens up their chakras, energy can flow through them more efficiently, creating harmony within the body, mind, and spirit.
As you work with the chakras, you will become more aware of the subtle changes in your body, and gradually, learn the access routes to them. As you learn these routes, the circuits get clearer and stronger. The energy is able to run through your body with less forgetting.
You can compare this to learning a pose in yoga, or learning an aria. The more you practice, the more your body is able to receive the pose or remember the techniques needed for difficult passages. With the chakras balanced, the body comes into more of a state of harmony, giving an enlivening and integrating effect through your entire being.
Each different chakra has a unique relationship to yoga poses and singing. Whether you are a beginning singer or a trained professional, knowledge of your energy centers may allow for a new technique that helps you reach higher in your art form and your personal wellbeing.
