Overall a great introduction.


Chakras for Beginners   June 10, 2002
 97 out of 100 found this review helpful

David Pond says that "understanding the chakras is one of the most effective means of accessing the various levels of consciousness available to you." In Chakras for Beginners: A Guide to Balancing Your Chakra Energies, he describes the chakras and what it takes to keep them functioning properly.

Chakras are energy centers. Pond calls them the "batteries for the various levels of your life energy." Their source is the universal life force. Of the many chakras we each have, seven are considered as primary. These seven are in a straight line along the length of the spine. Any blocks or imbalances in the chakras can result in disease or emotional difficulties.

After discussing chakras in general, Pond devotes a chapter to each of the seven primary energy centers. He first describes the "drive" or purpose of each chakra. For example, the first chakra is concerned with survival, while the fourth chakra deals with the quest for love. He then discusses all the ways in which the chakra can be out of balance, including problems related to too much energy as well as difficulties stemming from too little energy. After explaining how to balance the chakra, Pond discusses how to keep it in balance.

Each chapter includes exercises designed to balance and maintain the individual chakras. He finishes with a section on special tips and techniques for activating the chakras. He also explains how colors and crystals can affect the chakras.

The last part of the book is a collection of essays about chakras. In those, he discusses subjects like kundalini, spirituality, and transmuting negative energy into a positive force. He also includes several meditations.

Pond's intention with Chakras for Beginners is to help people acquaint themselves "with the chakra system, how it works, and how it should operate optimally." Readers will find that he has provided all the information they need for understanding how to keep their chakras free of blockages or imbalances.


Good beginning book for working with chakras   January 11, 2002
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Having a slightly more than beginners knowledge of the chakras, I found this book to be a great introduction to the charkas. To me, it seemed as though he was writing to a female audience. This book is also good for pagans or non-pagans. Pond goes through all of the chakras and gives some meditations at the end. I found the chapters on the sixth and particularly the seventh chakras to be a bit confusing but perhaps that is the point - that they are hard to commit to paper.

The only criticism I have is that I wish there were more meditations. Other than that, I recommend purchasing for beginner / intermediate students


A good introduction to chakras   November 27, 2001
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This book is a good introduction to the idea of chakras and what they do. As with any study, one benefits from more than one perspective on the subject. I found Wheels of Live by Anodea Judith and Vibrational Medicine for the 21st Century by Dr.Ricahrd Gerber to be helpful as well.


No longer Disappointed   August 10, 2001
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

At first I was disappointed in this book. In my origional review I said that the "exersizes as well as the descriptions of the chakras lack detail and visualizational aids." So I bought other, more technical books. And although I still use some of their exersizes, when I have an issue to resolve, I find myself always comming back to this book. Before this book I would use the 'pen and paper brainestorm method' to get to the root of the issue at hand. Now I just get out this book, identify which chakra this issue belongs to, use his exersizes to meditate and then use visualization exersize from other books to resolve the issue. There is No Way I could have begun to understood the chakra system without this guide. His simple matter of fact manor makes it possible for even us Dr Phil people to understand it.