The word Chakra means wheel and refers to energy points in your body.
There are seven main chakras situated along the spine, from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. Chakras are energy centres that distribute the flow of energy through the body. Stress, illness, emotional upset or conflict all can cause blockages or imbalance in your chakra system.
Some therapies such as Reiki work on balancing the chakras so that energy runs through them freely, and harmony exists between the physical body, mind, and spirit. For optimum health, it’s believed that it’s important to keep your chakras open or unblocked. If they get blocked, you may experience a depletion of energy flow or too much energetic activity in a chakra.
Each chakra corresponds to specific organs as well as physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual states of being.
All seven chakras are interconnected; when one chakra experiences a blockage or imbalance, it affects all the others.
Imbalances in the chakras may cause emotional issues such as increased anger, sadness, fear, or indecisiveness or physical ailments.
When a chakra is low in energy, you’ll have difficulty expressing the particular qualities associated with that chakra
When a chakra is overactive, the qualities are a dominant force in the person’s life. This can have both physical and emotional effects
Yoga may also promote balance in the chakras via the asanas, breathing practices and meditation.
THE ROOT CHAKRA is located at the base of your spine. It provides you with a base or foundation for life, helping you feel grounded and able to withstand challenges. Your root chakra is responsible for your sense of security, stability + survival. The emotions associated with the base/root chakra are fear, courage, being grounded.
The associated colours are red or brown, and the organs are the:
kidneys, bladder, rectum, spine and hips.
Emotions:
Fear, courage, grounding
Endocrine gland:
Adrenals
Related diseases are:
constipation, piles, colitis, cold fingers and toes, frequent urination.
Supportive measure include:
-grounding exercise such as gardening, art, pottery, walking barefoot, fun activities such as finger painting, getting messy
-include red foods, hot spices, root veg, red meat and eggs in your diet
- be glad to be imperfect and make mistakes, perfection is not balanced, balance is achieved by accepting perfect and imperfect parts of nature.
When the root chakra is in balance, we feel steady no matter what life throws at us and “at home” wherever we go.
THE SACRAL CHAKRA is associated with reproduction, creative energy, fluidity, adaptability and the outward transmission of our energy into the world. It’s also linked to how you relate to your emotions as well as the emotions of others.
When the sacral chakra is in balance we radiate warmth, feel playful, desirable, and free to express ourselves
The associated colour is orange and the organs are the:
Uterus + Prostate
Position:
Lower abdomen
Endocrine glands:
Ovaries, testes
Related diseases:
IBS, menstrual problems, ovarian cysts, prostatic disease
Supportive measure include:
-giving yourself space
-learn to communicate, both speaking and listening. Working with the throat chakra may also help. Say what you need to say.
-balance masculine and feminine parts of yourself. Nurture your feminine side with nice oils, baths, clothes etc. Allow your assertiveness of your male energy to show.
-eat orange food and nuts.
ADVICE – Make balance between work and pleasure
THE SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA is located below the ribs + is the centre of our self-esteem, self-control and inner fire
When the solar plexus chakra is in balance, we feel confident, self-motivated, have a sense of purpose and feel in control of our lives
When it’s weak, we take on everyone else’s energy
Emotions:
Anger, resentment, guilt, unworthiness
Endocrine gland:
Pancreas
The associated organs are the:
Liver, spleen, stomach, small intestine
Related diseases:
Diabetes, liver disease, peptic and gastric ulcers
Supportive measure include:
-accepting you are worthy of being loved just for being you
-protect yourself eg: mentally visualise a belt of yellow light and put this belt on in the morning. Imagine yourself in a bubble. Imagine a mirror between yourself and others, reflecting back their negative energy
- dance!
- add yellow foods, grains, fibre, peppermint and chamomile tea to your diet
THE HEART CHAKRA is located near your heart, in the centre of your chest. It comes as no surprise that the heart chakra is all about our ability to love and show compassion. To unblock this chakra, you might try a heart opening yoga pose which helps open your chest, shoulders and arms. Alternatively while trying a yoga pose for the chakras, you could lie or squeeze, compress that chakra.
When the heart chakra is in balance, we feel a free flow of love and compassion.
When it’s out of balance, we may feel bitter and hurt.
Associated colours:
Green or pink
Emotions:
Joy, hurt, bitterness
Endocrine gland:
Thymus
Associated organs:
Heart and breasts
Related diseases:
Heart diseases, Chronic fatigue, cancer, AIDS allergies and sensitivities
Supportive Measures:
-practice unconditional love, ie: the love you may feel for animals and children – try to apply this love to adults. You may dislike their behaviour but love the person.
-choose to forgive someone who has hurt you in the past eg: write them a letter but do not send it or imagine them opposite you and tell them how you feel.
-learn to say NO! If asked a favour, listen to your heart, if you do not want to do it, say NO in a gently assertive way.
-eat green and pink foods and green tea
-choose acceptance - people are doing the best they can, you need to accept that, if you do, you may find inner peace
THE THROAT CHAKRA is located in the throat. This chakra has to do with our ability to communicate verbally, it’s your communication centre. If you are unable to express yourself, aren’t your authentic self, bottle things up, evade the truth, you may find you need to work on this chakra to break through those challenges.
As the throat chakra governs the mouth, tongue, and neck, it relates to communication and your ability to understand and speak your inner truth “purely”.
Colour:
Blue
Emotions:
Frustration, freedom
Endocrine glands:
Thyroid
Associated organs:
Lung, throat, intestines
Related diseases:
Hyper or hypo thyroidism, asthma, sore throat, tonsilitis, tinnitus, mouth ulcers, MS, anorexia
Supportive measures:
-communicate rather than bury your feelings. Maybe write down what you want to say.
-learn ways to self express, speak the truth, stop holding onto secrets.
-sing! Chant, read out loud.
-drink juices and teas and eat lots of fruit especially blue foods.
-have a spring clean – clear out any items from your past that are no longer relevant, to make space for the future
THE THIRD EYE CHAKRA You can thank the Third Eye chakra for a strong gut instinct. That’s because the third eye is responsible for intuition. It’s also linked to imagination + rules your ability to invite a new reality into your life by dreaming up different possibilities.
Position:
Forehead
Colour:
Indigo
Emotions:
Confusion, clarity, intuition
Endocrine gland:
Pituitary
Associated organs:
Eyes, head, sinuses
Related diseases:
Migraines, headaches, visual defects, sinusitis, catarrh
Supportive measures:
-learn to trust your intuition
-as with the heart chakra, do what feels right for you
-it’s alright to trust and follow what you feel
-accept responsibility for your actions. If you’re acting from your intuition, it’s fine to make mistakes.
-look over your past life – are you learning from your mistakes or are you just repeating old patterns? If yes, you’re maybe needing to tune into your intuition.
-eye exercises are thought to support the third eye chakra, purple foods, grapes, blueberries and chocolate😊
When you balance the third eye chakra, you experience clarity of thought and vision, you are imaginative, intuitive, and see the events in your life as symbolic and lessons to be learned. You will remember your dreams and contemplate their meanings. You are flexible in your opinions
THE CROWN CHAKRA is located at the top of your head + is linked to every other chakra and therefore every organ + our brain and nervous system. It is considered the chakra of enlightenment and represents our connection to our life’s purpose and spirituality.
Colour:
The colour of the crown chakra is represented by the colour indigo, gold or bright white.
Emotions:
Despair, peace
Endocrine gland:
Pineal
Associated organs:
Brain
Related diseases:
Depression, S.A.D. Parkinsons, Schizophrenia, epilepsy, senile dementia
Supportive measures:
-choose to find peace in your life
-give yourself ten minutes per day to sit quietly and replenish your energies
-meditation, relaxation, visualisation and self-hypnosis techniques, Tai Chi, Yoga
-running, cardio, sunshine and fresh air also support this chakra
USING A MANTRA BASED ON WHERE YOU FEEL YOU’RE IMBALANCED IN THE CHAKRAS
You might like to choose one of these Mantras to repeat silently inside your own head several times a day or during meditation - choose the one that most resonates with you
1. I am stable, I am strong (root)
2. I am creative, I am enough (sacral)
3. I am powerful, I am confident (solar plexus)
4. I am lovable, I am joyful (heart)
5. I am free, I feel heard (throat)
6. I am intuitive, I am focused (third eye)
7. I am at peace, I am connected (crown)
Once you’ve chosen your I AM STATEMENT, silently repeat it inside your own head, synchronised with each in and out breath, for example:
Breathe in, I am lovable, breathe out, I am joyful