Last week, I was camping in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. It’s wild, beautiful country. I was hiking along a gentle trail that follows the Tongue River and felt inspired to clear my chakras in a new way. The clearing process was simple. Yet by the end of the hike, I felt free in a way that is hard to describe. Whenever I go camping, I always bring along a schmöker or two (my mom’s German word for trashy novel) and a non-fiction book about healing. This trip’s healing book was “The Four Insights” by Alberto Villoldo. The book contains wisdom teachings of the Earthkeepers, the medicine men and women of the Americas. This book called to me because I recently attended a Munay-Kiworkshop and received the nine energy rites of the Earthkeepers. I have already shared some of these rites with my clients and will write more about them in future posts. The chakra clearing process I used comes from an exercise in this book.

The Earthkeepers teach that the path toward enlightenment is an individual one. We’re expected to trust in our own experiences, awareness and interpretation. I wholeheartedly endorse that philosophy! I started by following the instructions in the book and found myself adapting them as I went along. I share my chakra clearing experience with you and invite you to use it as a starting point for your own process.

The process has four steps:

1. Create sacred space and connect to the flow of energy in your hands. You can do this in a variety of ways. Villoldo suggests you lie comfortably in your bed, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and let your thoughts float in front of you. He then suggests you bring your hands together in prayer position and continue to breathe deeply several times. Once you are in a peaceful state, separate your hands, shake them vigorously and return them to prayer position. Notice the feeling of energy through your fingertips.

I wanted to approach the chakra clearing process as a walking meditation. So I did a few yoga sun salutations, bathed for a few moments in the morning sunshine, donned my boots and hat, and began my hike. As a reiki master, I’m always aware of the energy flowing in my hands.

2. Unwind your chakras, beginning with the root and repeating through the 7th. Move your right hand over your first chakra, about two inches away from your skin. Feel its energy as it spins clockwise. Then begin unwinding the chakra by slowly spinning your hand counterclockwise. Imagine your body as the face of the clock and your fingers as the hands. As you unwind the chakra, sense the flow of energy. Villodo suggests unwinding each chakra ten times.

I began with my root chakra and unwound it ten times. I had been having some pain in my lower back and could feel my sacrum begin to relax. Ten unwinds, however, felt like just the beginning. So I hiked a little further down the trail, unwinding as I went. I discovered that it felt right for me to stop and look for the trout in the river, do a dozen or so unwinds, then keep hiking. I lost count of the number of stops and unwinds I did on my root chakra. At some point, I felt a distinct “pop” that signaled my chakra was open and clear. I followed the same routine for each chakra. Some of them released with the same “pop” and others let go with a gentle sigh. With each release, I felt myself grow lighter.

3. After each chakra is clear, spin it back to its normal (clockwise) motion. With your hand above the chakra, spin ten times in a clockwise motion.

4. Settle into your body in a new way with a renewed lightness of being. After you have cleared your 7 th or crown chakra, imagine you are hovering a few inches above your physical body. Take a few deep breaths, bring your hands back to prayer position and fully inhabit your body again.

Each of the chakras is associated with particular feelings. As you release “toxic sludge” from them, you may notice certain emotions or memories arise spontaneously. Villoldo suggests that you allow the sensations to wash through you without analyzing them. I felt a variety of sensations pass through me as I worked my way up through the seven chakras. I think that being out in nature provided a safe place for me to simply be the observer. I felt nurtured by Mother Earth, who was happy to receive my discarded energies and recycle them.

If you're not familiar with the chakra system, here is a handy graphic! I am also more than happy to help you explore these centers of energy, so feel free to make an appointment to get on my table soon!