“Your energy introduces you before you even speak.”
Chakras are energy centers located throughout the body that play a fundamental part in our overall emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being.
Chakras take into account healing from a holistic standpoint. It’s a subtle form of interconnected spiritual therapy for the mind, body and soul, and is based on the foundational principal that one cannot get better without the other; that what effects the mind, effects the body, and what effects the body, effects the soul.
Chakras are not a one-stop fix for all your problems, but more like a guiding light you can use to illuminate your chosen path of healing.
If you are beginning a spiritual or self-improvement journey, or just looking to get more insight into your own inner workings, here is a quick beginner’s guide to the 7 chakras.
History of Chakras
Chakras have been a part of the spiritual and philosophical landscape for thousands of years. Some of the earliest written records describing the concept chakras date back over 2,500 years.
The idea of chakras is not singular to any one culture, and its remnants can be found in both ancient Indian Hindu and Chinese Taoists philosophies. While there are inherent similarities across cultural interpretations of the chakra system, many differences do exist as it relates to the number, location, and function of each chakra.
For the purposes of this beginner’s guide, I will be focusing on the 7 chakras primarily associated with ancient Indian culture.
What are Chakras
The word “chakra” is derived from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, and means “wheel” or “disk.”
Each chakra is its own wheel that spins in accordance to the body’s overall mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.
So, what makes a chakra spin?
Energy is the life force behind chakras. Each spin at a certain vibrational speed creating our ‘aura;’ the energy field that emanates from us, surrounding the body.
Everything in nature has its own unique energy, including you. It is our energy that allows us to connect with other people, nature, and to the world and universe around us.
Our aura is like our own personal signature, it represents who we are.
I like to think of auras as the vibe or energy we give off. If you’ve ever walked into a room and noticed a person who just seems to stand out because of their great attitude and positivity, that’s their aura or energy spinning in unison.
The same works in the opposite direction. If you’ve ever run into someone who is always negative, and every time you’re around them they somehow have a way of bringing you down and making you feel as bad as they do, that’s an example of their aura, or energy field, spinning at a lower frequency, or not at all.
How Exactly do Chakras Work?
Each chakra is meant to work in harmony. Like a wheel, chakras can spin in or out of unison.
When all 7 chakras spin in unison it creates balance within the body, when one or more chakras spin out of sync, whether it be too fast, or too slow (or even not at all) it manifests itself in various ways
Think of your chakras like a singular system that works together. When one piece is not functioning properly it affects the overall health of the entire system. Although the system can still work when one or more are not functioning properly, it does not run as smoothly as it could.
Chakra Stones or Crystals
Crystals or stones are a very prominent part of the chakra system.
Just as all things in nature have energy, it is believed that energy can be channeled and transmitted to us through stones or crystals.
Chakras stones are used to help you focus your intentions on whichever area you are currently seeking improvement or enlightenment on. There are thought to amplify your intentions, guiding you toward healing.
Each chakra stone has its own unique qualities or characteristics. Many people feel drawn to a particular stone, and select one based on their current needs.
While each stone has its own properties, and is generally associated with a specific chakra, many stones overlap across chakras due to the interconnected nature of healing. Oftentimes is the case, one stone can be used to focus or treat several different chakras.
People use chakras stones in both symbolic and physical gestures, such as carrying them in their pocket, wearing them as jewelry, or using them a part of their meditative process.
Other examples include direct-direct physical contact by placing specific stones across the body, to allow the natural energy of each stone to directly connect with the chakra through the body.
Associated Colors, Body Location & Senses
Each chakra is associated with a specific color palette, location within the body, and natural sense.
While a wide range of colors can be found throughout the visual spectrum of chakras, one identifiable color is generally ascribed to each individual chakra. The color markers exist as a visual sensory guide. The tone, quality, brightness, or darkness of each color is an indicator of the overall health of that particular chakra and of ourselves.
Similarly, each chakra is believed to be linked to a physical location within the body. Like a tree, chakras align themselves throughout the length of the body, beginning at the base, or root, of our physical form and extending to the top, or crown. Each location also corresponds with a different system in the body, giving us greater insight about our body’s physical well-being.
We communicate with our chakras via our natural senses. Our senses, such as sight, sound, touch, and smell, play a large role in our ability to naturally communicate with our chakras. Our senses heighten our intuition, allowing us to have a deeper, more personalized connection to ourselves and to the universe around us.
Balancing Your Chakras
Chakra balancing is an integral part of its core philosophy.
Balancing your chakras is the literal act of bringing each chakra back into alignment by creating or releasing energy. It’s meant to create a space for introspection so we can take a deeper, subconscious look into our inner workings, to access the points of our being that may not be easily accessible to us on the surface.
We balance our chakras to bring about deeper healing, wisdom, and spiritual awakening.
Some people prefer to work on balancing their chakras as a whole, while others prefer to work on one at a time. Balancing your chakras is a diverse practice, and there are a multitude of tools and practices available to you based on your individual needs, and lifestyle.
Here is a list of some of the most commonly known practices:
Meditation
Exercise (most notably yoga)
Affirmations
Visualization
Crystals or Stones
Chakra Candles
Journal Prompts
The 7 Chakras
Below is a brief description of each chakra, their properties, and overall purpose and meaning
1st Chakra: Root
Sanskrit Name: Muladhara
Meaning: Root or Support
Color: Red
Location: Base of spine
Stones: Hematite, Tiger’s Eye, Agate
Description: As the name implies, the root chakras is the basis or beginning of your chakras. Generally associated with security and support, the root chakra is tied to our identity via a familial setting.
It’s connected to our earliest experiences, and deeply rooted in our instinctual needs for survival. Through a healthy and balanced root chakra, we feel safe with an unconscious knowing that all our inner and outer needs — spiritual, emotional, and physical— will be met.
2nd Chakra: Sacral
Sanskrit Name: Svadhisthana
Meaning: Sweetness
Color: Orange
Location: Lower abdomen, between navel & genitals
Stones: Citrine, Carnelian, Orange Calcite
Description: Leaving the familial setting of the root chakra, the sacral chakra explores the complex nature of our identities within relationships. The sacral chakra is about the pleasurable aspects of life. It focuses on both emotional and physical elements such as pleasure, sexuality, movement, and growth.
Through the sacral chakra, we embrace our natural curiosity about life, with the understanding that it is okay to have or needs met and our desires filled.
3rd Chakra: Solar Plexus
Sanskrit Name: Manipura
Meaning: Lustrous Gem
Color: Yellow
Location: Between navel and base of sternum
Stones: Calcite, Malachite, Yellow Aventurine
Description: The Solar Plexus explores who we are as an individual. Our self-esteem, self-respect, confidence, and autonomy are its core tenants.
Through the solar plexus chakra, we are not afraid of becoming an individual, as we understand that it is through our unique individuality that we are able connect to others, and the world around us.
4th Chakra: Heart
Sanskrit Name: Anahata
Meaning: Unstruck
Color: Green, Pink
Location: Center of chest
Stones: Rose Quartz, Green Jade, Green Calcite
Description: The heart chakra embraces the different concepts surrounding love. We all have a natural capacity and inclination to both give and receive love, and the heart chakra amplifies this energy. There is no need to be emotionally possessive, aloof, or afraid, as love is always available to us through compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance.
5th Chakra: Throat
Sanskrit Name: Vishuddha
Meaning: Purification
Color: Blue
Location: Base of neck
Stones: Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Sodalite
Description: The great communicator of the chakras, the throat chakra deals with communication, self-expression, and creativity. Naturally expressive in nature, this chakra is central to our creative energy. Words have power and meaning, and whether it be through speaking, writing, singing, or thinking, the ability to clearly communicate our thoughts and express our emotions helps us to let go, release pain, and live freely.
6th Chakra: Third Eye
Sanskrit Name: Ajna
Meaning: To perceive, to know
Color: Indigo
Location: Between eyebrows, above the eyes
Stones: Amethyst, Azurite, Purple Fluorite
Description: The third eye chakra is connected to spiritual awakenings. Transcending above our physical nature, it gives us the ability to see into ourselves and connect with the larger, spiritual universe around us. Guided by our intuition, the third eye chakra helps to illuminate our decisions and our spiritual path in life.
7th Chakra: Crown
Sanskrit Name: Sahasrara
Meaning: Thousandfold
Color: Violet, White
Location: Crown of head
Stones: Amethyst, Clear Quartz, Diamond
Description: The crown chakra is an awakening or rebirth of the spiritual self. It is through this chakra that enlightenment and pure awareness is achieved. Moving beyond the state of knowing, we are able to comfortably embrace the interconnected nature of life, and the universe around us.
No longer encumbered by mortality, one is able to live life in the moment, appreciating and experiencing all that life has to offer, with no expectations.
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Exploring your chakras is a way of drawing you closer to yourself, to nature, and to the universe around you.
If you are interested in learning more about your chakras, I recommend you check out YogiApproved.com. They are a trusted source for chakra information, and have plenty of resources available about balancing your chakras, crystal healing, meditation, yoga, and more.
References:
Simpson, Liz. The Book of Chakra Healing. Sterling Ethos, 2013.
Leigh, Amy, and Chad Mercree. A Little Bit of Chakras. Sterling Ethos, 2016.
