What are chakras?
A chakra is a wheel or circle of energy. It’s believed that we have seven chakras in our body—seven energy points that combine to make our life force. The energy chakras wield is called prana and is the essence of our energetic souls. Prana travels through the body from chakra to chakra, affecting emotional and physical well-being. If there is negative energy in the body, the flow of prana can be interrupted—putting you and your chakras off balance. A healthy mind, body, and soul connection will have aligned and balanced chakras with a steady flow of prana.
The 7 Chakras
The Root Chakra (Muladhara) is located at the base of the spine. This chakra symbolizes grounding and connection with the earth, the Root Chakra is what centers you. Imagine you’re a tree, and your feet and legs are your roots. Where and how you spread your roots is the essence of your Root Chakra. If you’re feeling uncertain or unsteady, this chakra may be blocked. Foundation: Basic trust Signs of alignment: Groundedness, ease, and stability Signs of blockage: Fear, instability, and anxiety Color: Red Yoga pose: Mountain Pose Affirmation: “I am.”
The Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana) is just below your belly button. Representing pleasure and sexual development, the Sacral Chakra balances your relationships with others. Your emotions are central to this chakra, so ask yourself if you’re feeling in control of your life. If the answer is “no,” your Sacral Chakra may be blocked. Foundation: Creativity and sexuality Signs of alignment: Passion, openness, creativity, and fulfillment Signs of blockage: Uninspired, low libido, isolation, and guilt Color: Orange Yoga pose: Knee-to-Chest Affirmation: “I feel.”
The Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) sits right above the navel. Courage, fear, and anxiety are the essence of the Solar Plexus Chakra’s prana. The more confident you are, the more aligned your Solar Plexus is. When self-doubt starts to creep in, your energy could be blocked. Foundation: Wisdom and power Signs of alignment: Confidence, drive, and ambition Signs of blockage: Low self-esteem, indecisiveness, and shame Color: Yellow Yoga pose: Spinal Twist Affirmation: “I can.”
The Heart Chakra (Anahata) is in the center of your chest. As the name suggests, the Heart Chakra is all about love and compassion. Your care for others and yourself is the core of this chakra. A sign of a blocked Heart Chakra could be having trouble giving and receiving love. Foundation: Love and healing Signs of alignment: Peace, compassion, forgiveness Signs of blockage: Grief, intolerance, and hatred Color: Green Yoga pose: Fan Pose Affirmation: “I love.”
The Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) is located in your throat. This chakra’s prana influences the way you communicate with yourself and others. Think of this chakra like your voice box. If your thoughts and voice aren’t connecting, the Throat Chakra may be blocked. Foundation: Communication Signs of alignment: Truth and good listening skills Signs of blockage: Secretive and dishonesty Color: Blue Yoga pose: Neck stretch Affirmation: “I speak.”
The Third-Eye Chakra (Anja) rests between your brows. When you hear the phrase “third-eye,” you may think of Greek mythology’s cyclops. Imagine another eye resting between your own, just like a cyclops; this is your Third-Eye Chakra. The Third-Eye Chakra is precisely that, a third eye waiting to be opened. This chakra helps you see the bigger picture and represents your soul. A sign that this chakra may be blocked is having trouble connecting with your intuition. Foundation: Awareness Signs of alignment: Intuition, creativity, and clarity Signs of blockage: Poor judgment and illusions Color: Indigo Yoga pose: The Gaze Affirmation: “I see.”
The Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) sits on the top of your head. As the name suggests, the Crown Chakra is your spiritual crown. It represents your connection with yourself and the spiritual world. This chakra may be blocked if you are experiencing brain fog or a disconnect with your mind, body, or spirit. Foundation: Spirituality Signs of alignment: Faith, wisdom, and understanding Signs of blockage: Depression, anxiety, and disconnection Color: Purple Yoga pose: Modified Downward Dog Affirmation: “I know.”
Aligning Your Chakras
Take time out of your day to relax. Sometimes life gets the best of us. It’s all hustle and bustle, and it can be easy to forget about protecting ourselves. If things start to get overwhelming, take a step back and do something else. Give yourself space to focus on things you enjoy to realign your energy. Having a nice meal, walking your dog, or taking a nap are all ways you can relax.
Reconnect with nature. Your energy comes from the world around you, and spending time in nature can help heal chakra imbalances. Unplug and go for a walk, or grab a good book and sit outside to read. Each chakra gravitates toward an element, so give your body and soul some love following this guide: The Root Chakra element is earth. Sit down in the grass and feel the presence of nature around you, paying close attention to sounds, smells, and textures. The Sacral Chakra element is water. Take a walk along the beach, or find tranquility next to a trickling creek. The Solar Plexus Chakra element is fire. Bask in the sun, or put together a campfire and make s'mores. The Heart Chakra element is air. Feel the breeze as you take a nature walk. The Throat Chakra element is ether. Take in the beauty of a clear blue sky by lying down on your back and looking up. The Third-Eye Chakra element is light. Lay out in the sun, or simply gaze up at its warmth. The Crown Chakra element is inner-light. Go stargazing on a clear night, or meditate outside in the sun.
Start a daily yoga practice. Yoga is a great way to learn physical balance while balancing the chakras. Start with short 10 minute flows for beginners, and then work your way up to 30+ minute flows. The time spent on your mat doesn’t matter, as long as you show up each day to fuel your prana. See if there’s a local yoga studio near you. Going to regular classes can help you realign your chakras and make new friends. Yoga with Adriene, Yoga with Kassandra, and Yoga with Bird are popular YouTube channels that offer free practices for all levels. They even have yoga calendars to help you find a new practice each day.
Try breathing exercises. Box breathing is a great way to align your chakras and destress. Sit with your legs crossed in a quiet spot with your hands resting on your knees. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in for a count of four, feeling your stomach fill with air. Hold your breath for four more counts, and then exhale for four. Repeat this two more times before opening your eyes. Imagine your root chakra spinning or opening up like a lotus flower. Feel its prana warm you until you’re very hot. Follow the prana up to your next chakra, the sacral chakra, and imagine it spinning, blooming, and warming. Continue this pattern of visualizing and breathing until you reach your crown chakra.
Practice visualization with meditation. Anxiety and stress could be the reason your chakras are blocked. Meditation is a great mindful tool you can use to calm your mind, body, and spirit. Find a quiet spot to settle down. This can be outdoors or indoors, whichever you prefer. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in, letting your body relax. Focus on the misaligned chakra. Imagine the energy around it glowing, and visualize it shifting back into position. If your mind wanders away from your visualization while you're meditating, that’s okay! Meditation takes practice. Refocus and try again.
Surround yourself with chakra colors. Color therapy is an easy and fun way to align your chakras. Wear clothes that match a blocked chakra, eat food of that color, or watch color hypnosis videos. Surrounding yourself with a chakra’s color can help you focus on a particular chakra as you become more aware of your needs. Just make sure you focus on what color at a time. Root Chakra: Red Sacral Chakra: Orange Solar Plexus Chakra: Yellow Heart Chakra: Green Throat Chakra: Blue Third-Eye Chakra: Indigo Crown Chakra: Purple
Consider making changes to your diet. What you put into your body can have a big impact on your emotional and physical well-being. Foods that are rich in nutrients and correlate with a chakra’s color can help bring balance to the body. Here are some foods you can eat when a chakra is imbalanced: Root Chakra: Tomatoes, strawberries, cherries, and root vegetables. Sacral Chakra: Oranges, peaches, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Solar Plexus Chakra: Bananas, eggs, pineapple, and garlic. Heart Chakra: Broccoli, green apples, kiwi, and dark chocolate. Throat Chakra: Blueberries, blackberries, and blue corn. Third-Eye Chakra: Eggplant, grapes, plums, and purple cabbage. Crown Chakra: Mushrooms, coconut, ginger, and onion.
Heal your energy with crystals. Crystals store and spread energy and can be used to help align chakras. Placing crystals on your body on top of your chakras can help cleanse your spirit and redirect prana, creating balance. If one of your chakras is off-balance, wear a corresponding crystal around your neck or put it in your pocket. This can help ground you and refocus your energy. Try using these crystals to align your chakras: Root Chakra: Red Jasper Sacral Chakra: Carnelian Solar Plexus Chakra: Tiger’s Eye Heart Chakra: Rose Quartz Throat Chakra: Lapis Lazuli Third-Eye Chakra: Amethyst Crown Chakra: Selenite If you don’t have the crystals on hand, don’t worry! Use a crystal that corresponds with the chakra’s color. Alternatively, you can attend a live or a virtual crystal therapy session. A therapist uses crystals to redirect unnecessary or unhealthy energy, enhance specific traits you have deficiencies in, or balance qualities and systems in the body. Some stones are more effective directly on the body, whereas some work best energetically through the vibrational frequency.
Try sound healing. Each chakra’s prana vibrates to a specific frequency, and sound healing uses these frequencies to harmonize the mind, body, and spirit. Tuning forks, gongs, crystal singing bowls, crystal pyramids, musical instruments, and voice can be used to realign the chakras as long as the right frequency or musical note is hit. Root Chakra: 432 Hz, musical note C Sacral Chakra: 480 Hz, musical note D Solar Plexus Chakra: 528 Hz, musical note E Heart Chakra: 594 Hz, musical note F Throat Chakra: 672 Hz, musical note G Third-Eye Chakra: 720 Hz, musical note A Crown Chakra: 769 Hz, musical note B If you don’t have access to a sound healer or instruments, no worries! There are many sound healing video sessions on YouTube. Simply search “chakra sound healing.”
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