Chakras – What are they and how do you balance them

The word chakra is sanskrit for wheel or disc which illustrates how the chakras are spinning energy centres of the body.  When your chakras are aligned and spinning evenly, your body is in harmony.

There are apparently many of these spinning energy centres located in and around our body, but there are seven main chakras which we will look at here.

When your chakras are functioning correctly and in balance, you will feel the benefits physically, mentally and emotionally as your body will be in harmony.  If one is out of sync or blocked, you may notice parts of your life needing attention.  But how do you know and how do you attend to it?  Below is a brief introduction to the seven main chakras, what they relate to and how you might feel if they are not in balance and, finally, several ideas on how to rebalance them.

🔴 Root (Muladhara)

Colour – Red

Location – Base of the spine

Connection – Basic needs, survival and instincts

In balance – You will feel centred, grounded, safe and secure and generally content

Out of balance – This will encourage feelings of instability, anxiety and fear

🟠 Sacral (Svadhistana)

Colour – Orange

Location – Just below the naval

Connection – Sexuality, identity, passion and optimism

In balance – You will feel joy and pleasure, be sensual, nurturing and in touch with your sexuality

Out of balance – You may have lack of sex drive, a fear of intimacy or feel loneliness

🟡 Solar Plexus (Manipura)

Colour – Yellow

Location – Above the naval

Connection – Self esteem, willpower and motivation

In balance – This is your drive, your get up and go and feeling that you are in control of your destiny

Out of balance – You may have low self esteem, feel powerless, submissive or have an inferiority complex

🟢 Heart (Anahata)

Colour – Green

Location – Chest, near the heart

Connection – Compassion, acceptance and love

In balance – You feel unconditional love and have healthy relationships, practise gratitude and forgiveness

Out of balance – You may experience feelings of bitterness, jealousy, have trust issues and a lack of empathy

🔵Throat (Vishuddha)

Colour – Blue

Location – Neck and throat

Connection – Communication and being your authentic self

In balance – You are able to clearly communicate with confidence, have creative expression and truly express your inner self

Out of balance – You may be unable to express yourself, have misunderstandings, hold secrets and have poor listening abilities

🟦 Third Eye (Ajna)

Colour – Indigo

Location – Between the eyebrows

Connection – Intuition, ability to manifest, inner wisdom and psychic abilities

In balance:  You will feel in tune with your intuition, trust your gut feelings and feel creative

Out of balance:  Feelings of being out of touch with your intuition, having delusions or mistrust

🟣 Crown (Sahasrara)

Colour – Violet

Location – Just above the head

Connection – Consciousness, spirituality, belief and understanding

In balance:  You will feel understanding, spiritually connected, appreciate the little things, enjoy nature and have a sense of knowing

Out of balance:  This may make you judgemental, feel ungrounded and lost

If any of the chakras are overactive, you will express exaggerated traits of the chakra which may become overbearing.

How to balance your chakras

Affirmations – positive affirmations which directly relate to the area of imbalance, such as “I express myself with confidence and from the heart” for throat chakra issues. Affirmations work better if they are said with intention and repeated multiple times a day.

Crystals – Generally speaking, if the crystal is the corresponding colour of the chakra point, then you can use it to help balance the energy of that point.  However, there are a few specific crystals that work well with each chakra point – find out more about crystals here!  Just place the crystal in your pocket for the day, or hold it whilst reciting your affirmations.

Dance – Put on your favourite music and dance like no one is watching.  While you are moving your body around you are releasing and shifting the energy within your body, so thrust those areas where you feel you may have a blockage or imbalance. 

Meditation – try laying on the bed visualising the energy centres of the body one by one as you work your way up through your body.  As you visualise each one, feel the energy over the area. Placing a corresponding coloured crystal or meditation stones on the chakra points also works well to aid balancing and give focus to your practise.

Colour Therapy – Each chakra has its corresponding colour shown above, so throw on something in the colour of the chakra you want to work with, burn a coloured candle, hold the relevant coloured crystal and immerse yourself with that colour.  

Yoga – There are certain yoga poses that help with moving the energy around your chakra points.  YouTube has many you can do in the comfort of your own home.

Why not combine a couple!  For the ultimate root chakra balancing, wear some red, burn a red candle, hold a piece of red jasper and move those hips to some music.

Of course, you can also work through My Wellbeing Chakra Journal, the ultimate way to learn about all the chakras and how they impact on your wellbeing. With guided prompts to help you discover how each chakra influences your life. Find out more here.