Guide To Chakras
Your guide to seven chakras & their meanings.
Learn how to unblock your seven chakras and live a healthy and vibrant life.
Everything is Energy
You, like everything else in the universe, vibrate and create energy. The notion of energy fields in the body may sound very unscientific to some people. But consider this for a moment: your physical body is made out of cells. Cells are composed of atoms. And according to science, atoms are fundamental pieces of matter composed of… yes, you got it: energy!
The chakra system is where your body’s energy (also known as prana) is stored. Chakras are the body’s major energy centers. The flow of your energy is crucial to your overall well-being, and all of your seven chakras operate as key valves that regulate it. Even though all of the seven chakras exist within the energetic (subtle) body, their effect on the physical body is substantial. Just like the brain regulates the physical, mental and intellectual activities of the nerve cells, chakras tap into the prana energy that is present in all living organisms.
Hello all chakra lovers! First and foremost, congrats for taking the first step towards comprehending the significance of your energetic health.
Your body may seem solid to the touch, but all you really are is pure energy!
What is Chakra?
Chakra is a Sanskrit word literally meaning wheel or circle, and it originates from the ancient Indian yoga system and the philosophy of Tantra. Chakras can be best described as the vortexes of energy located vertically along the spine, and they correspond to the spinal plexuses in the physical body. Each chakra appears like a disk of light that spins in a clockwise direction at a different speed. In your physical body, there are seven major chakras.
Why Are Chakras Important?
Chakras are essential components of your spiritual journey, and knowing them can help you to better integrate your mind, body, and spirit. Imagine your body as a vehicle of consciousness. The chakras can be viewed as the wheels of life that can move your vehicle in the direction of enlightenment. They are the seven gateways to higher consciousness that will help you to ascend and reach your full potential.
What Are The Seven Primary Chakras?
Despite the lack of clarity on the absolute origin of the chakra system, we have got to admit that the chakra system that has become the most popular in the western world is the 7-chakra system.
According to this system, these are the seven primary chakras:
Chakra 1 – Root Chakra | Muladhara
Located at the base of the spine. It is associated with energy, survival, stability, comfort and safety. Its element is earth.
Chakra 2 – Sacral Chakra | Svadhishthana
Located in the lower abdomen. It is associated with sensuality, sexuality, pleasure, sociability and emotions. Its element is water.
Chakra 3 – Solar Plexus Chakra | Manipura
Located in the navel area. It is associated with strength, personality, power, determination and self-esteem. Its element is fire.
Chakra 4 – Heart Chakra | Anahata
Located in the middle of the chest, over the sternum. It is associated with love, acceptance, compassion and sincerity. Its element is air.
Chakra 5 – Throat Chakra | Vishuddha
Located in the throat area. It is associated with communication, expression, creativity and inspiration. Its element is ether / sound.
Chakra 6 – Third Eye Chakra | Ajna
Located in the middle of the forehead. It is associated with intuition, lucidity, meditation and trust. Its element is light.
Chakra 7 – Crown Chakra | Sahasrara
Located at the top of the head. It is associated with knowledge, consciousness, fulfilment and spirituality. Its element is thought.
If you’re learning about the chakra system for the first time and finding it difficult to remember all of the complicated names, numbers, and places, here’s a small tip:
The colors of the 7 chakras correspond to the seven colors of the rainbow! The colors of the rainbow, just like chakras in your body, always appear in a specific order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) when the water droplets disperse sunlight.
The second-best way to learn about chakras, would be through chakra charts. If you don’t feel like reading long and complicated chakra articles or books, these charts can save you a lot of your precious time.
Chakra charts will quickly increase your knowledge of the seven chakras, especially if you are a visual learner who prefers to have all information in chronological order.
According to Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain beliefs, the seven chakras represent how energy flows through us in a metaphysical sense. Just like the brain regulates the physical, mental and intellectual activities of the nerve cells, chakras tap into the prana energy that is present in all living organisms.
Chakras are usually portrayed as lotus flowers or vivid vortexes of energy that perpetually spin at varying speeds like wheels. The spin of a chakra is a complicated interplay that allows energy to be converted from subtle to tangible and vice versa.
Chakras can spin in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction:
- When chakras rotate clockwise, they release energy from our bodies into the space around us.
- When chakras spin counterclockwise, they draw energy from our external environment towards us.
The frequency of our chakra’s vibration dictates the direction of our energy flow as it either draws energy into or releases it from our body. If we slowed the chakra’s rapid movement, we would perceive it as a whirlpool with spinning vortexes inside of it. Each of the main seven chakras has a various amount of these vortexes. The vortexes would resemble the curled petals of a lotus flower if we stopped the activity of a given chakra.
This is one of the main reasons why ancient East Indian gurus compared chakras to lotus flowers and assigned each one a specific number of petals:
4 Petals – ROOT CHAKRA
6 Petals – SACRAL CHAKRA
10 Petals – SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA
12 Petals– HEART CHAKRA
16 Petals – THROAT CHAKRA
2 Petals – THIRD EYE CHAKRA
1000 Petals – CROWN CHAKRA
How Do Chakras Transmit Energy?
Chakras function as gateways via which subtle energies and information from higher levels of existence (such as the astral or causal plane) are channeled to us. They function as regulators and transformers, absorbing, integrating, and transmitting pranic life-force energy to the subtle body. The chakras then transport this information and energy through the Nadis and Meridians, which run throughout the body like a river with an intricate irrigation system. Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna are the three major Nadis. However, our entire subtle body consists of 72,000 Nadis. Through their enormous network, which transmits prana in all directions, they offer energy to every cell and organ in your body. All nadis are connected to the seven fundamental chakras that run down our spine.
How Do Chakras Get Blocked?
Chakras, like any other gateway or channel, can become blocked, constricted, or closed. A blocked chakra indicates that energy is trapped or restricted. It’s similar to a clogged artery in your body. When your chakras are in balance, your life is in total harmony, and your psychical and mental health is excellent. The channels through which chakra energy moves (nadis and meridians) must be opened for energy and information to flow freely between all of your 7 energy centers.
So how do chakras get blocked? Chakra blockages will normally manifest in few different ways.
Chakra’s function may be:
UNDERACTIVE – Resulting in too little energy moving in and out of that chakra.
OVERACTIVE – Resulting in too much energy moving in and out of that chakra.
CLOSED – Resulting in too no energy moving in and out of the chakra.
How To Unblock Chakras?
Most of the chakra healing methods aim to restore balance to the energy flow via each chakra and, as a result, across the entire subtle and physical body. Positive intention and willingness to address the past, to feel old wounds, traumas, and injuries, is the first step toward chakra healing. Become open to exploring your shadow realms, the dark and frightening areas where frightening monsters may dwell. Your openness to face things that are challenging is the key to understanding your path towards healthy chakras. It’s the path to freedom, health, and bliss after years of hardship. When you take the effort to clear blockages inside the chakras, your life-force energy flows more harmoniously and productively in and out. It gets simpler to connect with your surroundings and reach your goals.
Let’s have a quick look at some of the best ways to unblock your seven chakras:
Meditation
There are many different forms of meditation, such as:
Meditation is probably the most effective method to clear energetic obstructions from all of your chakras. It is a necessary habit to cultivate if you want to clear the mind, expand your awareness, and develop the ability to listen to your inner voice.
- Guided Meditation – it allows you to meditate according to the guidance of a trained practitioner through written texts, sound recordings, or even videos. It is perfect for beginners.
- Mindfulness Meditation – it allows you to be fully present and aware of everything that is taking place around you (sensations, sounds, etc.)
- Concentration Meditation – it is designed to help you achieve single minded attention which you can direct at an object such as a chakra location and its color, an image, or your breath.
- Vipassana Meditation – it is the most ancient Buddhist meditation technique. Vipassana is the practice of cultivating mindfulness or awareness in a systematic and progressive manner. It is an advanced technique, which takes many years to master.
- Mantra Meditation – a practice of repeating a word or phrase during meditation, which helps you to stay focused. Great for chakra healing as each chakra has its own seed sound. • Active Movement Meditation – Tai Chi or Yoga are the best examples.
Yoga
The chakras link the metaphysical with the physical world and the practice of yoga is inseparably related to the chakras. Yoga encompasses the chakras as a profound journey to spiritual awakening because that is what yoga has always been about. Yoga is the gateway to higher levels of consciousness.
It is a path for channeling your spiritual energies into the body and radiating them out into the world. Physical postures (asanas) and breathing techniques, known as Pranayama in yoga, can aid in the relaxation of accumulated stress in the body and the alignment of the chakras.
Breathing
Hindus understand the importance of breath (sometimes referred to as ‘prana’) and its purifying energy. Certain breathing techniques are beneficial for all of the higher chakras because they assist with moving the kundalini (life force) energy from lower chakras to the upper ones.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing – an easy and powerful breathing technique that involves contracting your diaphragm muscle, which separates the abdomen from the chest.
- Gamma Breathing – it consists of 4 cycles of breathing, where you alternate between breathing through your mouth and nose. Gamma breathing shifts your brain into a gamma state.
- Breath of Fire (Kapalabhati Pranayama) – a powerful detoxifying breathing technique, which involves a series of short and powerful nose inhales (exhale is passive).
- Lion’s Breath (Simha Pranayama) – another powerful breathing technique that can improve blood circulation and strengthen the muscles in your throat.
- Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodana) – it is a purifying breathing technique used to release trapped energy channels in your body and calm the mind. Each chakra has its own seed sound.
- Wim Hof Method – it is a combination of powerful breathing exercises and cold therapy. It consists of intervals of hyperventilation followed by phases of breath retention (breath-holding).
Crystals & Gemstones – It’s commonly believed that some crystals and stones possess high vibrational energy that may be passed to you and help you balance your energy.
You might be wondering:
So, what is the correlation between chakras and gemstones?
How can I use them?
The answer is straightforward: the vast majority of the stones with therapeutic properties have the same color as the corresponding chakra center! There are obviously some exceptions here (for example, some of the root chakra stones are black, and rose quartz is one of the best crystals to balance your green, heart chakra), but most of the time, you can follow this simple rule when selecting your chakra stones.
Mantras & Sound Therapy
Each chakra in your body has the accompanying chakra sound, sometimes referred to as a bija mantra or seed mantra. The rhythmical vibrations created by reciting these mantras will help to stabilize the uneven vibrations (Frequencies) of your 7 chakras:
Crown Chakra frequency OM 963 Hz
Third Eye Chakra OM 852 Hz
Throat Chakra HAM 741 Hz
Heart Chakra YAM 639 Hz
Solar Plexus Chakra RAM 528 Hz
Sacral Chakra VAM 417 Hz
Root Chakra LAM 396 Hz
Hand Mudras
Mudra is a symbolic way of communicating with the deity by using different hand gestures. The word mudra can be translated to ‘seal’, ‘mark’ or ‘gesture’. Mudras play an important role in many Hindu and Buddhist rituals, and they are very often used along with mantras (chanting sounds), asanas (body positions), and pranayama (breathing techniques). They are extremely easy to use and they can create powerful transformation in your life by liberating and balancing your prana (life force). Hand mudras, along with mantras, are too easy tools that can help you liberate energy locked within your chakras and other energy channels (known as nadis).
Massage, Acupuncture, Acupressure
Getting a massage, acupuncture or acupressure treatment is a great way to open up stagnant energy channels, which go along your meridian lines. Seven primary chakras run through the spinal column. And each of these chakras resembles a metaphysical wheel or a disc that vibrates and churns out energy. When the chakras function properly, they align with each other and the meridians to ensure a smooth flow of this energy. As acupoints are directly placed along the meridian pathways, it is but natural that acupuncture and acupressure can help unblock a malfunctioning meridian. When a professional applies pressure through needles or fingers, these points can communicate with the internal organs. Regular treatment can help smoothen the flow of Qi along the blocked lines and improve the circulation of energy. Meridian massage differs from regular massage in that it focuses on the deep tissues around specific points, mostly acupoints, and works on a person’s mechanical and reflex actions.
So, let’s look at them more closely.
Chakra Number: 1 – Root Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Muladhara
Meaning: Root Support
Element: Earth
Color: Red
Mantra: LAM लं
Sound Frequency: 396 Hz
Affirmation: I Am
Location: Perineum
Symbol Petal Numbers: 4
Root Chakra (Muladhara) is the 1st chakra in your body located at the base of the spine. It provides the foundation on which we build a life, and it represents safety, stability, comfort, and security.
Root Chakra is the foundation of your entire system on which the other chakras sit, and it is the place where the Kundalini (the life force) sleeps, waiting to be liberated and give you the power to go into the material world.
Your Root Chakra has the deepest connection to the animal nature of your physical body and Earth. If you do not balance this chakra before you progress to others, your growth will lack the stability necessary for true growth.
Chakra Number: 2 – Sacral chakra
Sanskrit Name: Svadhishthana
Meaning: Sweetness
Element: Water
Color: Orange
Mantra: VAM व
Sound Frequency: 417 Hz
Affirmation: I Feel
Location: Sacrum
Symbol Petal Numbers: 6
Sacral Chakra (Svadhishthana) is the 2nd chakra in your body located around the navel area. The sacral chakra is responsible for the healthy flow of your emotions, and it deals with your ability to relate to yourself and others. Sacral Chakra is the main center of your creativity and emotional intelligence, but the main aspect of the second chakra is sexuality. Sexual energy is one of the most powerful energies we have in our bodies. With a balanced sacral chakra, you can allow yourself to take delight in the pleasure of sex as an integrated aspect of life and see intimacy as a form of communication. Sexuality is our life force and the sacred ritual of union between people
Chakra Number: 3 – Solar Plexus Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Manipura
Meaning: Lustrous Gem
Element: Fire
Color: Yellow
Mantra: RAM रं
Sound Frequency: 528 Hz
Affirmation: I Do
Location: Solar Plexus
Symbol Petal Numbers: 10
Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) is the 3rd chakra in your body located in the stomach area. You can think of the third chakra as a glowing, yellow Sun, which radiates through the center of your body and rules all aspects of your personal power. Solar Plexus has the biggest concentration of pranic energy because 72,000 nadis (conduits of pranic energy) meet here and radiate from this center. It is the center of your personal identity, which rules all aspects of your personality, self-esteem, and ego. The main function and purpose of your solar plexus chakra is transformation. Through the process of transformation, your solar plexus chakra provides the body with fuel, energy, and keeps it alive.
Chakra Number: 4 – Heart Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Anahata
Meaning: Lustrous Gem
Element: Air
Color: Green
Mantra: YAM यं
Sound Frequency: 639 Hz
Affirmation: I Love
Location: Chest
Symbol Petal Numbers: 12
Heart Chakra (Anahata) is the 4th chakra in your body located in the chest area, and it represents love, acceptance, and compassion. Heart chakra acts as a bridge between the body (represented by the lower three chakras) and the mind (represented by the 5th, 6th, and 7th chakra). The heart chakra is home to our spirit, and love is the main energy of a healthy heart chakra. Accepting yourself and practicing self-love will give you a great starting point in the development of a healthy heart chakra. The element of the heart chakra is air, which is the most expansive of the first four elements. Air represents freedom, openness, and spaciousness. Working with your breath (the Hindus call the breath prana) is one of the best ways of restoring balance in your heart chakra
Chakra Number: 5 – Throad Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Vishuddha
Meaning: Purification
Element: Sound / Ether
Color: Light Blue
Mantra: HAM हं
Sound Frequency: 741 Hz
Affirmation: I Speak
Location: Throat
Symbol Petal Numbers: 16
Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) is the 5th chakra in our body located at the center of your neck, and it represents your ability to speak clearly and communicate effectively. The throat chakra is the seat of purification, and the element associated with Vishuddha is ether, also known as Akasha or spirit. Ether is a very subtle, non-physical element beyond earth, air, fire, and water, that separates the material universe from the astral universe. The throat chakra governs communication and is responsible for shaping our reality and bringing all of our manifestations to the physical world. Communication is a rhythmic activity and an act of connection, which involves both listening and speaking. Balanced and purified throat chakra will enable your creativity to be expressed in speech (sound), clear thought, and writing.
Chakra Number: 6 – Third Eye
Sanskrit Name: Ajna
Meaning: Command Centre
Element: Light
Color: Dark Blue / Indigo
Mantra: OM ॐं
Sound Frequency: 852 Hz
Affirmation: I See
Location: Forehead
Symbol Petal Numbers: 2
Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) is the 6th chakra in your body located in the center of the forehead, between the eyebrows. Third eye chakra is your spiritual center of awareness and intuition, and its element is light, which has a faster vibration than a sound. The Sanskrit name of third eye chakra is Ajna, which means both ‘to perceive’ and ‘to command’. People with highly developed third eye chakra have enhanced visualization abilities. Third eye chakra is your main portal, through which you can obtain higher knowledge and step beyond duality. With opened and awakened third eye chakra, you will be able to access extrasensory perception such as clairvoyance and telepathy. Third eye chakra corresponds to the pineal gland, which is a light-sensitive gland that controls your circadian rhythm and governs the production of a hormone called melatonin.
Chakra Number: 7 – Crown Chakra
Sanskrit Name: Sahasrara
Meaning: Thousand-Fold
Element: Thought
Color: Violet / White
Mantra: OM ॐं
Sound Frequency: 963 Hz
Affirmation: I Understand
Location: Top of the Head
Symbol Petal Numbers: 1,000
Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) is the 7th chakra in your body located at the top of the head. Sahasrara means ‘thousandfold’, because the symbol for this chakra is a thousand-petaled lotus representing the state of higher consciousness and divine connection. The element of the crown chakra is ‘thought’ and the main function of this chakra is knowing. The development of crown chakra ultimately leads to profound transformation, self-realization, and enlightenment. From the level of the crown chakra, you can learn to transcend all you have known thus far because it is a meeting point between finite and infinite.
FINAL WORDS
7 Chakras can be described as beautiful portals through which subtle energies and information from upper planes of existence (such as the astral or causal plane) are funneled through to us.
They work as regulators and transformers, receiving, assimilating, and distributing the pranic life-force energy to the subtle body.
We get a deeper understanding of ourselves and learn how to heal ourselves on all levels when we connect with the energy inside our chakras. They form a vertical channel along our spine when they are aligned.
Two great currents of energy travel upward and downward inside this channel: the currents of liberation and manifestation. Your openness to face things that are challenging is the key to understanding your path towards healthy chakras.
It’s the path to freedom, health, and bliss after years of hardship. When you take the effort to clear blockages inside the chakras, your life-force energy flows more harmoniously and productively in and out. It gets simpler to connect with your surroundings and reach your goals.