The Chakras
What are chakras?
I talk about Chakras a lot in my line of work as a reiki practitioner. You may have found the concept of chakras quite confusing. Or, you may have not quite understood what place they might have in your life. As it turns out, everyone can work with chakras, not just experts. Each of these potent energy centres has a unique vibrational frequency. So, even a basic understanding of the 7 chakras can enhance your life in surprising ways. Whether you’re trying to heal a specific wound, looking to improve your manifestation work with the Law of Attraction, or just hoping to boost your overall well-being, it pays to know more about the 7 chakras.
Chakras are energy wheels that receive and transmit energy into the physical body. There are seven main chakras along the centre of the body. When these energy wheels become disrupted or blocked, dis-ease occurs in the body. You may or may not have heard me talk about "unblocking" my/your chakras, which refers to the idea that when all of our chakras are open, energy can run through them freely, and harmony exists between the physical body, mind, and spirit. The different energy wheels correspond to different parts of the body and have different functions. These wheels are responsible for transmitting energy through our body. When our chakras are open and well balanced, we feel healthy, fresh, and capable. But if they’re out of balance they will become clogged or hold stagnant energy which leads to our physical, mental and emotional health to also feel out of balance.
So lets explore where each Chakra is located, what parts of the body physically and emotionally it’s associated with and some easy practices you can do at home to help keep your body, mind and spirit in balance to maintain optimum health.
The Root
The root or base chakra (1st chakra) is located at the tail bone( coccyx) and the perineum (between the anus and genitals), the bodily functions associated with the root chakra are elimination, lower digestive functions, sex drive and flight/fight mode. The root chakra provides the foundation on which we build our life emotionally representing safety, security and stability. It is associated with the colour red and is connected to the feelings of belonging, independence and survival. Physically it’s connected to the spine, bladder, blood, lower limbs, lymph system, prostrate, womb, excretory system, skeletal system and skin.
If the root chakra becomes overactive a person will display traits of being domineering, greedy, violent, bossy, egocentric and cunning. A person displaying an under-active root chakra will be more fearful, frustrated, insecure, shy, irritated and worry about their basic needs such as money, food and shelter.
When the root chakra is balanced a person will feel safe and secure, independent, trusting, connected, strong, poised and full of life.
Balancing the root chakra creates the solid foundation for opening the chakras above it. Imagine that you’re laying the foundation for a house in which you’re going to live for a long time. A solid foundation embedded in firm soil will provide the stability you need to create a home filled with joy for years to come.
So some easy ways you can balance your own root chakra at home. Connect with the energy of Earth - go for walks, strolls or jogs, walk barefoot on a patch of grass, sit under a tree with your back to a trunk. Get enough vitamin D by spending time in the sun each day. Wear the colour red, dance, do some guided meditation to quiet the mind - there’s some great apps out there like Insight Timer or YouTube. Also consciously spending face to face time with other people - maybe a little bit hard at the moment.
If you're into stones like me use red, black, brown or even grey coloured stones they are used for protection, grounding, stability, physical energy and security. Some specific stones are bloodstone, black tourmaline, garnet, red jasper, pyrite and Smokey Quartz just to name a few.
The Sacral
The Sacral (2nd chakra) is located below the navel mid/lower-abdomen/pelvis area about 2 inches below the belly button. It’s responsible for the body’s function of procreation and reproduction. The body systems it is connected to are reproductive organs, immune system, large intestines, lymph system, prostate gland and bladder. It also helps inform us how we relate to our emotions and the emotions of others. It also governs creativity, sexual energies and emotional stability. The Sacral chakra is represented by the colour orange. When your Sacral chakra is under active you may feel shy, guilty, lost, afraid of what others think and unsure of yourself in relationships. People with an overactive Sacral chakra tend to be power hungry and manipulative.
When you have a balanced Sacral chakra you may experience feelings of pleasure, abundance, be passionate, show confidence, be creative, friendly and playful, display kindness and be happily connected to your life. When your sacral chakra is balanced, it enables you to feel and experience life to its fullness. As the centre of passion, your sacral chakra awakens your power of creation. This allows you to discover what you truly enjoy and create intimate relationships.
So some simple ways you can help keep your sacral chakra balanced sit by a stream of water, make time for regular sexual activity, brainstorm ideas, stretch your lower back through yoga or traditional exercise techniques, belly dance, wear orange clothing, drink lots of water. Stones associated with the sacral chakra for creativity, cleansing, sexuality and emotions are amber, carnelian and tiger's eye just to name a few.
The Solar Plexus
The solar plexus (3rd chakra) is located below the chest in the centre of the belly under the rib cage under the diaphragm. It is represented by the colour yellow. The solar plexus chakra speaks to your ability to be confident and in control of your life. Think back to the last time you had butterflies or felt a pit in the stomach: That's the Solar plexus chakra at work. It’s bodily function is to regulate life force energy and systems. It’s connected to stomach, pancreas, intestines and colon and your metabolism. Emotionally if your solar plexus chakra is overactive you might be very critical, judgemental, stubborn. Under-active and you may find yourself at times procrastinating, having low self esteem, uncertain, negative and showing loss of enthusiasm for life. When you have a balanced solar plexus chakra you will feel positivity, self respect, compassion, self esteem, confidence, personal power, hope and assertiveness. Some ways to keep you solar plexus chakra balanced are you could wear the colour yellow, belly breathing (work on breathing from you belly not your chest), sit in the sun, practice self- love, do something that makes you scared but brings your courage and discover your core beliefs. Some stones to use that will help with intellect, protection, personal power and ambition are yellow and gold toned stones amber, citrine and topaz.
The Heart
The heart (4th chakra) is the bridge between the lower chakras (associated with materiality) and the upper chakras (associated with spirituality) and represented by the colour green or pink. As the name suggests, this chakra can influence our ability to give and receive love—from others and ourselves it governs our relationships. Located in the centre of the chest what we refer to as the heart centre. The heart chakra’s bodily function is to integrate and balance the realms of mind and body, the body systems it’s connected to are the thymus gland( important in our immune system), heart, liver, lungs and circulatory system. So what emotions could you be experiencing when your heart chakra is under active? You may come off needy and clingy, uncertain, angry and bitter. Over reactive and you might be giving off vibes of being a little envious, jealous, entitled or you could just give too much of yourself to others. So someone with a blocked heart chakra will have difficulty fully opening up to the people in their life.
When someone's heart is open and balanced, they can experience deep compassion and empathy, joy, gratitude, acceptance, forgiveness and pride. So how can you keep your heart chakra balanced which is so important especially with what we are being faced with in life at this very moment.
Learn to enjoy your solitude, practice gratitude and be grateful for all you do have everyday in life, even the small things like sight or sound or just being able to breathe life. Learn to breathe deeply, explore ways to forgive people, let go or what doesn’t serve you. Give yourself permission to bring some self care habits into your daily life. Wear the colour green, change your viewpoint, look at people or things in terms of what you love rather than what you hate and be kind to others.
So some stones that can give you a little extra help and that are used for love, compassion, emotions and universal consciousness are rose quartz, green aventurine, chrysocolla, malachite and peridot.
The Throat
The throat (5th chakra) is located at the neck. Represented by the colour blue. It’s associated with the bodily function of communication and the body systems that are attached with the throat chakra are the throat and neck, arms and hands, thyroid gland, upper lungs and digestive track. If you're having pain or issues associated with these areas you may benefit from doing some work on your throat chakra to rebalance it. So when the throat chakra is out of balance besides noticing some physical issues appearing in the areas mention previous you may notice emotionally the traits of a person with an overactive throat chakra they can tend to speak excessively and be very critical, talk negatively and they can easily bore others with there constant talk and waffle while an under-active throat chakra person is the complete opposite they will struggle to express themselves clearly and are timid at times, can be dependant on others and can be afraid of just the thought of or with actual public speaking. The throat chakra gives voice to the heart chakra and controls our ability to communicate our personal power. When it's functioning at full capacity, it allows us to express ourselves truly and clearly, we will be honest with ourselves and show up to the world as we truly are without fear of judgement. So some simply way to help keep your throat chakra balanced is to find a form of release that allows you to express yourself freely, learn to acknowledge your feelings and learn to experience them without judgement- it’s ok to not be ok some days- learn to go with the flow of your feelings and just sit with them til they pass.
Sing - who cares if you can’t hold a note if you love it, do it. Laughing - watch a funny movie and have a good belly laugh. Explore what brings you meaning and bring that passion into your everyday life, wear the colour blue, look up at the sky and clear your mind oh I could go on for days but I won’t, see trying to keep it balanced.
Ok so now you’ve got that covered how about some stones or crystals if your that way inclined like me these can be used to help with communication, clarity, self expression and truth a few are blue lace agate, blue kyanite (I personally have this scattered all around my house I love it) lapis lazuli and blue calcite. Simple ways to use the stones, carry them around in your pocket or bra, wear them in jewellery or display in your home like a sculpture.
The Third Eye
The third eye (6th chakra) is located at the centre of the forehead, between the eyebrows. It’s bodily function is inner vision and insight to the body systems it’s connected to are the pituitary gland, spine and lower brain. It's also associated with the colour deep dark blue/purple. So as we move up the body, we're getting closer to communion with the divine (this is where the cool stuff starts to happens).
The third eye chakra controls our ability to see the big picture and connect with our intuition. Think of it as the eye of the soul: It registers information beyond the surface level. Visions and intuitive hits are not uncommon for someone with an open third-eye chakra. So if your third eye is closed off and out of balance you may reject ideas of spirituality, you may worry a lot and live in fear, exaggerate truths, you may only see life as very black and white - I think we all might know someone who’s like this at times. Under-active and you may not know your purpose and feel lost in life, be easily influenced by others and have a lot of doubts about things. When your third eye chakra is fully balanced and open you will be open to receive wisdom, insight and intelligence, you can differentiate between truth and illusions, find it easy to meditate, you will have an awareness of a spiritual connection to a higher realm- there’s more to life than just us, you know
So how can you un-cloud and help clear your third eye chakra from home? You could cut out processed food from your diet - processed food clouds your intuition big time, establish a regular sleep routine and try to get a minimum of 7-8 hours sleep a night. Eliminate distractions - too much tv, social media even social commitments don’t allow you time to just be and be still thats where meditation comes in learn to calm your mind and your thoughts, this helps sharpen your intuition. Oh and you can always start wearing indigo/ deep purple. Ok so if you're like me and you want to heighten your intuition, spiritual awareness and psychic abilities, this is the part I truly love . If your not so much, well I’m here to tell you that may not know this but we all have a psychic gift that we were born with it’s just that some of us love it and welcome it and some of us fear it or became closed off to the idea and just bury it along the way in life. So if you're keen to explore to see what your gift is, start doing some reading up and some great stones to use are Amethyst, lapis lazuli, moldavite and purple fluorite.
The Crown
The crown chakra (7th chakra) it’s located at the top of the head. It represents states of higher consciousness and spiritual or divine connection. The body system it governs is the brain and the entire nervous system. It is also represented by the colour violet. So when the crown is out of balance emotionally a person whose crown is overactive craves attention, needs to feel popular, rigid thoughts on religion and spirituality very black and white thinkers, unable to go with the flow - trouble with change, while person displaying an under active crown can’t seem to find joy in life, suffer depression, fearful have bouts of confusion, unaware or denying spiritual connection. When a person has a balanced crown chakra they will be able to experience joy, be compassionate, calm, live in the present, trust in themselves and the flow of life, abandoned their ego for a higher purpose and when fully open —something very few people ever do!—you're able to access a higher consciousness. So some simple things you can work into your daily routine to help you achieve a balanced crown chakra, drink plenty of water, explore spiritual practices that interest you, immerse yourself in the natural world, explore your shadow self and the way it impacts your life- we all have one. Wear violet or white and learn to separate who “you” are from what you experience- take that step back. Some stones for added help to work with enlightenment, cosmic energies, consciousness and universal energy source are Amethyst, clear quartz, herkimer diamond.
I hope you’ve all enjoyed learning a bit about your chakras as much as I have enjoyed sharing this information. I really find it fascinating and reiki is the most beautiful energy to work with and personally I feel it’s the key to feeling your best when everything is aligned. Maybe you’ve noticed a few areas you might need to work on yourself so hopefully even if only one of you reading this takes something from this, my work here is done.
Reiki is a powerful energy source and when used in conjunction with the techniques I’ve talked about that you can implement into your daily life for healing. You’ll be well on your way to feeling at your best and centred in no time.
If your interested on learning more about Reiki or how you could feel after a reiki energy healing treatment read my related blog posts.
If you think you need a reiki treatment and like to try it fiirst hand then click on the link below to book your appointment today.
