Chakra 101
Have you ever had a massage therapist tell you during your massage that your root chakra was blocked, and they will focus on clearing it for you? Maybe you thought…. What the heck does that even mean? Today on the blog, we will dive in deep to help you understand your chakras as a whole and how they can help steer you in your life journey.
So, what exactly is a Chakra?
Chakra, meaning wheel or cycle in Sanskrit, provides subtle energy that helps your organs, mind, and intellect work at their highest level. Think of chakra as energy points along the spine of your body to the top of your head. These seven spinning disks of energy are meant to stay open and aligned as they work together to manage your intake and output of your overall health and wellness (such as your nerves, major organs, and areas of your energetic body that affect your emotional and physical well-being).
Now, how do we understand our Chakras?
Life can throw some interesting things your way. It can lead to blockages and stuck patterns of thoughts and behavior.
Can you relate?
Whatever you think, feel, and believe about yourself and others can be classified as a type of vibration/energy that corresponds to a particular chakra. When one chakra is out of balance by being over - or underused, your relationships, actions, thoughts, and personality can feel awry.
However, when you are aware of these tiny spirals of energy, you begin to work towards allowing yourself to be in a state of tranquility.
But how can you do this?
For yourself, by adjusting your daily lifestyle (diet, work, exercise, sleep, etc.) and thinking patterns to promote positive energy. That would be things like meditating to music, incorporating yoga poses that bring circulation back into the area in question, surrounding yourself in or wearing the color of the chakra that is out of alignment, and the list goes on.
When you go in for a massage or energy work, your provider can do this with you by focusing on the vibrations of your chakras and using intention and energy to help you connect to, feel, and heal your chakras.
But before we dive into creating balance amongst your chakras, we must first know what each of them does.
Let's run through the seven Chakras, shall we?
As we go through each of them, I want you to take a moment and see what resonates for you and how you've been feeling recently. Hover your hand over each chakra on your body and feel if you pick up on any energy or connection. Allow yourself to open up and balance the area where you need healing and extra TLC the most.
There are seven total Chakras.
1. Root Chakra (base of the spine)—“I am.”
This Chakra is located on the base of your spine/pelvic floor and is associated with the color red and earth elements. The root chakra allows us to feel safe, supported, calm and grounded. Mantra, "I feel secure, balanced, and optimistic for what's to come."
When this chakra is out of balance, you likely feel pessimistic, fearful, insecure, and often depressed. The negativity may lead to you struggling with anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, and an overwhelming sluggish feeling.
By maintaining self-care, such as: practicing yoga, wearing the associated color red, connecting with nature (walks, picnics, etc.), and eating more root vegetables or other nourishing foods, you can continue to keep this Root Chakra balanced.
2. Sacral Chakra (sacrum/lower back)—“I feel.”
This chakra is all about your creative side. The color associated is Orange, and water is the element. Through the Sacral Chakra, you feel inspired, and playful desires come alive. When balanced, you're expressive both creatively and sexually, you're in touch with your feelings, and your reproductive systems and sexual relationships are both healthy.
You often feel numb when there is an imbalance with the Sacral Chakra. Numb to your feelings, creativity, and desire to go after your dreams, goals, and wishes. You likely experience mood swings or are known to overreact. Sometimes this negativity and blockage can affect your reproductive issues as well. You find yourself seeking pleasure without an answer in sight, feeling overstimulated, and unable to focus.
How do you maintain this chakra? By getting creative. Allow your fun, whimsical side to come out and play. No need to focus on an outcome, be spontaneous. Try something you wouldn't normally do: eat something new, spice things up in the bedroom, and try yoga poses that focus on your pelvis area.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra (above the naval/mid-spine)—“I do.”
This.is.your.POWERHOUSE. Think yellow and all things yellow for his chakra. Fire is the element for the Solar Plexus Chakra. Having this balanced chakra gives you the power to feel in control. You maintain boundaries, stick to your beliefs, and feel pride in your accomplishments. You have excellent time management, organization, and self-discipline that ultimately lead to you being able to work to completion.
When imbalanced, you are indecisive, easily walked over, or show signs of being manipulative and competitive. You may also experience metabolism issues such as gas or indigestion.
We maintain this chakra by eating spicy foods such as ginger, turmeric, and cayenne, carrying and wearing yellow (using yellow crystals), taking probiotics, allowing ourselves to be a beginner at something, and setting clear goals with action plans while maintaining positive affirmations.
4. Heart Chakra (chest, upper back)—“I love.”
This chakra helps give you the ability to love yourself and give and receive love fully. The color associated with this chakra is green, and the air is the element. When you feel at your highest point of balance in this chakra, you are confident, kind, forgiving, trustworthy, and respectful.
When you feel lost in this chakra, you carry a lot of negative internal thoughts about not feeling like you are enough. Your relationships may develop into codependency rather than equals. There's a sense of feeling shut down, jealous, possible chest pain, or even heart disease. Being overstimulated here can lead to you absorbing what others feel, and it overtakes your emotional boundaries.
Maintain this chakra by drinking green tea, supporting your posture when sitting, becoming involved with charity work, providing random acts of kindness, getting a pet friend to give your love to, and doing intentional acts of love / self-care... I'm talking about treating yourself right (a massage, a nice meal, chocolates, flowers, etc.).
5. Throat Chakra (throat and cervical spine)—“I speak.”
This blue chakra allows you to speak freely in a level-headed manner. Ether is the element for the Throat Chakra. You live in your truth. You express yourself clearly and concisely while communicating well with others by sharing honestly and having a give-and-take conversation.
When your throat chakra is blocked, you fear speaking out loud and communicating. You can't tell your truth and often need a more straightforward communication style. Whether that's becoming too talkative, using words that need to be understood, or falling into harmful speech such as gossip and lies.
Take care of your throat chakra by drinking soothing teas (honey, lemon, ginger), gargling with oil oregano, indulge in self-expression by singing out loud or writing in a journal.
6. Third Eye Chakra (between the eyebrows, associated with the pituitary gland)—“I believe.”
This is the chakra everyone has heard of. The third eye... This purple chakra is you trusting your wisdom; its element is light, also thought of as mindfulness. You are open to learning new things, intuitive, and a strong, clear thinker with rational thoughts.
In times of imbalance, hallucinations and a blurred line between what is real or not is thin. You may have headaches, confusion, and brain fog. You also may have insomnia due to loud thoughts that you can't turn off.
Maintain this Chakra by trying guided meditations, asking yourself for advice first, writing daily feelings of gratitude down in a journal, practicing mindfulness, etc.
7. Crown Chakra (top of the head, the energy surrounding you)—“I understand.”
This violet chakra allows you to feel joyful, fulfilled, and connected. Its element is also light, also thought of as mindfulness. It involves the process of thinking, learning, and going after our search for understanding all that is. You are open to hearing new perspectives from others. You have a sense of inner peace and alignment within your life. You understand and accept the ebbs and flows that life throws at you.
If this chakra is blocked, you think you have all the answers and are resistant to new ideas. You have a general sense of anxiety and feeling lost in the world. You think doomsday is upon us and have feelings of obsession, ignorance, and materialism.
To provide self-care to this chakra, find the right community you belong to. Begin helping the next generation be their best selves, try sound therapy, go on a journey where you offer your help to others, and practice minimalism.
Practicing chakra balance within can be challenging to understand, but I hope you can use this guide as a beginner stepping stone to finding out what resonates for you. Do you know if your chakras are aligned? Did any of these imbalances speak to you? We'd love to hear your thoughts!