Green Tara Practice

Om tare tuttare ture soha

To start, open your awareness to your central channel. You might imagine the central channel like a bamboo shoot which is hollow in the middle and has little knots now and then which are symbolic of the chakras. The central channel does not run down the center of our body, but right in front of our spine. So more towards the back. And we are just going to open that awareness.

It is suggested to continually repeat the mantra. So if you are comfortable doing that, please feel free. And if it’s distracting then don’t worry about it.

We invite Tara. And if you don’t have a picture of her, that’s ok. Simply have a feeling of the ultimate, loving, mother. And if you have had bad experiences with mothers, then imagine having a mother that sees you, understands you, nourishes you, and nurtures you into growing to be whatever you can be with complete love and the capacity to hold that space for you. That is Tara.

As we begin, we begin with that sensation wherever it arises. If it is a visual picture of Tara right above your crown chakra, that’s wonderful. If it's a different sensation of warmth or whatever may arise, that is okay too. It’s taught with Tara sitting on the top of your crown chakra above your head but don’t shut down any experience that occurs.

Tara is our guide, our holder of the spaciousness of this practice. Then we start with the crown chakra. Which is a deep sky blue. If you gently feel around, it is the element of space. So we rest here saying the mantra perhaps. Om tare tuttare ture soha. Allowing that expansiveness of space – deep blue light. It’s our crown chakra. Om tare tuttare ture soha.

And then we allow that indescribable open expansiveness to gently and naturally slide down the central channel to our speech chakra in the throat. Which is brilliant yellow, warm and radiant light. The element associated is earth – the earth element. As we sit with the different elements that will arise. Envision or sense yourself as that element. First space sky, then earth, feel the earth element. Feel yourself as the earth element with the golden light of this chakra. Om tare tuttare ture soha.

We allow the energy of the central channel to move downward to our heart chakra. Which is white in color and the element is water. Just checking with some awareness that we are allowing the sensation of that to be just in front of the spine maybe experiencing this deep within us. Not a focused white light, but a warm white light. In experiencing the element of water, movement, flow, however it may arise for you – Om tare tuttare ture soha.

We allow that energy to flow down to the naval chakra. Red in color, vibrant, alive, red light. The element is fire. Feel the fire element. Well-being, the brilliant red light. Feel that you are free. Om tare tuttare ture soha.

Allow the energy to move down to the secret chakra. The secret chakra is four inches below the naval resting just in front of the spine, wherever the sensation arises. Allow that sense of energy to arise green in color and the element is air. It is the generative mother of all life and creation. The subtle movement of air in which all life arises. Deep verdant, rich green life. Om tare tuttare ture soha.

Now we reverse, going up, starting with that green verdant light. Where all life arises, the element air. And we gently allow the air to do as it will. Which is often just to rise. Rising up the central channel till reaches the fire element. And organically when air meets fire, fire grows stronger and bigger, more alive. And we let that fire build with the air feeding it. Until the heat from that fire arises organically touching the water element of the heart chakra. Causing the water element of the heart chakra to grow hotter and hotter. Until the steam from the heated water naturally and organically rises and meets the yellow golden earth element at the throat. The steam from the water element feeds and nourishes the earth from it’s parched state to completely watered. So that anything and everything can grow and arise. And in this arising of all life – all manifestations – this infinite multitude of manifestations rises up into the crown chakra. Rising up into the spaciousness where life expands throughout all of space. Then we rest there. Om tare tuttare ture soha.

We may notice at times some knots or tightness in our channel. Perhaps a tightness in our belly or naval chakra. Or maybe we don’t and everything is open and flowing. Perhaps these knots are a sense of heartbreak in the heart chakra. A sense of a need to vocalize and express ourselves in the speech chakra. Or even to hold back the energy to speak. Either one, or neither may arise. Or perhaps a hold in the crown chakra where everything feels constricted or spinning, with no spaciousness at all. Perhaps a hold in our secret chakra – almost painful – with a need to release. Or any other felt experience or none. When we experience that, we can very gently with the mantra, with opening the central channel, allow that energy to release and relax back into the central channel. Not held tightly in any place.

The very sexual energy that may feel tight, just allowed as a sensation to slide back into the central channel and become the energy of life feeding the fire element. That anxiety that may be tensed or not in our naval chakra to slide gently back into our central channel and create that heat in the central channel. That very sense of held heartbreak “can’t take this. This is too hard.” we allow this to return back gently into the central channel. Allowing the fire and water to dance and rise and feed the earth element. That very tightness to need to express or hold back expression. We allow it to slide back into the central channel and become automatically the manifestation that opens into the spacious deep blue sky space expanse.

If we are spinning in our crown chakra, we can allow that energy to gently relax into the central channel. To come down to the earth element in the central channel. Everything naturally without tightness or knots can simply flow in the central channel organically and naturally. This is the very aliveness of the universe permeating every aspect of space.

Thank you, Tara, for being present with us. Thank you for the opportunity to share this together. May all beings have such an experience. Now let go, and let the blessing of this wash throughout the universe.