Chakras - A Western Overview
Chakras are so hot right now. They’re all over Instagram and social media. But what are they really? Well, really, they are metaphysical energy centers, i.e. focal points, in your body. They are often visualized as wheels along your spine moving up from the base to the crown of your head. These wheels spin when they are energized and stand still if blocked.The word chakra even means wheel of life.
According to Western ways of thinking, we all have 7 main chakras. Each of these chakras looks after certain areas of your life such as finances, health, career, self-confidence, creativity, relationships, etc. The characteristics associated with them are all relative and not absolute. If a certain color, crystals, oil, etc doesn’t match the vibe of your energy, that is 100% normal and fine. Use these as support connecting with your energy, but take them with a grain of salt.
Chakras are powered by universal life force energy, which is vital for healthy functioning of your energy. You may have heard universal energy referred to as Qi (Chinese tradition), Prana (Indian tradition) or Reiki (Japanese tradition).
If a chakra isn’t functioning properly, your life will be affected. When chakras are out of balance, blocked or depleted, eventually disease and disharmony manifests in your external and physical reality. Every problem you experience in your external life began as an internal energetic blockage. I’ll repeat that, because it’s important:
Every problem you experience in your external life began as an internal, energetic issue.
The state of your energy literally creates your reality. When we focus on what's lacking, we create more of that kind of energy.
You don’t need to focus on what's not working in your life or where you don't feel you have enough. You need to focus on what you do want and how you want to feel. Imagine you have everything you want close your eyes right now and imagine what that would feel like. And now make note of this feeling. Imprint this feeling in your body so you can come back to it at any point. Before I get off track and start talking about manifesting I'm going to pause and return to the topic of today's blog: chakras.
The seven main energy centers are...
1. Root Chakra ~ Muladhara
People who don't spend much time in natural light and outdoors often experience root chakra imbalances
It stands for our inherited beliefs from our formative years
Reflects how we connect with the world, our family, your immediate society and the global community
If your 0-7 years were challenging and without love, then this damaged root chakra may function differently
Purpose: guides the energy of survival, security, stability, self-preservation, personal survival and our identification with the physical world
Location: Base of spine, legs, feet, lower reproductive system, tailbone
Color: Red
Element: Earth
Essential oils: basil, cedarwood, myrrh, patchouli
Cannabis strains and terpenes: Earthy strains like Bubba Kush and Northern Lights with terpenes beta-caryophyllene, myrcene, and limonene.
Blockages: anxiety disorders, fear, panic attacks, worry, overthinking, depression, nightmares, emotionally disconnected, disconnected from the body, anger/rageHealth issues: joint pain lower backache, elimination problems, obesity, constipation, anorexia, and poor immune function
Seed sound: Lam
Mantras: I am safe, I am supported, I am grounded, I am centered
Ways to heal:
Spending time outdoors & especially walking barefoot on the earth, using mantras, visualization meditations & yoga to heal your own energy, Reiki & other energy work.
2. Sacral Chakra ~ Svadhisthana
It is related to the time in our lives we realized we were a separate entity from our parents and family
Reflects how at ease we are with the flow of life
Purpose:
Stands for our relationships, creativity, sexuality, control, and money
Location:
Below navel, hips, pelvis, reproductive organs
Color:
Orange
Element:
Water
Seed sound:
Ram
Crystals:
Carnelian, citrine, orange calcite
Essential oils:
Cinnamon, tangerine, black pepper, wild orange
Cannabis strains and terpenes:
Fruity strains like Grand Daddy Purple and ZSkittlez with myrcene, beta-caryophyllene, and linalool
Blockages:
Jealousy, betrayal, control, power plays, lack of sex drive, inability to release, fear of death
Health issues:
Uterine & bladder problems, sexual difficulties, impotence, lack of flexibility, sciatica, lower back pain, problems with large intestines
Mantras:
I am at ease, I am authentically creating a life free of stress and full of bliss
Ways to heal:
Dance, art, creative expression, using mantras, visualization meditations, hip opener yoga, Reiki & other energy work.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra ~ Manipura
Purpose: Guides and empowers our energy to act, willpower, confidence, self-esteem and expressing personal power, self-respect, self-empowerment, our relationship to the world, the way we see it, our belief systems and what we believe about our role in life
Location: above navel
Color: yellow
Element: fire
Seed sound: ram
Crystals: amber, topaz, citrine, sunstone
Essential oils: bergamot, cassia, ginger, clove, juniper, grapefruit
Cannabis strains and terpenes:
Skunky strains like OG Kush, Girl Scout Cookies with limonene, beta-caryophyllene, and myrcene
Mantras:
I am powerful, confident, and successful in all my ventures
Blocks: fear of rejection, hypersensitivity to criticism, the need to exert power over others, hot temper, demanding and blaming, judgemental attitude, feelings of lack of recognition, aloofness, fear of change, fear of new, low energy, lack of direction, low self-esteem.
Health Issues: diabetes, hypoglycemia, gallstones, nervousness, low energy, muscle cramps, stomach problems, lumbar spine, liver disorders
Seed sound: Ram
Ways to heal:
Mantras about personal power, light visualization meditations & yoga to heal your own energy, Reiki & other energy work.
4. Heart Chakra ~ Anahata
Center between the spiritual and physical world
Integration point for the lower and upper chakras
The higher chakras can't be accessed until we get to the heart
Purpose: love, joy, inner peace, compassion
Location: heart, center of the chest
Color: green
Element: air
Seed sound: yam
Crystals: amazonite, rose quartz, emerald, malachite
Essential oils: cardamom, eucalyptus, peppermint, rose, geranium
Cannabis strains:
Floral tastes like XJ-13 with limonene, beta-caryophyllene, and pinene
Blockages:
Shyness, fear of getting hurt, lonleliness, possesive, jealous, codependency, overly sacrificing, fear of relationships
How to heal:
To have a healthy heart, you must allow these suppressed emotions to surface and heal and fall in love with yourself.
Practices here are self-love and forgiveness of self.
Heart opening yoga poses like cobra, sphinx, camel
Health issues:
High blood pressure, breathing difficulties, circulation problems, shortness of breath, chest pains, disorders of the heart, tension between the shoulders
Mantras:
I am giving and receiving love effortlessly and unconditionally
5. Throat Chakra - Vishuddha
Speaking our peace is our right of choice.
This is the chakra of manifestation where our subconscious beliefs can turn into conscious energy.
A healthy throat chakra makes your voice clear and it resonates with truth.
Reflective of the integrity we feel between what we think and what we feel. Self-empowerment is the main lesson of this chakra.
Words are a creative expression of the honesty and the trust we feel within.
Purpose: All about communication, self expression, choice, willpower, and the right to speak and be heard.
Location: throat
Color: blue
Element: ether/sound
Seed sound: Ham
Crystals: angelite, aquamarine, sodalite, lapis lazuli, turquoise
Essential oils: birch, lavender, oregano
Cannabis strains and terpenes:
Piney flavors like Super Silver Haze, Blue Dream and White Widow with myrcene pinene, and beta-caryophyllene
Mantras: I speak my truth with integrity and compassion
Blocks:
Difficulty communicating because we feel suppressed by swallowing emotions and feelings. The voice is weak and your feelings are unclear or gabled.
Health issues:
Fever, ear infections, weariness, thyroid problems, disorders in the throat, ears, voice, cervical spine, hypothalamus and esophagus problems.
Ways to heal:
Singing, humming, reciting mantras with one hand on your throat, color visualization, guided meditation, journaling for self-expression
6. Third Eye Chakra - Ajna
Center of divine wisdom that seeks to know the truth in all things
A healthy third eye gives us the power to perceive every reflection from the outer world as a direct call for us to accept it as ours, heal and love it.
Purpose:
Intuition, wisdom, imagination and our ability to see with vision comes from here
Location:
Middle of the forehead
Color:
Indigo
Element:
Light
Seed sound:
Om
Crystals:
Amethyst, blue quartz, charoite, lepidolite, sugilite
Essential oils:
Clary sage, lemongrass
Cannabis strains and terpenes:
Sweet flavors like Cherry pie, Sour Diesel, and Trainwreck with myrcene, beta-carophyllene, and ocimene
Blocks:
Delusions, unimaginative, indifferent and to have poor memory, worry, spacing out, poor concentration
Health issues:
Headaches, eye problems, pituitary and pineal glands, neurological problems
Mantras:
I'm tuned into the Divine to follow the path towards my purpose
Ways to heal:
Reiki, meditation, sound therapy, yoga, acupuncture or acupressure
7. Crown Chakra - Sahasrara
Universal life force enters our energy system through the crown and moves down to the root chakra
Purpose:
This is our direct connection with divine guidance, spirituality, & higher purpose. It is where universal life force, ie reiki, enters the body.
Location:
Located at the top of the head or above it
Color:
Violet, magenta, white
Element:
Thought
Seed sound:
Om
Crystals:
Clear quartz, diamond, moonstone, sapphire
Essential oils:
Frankincense, melissa, rosemary, roman chamomile, sandalwood
Cannabis Strains and terpenes:
Spicy flavors like Durban poison, Lambsbread, and Jack Herer with tepinoline, ocimene, and myrcene.
Blockages:
Chronic fatigue, confusion, depression, senility, fear of success and lack of inspiration. Blocked flow of spiritual energy in both directions, when this happens spiritual addiction and over intellectualization occurs, as well as disassociation with the body.
Health issues:
Migraines, brain tumors, coma, amnesia, nervous system and muscular disorders, mental issues, and skin disorders
Mantras:
I honor the innate Union of consciousness and bliss
Ways to heal:
Need to first heal lower chakras, then use meditation, reiki, and yoga to connect with the Crown chakra and reactivate it.
Need help balancing your chakras? Don’t worry, we all do. The first step is to practice turning our attention inward and meditating on our present state – we have to know where we are before we can begin healing.
Join me on your mat for one of my weekly yoga classes where we practice bodily awareness to tune into our present state and give ourselves a much needed session of rest and relaxation.
If you’re ready to go deeper, I offer reiki-based chakra readings. If reiki is new to you, check out this blog on what a session looks like. And if you’re ready to try it out, you can either email me at noemi@yogawithsparks.com or sign up below.
