What are the Chakras? & How to Balance Them
The Chakras are energy points in the human body. Each energy point relates to different parts of the human experience, and we can use this system as a way to heal, grow and balance our inner and - in turn - outer world. Since everything is energy and energy manifests in different forms, the chakras reflect this perfectly - each one holding the vibrations of varying parts of ourselves and our life. We can experience more wholeness and alignment when all chakras (or the energies they represent) are appropriately balanced and free to interact with each other.
There are 7 main chakras, located along our spine. There are also more ‘minor’ chakras and there are some who believe the number of main chakras isn’t 7 but 12. These additional 5 main chakras exist outside of the body, and I won’t go into them here but, if you’re intrigued by this, there are lots of resources online.
When each of the 7 chakras is more balanced and healed, and free to communicate with the others along the sushumna (energy channel), we can feel more connected with our inner truth and being. Of course, we are always ‘whole’ regardless of so-called imbalances, but a higher expression of this can be reached through a holistic chakra healing.
Ancient origins
The word ‘chakra’ first appeared in the ancient Vedic texts (oldest written tradition in India), used here to mean ‘wheel’. The chakra system’s roots are closely tied with those of yoga, which also stems from the Vedas. The development of Tantric traditions - a branch of yoga - integrated the chakras more into yogic teachings, and systemised them as these energetic centres in the body. Now, they’re used throughout the world and people with little prior knowledge of the chakras have had their own revelations of their existence, such as Dr Sue Morter in her book The Energy Codes.
The nadis
The chakras are located along the sushumna or sushumna Nadi - an energy pathway. Nadi in Sanskrit simply means channel of energy, and there are other ones, too, but the sushumna is the main one here. To quote Anodea Judith in her book Wheels of Life, the sushumna is like a super highway on which the chakras’ energies travel.
Around and through the sushumna are two more nadis: ida and pingala. Ida is on the left and represents the more feminine energies, whilst pingala is on the right and represents the more masculine energies. Both serpentine alongside the sushumna.
The Chakra journey
The 7 chakras start at the base of our spine and can be traced along the sushumna to the top of/ just above our head. The bottom 3 chakras relate to the more physical and relational aspects of life, whilst the top 3 relate to the intangible. In the middle sits out heart chakra - the centre of who we are and the point of balance between the upper 3 and lower 3 chakras. With that in mind, it’s important that we pay close attention to our heart space, its ability to give and receive, and to express its truth and inner wisdom, so that we may allow the more physical aspects of ourselves and our lives to merge lovingly with the higher aspects. Releasing any tendencies to give more importance to any one chakra, this is just to illustrate the way that everything is connected and the special power of our centre - our heart. (You can find my Heart-Centring 15-min guided meditation here.)
The 7 main chakras
Root (Sanskrit: Muladhara)
Location: Base of spine
Colour: Red
Affirmation: I have/ I belong
Life areas: Survival, security, trust, physical body, finances, home, belonging, nature
Element: Earth
Planet: Saturn
Gemstones: Black onyx, red agate, carnelian
Essential oils: Ceddarwood, myrrh, vetiver
Balanced: Physical energy, belonging, health, secure, connected to the 3D and nature
Unbalanced: Fearful, scattered energy, anxious, lethargic, untrusting
To balance: Connecting with nature, movement, grounding practices; foods: cooked foods, protein, root vegetables; yoga poses: tree, poses where you are close to the ground and/ or use your legs
Sacral (Sanskrit: Svadhishtana)
Location: Womb-space/ hara/ just below bellybutton
Colour: Orange
Affirmation: I feel
Life areas: Emotions, relationships, creativity, intimacy, sensations, pleasure, appetite
Element: Water
Planet: Moon
Gemstones: Moonstone, tiger’s eye, carnelian
Essential oils: Orange, Ylang Ylang, bergamot, jasmine
Balanced: Inner knowing, trust, creativity, expression, intuitive
Unbalanced: Blocked creativity, untrusting, emotional unstable, isolated
To balance: Creative outlets (drawing, painting, cooking - anything that brings you pleasure), socialising, journalling, fun activities; foods: sweet things; yoga poses: goddess, hip openers
Solar plexus (Sanskrit: Manipura)
Location: Just above the navel
Colour: Yellow
Affirmation: I can
Life areas: Confidence, personal power, autonomy, will, self-determination, purpose, destiny
Element: Fire
Planet: Mars
Gemstones: Citrine, tiger’s eye, sunstone
Essential oils: Ginger, lemon, bergamot
Balanced: Confident, self-trusting, purposeful, motivated, flexible, spontaneous
Unbalanced: Low self-esteem, controlling, apathetic, sensitive to criticism
To balance: Sunlight, taking action, sticking to a plan of action/ a vision, sunlight, candles; foods: yellow foods; yoga poses: warrior poses
Heart (Sanskrit: Anahata)
Location: Middle of the chest
Colour: Green
Affirmation: I love
Life areas: Unconditional love, compassion, unity, balance, giving, receiving, affinity
Element: Air
Planet: Venus
Gemstones: Rose quartz, jade, aventurine
Essential oils: Rose, geranium, Ylang Ylang, Melissa
Balanced: Compassionate, loving, non-judgemental, abundance mindset, able to give and receive love
Unbalanced: Withdrawn, fearful of betrayal, codependent, poor relationships
To balance: Self-care, journalling, hobbies, cacao ceremonies; foods: green foods, cacao; yoga poses: camel, puppy pose, sphinx, bridge
Throat (Sanskrit: Vishuddha)
Location: Throat
Colour: Blue
Affirmation: I speak
Life areas: Communication, creativity, expression, abundance, listening
Element: Ether
Planet: Mercury
Gemstones: Aquamarine, turquoise
Essential oils: Peppermint, eucalyptus
Balanced: Good communication, speaking your truth, creating a life that reflects your inner being
Unbalanced: Unable to express, withdrawn, poor communication
To balance: Practise speaking your truth, creative outlets, mantras and chants, self-reflection; foods: blue foods; yoga poses: neck stretches, shoulder stand
Third Eye (Sanskrit: Ajna)
Location: Centre of forehead
Colour: Indigo
Affirmation: I see/ I know
Life areas: Intuition, intellect, insight, imagination, individual consciousness
Element: Light
Planet: Jupiter
Gemstones: Amethyst, lapis lazuli, clear quartz
Essential oils: Sage, rosemary, sandalwood
Balanced: High perspective, intuitive, free of attachments, seeing beyond the physical, inner knowing
Unbalanced: Lack of clarity, mistrust in Divine guidance, disconnected from intuition
To balance: Meditation, time in nature, following your intuition; foods: adaptogenic and brain-enhancing herbs; yoga poses: child’s pose, downward facing dog, lotus
Crown (Sanskrit: Sahasrara)
Location: Top of/ just above the head
Colour: Violet, purple or white
Affirmation: I am
Life areas: Higher knowledge, enlightenment, self-realisation, spirituality
Element: Consciousness
Planet: Uranus
Gemstones: Clear quartz, selenite
Essential oils: Frankincense, lavender, sandalwood
Balanced: At peace with Life, connected with your higher purpose, trust and knowing in the Divine
Unbalanced: Disconnected from the bigger picture of Life, close-minded, cynical
To balance: Meditation, surrendering to receive, activities that make you feel expanded; yoga pose: lotus
As you read (or scrolled) through the above, feel free to pause on the chakra or chakras that are calling to you now. Let their symbolism speak to you and allow yourself to replace any words I wrote that don’t fully resonate with your own. Maybe explore creating your own poster of these, or making simple art in a journal to reflect any themes that feel important to you now.
For a deeper exploration of the chakras, you can listen to my Podcast episodes What are the Chakras? & How They Help Us to Heal, Grow and Cultivate Wholeness and Diving Deeper into the Chakras & How to Create Your Own Relationship with Them.
