The 7 Chakras, according to a few spiritual beliefs, are energetic centers part of a flowing system within our bodies. The 7 Chakras include the root chakra, sacral chakra, crown chakra, solar plexus chakra, throat chakra, heart chakra, and third eye chakra. Chakra is the Sanskrit name for wheels or cycles and according to age-old beliefs, these chakras produce subtle waves of impactful energy to help your mind, intellect, and organs perform their best.
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What is a Chakra?
Known as your body’s energy centers, chakras are a part of the astral body located within your physical body. The astral body can’t be seen or touched, so while you can’t see a chakra, each one radiates unique energy.
Every chakra is connected to a gland, phycological, spiritual, and emotional aspects. This is why when the chakra system receives a blockage, you suffer from emotional, psychological, and physical disorders. When one of these chakras is blocked, you may feel low self-confidence or out-of-touch with your inner self. Practices such as chakra meditation and yoga may help to cleanse and clear the blockages.
To overcome this hindrance, chakra cleansing becomes more than necessary. It balances these energy centers, resulting in overall health and well-being.
Our body has infinite chakras, but these seven influential chakras are the primary ones. As per ancient scriptures, these chakras look like balls of light and are very small. However, there are many different opinions about the true appearance of these chakras.
In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explore these chakras and how you can cleanse them from any blockages.
The Seven Chakras
Located along the length of your spine, the chakras run from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. Medical experts have never examined spiritual energy and chakras, but many people firmly believe in their powers.
Below we take you through all these chakras and their benefits. Plus, we’ll take a look at which elements, colors, and yoga pose best represent them.
Root Chakra
This primary and first chakra is a crucial part of the human body. It represents our foundations and is located at the base of the spine.
The root chakra is represented by the color red and has Earth as its element. It develops when you are one to seven years old and is associated with the stone, Hematite.
The root chakra gives you the feeling of being grounded. Also known as Muladhara, it controls how you connect with people and nature around you, helping you control your feelings of dependency, stability, and independence.
A blocked root chakra might make you feel unsafe, threatened, or as if you’re standing on the unbalanced ground. On the other hand, an open root chakra allows you to feel confident and gives you the strength and courage to achieve anything in life.
Warrior I is the yoga pose for this chakra.
Sacral Chakra
Svadhisthana, or sacral chakra, is located below the navel in your lower abdomen. This chakra represents water and radiates an orange color.
The sacral chakra looks after your mental health and builds spiritual awareness. For instance, it is responsible for creativity, self-expression, self-worth, sexuality, adaptability, and compassion. Simply put, the sacral chakra governs your emotion.
It develops between eight and 14 years old and is associated with a beautiful stone, the Tiger’s Eye. When unbalanced, sacral chakra may lead to a lack of creative abilities, a dip in energy, emotional outbursts, or uncontrollable sexual thoughts.
The yoga pose for the sacral chakra is the Bound Angle pose.
Solar Plexus Chakra
The solar plexus chakra is the third chakra, also known as Manipura. The Solar plexus chakra is located between your navel and rib cage and is associated with the color yellow and the fire element.
The solar plexus chakra holds your self-esteem and looks after emotions such as aggression, anger, and the ego. It also impacts your digestive system and plays a role in controlling diabetes and liver problems.
When unbalanced, this chakra can lead to a low emotional state with feelings of anxiety and depression. This is one of the lower chakras that develops when you turn 15 years old.
People practice the Boat Pose to strengthen and balance this chakra.
Heart Chakra
The heart chakra is located just above your heart, and the area is mainly referred to as the heart center. This chakra represents compassion and love and is associated with a green element.
Also known as the Anahata chakra, it is known to bridge the upper and lower chakras and influence your power to receive and give love.
When blocked, the heart chakra may lead to jealousy, anxiety, lack of trust, and anger. A blocked heart chakra is also detrimental to physical health, being linked to asthma, weight, and heart issues.
This fourth chakra develops between the ages of 21 and 28 and is associated with the Rose Quartz crystal with air as its element.
If you experience an unbalanced heart chakra, the Camel Pose may help you resettle it.
Throat Chakra
The throat chakra, or Vishuddha, controls your tongue, mouth, and neck. This chakra belongs to the blue element and helps you communicate your power.
If you experience difficulty speaking your true feelings, have low self-esteem, or find it hard to communicate, you may have an unbalanced or blocked throat chakra.
The throat chakra fully develops around 29 years old and can be supported by doing the Fish Pose in yoga.
Third Eye Chakra
Also known as the Ajna chakra, the third eye chakra is located between your eyebrows. Represented by the color indigo, this chakra controls your imagination, wisdom, and intuition.
It helps you visualize the big picture and find the deeper meaning in things. The third eye chakra is a focal point in most asana practices and helps you balance your spiritual energy.
However, an unbalanced third eye chakra can make you feel scared of your success and cause you to be non-assertive or self-centered. When blocked, the third-eye chakra may also influence your health, causing headaches, eye strain, or blurry vision.
The yoga pose to support this sixth chakra is the Child’s Pose.
Crown Chakra
The crown chakra is the seventh chakra with the highest power and location. The crown chakra is known by its Sanskrit name, Sahasrara, and is located on the crown of your head. It is represented by a thousand-petal lotus and is considered to be the most spiritual chakra.
Associated with deep wisdom and the cosmos, when opened, this chakra connects you to your higher self. However, an unbalanced crown chakra may influence disconnection, depression, and frustration.
The color of this chakra is either violet or white and it can be supported in a Headstand yoga pose.
How to Keep Your Chakras Balanced?
An unbalanced chakra can take a toll on your health and emotions. It can influence your ability to think clearly, which can majorly disrupt your life.
However, there are many ways to pull yourself out of such a situation and bring your chakras back to a balanced state.
There is no one method for balancing the seven main chakras. It takes work and is often a game of trial and error. So, if you feel that you’re experiencing an unbalance in one or more of your chakras, try the methods below to bring balance back into your energy centers.
Diet
There’s no doubt that our diet can change the way we feel, and even think. A poor diet can lead to an imbalance in all five elements of your body. To synchronize the energy centers in your body, it is imperative to eat healthily.
Instead of junk food, introduce lots of vegetables and fruits into your diet. Avoid eating heavy meals and don’t over-eat.
Asanas
Asanas are positions or postures practiced in a yoga class. These poses improve your functionality and help to balance the chakras.
As mentioned above, each chakra is linked with a posture. Therefore, when practiced religiously, it can help heal the unbalanced chakra.
Breathing
Intentional breathing helps with the smooth flow of prana in your body. Prana energy is the part of your body’s energy network that influences your chakras’ health.
Breathwork exercise can also eliminate stale prana from your body.
Meditation
This is one of the most effective methods for healing the chakras. A meditation session helps calm the mind so that your soul has space to focus on the primary blockages.
Mudras
These are unique hand gestures used in meditation and yoga to help the energy focus on the real issues. Each element has a unique mudra to help it attain its balance.
Final Words
The 7 chakras are the unseen and untouched parts of your body that can influence your physical and emotional health. It is imperative to look after these energy centers and enhance the prana flow in your body.
Whether you practice different yoga poses or bring vital changes into your diet, your ultimate goal should be to balance the chakras to enjoy a healthy life. Therefore, make efforts to align all chakras to identify and polish your true self.