Chakra Basics
With all the talking I do about the chakras, I thought it was high time I did some explaining. I figure if there are people out there who are interested in a wholistic lifestyle but are very new to the idea, they probably are new to many of the terms I throw around. Since this a big one, I think it deserves its own post. Besides, I have a lot to say about it.
What is a Chakra?
The word itself is from a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel”. A very simplified definition is that they are focus points of electromagnetic energy originating from the subtle body (the spiritual or psychological body) that are embedded in the physical body. They are referred to in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism; and are integral to health practices such as acupuncture and some traditional forms of yoga. The locations and numbers of chakras vary slightly depending on the belief system you follow, and just so we are clear here, I lean more toward the Hindu tradition of 7 main chakras (there are other minor ones as well, but I focus on the main ones). These chakras (wheels) spin helping the lifeforce energy move through our body.
More About Each One
I have included the names, common and Sanskrit and some other information on each individual chakra. The lifeforce in the universe flows through each and every one of us. It is energy, and just like light energy, it’s made up of a multitude of different vibrations. Just as you can break up sunlight through a prism and get a rainbow, the life force breaks down and affects different parts of our body at different vibrations. They are represented by chakra name, color, what human traits vibrate at the similar frequencies to those chakras as well.In a post to follow, I will talk more about how to keep the chakras in balance and how to correct an imbalance. For now, it is enough to understand that there are many things in our world that can affect the subtle vibrations of the lifeforce energy, just as many things can affect how the sunlight reflects on our skin.
First Chakra – Root Chakra – Muladhara
Location – Base of the spine Color – Red
Represents – Survival and basic needs like food and shelter
When Blocked – Depression, fear, paranoia
When Balanced – feeling grounded, courage, resourcefulness
When Overactive -Aggression, anger, severe insecurity
Second Chakra – Sacral Chakra – Svadhisthana
Location – Just below the navel
Color – Orange
Represents – Sexuality, creativity, sincerity
When Blocked – low sex drive, feeling unloved, lack of motivation
When Balanced – Feeling connected to others, open to new experiences
When Overactive – Lust, being ruled by your emotions, codependency, sexual addiction
Third Chakra – Solar Plexus Chakra – Manipura
Location – Between the navel and base of the sternum
Color – Yellow
Represents – Determination, willpower, self-esteem
When Blocked – Intolerance, Overindulgence, laziness
When Balanced – Feeling confident and in control of your life
When Overactive – Domineering, over competitive, overindulgence
Fourth Chakra – Heart Chakra – Anahata
Location – Center of the chest
Color – Green
Represents – Love, compassion, empathy
When Blocked – Isolating oneself, lack of empathy, avoiding social interactions
When Balanced – Able to develop healthy relationships, able to give and receive love freely.
When Overactive – possessiveness, over sacrificing yourself, loss of personal boundaries
Fifth Chakra – Throat Chakra – Vishudha
Location – the bottom center of the throat
Color – Blue
Represents – Communication, self-expression
When Blocked – Sore throat, problems in communication
When Balanced – good communication and self-expression
When Overactive – Arrogance, hypercritical, over opinionated
Sixth Chakra – Third Eye – Anja
Location – the center of the forehead between eyebrows
Color – Indigo Represents – Awareness, Intuition
When Blocked -Lack of clarity, headaches, rejection of spirituality
When Balanced – Vision, intuition, motivates inspiration
When Overactive – fantasies that seem more real than reality
Seventh Chakra – Crown Chakra – Sahasrara
Location – The crown of the head
Color – Violet, gold or white
Represents – Communion with a higher power, bliss, joy
When Blocked – Closed-mindedness, cynicism
When Balanced -The feeling of being connected to the universe. consciousness, wisdom
When Overactive – Disconnection with the body
A Well Oiled Machine
Just as a well-maintained car runs well, a well maintained physical and spiritual body will run just as well. If you can remember a time when you felt connected to the universe and all the people, genuinely happy and at peace, that was probably a time when your chakras were all in balance. You can have that again with a bit of work. When the life force of the universe flows effortlessly through us and everything is in alignment, we feel great, healthy and happy.With wholistic living, this is what we are striving to have more of in our life. Finding ways to have more moments like this in a world that is very challenging. Once you learn more about yourself though, it gets easier, so don’t give up. It’s a process. A process worth learning because it teaches us that we have all we need to be happy within us already. We just need to nurture it.Until next time my friends, Namaste!
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