this is about a very simple yet effective meditation that i learned many years ago. i took a class from the Berkley Psychic Institute on meditation, & it was nicely done. everyone that i've run this meditation by has been able to do it, & it's also easy to 'personalize' for yourself. but first of all, you need to know just a bit about chakras, there are 7 basic ones on your body. chakra means 'wheel or vortex', & it's a center of spinning energy. Through our chakras we're able to send & receive all kinds of energy.

1. root (or base) chakra. the color red, earth element, sense of smell, "i want stuff", located at the tailbone. this deals with your foundations, your earliest relationships, your physical energy & vitality.
2. sacral (or splenic) chakra. the color orange, water element, sense of taste, “i desire”, located 1-2 inches below navel. this is about your friendliness, creativity, sexuality, emotions, & intuition.
3. solar plexus (or lumbar) chakra. the color yellow, fire element, sense of sight, “i want happiness”, located at the solar plexus (below the breastbone, behind the stomach). this is about your sense of personal power, skills, & aptitudes. in martial arts it is considered the center of chi.
4. heart (or dorsal) chakra. the color green, air element, sense of touch, “i want to give & receive love”, located at center of chest. this is the center of compassion, & is the most vulnerable place when you are hurt in life & love.
5. throat (or cervical) chakra. the color blue, ether element, sense of hearing, “i want to speak freely & openly”, located at base of neck. this is the center of communication & speech.
6. third eye chakra. the color indigo, electrical or telepathic energy, sense of thought, “i want to see clearly”, located between the eyebrows. this is the center of psychic powers & higher intuition. through this you can receive guidance, channel, & tune into your higher self.
7. crown (or wisdom) chakra. the color violet, cosmic energy, the “seventh” sense, “i want to be lazy”, located at crown of the head. this is about self-realization & reaching the peak experience (Samadhi) of life.

now that you know a bit about chakras, we can move on to the meditation itself.

sit somewhere in a comfortable & calm place, but not so comfy that you’ll doze off. a chair is a good idea, so that you can keep your feet flat on the floor. close your eyes & imagine a cord running from your root chakra down to the center of the earth. it can be a cord, a rope, a root, a hose, or even an elevator shaft! try different kinds out until you find what ‘feels’ best to you.
now remember that last lesson where you worked on knowing what was your energy & what wasn’t? let the energy that isn’t you drop right down that cord to be grounded out by the earth. if you tell it to go, it will; it’s not yours anyway, so why would you want to hold onto it?
now that we got rid of the “bad”, we gotta bring back the “good!” with your eyes still closed & with your grounding cord still working, think about all the times during the day that you sent your energy out from you. well now is the time to bring it home! call out to those bits of energy that you sent out during the day, & tell them to come back home. if you tell it to come, it will; it’s yours & it’s best for all of you to ‘be at home’ in your body. imagine all the bits of your energy flowing back into a big glowing ball (kind of like a small happy sun!) above your head. when you feel that all of “you” is back, then just let that happy sun melt down over you. the first time i did this, the energy felt warm & soothing, & it flowed down around/in/through me with the consistency of honey. it felt/feels great! if something that wasn’t “you” tried to sneak back in, that’s why you kept the grounding cord in place. that energy that isn’t you will just fall down to the cord & get grounded away.
i recommend doing this at least once per day. or if you have a high-stress job, you may want to do this 3 times daily. the number of times is really up to you, but it should help you feel a lot better as well as help you to learn even more about your own energy.

that’s all for part 1a, part 1b will be coming soon.
a great book about chakras, color, crystals, & healing is :
Color & Crystals A journey through the chakras by Joy Gardner-Gordon