I had some blockages trying the exercises described in the NEW handbook. So I gave my imagination a chance, and now I have some additions to the exercise to wake up dormant energy spots:

1.Imagine/feel your astral hand going through the chakra, and moving the energy in a circular fashion, as if you would be stirring a cup of tea with your fingers. Do that strongly, with that sense of I'm-going-to-break-it.

2.In the same way. Stab your chakra with an imaginary dagger (symbol of air), after that the outer layer of the ball (balloon) breaks and the energy from inside starts moving.

3.With my feet, or my entire body, I prefer using the imaginary water, as if I would be under a cascade of watery energy. That moves a lot.

Bruce talks about using astral tools to release blockages. The first time I tried that I didn't feel anything special, till I realized one thing. In a session I had the "fear" feeling of introducing a needle (though it was imaginary). I felt that that fear made the needle real for me, and I used it to pierce my knee to extract the blocked energy. It was a strong experience, similar to when you visit your doctor to have your blood extracted. It's painful, but you know it's good for you and that you don't have any other way.

So, enjoy that semi-masochistic exercises of using sharp and aggressive astral tools to enliven up your centres, or to break down you clogs. After they're working, you can shift to more soft or romantic means.

Good luck.