Modern life is notoriously stressful. We have deadlines, traffic, trauma, long shifts and little time spent doing the things we love. The constant psychological toll can build up and eventually lead to blockages within the chakras of our bodies, causing disease and mental illness.
But just what are chakras, and how can balance lead to a healthier and happier life?
What are Chakras?
Chakras refer to the Sanskrit word for “wheel” or “disc”. They represent the energetic centers of our body and are sited where the nerve endings meet. These pressure points are where our life force is said to flow through us.
Both Hindu and Buddhist believe that when our Chakras become blocked, it can affect our body mentally, physically and emotionally. The only way that we can clear and prevent future issues, is by maintaining wellness in all Chakras of the body.
The 7 Chakras.
There are 7 main Chakras in the body ranging from our head to the base of our spine. Each has its own unique function, colour, and location. Instead of starting from the top-down, Chakras are numbered in the opposite direction, starting at the base of the spine and ending with the head.
➀ The Root Chakra.
Located at the base of the spine (tail-bone), the root chakra is the first of seven. It’s represented by the colour red and is known to regulate feelings of safety, our sense of instinct and grounding.
How do we know it’s out of balance?
We begin to experience symptoms such as:
- Anxiety
- Hopelessness
- Loneliness
- Difficulty letting things go
- We’re unfocused
- Low energy or mood
- Skeletal issues such as arthritis, painful joints, etc
➁ The Sacral Chakra.
The second chakra is located in the pelvis and is associated with the color orange. It’s directly connected to the adrenal glands, which are responsible for producing a variety of hormones. This chakra is also connected to our genitals and urinary organs (also known as the genitourinary system).
This chakra is responsible for the regulation of emotional and sexual needs, and our creativity and confidence.
When out of balance in this chakra you may experience the following:
- Emotional imbalance
- Loneliness
- You may struggle with addictions
- Lack of motivation
- Little or no interest in sex
- Lack of confidence and creativity
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Feeling that you’re useless and unloved
It’s also common to hear of people experiencing dysfunctional relationships due to an imbalance in the Sacral Chakra.
➂ The Solar Plexus.
Our third chakra is known as the Solar Plexus. It’s found under the ribs and is represented by the colour yellow. Due to its location, it’s often easy to interpret what this chakra is linked to. It deals primarily with our digestive system, and regulates the sense of fear, power, and our ‘gut feelings’.
When out of balance you may experience:
- Anxiety
- Feeling constantly on edge or afraid
- Eating disorders
- Low self-esteem
- Lack of self-confidence
- Low self-respect
- Issues with the liver, digestion, weight balance, asthma, and even diabetes.
➃ Heart Chakra.
The fourth chakra is known as the heart chakra. As the name suggests, it’s situated in the center of the chest and is represented by the colour green. It represents love, compassion, and connection with both ourselves and others.
A blocked heart chakra can often be felt physically as well as emotionally and mentally. You may experience the following:
- Poor Circulation
- High/Low blood pressure
- Various heart and lung conditions
- Feeling worthless
- An unhealthy dependence on others
- Inability to trust ourselves or others
➄ Throat Chakra.
The throat chakra is our fifth chakra, and as the name suggests it can be found in the throat. It’s represented by the colour blue, and is responsible for the thyroid gland, feelings of safety, power and the way in which we express ourselves.
When this chakra is out of balance you may feel:
- Anxious
- Depressed or ‘blue’
- Stuck in a rut
- Insecure
- Low self-esteem
- Low self-confidence
- Hormone fluctuations
- Difficulty listening and taking in what others are saying
➅ Third-Eye Chakra.
The sixth chakra is the Third-Eye, and it can be found between our eye-brows. It’s represented by the colour indigo and is connected to the pineal gland. The Third Eye is known for regulating our spirituality, our thoughts, hopes, and dreams.
When out of balance, expect to experience:
- Cynical thoughts and feelings.
- Headaches or tension
- Vision problems (caused by the tension)
- Feelings of being lost
- Insomnia or difficulty getting to and staying asleep
➆ Crown Chakra.
The seventh and final chakra is the Crown chakra. It’s located at the crown of the head and is associated with the color violet. The Crown Chakra is connected to the pituitary gland and nervous system and is often associated with wisdom, cosmic energy and our sense of awareness.
Signs that your crown chakra is blocked.
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Mental illness such as depression and anxiety
- Feelings of hopelessness
- A lack of perspective
How can we balance our chakras for a happier, healthier life?
We can already begin to see how important our chakra’s are for the wellbeing of our entire body. The presence of mental health disorders is relevant across all chakras when unbalanced.
In order to learn how to balance our chakras, we must first know why they might be blocked. The above descriptions should give you an idea of what a blocked chakra may feel like.
For example, a blocked Crown Chakra may lead to symptoms of mental illness, hopelessness with life and headaches. You may feel like you have no direction or perspective. Ultimately I can only describe it as feeling like an ‘existential crisis.‘
No matter how many imbalances you’re suffering from, the good news is that you can learn to heal them.
“It is essential for each Chakra to be open and active for the healthy flow of energy through the whole mind and body. Each Chakra has an impact upon the individual’s mental state of being, from hormones to the brain. Through balancing with essential oils and crystals we can reach optimum health. Our Chakras governmental states of wellbeing, and therefore have and, significant impact on our mental health.”
“The Interrelationships of the Chakras and Mental Health.”
Affirmations.
Repeating affirmations or mantras to ourselves helps to reinforce a positive, healing message. There are specific mantras for each chakra, but I find that you can also use general affirmations to help drive home the message.
Below are the chakra-specific mantras and each can be pronounced as it is spelled.
- Root Chakra: Laahm
- Sacral Chakra: Vaahm
- Solar Plexus Chakra: Raahm
- Heart Chakra: Yaahm
- Throat Chakra: Haahm
- Third eye Chakra: Ohmm
- Crown Chakra: Silence.
Meditation.
This can be guided, chakra-specific meditation, or regular meditation. There are many guided meditations available on Youtube and throughout the web.
Yoga.
Yoga, like meditation, encourages us to connect to ourselves. It asks us to slow down and take time to listen to what we need.
There are many guided yoga tutorials online specifically for chakra healing. You can also start to align chakras by following your regular yoga schedule, provided you are doing so mindfully.
Improving your diet.
Diet and lifestyle play a big part in balancing our chakras. In order to balance the correct chakras, we must first identify the problem areas. Then we can choose foods which best suit.
Below is a basic list of the chakras and their corresponding foods.
- Root Chakra: Elderberry, strawberries, tomatoes, raspberries.
- Sacral Chakra: Parsley, oranges, bell peppers.
- Solar Plexus Chakra: Chamomile, bananas, lemons.
- Heart Chakra: Lemon balm, green vegetables, green apples.
- Throat Chakra: Sage, blueberries, black currants.
- Third eye Chakra: Spruce, indigo vegetables.
- Crown Chakra: Thyme, eggplant, red grapes.
About the Author:
” Nyxie’s Nook is a blog focusing on mental health awareness, eating disorder recovery, wellness, and self-development. The blog was started in March 2019 in a bid to raise awareness for mental illness such as Anorexia Nervosa and Anxiety, two such disorders I suffer from. However, what started out as a hobby, quickly turned into something much, much more!”
Find More Nyxie’s Nook Here:
Other Articles You May Enjoy:
- 10 Ways to Heal Energy Blocks for Success, Alignment & Balance
- How to Heal the Root Chakra; The Money Chakra
- How to Heal the Sacral Chakra; The Creative Chakra
- How to Heal the Solar Plexus Chakra; The Success Chakra
- How to Heal the Heart Chakra; The Love Chakra
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