The chakra is a word that is becoming increasingly popular in the west. If you are getting into yoga and meditation, chances are that you heard the word ‘chakra’ a few times. You know the basic concept, but you don’t know the details of what a chakra is. Chakras are often associated with Hinduism and sectors of Buddhism, but with the growth of meditation and yoga in the west chakras are now beyond this context. This leads to the first question.
What is a chakra?
The concept of a chakra is over 2,000 thousand years old, going back to the Vedas. The Vedas are an ancient text that has information on spirituality. The Vedas are regarded as a sacred text the same way that the bible is sacred to Christians, and how the Quran is sacred to Muslims, etc. The Vedas were written in a language called Vedic Sanskrit. Chakra in Vedic Sanskrit translates to wheel. Chakras are energy points that are often shown as wheels that correspond with certain organs in diagrams. If you focus on improving your chakras, you will improve physically and emotionally.
The Root Chakra
In Sanskrit the root chakra is called muladhara. The root chakra is known for stability and security. The root chakra is an energy wheel at the base of the spine and is associated with the color red. In Sanskrit Mula means ‘Root’, and Adhara means ‘Foundation’. This chakra covers the foundation and basic needs of life. The root chakra is the energy that drives you to fulfill the needs of food, water, shelter. If there is an imbalance of energy in your root chakra, you will begin to feel emotions such as anxiety, panic, frustration, stress, and in extreme cases suicide. For example, if someone is unable to pay their rent, they will begin to feel anxiety. If someone is trapped alone on an isolated island, they might begin to panic. In these situations there is an imbalance in their energy chakra.
You probably know someone that is going through a situation causing them to become stressed or anxious. There were probably times when you were going through situations like this too. This is a result of the imbalance of energy in the root chakra. The good news is that balancing the energy in your root chakra isn’t difficult. It just takes dedication and persistence. When your root chakra is balanced your mind will become clear, you’ll feel secure, your confidence will increase, and you will be more organized.
How to Balance the Root Chakra
- Meditation – is a way to balance your root chakra because meditation relaxes the body as well as the mind. This will help you cleanse your mind of negative thoughts.
- Taking a walk outside – the outdoors is a suitable environment to release stress. It is often quiet. There are sites that are nice to look at, such as trees, the clear sky, plants, and flowers. Studies at Cornell University show that spending as little as ten minutes a day outside can reduce stress.
- Organizing your room – Stress is a state of mind, and settings can affect your emotions on a subconscious level. A room that is a mess can make you feel more stress on a subconscious level because the view is disorganized, and things are often hard to find. Something as simple as clearing your room can help clear your subconscious mind.
- Yoga – Yoga has different techniques that are designed to restore the balance of your chakras. You can sign up for a yoga class, or follow yoga tutorials online.
Sacral Chakra
The Sacral chakra is the second chakra, and in Sanskrit it is called swadisthana. This chakra is associated with the color orange. If you look at a chakra diagram, you will see an orange wheel of energy in the lower part of the stomach. This chakra carries creativity, emotions, and sexuality. The sacral chakra is associated with the reproductive system.
If this chakra is unbalanced, you will feel problems with your organs that are used in the reproduction process. If the energy in the sacral chakra isn’t balanced, it can cause a decrease in sexual interest, bladder problems, urinary infections, and other problems with reproductive organs. The unbalanced sacral chakra causes the negative emotions that come with these problems. If you or anyone that you know is dealing with these issues, I would advise you to go to a doctor, but I highly recommend that you try to balance your sacral chakra too.
How to balance the sacral chakra
- Food – this is one way that you can restore balance to your sacral chakra. You can eat orange citrus fruits, fermented foods, nuts and seeds, and melons. These foods will help your sacral chakra.
- Peace and Quiet – Doing something as simple as taking a few minutes out of your day to sit alone can help restore balance to your sacral chakra. Make sure there isn’t any noise to distract you from your thoughts. You will become more comfortable with your emotions, which is an important part of the sacral chakra.
- Look at the color orange – Since orange is associated with the sacral chakra, looking at the color orange can give you motivation to restore balance to the sacral chakra. Similar to how people look at motivational quotes to become motivated, you can look at the color orange to become motivated to restore balance to your sacral chakra.
Solar Plexus Chakra
The Solar Plexus chakra is the third chakra, and in Sanskrit it is called manipura. Manipura means, “city of jewels” or “seat of gems.” If you look at a diagram of the chakras, the solar plexus chakra will appear as a yellow energy wheel that is on the diaphragm. This chakra is associated with your willpower, identity, responsibility, intellect, decision making, independence, and confidence. This chakra is complex, and can often take people years to balance.
If this chakra is unbalanced, you might experience insecurity and a lack of confidence. Trying to force your authority on others in immoral ways to make yourself feel important, giving up on your plans, and a lack of ambition are signs of an unbalanced solar plexus chakra. There is a strong chance that you know at least one person who falls under one of these problems. With hard work and self reflecting, it is possible to restore balance to the Solar Plexus chakra.
How to restore balance to the Solar Plexus chakra
- Motivational quotes – Reading motivational quotes and saying them out loud is one way to help balance your solar plexus chakra. Make sure you make a habit of doing this because this will increase your confidence and ambition, which is a large part of the solar plexus.
- Sticking with goals – Sticking with goals and fulfilling them can help, even if it is something small. If you know your garage needs to be cleaned out, you should accomplish the task efficiently without procrastination. If you accomplish a few small goals a week, this will increase your ambition. You will feel proud of your accomplishments, and you’ll want to accomplish more.
- Letting go of the past – Unpleasant experiences in the past can lead to a lack of confidence. For example, If someone was bullied as a child, these experiences can affect their confidence on a conscious or subconscious level. If anything bad happened in the past, just remember that you are always in the present. Focus on what you can do now to improve yourself. You can help others that had the same problems as you did, seek support, or talk to friends and family about your issues.
The Heart chakra
This is the fourth chakra on the list. This chakra is associated with the color green, and it is located at the center of your chest at the same level as your heart. In Sanskrit this chakra is called “anahata.” Anahata means “unhurt.” This chakra is based on love, compassion, kindness, and respect. It allows us to realize that we are connected with others, and what we do affects others. This chakra gives you the driving force to help your community.
If this chakra is out of balance, you might feel isolated, sensitive in such a way where your feelings are easily hurt, and fear being loved or loving others. These problems are serious, and people that are suicidal often suffer from one of these. If you feel that your heart chakra isn’t balanced, it is important for you to balance it because it will help your emotional and social health.
How to balance the Heart chakra
- Join a community – Joining a community is a good way to balance your heart chakra because you will be able to interact with others that you share something in common with. For example, if you are into yoga, sign up for a yoga class. If you are into theater, sign up for a local theater class. This will make you feel a sense of belonging, and you will probably make new friends.
- Helping others – This is a good way to balance your heart chakra because you are exercising your love and compassion, which is crucial to the development of the heart chakra.
- Kind words – Saying kind words to others and even saying kind words to yourself is a good way to restore balance to your heart chakra. If you do this, you are exercising kindness and self love.
Throat chakra
The throat chakra is the fifth chakra, and it is called vishuddha in Sanskrit. Vishuddha translates to “especially pure” in English. The throat chakra is located at the neck. It is associated with the color blue. The throat chakra deals with social skills. The throat chakra deals with your expression of thoughts and feelings, finding and speaking the truth, and your integrity. When balanced, this chakra gives you the ability to speak your mind without worrying about what people think. You will share your thoughts and opinions no matter what others think about it. You won’t fear judgment.
If the throat chakra isn’t balanced, it can lead to a sore throat, pain in the jaw and head. It can lead to issues in your mouth, such as tooth pain. It could lead to ear infections too. Another side effect of an unbalanced throat chakra is that you will fear judgment. You will be shy, insecure, and seeking everyone’s approval. You will fear sharing your thoughts and opinions with others. If you see something is wrong, you will fear speaking up about the situation.
How to balance the throat chakra
- Shoulder stand – is a yoga technique that is known for helping to balance the throat chakra. If you do this technique a little every day, oxygen will flow better through your lungs, and you’ll have better blood circulation.
- Focus on your breathing – While you are meditating, focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths of fresh air in a quiet area.
- Speak up – If you have the opportunity to share an opinion whether it is at school, work, or anywhere else, I suggest you do it. Try to get out of your comfort zone and share your opinion. Try not to focus on judgment and don’t overthink. The more that you share your opinion, the easier it gets.
The Third Eye Chakra
The third eye chakra is located between the eyes. The third eye chakra is associated with the brain and pineal gland. It is shown as a purple energy wheel on the chakra diagram. The third eye chakra deals with the conscious and subconscious mind. The primary purpose of the third eye chakra is truth, an open mind, and wisdom. If this chakra is balanced, you will be able to decipher the difference between reality and illusion.
If you were told your entire life that you wouldn’t be good at chess because of your ethnicity or gender, and you believe it, you fell for the illusion. If your third eye chakra is activated, you would see that the reality is that those classifications have nothing to do with your ability to play chess, and you would ignore the comments. If you heard that a certain ethnicity was bad your entire life, your balanced third eye chakra would drive you to meet multiple people from this group to discover that the stereotype is an illusion.
How to balance the third eye chakra
- Foods – Your diet affects your mind and body. The quality of your food is a major factor that dictates the quality of your mind and body. To balance your third eye chakra you should eat purple cabbage, eggplant, and plums.
- Travel – If you have the time and money to travel, this is a good way to balance your third eye chakra. When you travel, you get a first person experience of meeting people that have a different culture and belief system. You will be able to decipher the illusions of the stereotypes that the media gives this group from how this group is in reality. Traveling often brings new experiences, so this will broaden your mind, which is good for activating your third eye.
Sound therapy – In a previous article, we covered how certain frequencies have negative and positive effects on the human body. For more info here https://culticgem.com/frequencies-you-must-use-to-improve-your-life/
If you listen to certain frequencies that align with your third eye chakra, this will help to restore balance.
Crown Chakra
The crown chakra is the last of the main chakras, and it is located on top of the head. This chakra has to do with spirituality and connecting to the universe. The crown chakra is associated with the color violet. When this chakra is balanced, you won’t see yourself as a separate entity of the universe, but you will see yourself as an extension of it. You will feel connected to nature and others which will drive you to treat everything with respect.
If this chakra isn’t balanced, you might find it hard to concentrate on meditating. You can feel isolated from others which can lead to depression. You might be rude to others and not care about a situation that they might be going through.
How to balance the crown chakra
- Asanas – As complex as the crown chakra sounds, you can do something as simple as an asana to begin your journey to balancing your crown chakra. Asanas are yoga poses that are known for helping to balance the crown chakra.
- Essential oils – Relaxing while burning essential oils such as myrrh and camphor is good for the crown chakra.
- Meditating outside – Meditating in a quiet spot outside such as the park or your backyard can help. While you are meditating you are connecting with your inner self, but you are also connecting and becoming familiar with nature, which is an important factor in balancing the crown chakra.
As you can see, balancing all seven main chakras can lead to a positive life. It might seem overwhelming, but with persistence and dedication it can be done. Are there any chakras that you believe you need to work on balancing? If so, let me know in the comments below.
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