REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: Colors of the mind

Our aura is an electromagnetic energy field that emanates from our bodies, and can be visualized through an outline of cascading colors, which are supposed to reflect our state of mind, body and inner being, says Jill Templin, owner of The Chakra Shack in Laguna Beach.

Templin said these colors are associated with our seven chakras, or energy centers of the body, and determine our physical, emotional and spiritual states.

“An aura reading can help us learn how to balance our chakra system, by highlighting which areas we need to strengthen,” she said.

I used to pass The Chakra Shack on my walk from the Coastline Pilot to the Lumberyard Coffee Pub every morning, and I was drawn to the array of crystals, bowls and Buddha statues that decorated the window.

When I learned they had an Aura Video Station, I knew I had to finally pay a visit.

I’d studied chakras through various yoga practices and literary works of Anodea Judith, and was curious to learn the true color of my own aura and what this would further reveal about my inner balance “” or lack thereof.

The Aura Video Station is a multimedia imaging system, which uses the science of biofeedback, color therapy and energy medicine to measure, analyze and display an accurate representation of our emotional-energetic state “” or aura, Templin said.

Seated in a chair, I was asked to smile for a camera, while I lay my left hand over a bio-hand sensor, which read my energy fields.

The results were displayed on a computer screen, and showed a mass of bright orange around my entire body, with hints of red, yellow and green in various areas.

The computer generates a 23-page report, which includes two photos of our aura, an individual aura color analysis, personality overview that summarizes how we behave in various areas of our life (socially, career-wise, romantically, etc.), chakra analysis that measures our energy levels, and advice for how we can become more balanced in the areas necessary.

Colors associated with each area of the body represent different elements. For example, the left side of the body, or female-yin, is the vibration that comes from our inner being and reveals what we feel inside, but may not have expressed, while the right side, or male-yang, shows the energy that is expressed and likely felt by those around us.

The size of our aura shows how much energy we radiate around us (I ranked 70 on a scale from 1 to 100, which indicates a strong presence and radiant energy) and the shape and color of our chakras reveal how balanced each of them is (I’m so unbalanced from top to bottom, it’s a wonder I don’t tumble over).

Red symbolizes the highest energy, while purple and white, at the opposite end of the spectrum, are associated with more withdrawn and spiritual types.

My report shows a predominantly orange aura that represents an energetic, adventurous, and creative personality “” true! It also contains deeper hues, which indicate emotional blockage “” uh oh, time to forgive those past relationships and move on!

The other colors of my aura around various parts of my body, and what they mean, are also described in the report. For instance, bright green on the right side indicates an openhearted and loving nature (OK, so I can’t be that emotionally defective “” whew).

The report provides advice and recommended cures for those other faulty areas, like yellow around the heart (anxiety, lack of emotional flow), such as yoga and specific types of meditation.

During my visit to the Shack, I also had the pleasure of meeting June Truedson, an Angel Therapy practitioner and former psychotherapist.

Angel Therapy is a non-denominational spiritual healing method that aims to heal and harmonize every aspect of a person’s life.

Having caught a glimpse of my blindingly bright aura photo, Truedson offered me a complimentary reading, which strangely enough, revealed many similar elements of my personality from that of the aura reading.

In addition to my supposed need to release pent-up emotion I like to keep locked inside, and to clear my physical space and burn negative energy, the cards also suggested hopeful things for the future, like a blessed career and a relationship that will have been worth waiting for.

One day after my visit to The Chakra Shack, a Vinyasa Flow class and sage-burning later, my heart is already feeling pinker and greener.

The store also offers various readings with eight psychics and astrologers, and carries books, music, jewelry, incense and oils, Tibetan and crystal singing bowls, among other spiritual and healing gifts.

The Chakra Shack is at 397 N. Coast Highway.

For more information, call (949) 715-6930 or visit www.chakrashack.com.