Chakra Basics

Let’s start with the basics. Chakras are energy centers located around your body that work to keep your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health in harmony. Often, we will experience specific chakras becoming overactive, neglected, or blocked. When this happens, our energy flow suffers, and this can cause illness and other problems.

It is essential to make your chakra health a priority in your self-care routine to stabilize your energies. If you are feeling a little out of whack and are seeking balance in your life, below is your guide to each chakra and tips for checking in with them for a more fulfilling and joyful life!

Root Chakra (I Am)

The root chakra cultivates feelings of survival and security and is located at the base of our spine. Red is most often the color connected with this chakra and to keep it healthy it is suggested to do exercises that make you feel grounded to the earth. For example, running, jogging, or dancing will help invigorate your root chakra, strengthening the connection of your body and mind to its physical surroundings.

Sacral Chakra (I Feel)

Located in the lower abdomen and associated with the color orange, the sacral chakra manifests feelings of desire, pleasure, and sensuality. If you feel that you need to open up your mind, body, and spirit to these feelings, loving relationships, yoga, and various genres of dance might help to cultivate these earthly pleasures.

Solar Plexus Chakra (I Do)

Represented by the color yellow, the solar plexus chakra manifests your sense of self. When your solar plexus chakra is balanced, you will be able to control your destiny and accomplish goals. Located in your belly, this chakra is affected by your eating habits and digestive health. Try incorporating more yellow foods such as bananas, mangos, yellow peppers, etc. into your diet to energize this chakra.

Heart Chakra (I Love)

Perhaps the most well-known chakra, the heart chakra is the energy center located over your heart. Our heart chakra determines how we send out and interpret the love we experience throughout relationships and experiences. Green is the heart chakra’s color and stones such as jade, aventurine, and malachite are most often used in meditation to awaken this chakra.

Throat Chakra (I Speak)

If in good health, your throat chakra helps you communicate truthfully and with grace. If you are finding hard to communicate what you want, try singing or breathing exercises to stimulate this chakra’s energy flow. Symbolized by the color blue, wearing blue jewelry and drinking more water will also help stabilize this chakra.

Third Eye Chakra (I See)

Our third eye chakra gives us the enchanting experience of intuition and spiritual awareness. For most people, this chakra is often blocked and unable to manifest these ethereal abilities. Located between your eyebrows, stimulating this chakra is as simple as meditating on the color indigo which is the chakra’s associated color. It is also said that reflecting under moonlight helps unlock this energy.

Crown Chakra (I Understand)

The crown chakra is the hardest chakra to maintain. This is because it isn’t located in the body, but directly above it. It represents our ability to be at peace and one with all around us, which is not an easy feat! It is recommended to concentrate on harmonizing all other chakras first to feel more universally connected with the world in all its forms and sensations. It is essential that harmony exists in the body before you can ascend through this chakra.

Like all other health and spiritual practices, maintaining your chakras takes intentional care and consistency. You deserve to feel more in sync with your physical, emotional, and spiritual selves and these tips will help you along your journey!