Opposite each other on the color wheel - these colors feel good together - balanced

Welcome to the University of Life. I’m glad you’re attending this class! Over the next nine blog posts (including today’s) we’ll have an in-depth discussion on The Color of Wellness—how color positively and negatively effects us.

The first two posts are designed for the purpose of laying groundwork that will lead us to a detailed look at the therapeutic properties of seven different colors. So without further ado, let’s get started:

Color is simply energy, energy made visible. Different colors stimulate or inhibit the functioning of different parts of our body. Treatment with the appropriate color can restore balance and normal functioning. Each of the seven major chakras (energy stations in our body) is associated with—and influenced by—a specific color. Every color has a different wavelength and individual properties, both positive and negative.

As human beings, color is the only energy we can actually see. While the speed of light is a constant 186,282 miles per second, the speed of color—its frequency—travels at varying speeds depending on the color and shade. As it meets the rods and cones in our eyes, the frequency sends a signal to our brain that allows us to distinguish one color from another.

Color has always had significance. In prehistoric times human lives were completely governed by day and night, light and dark.
   – Day brings bright, warm colors with action, activity, and an increase in metabolic rate.
   – Night brings cool, dark hues with rest, inaction, and slowness.

The cells of our bodies react to light—or lack thereof—directly affecting us physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Color produces a biochemical reaction within our bodies directly stimulating important glands, like the pituitary gland, which produce hormones regulating sleep, libido, metabolism, moods, emotions, and behavior.

In the late 1950s this awareness went a step further when color researchers noted that in human beings, both psychological and physical activity appears to increase as the wavelength of the light increases. In other words, reds, oranges, and yellows are just naturally more stimulating to us than greens, blues, and purples.

These researchers felt the color blue could be used as a supplementary therapy. For example, blue could serve as a tranquilizer and relaxant to anxious individuals and serve as a way of reducing blood pressure in the treatment of hypertension. Later research clearly supports that hypothesis.

In an experiment where prisoners were randomly assigned to either red, yellow, blue, or green wings, those in the blue and green wings were less inclined to violence than those in red and yellow wings.

Pink has also been found to have a tranquilizing and calming effect within minutes of exposure. The color pink seems to suppress hostile, aggressive, and anxious behavior. Further tests demonstrate that blood pressure, pulse, and respiration rates tend to increase most under yellow light, moderately under orange, and less under red. These indicators decrease most under black, moderately under blue, and minimally under green.

We’ll finish laying the groundwork day after tomorrow. But in the meantime, please share with us:

What is your favorite color?

Listen with your heart,

Laurie Buchanan

“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
               – Laurie Buchanan

www.HolEssence.com
Copyright © 2010 Laurie Buchanan — All Rights Reserved.