The Beginners Guide to Chakras
Uhm… What the french toast are Chakras?
Have you ever complained about tiredness, or relationship issues, or well… anything really? If you said no, unless you are some kind of perfect angel human, I don’t believe you. But if you said yes, I would tell you, "Your chakras are way out of whack. Go get those doggone chakras balanced.“
Chakras, simply put (very simply put) are energy centers throughout your body. Chakra is the Sanskrit word for wheel. Each chakra can be visualized as a spinning whirl where energy flows in a spiraling vortex.
Working with the chakras is one way to work with your energy. The energy in your body cannot be seen. It is constantly circulating and it moves in ways our physical body cannot. It could be fast or slow, active or lazy because it is a reflection of our inner selves. By observing the way the energy moves and how it manifests into external symptoms (physically, psychologically and spiritually), we can discover which chakras are underactive or overactive.
If you can understand this you can understand why people consider it important to work with their chakras. By healing and balancing our chakras we are actively working toward healing and balancing ourselves on every level. If you know about the chakras and what energies each represents, then, when you complain about not getting enough sleep, a problem in your relationship or anything else, you can discover the deeper issue that could be causing these surface challenges.
There are seven main chakras in your body. What are they? Working from the top, down
Seventh Chakra: Crown Chakra
Affirmation: “I am one with my higher self and one with the Divine.”
Purpose: Connection to our spirituality
Location: Top/center of the head
Crystals: Clear quartz, diamond, Herkimer diamond, lepidolite, moonstone, sugilite, amethyst, sapphire
Essential Oils: Francincense, helichrysum, lemon, melissa, chamomile, rosemary, sandalwood
Sixth Chakra: Third Eye Chakra
Affirmation: “I am tuned into the Divine to follow the path towards my purpose.”
Purpose: Imagination and intuition
Location: Middle of forehead: between the eyes, above the base of the nose, slightly higher than brow line
Crystals: Amethyst, blue quartz, charoite, lepidolite, purple flourite, sodalite, sugilite, lapis lazuli
Essential Oils: Clary sage, lemongrass
Fifth Chakra: Throat Chakra
Affirmation: “I am speaking clearly and truthfully with grace and ease.”
Purpose: Communicate our truth
Location: Center of throat/neck
Crystals: Angelite, apatite, aquamarine, celestine, blue lace agate, sodalite, lapis lazuli, turquoise
Essential Oils: Birch, lavender, oregano
Fourth Chakra: Heart Chakra
Affirmation: “I am giving and receiving love effortlessly and unconditionally.”
Crystals: Amazonite, chrysocolla, chrysoprase, emerald rose quartz, green aventurine
Essential Oils: Eucalyptus, geranium, lime, marjoram, melaleuca, peppermint, rose, thyme, ylang ylang
Third Chakra: Solar Plexus Chakra
Affirmation: “I am powerful, confident and successful in all my ventures.”
Purpose: Worthiness and confidence
Location: Slightly above the navel
Crystals: Amber, golden topaz, sunstone, citrine, yellow calcite
Essential Oils: Bergamot, cassia, clove, coriander, fennel, ginger, grapefruit, juniper berry, wintergreen
Second Chakra: Sacral Chakra
Affirmation: “I am authentically creating a life free of stress and full of bliss.”
Purpose: Abundance and sexuality
Location: Slightly below the navel
Crystals: Carnelian, citrine, orange calcite, orange carneline, fire opal
Essential Oils: Black pepper, cinnamon, cypress, tangerine, orange
First Chakra: Root Chakra
Affirmation: “I am a divine being of light. I am peaceful, protected, and secure.”
Purpose: Grounded and connected to earth’s energy
Crystals: Bloodstone, garnet, ruby, jasper
Essential Oils: Basil, cedarwood, myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, white fir
I often shy away from recommending the use of chakra meditation to help solve the problems my friends and family complain about. I’m afraid they’ll think it’s too “woo woo” and therefore I must have gone off the deep end. Unfortunately, many of these ancient energy work practices (chakra healing has been used since 1500 BC!) are not considered viable medicine for the human body. Western culture does not put great emphasis on mental health but slowly, practices like meditation and yoga are becoming more and more accepted and common place. YAY!
Why do I care about this?
Energy Work is the basis of many alternative healing techniques. Ayurvedic medicine, crystal therapy, Reiki and traditional Chinese medicine all involve energy work. Energy work can also be found in some religious and spiritual beliefs such as Hinduism and Buddhism. It is at the core of Feng Shui and considered an integral part of yoga (Kundalini and Anusara yoga in particular).
Throughout the world, different cultures deal with energy work. The term for energy may differ (Chinese chi, Japanese ki, Greek pneuma, Indian prana, etc.) but wherever you are, the idea remains the same. Energy work is the manipulation of the energy which flows through all living things, also known as life force energy.
For centuries, people have balanced their chakras in order to feel grounded, passionate, confident, loving, expressive, creative and spiritual. Modern humans have just as much or even more stress and chaos interrupting our lives making it easy for chakras to become blocked. You can heal yourself by connecting your body, mind and spirit to your energy. With unblocked chakras and freely flowing energy you can live your healthiest, most joyous life.
How can I start healing my Chakras?
Yoga: did you know… many yoga poses are designed to cleanse the chakras?
Check back for future posts in the chakra healing series.
Do you practice chakra healing? Tell me about it in a comment below or share it on the Mumbles & Things Facebook page.
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