Understanding Our Power Center Through Yoga
The third chakra is what is referred to as our power center. However, it is important to understand what the word "power" really means. Often when people see the word "power," they think of it in terms of the popular model of power in today's world, as power over something or someone. Power over anything involves conflict, struggle and opposition. True power does not come from conflict, struggle or opposition. Even inner power does not come from struggling to control our weaknesses. This still involves struggle and suppresses the raw energy of our basic instincts, which is the psychic source of our power.
True power does not depend on whether or not we are good or whether we can control our urge to smoke, or drink, for example, or lie or steal. If we give in to our bad side, our addiction, for example, we feel defeated. If we do not, we feel victorious. But this is only temporary, because everything is constantly changing. And tomorrow our feelings of power will depend on something else that does or does not happen.
As we practice yoga and refine ourselves, we begin to develop ways of seeing and knowing what is beyond ordinary perception. These skills, if not used properly or used for purposes of power over something, like any inappropriate use of power, will eventually turn and smack us in the face and obscure the true path we are trying to follow. True power must empower us without diminishing us, or diminishing anybody else, in any way.
Let us say we are concerned about someone who has said something unkind about us. All our attention is focused on that person. We become obsessed over it and can hardly think of anything else. Why did he say that? What can I do to change his mind? What did I ever do to deserve such unkind treatment? How can I get even? It goes on and on. We are fixated with thinking and plotting about our solution. Every aspect of our day is disoriented by this offense.
At some point, it occurs to us that this obsession is not only taking our attention but it is also taking our energy! Once we really realize that, it is easier to pull back the energy and redirect it toward more appropriate use. This is what power truly is, the conscious directing of prana toward greater consciousness. There is simply no way to describe in words how this slow dawning of consciousness happens. It is in the doing of the practice that our awareness and sensitivity is heightened.