Wheels of Life
by Anodea Judith Ph.D.
Review written by Raniah Al-Sayed
‘Wheels of Life’ is a comprehensive account of the Chakra system, as interpreted by Anodea Judith. The text begins with an overview of the system – its physiological positioning, its historical roots, and its interpretations over time. In the opening chapter, Judith also introduces us to the concepts of the Kundalini, the Sushumna, and the directional currents of energy: the liberating upward flow and the manifesting downward flow. The main body of the book is dedicated to an exploration of each energy center, giving one full chapter to each Chakra. Each of these chapters begins with a list detailing the physical location of the chakra and all the associated information from color to deity, from bodily organ to incense. A meditation for that Chakra is then presented. This is followed by an exploration of the function of that Chakra in an individual, its historical or cultural evolution and implications, along with a sense of what a fully realized version of that energy center would look or feel like. Each Chakra chapter closes with a series of suggested exercises to energize that center. The final chapters of the book are concerned with the interaction of the Chakras within an individual, in an interpersonal relationship, within a society, throughout human evolution, and, finally, through the developmental stages of childhood.
The most obvious link to Lucid Body is, of course, the Chakra system itself. Both Judith and Lucid Body work on the understanding that the centers are, roughly, as follows:
Chakra One: the root, grounding, survival, primitive needs
Chakra Two: sensuality, sexuality, nurture, pleasure
Chakra Three: power, will, ego, self-esteem
Chakra Four: the heart, relationship, unconditional love
Chakra Five: communication, vibration
Chakra Six: the third eye, intuition, vision, understanding
Chakra Seven: the connection to that which is greater than us
I noted some differences between Lucid Body and ‘Wheels of Life’ on the subject of Chakra states and functions. Judith speaks at length of creativity in the throat, or Fifth, Chakra, “While many people have associated creativity with the second chakra, (since that’s where we create babies) I believe creativity is ultimately a form of expression, related to chakra five.” The placement of creativity in Fifth is not something that I have heard referred to in Lucid Body. I am unsure if I concur with Judith or not – time and evaluation may help me make up my own mind. For now, I see Fifth as a means to express creativity, not the source of it, but I would like to investigate this further.
Judith refers to the crown, or Seventh, Chakra as having the element of “thought”. For the most part, I have come to understand this Chakra as being connected to our spirituality and our connection to something or someone greater than us (i.e. a god, spirit, energy or power not born of the animal self.) However, in Judith’s ‘Chakra Self Test’, Chakra Seven has seven questions, two of which are regarding intellect “Do you enjoy reading and taking in new information?/ Do you learn quickly and easily?” In answering these questions, I realized that the ability to absorb new information (new knowledge is inherently greater than or outside of oneself) and the ability to learn (which requires conceiving of and/or accepting something previously greater than or outside oneself) requires much the same faith and willingness to accept as that of spiritual faith.
I found the listing of “Inner State: Laughter, joy, anger” confusing in the text introducing the Third Chakra. I have always assumed anger to live in First, and joy/laughter to live in Fourth. However, I do have problems with an imploded Third and I equally have problems with anger and joy. I’m not sure how to reconcile this with Lucid Body.
Aside from these minor discrepancies, the major differences lie in the type of information given. Judith focuses much more on culturally- and religiously-related information, such as deities, symbols, Sanskrit names, seed sounds and elements. Lucid Body, as a more practical application for the actor, speaks of personality types, situations in which one might exhibit or experience extremes of a given Chakra. ‘Wheels of Life’ focuses on balancing each center and therefore does not present the extremes of Imploded and Exploded in the same detail as Lucid Body. The book, then, exists as an extremely useful tool for each teacher on their personal journey, and for each student in their personal growth, but less so for the exploration of the extreme personalities of characters we might find on stage or screen.
However, many of the concepts used in Lucid Body are supported in ‘Wheels of Life’. One of the basic tenets of Lucid Body is that we trap emotional wounds, trauma, illness, and limiting behavior patterns in our physical body. When discussing the heart Chakra, Judith says:
Emotions are inherently tied in with movement. We repress feelings by restricting movement, and conversely, movement can free the emotional holding that causes chronic tension… [Emotions] begin in the unconscious and, through movement, are allowed to come into consciousness. To block an emotion, we restrict movement. Then the emotion may remain in the unconscious – meaning we are unaware of it – yet still wreak havoc on our lives… It takes energy to repress emotions, so releasing emotions releases tension (if done appropriately). Absence of tension creates a harmonic flow within the body/mind.
Every actor requires a “harmonic flow within the body/mind” in order to live on stage. This is what we seek in Lucid Body. If an actor’s body is not in harmony with the mind, she may speak the words but the feelings required to make the character fully human will be out of synch, or simply not present.
Another basic element of Lucid Body is audible breath; while Judith does not refer directly to audible breath, the basis for its effectiveness in Lucid Body is described in the corresponding chapters on breath and vibration. Judith describes our breath as “one of our most powerful tools for transforming ourselves: for burning up toxins, releasing stored emotions, changing body structure and changing consciousness.” By combining breath with the vibration that makes it audible, the Lucid Body practice combines the healing qualities of breath with the abilities of the Fifth Chakra to transcend the physical and connect to our higher consciousness. Judith describes what takes place in the Throat Chakra with, “Communication is our first level of physical transcendence in that it enables us to transcend the ordinary limitations of the body.” By transcending the physical, the emotions trapped in the body are allowed to evolve and release.
At the beginning of Lucid Body warm-ups, we always begin with finding our gravity line. Equally, Judith in her opening chapter starts her preliminary exercises with, “In order for the chakras to work smoothly, they need to be aligned with each other. The most direct alignment is with the spine relatively straight (a spine too straight is rigid and tense, blocking the opening of the chakras).” This then allows energy to flow up and down the Sushumna, giving the actor the ability to draw energy into whichever chakras he is required to work with.
As we move on to specific Lucid Body exercises, we find that Judith speaks of both Shadow and Mirror. In discussing the cultural development of our chakras, Judith explains, “In actuality, however, the sacredness of the first three chakras is already denied, and this promotes a fixation on their shadow aspects… The shadow side of denied sexuality is rape, child molestation, sexual harassment, pornography, sexual addiction…” It is then the work of Lucid Body to explore how this denial lives in the body, and how the shadow is expressed in a character. In exploring the Fifth Chakra, Judith details a phenomenon known as Rhythm Entrainment whereby two people who are entrained, or connected, share movements of the body to within a fraction of a second – both raising an eyebrow, or tilting the head. Studies show that it is only when we are entrained that we avoid misunderstanding or breakdown in communication. Mirroring is entrainment at a heightened level – we are consciously entraining, consciously connecting to another human, sharing vibrations and communication. But, it is also comforting to know that given time, we naturally do this anyway!
I found some interesting sections regarding our lower three chakras. There has, in the past, been some concern expressed by both students and teacher trainers regarding the constant return to First, Second and Third Chakras. I, too, find I am most commonly drawn there. In her beginning overview, Judith describes the system as such, “… each higher level is a transcendence, which includes and is built on the level below it. In this way, the lower chakras provide a foundation for our spiritual growth…” So, while we may feel that we are focusing too closely on the lower three, if they are creating the foundation by which growth can occur, then continuing to return and fortify that foundation seems positive to me.
In discussing the Third Chakra ‘Wheels of Life’ addresses the need for “power within” instead of “power over”. The power to create a character, to embody another, or bring to life another person’s set of circumstances cannot come from “power over” but can only come from “power within”. We cannot muscle or dominate our way into a role, we have to search inside for the power with which to play it. Judith says of power:
Through the lens of the Chakra System, power results from combining and integrating, rather than fighting and dominating. Each chakra level emerges, first of all, from the combination of levels below it. It is then activated by the descending current of consciousness, which bring understanding to each level. Instead of finding our power through separation, power can come from unity and wholeness.
By integrating and strengthening our chakras in Lucid Body class, we harness the power within needed to create roles.
I have been giving consideration to the energy currents of manifestation and liberation. Clearly, we need both to be flowing freely to have a healthy system. My sense is that in class we are targeting both with different exercises. The physical exercises of warm-up draw up the current from our root to our crown. The visualization exercises of Chakra Talk-Through or the beginning of Shadow work, draw the current from our crown (or inspiration) down to our physical roots. The remaining exercises, that combine movement with inspiration, are drawing on both simultaneously.
Concerning my personal journey, the text confirmed aspects of myself, as well as helped me to some new discoveries. I identified closely with information in the chapters on Chakras One, Three and Five. In the root chakra, I see that I suffer with some of the physical malfunctions listed, am drawn to the color red, and have a heightened sense of smell. The need for stillness, security and stability are all strong in me. I have felt rootless for much of my life, and grounding is a very important tool for me. At my worst times, I feel I am literally floating away. I recognize the exercises that Judith includes as being powerful for me and acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to be done on my First Chakra.
The Third Chakra functions of will, power, assertiveness, self-esteem, and ego are ones I have a spastic relationship with, which was simply confirmed by this chapter! I found the following particularly interesting with regards to relationships:
Self-esteem forms a good foundation for opening the heart and maintaining successful relationships. If the lower chakras have done their job, then our partner doesn’t need to make us secure, interpret our feelings, or bolster our ego. We can then move more completely into the delightful experience of love.
Apparently, my lower chakras have not been doing their job adequately. Although I did not phrase it these words, this is something I have recently become aware of – that I have been asking my partner to be responsible for exactly these things. To the extent that I have frequently made it my partner’s responsibility to find food when I am hungry and warmth when I am cold instead of being able to do this for myself (which I know full well I am capable of.) I have already begun work on providing myself with these lower chakra needs.
I also found, in the Fourth Chakra chapter, work that I have already begun. For some time since starting Lucid Body, I have been practicing the Compassion Meditation on the subway and the Empathy Exercise with my partner. They are wonderful tools that are making me feel less alone in New York and saving my relationship in times of total misunderstanding.
The chapter on the Fifth Chakra also piqued my interest, particularly the exercises. I feel that I over-talk, interrupt, and don’t fully listen. The Plough and the Shoulder Stand are both suggested and I know from Lucid Body that these can both be very painful for me, which suggests to me that I am holding a good deal of tension in this center. I would also like to try exercising silence as Judith describes at the end of the chapter – first an hour or two and building up to a day or two.
The real surprise came for me in the Chakra Self Test. I expected my lower scores to be in Chakras One, Three and Seven and, indeed, One and Three were low, however, Seven was surprisingly one of my higher scores. More interestingly, I did not expect my lowest score to be in the Fourth, the heart. It hit me like a tonne of bricks – that thing my therapist said, “you are carrying a massive amount of grief”. And it’s true, I am. I’ve carried it for so long, I don’t notice it there anymore. I wonder then how interdependent the chakras are, and how much I can affect one by working on another. As Judith says, “A block in the function of one chakra may affect the activity of the one above or below it. For example, you may have trouble with your personal power… because of a block in communication… Or perhaps the real problem may lie in your heart (fourth chakra) and only manifests in these other areas because it is buried so deeply.” How much of my First and Third issues come from my Heart or vice versa?
‘Wheels of Life’ left me with a fantastic list of personal questions to explore in Lucid Body, as well as a series of exercises I’d like to try. I’d like to discuss the concept of Kundalini with my mentors and hear about their experiences with this. I wonder if we are not working in class to raise the Kundalini energy in our students, and ourselves. But, as it has never been referred to in this way, it’s hard to determine. The book also raised questions about potential exercises for students, or suggestions we might make to students to work on outside of class, e.g. wearing a different color, practicing a meditation, or adding a particular stretch to their morning. It also gave me hope for the broader impact of Lucid Body. In referring to society, Judith states
… we can, by our own state of mind, affect our surroundings in return. Each time we raise or expand our own consciousness, we are making a cultural contribution. Each time we find others of like mind, we are strengthening that contribution. Every conversation contributes to the overall gestalt.
Lucid Body is raising consciousnesses not only in its practitioners, but also in the wider acting community and, subsequently, in the society in which we live and work. I trust that this can, ultimately, only have a beneficial outcome for us all.