Welcome to this chakra 101 guide, your chakras are immensely important for your well-being, and in this guide, we will explore how they can affect you on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.
Chakras are responsible for the flow of energy through your body. There are 7 main chakras each with its own element, color, name, health properties, and position along the spine.
Discovering the chakras and understanding how these energy centers affect you can be a big eye-opener and step on your healing journey. We will dive into the energy anatomy of the chakras and how an imbalance or blockage may manifest in your life.
In this chakras 101 guide, I am going to break down what chakras are, where they are located, and how you can keep them open and aligned.
Once you know the basics of chakras it will be easier to pinpoint which of your chakras are out of alignment and how you can bring them back into balance for a more purposeful and healthy life.
Chakras 101: What are chakras
Chakras are an ancient system that originated in India. There are ancient sacred texts that mention them as far as 1500 BC. However, they have recently become more popular with the growth of yoga and new-age spirituality.
The word chakra means “spinning wheel’ in Sanskrit. They are thought to be spinning discs of energy located at various points in the body that correspond to bundles of nerves and major organs. These energy centers should stay open and aligned for not only your emotional well-being but for your physical health too.
A blocked or unbalanced chakra can trigger a physical, emotional, or mental imbalance.
There are differing opinions as to how many chakras there are in total. Some say there are up to 114 different ones. However, there are 7 main chakras which are thought of as the main energy points of the body. I am going to explore these 7 main chakras in detail.
Your chakras are also deeply intertwined with the 7 energy bodies that surround your human body. If you would like to learn more about the energetic body, visit the blog post: The energetic body: Your aura.
The 7 chakras explained
The 7 chakras run down the spine. Each of them has a name, color, health focus, and element corresponding to it. The first 5 chakras are associated with physical elements but the last 2 chakras are associated with the elements of light and cosmic energy because they are thought to connect us to the spiritual realm.
Root chakra
The root or the Muladhara chakra is found at the base of the spine in the tailbone area. This chakra is responsible for stability and grounding in your life. The chakra is associated with the color red and the earth element.
Further, energetically the root chakra is related to your immune system, rectum, legs & feet as well as the base of the spine. A dysfunction might manifest physically as chronic lower back pain, immune-related disorders, sciatica, or depression.
On the other hand, emotionally it is connected to feeling safe and wanting to be here. Your ability to provide for yourself and your survival.
When your root chakra is blocked, you may feel needy and insecure and have low self-esteem. But when it is in balance, you will feel strong, grounded, secure, and confident.
If you are feeling ungrounded, you can learn more about grounding yourself in my blog post, here. Further, the 1st chakra is also connected to the Wild Woman archetype, which you can explore here.
Sacral chakra
The sacral or the Svadhisthana chakra is found just below your belly button and just above your pelvic bone. This chakra is responsible for creativity, sexuality, and fertility. Further, it is associated with the color orange and the water element.
It is the seed of your power, your womb, and a place of pleasure.
When your sacral chakra is blocked, you may have low self-worth, especially around pleasure, and your creativity may be stagnant. Physically it can manifest as pelvic/lower back pain, sexual potency or urinary problems.
However, when this chakra is in balance you will feel abundant, creative, and in flow. You stand in your feminine power and now your self-worth.
Solar plexus chakra
The solar plexus or the Manipura chakra is found in your upper abdomen, at your naval. This chakra is responsible for our personal power, self-esteem, and confidence. This chakra is your body’s energy powerhouse.
If you are an empath, often your solar plexus is highly active.
Ever heard of the term trusting your gut? Your gut is directly connected to your brain and knows things before your logical mind kicks in.
As much as it’s the center of our power, it is also connected to fear, intimidation and our self-beliefs. Do you easily questions yourself, do you give your power away to others? This can be a sign of an imbalance of your solar plexus chakra.
“Learning too soon our limitations, we never learn our powers.” Mignon McLaughlin
When your solar plexus chakra is blocked, you may lack courage and confidence and feel stagnant. This often manifests physically as digestive issues like ulcers, heartburn, and indigestion. But in balance, you will feel alive, full of energy, and be able to awaken your inner power.
Heart chakra
Let’s get to the fourth chakra: The heart or the Anahata chakra. It is found at the center of your chest just above your heart. This chakra is responsible for love, compassion, and connection to others.
It encompasses the human emotional experience – with all its ups and downs.
Not only is it the energetic center for hope and trust, forgiveness and unconditional love, it is also where we process grief and anger, resentment and loneliness.
If you are feeling lonely, insecure, or isolated, your heart chakra may be blocked. You may become possessive, codependent and form dysfunctional relationships. Physically, this may appear as asthma, heart problems, or weight issues. But in balance, you will be able to heal past wounds, form new and healthy relationships, and love unconditionally.
“Your self-love is a medicine for the earth.” Yung Pueblo
Throat chakra
The throat or the Vishuddha chakra is located at your throat. As one would expect, it is responsible for communication. It is the energetic center of your personal expression, speaking your truth, making decisions and following your dream.
If you are having trouble communicating with others or properly expressing your thoughts, feelings, and truth, this is a good indication that your throat chakra is blocked. You could also be on the other end of the scale by not listening to others and being overly talkative. This is also an indication that your throat chakra is out of balance and overly active.
On a physical level, the throat chakra is related to thyroid problems, swollen glands, and voice, throat, or mouth problems may arise from this.
However, in balance, you will be able to communicate in a healthy way and be able to listen to others without judgment. You’re able to express your needs and not overthink everything you say.
Third eye chakra
The third eye or the Anja chakra is located between your eyes at eyebrow level. This chakra supports intuition and imagination. It is the place where the mind and body converge. Where you can connect with your soul and receive wisdom beyond words.
The third eye chakra is where you connect with universal truth and see life as it really is.
You will know your third eye chakra is blocked if you feel untrusting, cynical, overly attached to logic, and close-minded. This may present physically as headaches, sight problems, and poor concentration.
However, when this chakra is in balance it is a wonderful thing because you will be able to open your mind to new and different perspectives and receive wisdom that you cannot receive with your ordinary senses. You will also become more in touch with your intuition
Crown chakra
Last but not least, the crown or the Sahasrara chakra: It is found at the very top of your head. Actually, it is not located in your body but rather it hovers just above your head. This chakra connects to the spiritual realm and is responsible for your awareness and intelligence.
Your connection to the divine and your astral levels.
This chakra is connected to your ability to trust life, have faith and your spirituality and devotion. Physically, it’s part of your muscular and skeletal system. Imbalances or blockages can manifest as depression, chronic exhaustion, and extreme sensitivity to external factors such as light or sound.
When your crown chakra is blocked, you will be unable to access true happiness. Rather you will only be able to access happiness from outside sources. However, in balance, you will be able to access happiness and true freedom within yourself in any situation.
It is the gateway point to enlightenment and represents our connection to our soul’s purpose.
The importance of balanced and open chakras
There are many different reasons why a chakra may become unbalanced or blocked. Unhealthy lifestyle practices like too much stress, no movement, not enough sleep, an unhealthy diet, and negative thinking are key contributors. However, overindulgence in “good” things can also cause an unbalance within your body which can be equally as bad for your well-being.
Chakras can become both hypoactive and hyperactive. A hypoactive chakra means that not enough energy will be flowing in that area and you will have trouble expressing the particular qualities associated with that chakra. While a hyperactive chakra means there is too much energy flowing to a certain area and the qualities of that chakra will become the dominant force in your life. Either of these states will disrupt the entire chakra system.
Even though each chakra has its own distinct properties and is responsible for certain regions, they work together as a whole.
This means that if one chakra is out of balance, the whole system can be affected. Further, it is important to understand that an imbalance or blockage can manifest on different levels in your life.
How to open your chakras
In order to thrive in life and feel full of energy, you want to have your chakras open and connected. Remember, your chakras are your energy centers and your whole body, as well as everything in the universe, consists of energy.
A healthy flow of energy throughout your body and chakras is vital to experience life in its beauty.
For example, if you are feeling like you are out of flow and are struggling to be creative you might want to target your sacral chakra to help you access your creativity and abundance.
There are a few different ways you can do this.
Energy Work
One of the easiest ways to open your chakras and enhance the flow of energy throughout your body is energy work.
There are many different energy work modalities out there, from acupuncture to reiki. An energy worker can help to facilitate the healing and the re-alignment of the energy in the body. If you would like to learn more about energy work, check out this blog post: What is energy work?
Yoga
Yoga will help you get in touch with the energy inside of your body and pinpoint any stuck energy you may have. My Youtube channel has some yoga flows which may help you.
Each chakra also has a specific yoga pose that may help to fine-tune its energy. You can find individual poses to unblock each chakra here.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing practices help to encourage the flow of energy around your body. You can do this throughout your day whenever you feel like your chakras may be unbalanced.
Simply close your eyes and focus on your breath. As your breath moves in and out of your body, picture energy flowing uninhibited throughout your chakras as well.
Meditation
Meditation may help to bring clarity to stuck energy and blocked chakras. Before your practice, set your intention to open and clear your energy centers. You may want to use mantras and affirmations as well.
If you are unsure of where to start, I wrote a blog post on 7 easy steps to start meditating that may help you.
Sometimes you’ll want a practice for unblocking an individual chakra. Like dancing to unblock your sacral chakra. You can read this article to learn more about exercises that unblock individual chakras, here.
Balance your chakras with an energy healing session
As you may know, I am an energy healer, and working with the chakras is a core part of an energy healing session. Having a blockage or charge in your chakras and energy body can affect your life on many layers.
That’s why it’s so important to work on an energetic level and promote a healthy flow of energy throughout your body. While my energy healing sessions have a big focus on the spiritual and emotional level, they also help you on a physical and mental level, as everything is interconnected.
Remember to take care of your energy, and it will take care of you in return.
While it can help you on your healing journey to dive into the chakras and understand your energy system better, we easily can get into a state where we mentalize everything and bring meaning and sense to our dis-ease. But to experience profound healing, we also need to address the energetic cause.
It is time to shift away our thinking from only treating the symptoms and opening our awareness to how interconnected everything is.
If you’re intrigued, you can learn more about energy healing here.
