Melinda walked into the room nervously. Head down, eyeing the floor, she slowly picked her way over to the clamour she heard coming from the head of the room. She clutched her yoga mat tightly, pressing it against her chest, her sports bra cutting into her ribs.
What on earth had she been thinking? She was not cut out for this. At all.
She worked in the coal mines back in Australia. She looked petite with her shapely body and blond hair but she’d learnt to brute herself up.
It was the only way to survive life down there with guys tough as nails who, more often than not, looked down their large bulbous noses at her.
But she’d earned their respect. And hell, she deserved it.
So, what was she doing here, at a one-month yoga course in frikkin Bali, of all places? The paradise island, full of trees and beaches and hippies? It was far removed from her stoic one-bedroom place on a littered street lined with warehouses, disgruntled working-class families and walking distance from where she worked.
She put her yoga mat down timidly, sitting gingerly on the edge of a cushion placed on the floor. The whole place smelled of lavender, sandalwood and rose – as different from her daily smells of soot and sweat as it could possibly get.
“Hi.” She heard a cheerful voice and looked up. Big black eyes stared back at her, dusky face crinkled into a smile.
She smiled back shyly. “Hi.”
The girl stuck her hand out. “I’m Amrita. Where are you from?”
Melina shook her hand. “Melinda. From Australia.”
Amrita grinned and opened her mouth to speak but shuffling up front told them the instructors had arrived.
Over the next hour, Melinda watched the people in the course introduce themselves. 37 of them, from all over the world. Amrita, whom she instantly felt comfortable with, was from India. The home of yoga.
“You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just do a course in India.” She laughed as amused heads nodded. “I wanted to travel and meet new people. Tale as old as time.” She warbled the last bit, that classic Beauty and The Beast song, and everyone burst into laughter.
They eventually settled cross-legged onto their cushions. Their instructors were to lead them through a meditation session.
“You may feel,” said Giselle, the soft-spoken, gentle instructor from Germany, “some tingling on your forehead, some throbbing between the brows as the session progresses. Go with it, flow with it and see where it takes you.”
Melinda’s apprehension, which had somewhat dissipated during the introductory circle, returned full-fledged. Tingling on the forehead? What was that? Why should she flow with such a weird feeling?
She wondered if she could excuse herself and leave from the session. The nervousness threatened to overwhelm her. But everyone else had already closed their eyes. Leaving would cause a disturbance.
She gulped silently, steeled herself and closed her eyes, hands clutching her thighs.
“That’s it.” Giselle’s soothing voice floated over to her. “Keep your eyes closed. Slowly and gently, bring your awareness to your breath... breathe in – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… breathe out – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… keep going… breathing in and out, in and out…”
Despite herself, Melinda began to relax, focusing only on Giselle’s voice. Minutes passed.
“And now,” Giselle’s velvety tone strengthened just a little bit. “Focus on the space between your brows... bring your attention there and gently, begin visualizing golden light... golden light emanates from between your brows, which is called your third eye. Or the ajna chakra…”
It was Melinda’s introduction to the 7 chakras, though she didn’t know it then. She continued focusing on the golden light and exactly 10 minutes later, it happened.
She felt a gentle tingle begin between her brows before it radiated outward, consuming her entire forehead, her skull, extending towards the back of her spine. A feeling of utter peace filled her and she felt her body becoming light. Was she floating or was she still seated on the ground? She didn’t know.
The tingle began spreading over her entire body and the space between her brows began throbbing with intensity. With every throb, she felt a pulse of joy spread through her whole being. What was happening? Was she having an out-of-body experience? Why did she feel so inexplicably happy?
A few seconds later, the questions faded as her mind went blank. All she felt was joy.
When Giselle brought them back to the present a while later, Melinda was awestruck. Gobsmacked. Flabbergasted. What had just happened?
And why did she still feel this joy coursing through her being like her very life depended on it?
The feeling persisted for another two days before slowly fading away.
Chakra meditation.
What is a chakra? It is an energy center that’s present in the subtle aspect of a human body. When we move past our awareness of the body, we tap into the subtle body and the different chakras, each of which awakens a different part of us, preparing us for the final liberation of the soul into the supreme consciousness.
The chakra meaning is better understood when experienced.
And that’s what Melinda experienced that day – the beginning of it.
It transformed her life.
Today, she stays at an ashram in India, having devoted her life to God.
Spiritual experiences can walk into our life anytime, whether we are prepared for it or not. When it’s time, it’s time, and Nature waits for no one, least of all, for us to be ready.
So, when something comes knocking, be sure to open the door. It just may be the opportunity for liberation.
Just like it was for Melinda.
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