What Are Chakras?
You’ve probably heard of chakras by now. Blocked chakras, balance your chakras, all of that. Maybe it sounds like a total mystery to you and you just need an easy explanation.
I’m here to help!
I will say that this is a DEEEEP subject. You can absolutely go down the rabbit hole studying the properties of each chakra and all the ways to keep them balanced and happy. If you’re interested after reading this post, I totally encourage you to do so! Sometimes just reading that perfect, resonating description of what an imbalanced chakra feels like is exactly the jolt you need to look further and dig deeper.
But just like many other spiritual endeavors, being a beginner is still beneficial. You aren’t going to do it wrong, and some would even say you have an advantage because your practice won’t be clouded by expectations of what “should” happen. Start simply- the most important part of tuning into your chakras and finding out what they need is just getting quiet and paying attention.
Okay, time to give you a definition already, right?
We are all made of energy. Everything is, the entire universe! You, me, your dog, the tree outside your window, all of it. Your desk holds energy, the dirt in the garden, the ocean. All energy!
So think about your physical body, and then imagine an “energetic body” emanating all around you. There are 7 main energy centers running in a line from the base of your spine up to the crown of your head. These are your chakras! Picture them as spinning wheels (the word actually derives from the Sanskrit word for “wheel”, so it fits) receiving and sending out energy all the time. Each of the chakras corresponds with a particular system of the body and with many mental/ emotional/ spiritual experiences as well.
Why Should You Care?
Aiming for balance in all of your chakras will optimize how you feel- mind, body, and soul. Learning about your own energy, how to interpret it and change it is an empowering and humbling experience. All at once. It’s beautiful.
Balancing your chakras can help you:
*sleep better
*be mindful
*heal relationships
*release fear and anxiety
*find inner peace
*connect to your physical and energetic body
*gain confidence and step into your power
And that’s just the beginning!
Seven Chakra Basics
Ready for the breakdown? Here are all 7 main chakras, their locations, meanings, and how to determine if they might be out of balance.
1st- Root Chakra- Muladhara
Location: Base of the spine
Meaning: Safety, security, connection to the earth
Balanced: You feel safe, centered, and supported. You’re confident that all your needs are provided for.
Imbalanced: Fear, anxiety, lack of focus, anger, materialism, power hungry, ungrounded, flighty, head in the clouds.
2nd- Sacral Chakra- Svadhisana
Location: Below the belly button
Meaning: Creativity, Pleasure, Emotional Connection
Balanced: Creativity flows, you enjoy life’s pleasures without going to extremes. Healthy, happy personal relationships. You embrace your sexuality.
Imbalanced: Lack of creativity, low sex drive, reproductive health issues, addiction, unhealthy relationship patterns, reproductive/ menstrual cycle issues, low self-esteem, weak boundaries.
3rd- Solar Plexus Chakra- Manipura
Location: Under your sternum, above your belly button
Meaning: Center of your personal power, sense of purpose
Balanced: You feel true to yourself and are living an authentic life in line with your values. You are confident, motivated, and moving towards your goals.
Imbalanced: Low confidence, no sense of purpose, insecurity, anxiety, fatigue, shame, digestive issues.
4th- Heart Chakra- Anahata
Location: Center of your chest (of course)
Meaning: Love for yourself and others, compassion, harmony, forgiveness. The bridge between upper and lower chakras.
Balanced: You are comfortable giving and receiving love. You feel balanced and calm; and practice forgiveness and gratitude.
Imbalanced: Feeling withdrawn, over-extending yourself, very critical or unforgiving, jealousy, clinginess, excessive shyness. Also cardiac or respiratory issues.
5th- Throat Chakra- Visshudda
Location: Center of your neck
Meaning: Expression and communication- speaking your truth!
Balanced: You are empowered to speak your truth and communicate clearly. You use your voice without hesitation.
Imbalanced: Afraid to speak, suppressing your feelings, talking over others, dishonesty, poor listening skills.
6th-Third Eye Chakra- Ajna
Location: Between your eyebrows
Meaning: Intuition, Perception, Imagination- your sixth sense
Balanced: You trust in yourself and your intuition. You can clearly see your vision of the future, and imagination flows.
Imbalanced: Closed minded, no vision for the future, headaches, feeling stuck in life, trouble sleeping.
7th- Crown Chakra- Sahasrara
Location: Top of the head
Meaning: Connection to spiritual wisdom, the divine, enlightenment
Balanced: You are mindful and present. You’re connected to your spirituality, and move through the world with a sense of clarity.
Imbalanced: Depression, no connection to spirit, cynical, learning issues, feeling lost and confused.
Get In Tune with Your Chakras
Now that you know the basics of what each chakra is all about, you might be wondering how to check if yours are balanced.
(Spoiler alert- If you’ve never paid attention to them, you probably have at least a few unbalanced chakras. )
A few ways to start to get in touch with your own energy and see where you need work:
Notice physical signs:
Do you have an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach, or a heaviness on your chest? Those are your solar plexus and heart chakras speaking to you! Simply paying attention to these physical feelings is one technique I use to determine which energy center might need some extra love.
Another option is to close your eyes and do a scan of all your chakras. Start at the root and envision a glowing red light at the base of your spine. Take a moment and notice if anything comes up. What thoughts pop into your head, how do you FEEL? Note them and continue moving up through the chakras, all the way to your crown. The color associations are as follows:
Root: Red
Sacral: Orange
Solar Plexus: Yellow
Heart: Green
Throat: Blue
Third Eye: Indigo
Crown: Purple/ White
Common signs of imbalances:
Not feeling anything, or need some reassurance that you’re working in the right area? Check my lists above, or do additional research to find common signs of under active and overactive chakras. There are lots out there! In my research, I’ve found these sites particularly helpful:
Check with a pendulum:
If you don’t know, a pendulum is a crystal (or other heavy object) attached to a chain, that’s used for divination purposes. Basically, you can ask it yes or no questions and interpret the direction of its swing as an answer to guide you.
No pendulum? You can use a necklace with a pendant, or a ring on a chain.
Need more info on pendulum basics? Check out this helpful guide: https://aliceinwonder.co.uk/2019/08/25/how-to-use-a-pendulum-guide/
Two ways to check how your energy is flowing with a pendulum:
1. You’ll need a friend to help with this first one. Lay flat on the floor, your bed, or a massage table. After making sure you both have cleared your minds of any expected outcomes, have your friend hold the pendulum a few inches above each chakra location and note how it moves. Use this chart from www.askyourpendulum.com to decipher your pendulum’s movement:
| Pendulum Movement | Chakra State | Meaning |
| Clockwise | Open | Energy is in balance and flowing freely |
| Counterclockwise | Closed | Energy is restricted, out of balance, or blocked |
| Straight line (either direction) | Partially open/closed | Energy imbalance and/or partial blockage |
| Elliptical | Right/Left side imbalance | Energy is flowing, though out of balance on one or both sides |
| No movement | Blocked | No energy is moving through, full blockage |
2. Use a proxy
This just means that something else (in this case, a chart with chakra symbols on it) is standing in for your body. Using this method allows you to check on your chakras even if you’re by yourself.
All you need to do is hold the pendulum above each symbol, and notice how it moves as described above.
Find Balance
You’ve determined that one or more of your chakras is unbalanced- where do you go from here?
- Reiki and other energy work is an excellent option!
- Meditation- Search on YouTube for guided meditations focused on each chakra, like this one meant to balance your root chakra.
- Affirmations: Repeat these phrases to yourself and feel the words nourishing your energy! Here are some of my examples of solar plexus affirmations- it’s easy to find them for all chakras on Pinterest.
- Crystals: Every chakra has particular stones that align with it, and can aid in healing. This is a post all of it’s own, but using crystals that correspond to the color of the chakra you’re working with is a safe bet.
- Yoga: Same as above- too much information to include here (maybe in a future post?), but Pinterest will be a wealth of information. Here’s a yoga video from Yoga By Adriene (my faaaave!) focusing on the throat chakra.
- Go outside! Physically connecting to the earth will help your root chakra be happy and balanced. Spending time in the sun vitalizes your solar plexus. And let’s be honest, we all need more nature time!
Dig Deeper
This post is a basic overview, just scratching the surface of all there is to know. But now you can start connecting to your own energy. Yes, today! Even if you’ve never done it before. You’ve already got everything you need to accomplish this.
Get your journal ready and dive in- you’ll want to remember all the insights you’re about to receive!
Let me know how it goes for you. Sharing our experiences is powerful.
Sending love to you on your spiritual journey,
Jacki