Chakras

The Origins of Chakras

Some believe chakras to be religious symbols. But the truth is, they don’t belong to any particular religion. That said, chakras are featured in both Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism.

The Root Chakra

Traditional Name:  Muladhara (Root/Support)

Color: Red

Element: Earth

Stone: Hematite, Black Onyx and Smokey Quartz

Essential Oils: Myrrh, Patchouli, Vertiver

Location: Base of Spine/Tailbone

What it is: It’s sturdy, stabilizing, and supportive, keeping everything safely connected as long as it’s functioning properly. It’s associated with the base of the spine, the pelvic floor, and the first three vertebrae, and responsible for an individual’s sense of security and survival. It’s also connected to whatever you use to ground yourself, including basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and safety, as well as your more emotional needs such as letting go of fear and feeling safe.

When it is open: You are grounded. You feel at home in most situations. You feel stable and secure. You feel present in the here and now and feel like you are at home within your body.

When it is under active: You are fearful, nervous and often feel unwelcome

When it is over active: You may be materialistic and greedy, resistant to change and always needing to feel secure

When it is blocked: You may have anxiety disorders, fears, or nightmares. Physically, the first chakra is associated with problems in the colon, with the bladder, with elimination, or with lower back, leg, or feet issues.

Ways to open it: In practical terms, it’s important to take care of your survival needs first. And this chakra gives you the energy to do that, so utilize that energy to the best of your ability. Calm this chakra by focusing on your connection to spirit. Take time each day to nurture your soul by praying, meditating or connecting to spirit guides. Volunteering and acts of kindness and compassion can guide overactive energy away from your root chakra into other energy centers in your body.

If you find yourself disconnected from material existence, your 1st chakra may need to be revved up. You can do this by reconnecting to the earth by being out in nature. Gardening, swimming or even playing in the leaves can energize your root chakra.

Sacral Chakra

Traditional Name:Svadhishana (the place of self)

Color: Orange

Element: Water

Stone: Tigers’ Eye and Sunstone

Essential Oils: Wild Orange, Clary Sage, Cardamom

What it is: Located above the pubic bone and below the navel, it’s responsible for our sexual and creative energies. You’re friendly, passionate, and successfully fulfilled while also eliciting feelings of wellness, abundance, pleasure, and joy. By honoring your body and expressing yourself creatively, you’re keeping the energy wheels turning and fluid.

Location: Lower abdomen, 2 inches below the navel

When it is open: You are able to freely express your feelings without getting over-emotional. You are open to intimacy, passionate, lively and effortlessly deal with your sexuality

When it is under active: You are not open to people. You tend to be stiff and have a poker-face

When it is over active: Overly emotional; tend to get attached to people easily and are very sexual

When it is blocked: When you’re feeling uninspired creatively or have some emotional instability, your sacral chakra may be misaligned. Likewise, this can also be associated with physical sexual dysfunction, while also potentially experiencing fear of change, depression, or addiction-like behaviors.

Ways to open it:To balance your 2nd chakra, it’s helpful to draw energy away from the pleasure and into your heart. You can do this by asking yourself a simple question before each action you take. Ask yourself, “Is what I am about to do good for me? Is it healthy and nourishing? What are the benefits of the action I’m about to take? ” Taking time to assess whether your actions are healthy is a great way to draw energy away from this chakra.

Energizing your 2nd chakra is fun. In simple terms – enjoy life! Create a piece of art. Eat a healthy and enjoyable snack. Make love to your partner. Take time for yourself and enjoy the incredible gifts the Earth has to offer you.

Solar Plexus/Navel Chakra

Traditional Name: Manipura (lustrous gem)

Color: Yellow

Element:  Fire

Stone:  Jasper and Pyrite

Essential Oils: Juniper, Grapefruit, Peppermint

Location: Upper abdomen/Stomach area

WHat it is: It is your source of individual power, ruling over self-esteem. It is the action and balance chakra that focuses on individual willpower, personal power, and commitment. Located from the navel to about the ribcage, it reportedly governs all things metabolic, digestive, and stomach-related.

When it is open:You feel in control and have good self-esteem

When it is under active: You’re passive, indecisive and timid

When it is over active: You may be domineering and possibly aggressive

When it is blocked:  You can suffer from low self-esteem, have difficulty making decisions, and may have anger or control issues. It may also may lead you to outwardly express apathy, procrastination, or that you’re able to be taken advantage of easily. Likewise, you’ll also possibly have a tummy ache of some kind such as digestive issues or gas.

Ways to open it: To balance your 3rd chakra, practice opening up your heart with love and compassion. Meditate on sending love and kindness from your heart to all those around you. Refocus the power you have and see yourself as a beacon of love.

To energize your Solar Plexus, think of the things that you know you’re good at. After all, everyone has talents and abilities. Make a list of yours. Feel how the confidence in those talents makes your stomach tingle and vibrate. Empower that feeling by creating your own personal affirmations.

Heart Chakra

Traditional Name:Anahata (Unhurt)

Color: Green and Rose Quartz pink

Element: Air

Stone: Rose Quartz and Aventurine

Essential Oils: Geranium, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang

Location: Center of chest, just above the heart

What it is: Represents where the physical and the spiritual meet. Physically, it’s said to encapsulate the heart, the thymus gland (which plays a vital role in your endocrine and lymphatic system), the lungs, and the breasts. It’s believed that when your heart chakra is aligned and balanced, love and compassion are flowing freely—both in terms of giving it out and getting it back.

When it is open: You are compassionate, friendly and work towards harmonious relationships

When it is under active: You may be cold and distant

When it is over active: Your love may be born of selfish reasons and may be suffocating to others

When it is blocked: A closed heart chakra can give way to grief, anger, jealousy, fear of betrayal, and hatred toward yourself and others—especially in the form of holding a grudge against something or someone. Holding onto hurt harbors negative feelings and cuts you off from opportunities to love

Ways to open it: Balancing your 4th chakra means taking that love you’ve given to others and focusing some of it back on yourself. And you can do this by doing one thing every day that’s just for you:

• Take a relaxing bath
• Treat yourself to a massage
• Meditate on sending compassion to yourself

Energizing your heart chakra may take a lot of work. Many of us have worked hard to build up our walls and defenses, and it isn’t always easy to knock them down. But it begins with loving yourself. Show appreciation for yourself, and give yourself the love that you want others to give to you. Then, spread that compassion to those around you.

Throat Chakra

Traditional Name: Vishuddha (Very pure)

Color: Blue

Element: Sound

Stone: Aquamarine and Sodalite

Essential Oils: Lavender, Peppermint, Spearmint

Location: Throat

What it is: The throat chakra rules all communication, and is the first of the three solely spiritual chakras (as opposed to the lower ones, which manifest themselves in a more physical way). Anatomically, the throat chakra is associated with the thyroid, parathyroid, jaw, neck, mouth, tongue, and larynx. When this chakra is in check, you’re able to fully listen as well as speak and express yourself clearly.

When it is open: You can easily express yourself whether it is verbally or artistically

When it is under active: You rarely speak, you are introverted and shy An underactive throat chakra may be due to not speaking the truth

When it is over active: You may speak too much, domineer and keep people at a distance. You are a bad listener id you have an underactive throat chakra.

When it is blocked: In addition to having trouble speaking your truth, you find it hard to pay attention and stay focused, or fear judgment from others—which can further hinder your ability to keep it real. Physically, this blockage can manifest itself as a sore throat, thyroid issues, neck and shoulder stiffness, or tension headaches.

Ways to open it: Balancing your 5th chakra is as easy as thinking before you speak.

Take it from the Buddha, before you say anything, ask yourself: “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?”

Speak your truth! Even if no one is around to hear you, practice expressing your emotions and truths when you’re alone. It’s very common to think that we should only speak when someone else is around to hear it, but if you’re trying to energize your third chakra, it doesn’t matter if it’s received by any other ear than your own.

Third Eye Chakra

Traditional Name: Anja (Beyond wisdom)

Color: Indigo

Element: Light

Stone: Amethyst, Fluorite and Lolite

Essential Oils: Frankincense, Sandalwood, Patchouli

Location: Forehead, between the eyes

What it is: Organs including the pituitary gland, eyes, head, and lower part of the brain are said to be ruled by the third eye. And it reportedly governs your intuition—plus the ability to recognize and tap into it.  What’s more, the third eye is also said to be responsible for all things between you and the outside world, serving as a bridge between the two, allowing you to cut through any illusions and drama to see the clear picture.

When it is open: You have good intuition and a tendency to fantasize

When it is under active: You are not good at thinking for yourself, you may be rigid in your beliefs and ways of thinking, you may get confused easily and rely heavily on authoritative figures

When it is over active: You may live too often in a fantasy world. In extreme cases, hallucinations are possible.

When it is blocked: You may have trouble accessing your intuition, trusting your inner voice, recalling important facts, or learning new skills. And if your lower chakras—AKA the root, sacral, solar plexus, and heart chakras—and are unbalanced, your third eye will likely be as well, which may cause you to act more judgmental, dismissive, and introverted. A third-eye blockage is associated with a broad range of issues, including depression, anxiety, and a more judgmental attitude—while physically, it’s said to cause headaches, dizziness, and a slew of other brain-health issues.

Ways to open it: If you find yourself consumed with psychic information, take some time to remind yourself that you are a creature of the Earth.

Go to the beach and feel the sand on your toes. Dig you’re in the dirt in your garden. Connect your body to Earth and repeat: “I am a human being. I am a human doing.”

Energizing your third eye will take some practice. You’ll need to devote some time to quiet, solitary meditation. At first, get used to the feeling of focusing on signals outside of your physical body. Listen to your spirit and recognize how that feels. As you practice this, you’ll find it easier and easier to connect with the energy from your Third Eye.

Crown Chakra

Traditional Name: Sahaswara (Thousand Petal lotus)

Color: Violet and white

Element:

Stone: Clear quartz, Amethyst and Moonstone

Essential Oils: Lemon, Rose, Cedar Wood

Location: Top of the head

What it is: It is the center of enlightenment and our spiritual connection to our higher selves, others, and ultimately, the divine. When aligned, the realizations that occur within you are said to be along the lines of pure awareness, consciousness, undivided, and all expansive. Basically, bigger than yourself and yet part of one giant universe.

When it is open:You are unprejudiced and aware of yourself and the world

When it is under active:You may be rigid in your thinking and unsure in your spirituality

When it is over active: You may addicted to spirituality and deny your bodily needs. You also may intellectualize things too much

When it is blocked: A crown-chakra blockage may create feelings of isolation or emotional distress—basically feeling disconnected from everyone and everything. Or, you might feel like your normal self—just not in an exalted state of spiritual connection and enlightenment, which is totally okay and seriously normal. Unlike the other chakras, the crown chakra is often only opened up fully through specific yogic or meditative exercises, or at certain times—which is not a skill set you can call upon at any given moment. You may be able to get a taste of it, though, through daily practices—anything from meditation, prayer, to moments of silence and gratitude—to have those moments of spiritual connection.

Ways to open it: Instead of attempting to open up and active your crown chakra, focus on balancing the other 6 chakras. Meditate and connect with spirit and balance those activities with living and enjoying your human experience. Think of it like trying to win an Olympic gold medal. You don’t just try to win the medal, you train your body and mind first. The only way to achieve such a huge goal is to focus on small, attainable goals first.

Opening your Chakras

1. Meditation

Meditation is perhaps the most powerful tool for opening the chakras. Chakra meditation is calming and can improve the overall quality of your life.

Here is a guide for chakra meditation that you can help you navigate your journey.

2. Using mudras and mantras

Mudras are specific hand positions that help open the chakras. These are a perfect addition to meditation, so be sure to try them out.

Mantras are sound, word, or phrase that you can chant during meditation.

Each chakra has its own set of mudras and mantras, so don’t be afraid to experiment with them and see how you feel.

3. Chakra stones

Crystals are a powerful tool for opening chakras.

When we interact with them, our energy and the energy of crystals combine and so they affect our mental and physical health.

By using these crystals, we can promote energetic movement and open our chakras.

As Always, please leave comments, concerns and anything you would like more information on in the comments to be covered in another post.