Chakra healing is a type of spiritual healing that is considered quite powerful by those who understand it and practice it. Physiological practices of certain forms of Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism often involve the ancient meditation practices that use the 7 chakras as the body’s focal energy points. Chakra healing involves connecting with our stored energy, mainly referred to as the 7 chakras.
Holistic health practitioners that practice chakra healing believe that all of the body’s energy is filtered through 7 power centers – the 7 chakras – that allow for a healthy flow of energy in your body, as long as chakras are not blocked.
All of the chakras can be either energized, activated, unblocked, or made more powerful by practicing certain exercises such as specific meditation practices.
There are a total of 7 Chakras in your body, each with its specific purpose and benefits.
In the holistic world, the “chakras” are the energy centers of the body. They’re something mentioned frequently in yoga, meditation, and spiritual healing processes. However, unless you’ve taken a “Reiki” class yourself, you may not know much about how the chakras work.
Proponents of natural healing, spiritual and holistic wellness believe preserving or unblocking our chakras is the key to living a happy and healthy life. Simply put, when energy can’t flow naturally through the body, the qualities of the 7 chakras are hindered. For instance, if your throat chakra is blocked, you may find it difficult to express yourself, use your voice, communicate or feel heard.
Understanding the purpose and function of your primary chakras, and how to effectively “unblock” them, could help you to enhance your self-care strategy.
What are Exactly are Chakras? An Introduction
To begin, let’s define what a “chakra” actually is. Taken from the Sanskrit word for “wheel” or “disk”, chakras represent the primary energy centers in your body. Each of the 7 chakras correspond with specific organs and nerves throughout the human anatomy.
Beliefs around chakras originally came from India, and were mentioned in an ancient text, known as the “Vedas”. The Vedas highlights a theory that human beings have both a physical and non-physical body to care for at all times. The non-physical, or “subtle” body consists of all the major energies (nadi), connected by your chakras.
Holistic health practitioners believe all of your chakras should remain open and aligned, in order to deliver optimal physical and emotional health.
While some people believe there are around 114 different chakras in the body, there are 7 “core” chakras often prioritized and focused on in chakra healing and spiritual health practices.
What Happens When One of Your 7 Chakras is Blocked?
When all of your chakras are open and balanced, energy can flow through the body freely, allowing you to feel your best. However, practitioners believe various factors can cause the energy in our bodies to become unbalanced, leading to “blocks” in specific areas.
If there’s too much or too little energy surrounding a specific chakra, this can lead to different outcomes. When a chakra has lower energy, you might struggle to express the specific qualities associated with it. For instance, low energy in the third eye chakra may cause you to feel less spiritual or less connected to the universe.
If there’s too much energy in a specific chakra, the qualities begin to play a dominant role in your life. For instance, if your heart chakra has abundant energy, you might be overly romantic, very open-hearted, or find yourself seeking out approval and compassion constantly.
Because our main chakras work in collaboration with each other, an issue with one chakra can often have a knock-on effect on another. If you’re having an argument with your partner and you feel unloved or underappreciated, your heart chakra’s energy balance will suffer. However, you might feel unable to express yourself to solve the problem, causing disruptions with the throat chakra as well.
What Are the 7 Main Chakras and How Do You Unblock Them?
The most important chakras are split into 7 focal points, defined by specific elements, colors, and a certain location in the human body:
1. The Root Chakra
- Location: Base of the spine
- Element: Earth
- Color: Red
- Name: Muladhara
The Root chakra is often considered the “first” chakra of the body, located in the base of your spine, close to the tailbone area. This is the chakra responsible for giving you a sense of stability, and ensuring you feel grounded in your day-to-day life.
When your root chakra is open, you’ll feel sturdy and secure, capable of setting your own boundaries and looking after yourself. If your root chakra is blocked, you may feel there’s a lot of instability in your life, or feel unsure of your identity.
How to Unblock the Root Chakra
There are various ways you can reset or unblock your root chakra, including:
- Specific yoga poses: The tree pose, the mountain pose, or warrior pose for stability
- Visualization: imagine yourself as a tree with deeply planted roots or as a towering mountain
- Affirmations: Try verbally repeating regular affirmations to yourself, such as, “I am strong and stable”
The key to success is developing a strong relationship with your body’s foundations, and your stability in your life.
2. The Sacral Chakra
- Location: Lower abdomen
- Element: Water
- Color: Orange
- Name: Svadhisthana
The second chakra is the “sacral” chakra, located just above your pubic bone. This is chakra associated with sexual and creative energy. It can also be connected to our sense of self, and our ability to enjoy our body and experience pleasure.
When the sacral chakra is in alignment, you can embrace your sensual side without feeling any shame or guilt. You’re likely to be more confident and outgoing, and feel creative on a regular basis. When your sacral chakra is blocked, you may feel your passion is waning, or you feel uncomfortable in your own skin. You may also struggle to emphasize with others.
How to Unblock the Sacral Chakra
Unblocking the sacral chakra is about accepting yourself and loving your body. You can practice balancing this area with:
- Yoga Poses: Bridge poses, pigeon pose, and lizard pose strengthen your pelvic floor
- Visualization: Imagine yourself glowing with bright orange light and creativity
- Affirmation: Consider affirmative statements such as “I am a powerful sexual being”
- Body Positivity: You can improve your self-image by seeking mentorship from a body positivity advocate, and reading about people’s body positivity journeys to get inspired.
3. The Solar Plexus Chakra
- Location: Upper abdomen
- Element: Fire
- Color: Yellow
- Name: Manipura
The third chakra of the human body is the “solar plexus”. This is located in the space between your stomach and heart, in the upper abdomen. According to experts, this is the chakra responsible for our feelings of personal power and self-esteem.
When your solar plexus chakra is open, you’ll feel confident, powerful, and capable of anything. You’ll feel comfortable taking charge of your own life and seeking out the things that bring you joy. However, when this chakra is blocked, you might find it difficult to express your genuine self.
How to Unblock Your Solar Plexus Chakra
The solar plexus chakra is based around the concept of a human being’s “inner fire”. It’s based in the core, which is why strengthening poses based on the core can be helpful. You can balance your solar plexus chakra with:
- Yoga poses: Boat and triangle poses focused on strengthening your core can be helpful
- Core Exercises: Consider exercising with core-based movements to strengthen your abs
- Affirmations: Try repeating affirmations such as, “I can trust myself”, or, “I am capable of anything.”
4. The Heart Chakra
- Location: Heart
- Element: Air
- Color: Green
- Name: Anahata
A little further up the body we have the heart chakra, the middle of the 7 chakras and the bridge between the upper and lower energy centers of the body. The heart chakra is considered the tipping point between the physical focus of the lower chakras, and the spiritual ideas of the higher chakras.
If your heart chakra is open, you’ll feel love and compassion for yourself and the people around you. You’ll find it easy to express love and gratitude. An open and unblocked heart chakra means you have an open heart, full of love, compassion and forgiveness.
You’ll be very forgiving, and you’ll forgive people using empathy and compassion. If your heart chakra is blocked, you may feel underappreciated or detached from the people around you. Your heart may not be open to giving or receiving love.
How to Unblock Your Heart Chakra
Unlocking your heart chakra can be complex, as it’s all about allowing yourself to be open and vulnerable to following your heart and reflecting on your feelings and the people around you. You can try unblocking with:
- Yoga: Humble warrior and camel pose yoga stances open your chest and shoulders.
- Social connections: Try reaching out to people you know, and allowing them into your life.
- Affirmations: Speak affirmations such as, “I am capable and ready for love” or, “My heart is open and I have lots of love to give to myself and others.”
5. The Throat Chakra
- Location: Throat
- Element: Space
- Color: Blue
- Name: Vishuddha
The throat chakra is responsible for our ability to communicate and express ourselves. It allows us to talk about what we really feel and be authentic with the message we’re sending to the world. When your throat chakra is in balance, you have the power to have a genuine impact on people around you, and the power to communicate clearly and directly.
When your throat chakra is balanced, you’ll feel open, honest, and clearly able to articulate yourself and your feelings. You’ll feel heard and capable of expressing yourself. If your throat chakra is blocked, you might experience trouble communicating, more social anxiety, or you’ll struggle to connect with other people. You may find it difficult to get the words out if your throat chakra is blocked, or difficult to translate what you’re feeling into words. You may have trouble being coherent, and trouble being understood.
How to Unblock Your Throat Chakra
Unlocking your throat chakra is all about improving your ability to speak out. You can try unblocking this chakra with:
- Yoga: The Plow and Fish yoga poses are great for opening the muscles in your neck.
- Visualizations: Visualize what might happen if you speak your truth and focus on the positives.
- Affirmations: Speak phrases such as“I deserve to be heard” and “My words are true”.
6. The Third Eye Chakra
- Location: Forehead
- Element: Light
- Color: Purple
- Name: Ajna
A concept commonly mentioned in spirituality, the third eye chakra is all about connecting yourself with the divine and the world overall. Opening the third eye chakra means being able to see yourself fully – both your positives and negatives, and accepting yourself for who you are.
Opening the third eye chakra can be difficult, as it requires a level of self-discovery which some people can struggle with. If your third-eye chakra is open, you’ll see the bigger picture of the world around you, and be able to connect with your intuition. However, if this chakra is blocked, you might feel more anxious, less imaginative, and unsure of who you are.
How to Unblock Your Third Eye Chakra
Unblocking the third eye chakra often takes practice. You need to learn how to trust yourself and be open to different ideas. You can try unblocking this chakra with:
- Yoga: Poses such as Folded Eagle and Forward Fold are great for opening yourself up to the heavens.
- Practicing mindfulness: Being intentionally more mindful, practicing mindfulness and being aware of the world around you can help you to see things from a new perspective.
- Affirmations: Try speaking phrases such as, “I trust my instincts”, or the “The universe will guide me”.
7. The Crown Chakra
- Location: Top of the head
- Element: Divinity
- Color: White
- Name: Sahasrara
The last of the 7 chakras is the crown chakra, placed at the very top of your head. This chakra is connected to how we understand and perceive the world. When the chakra is open, you feel connected to the people around you, and understand your place in the universe.
When your crown chakra is blocked, you may feel dissociated from other people, and struggle to reach out to others. You also may find you’re more closed-minded and stubborn when it comes to accepting other people’s points of view.
How to Unblock the Crown Chakra
A lot of people struggle to reach a point when their crown chakra is completely open, and it requires all other chakras to be in alignment first. However, you can work on your crown chakra with:
- Yoga: The Savasana pose, Vrksasana and similar stances help to connect you to a higher vision of yourself.
- Curiosity: Be open to exploring new ideas and connecting with different people. Open your eyes to new perspectives.
- Affirmations: Try phrases such as “I am aligned with a higher power and the universe”.
Unblocking Your Chakras
While unblocking your chakras might not eliminate all of the issues you have in your life, this practice can be useful for gaining a stronger and truer sense of self, and improving your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Understanding how the different energies in your body work can be an excellent way to enhance your journey of self-discovery, and your journey of both healing and growing.
If you’re not sure where to get started with chakras, you could always consider speaking to someone who practices chakra healing, a certified yoga instructor who is educated on the 7 chakras, or getting help from online resources such as guided meditation practices.
At the end of the day, unblocking chakras is all about improving the health of both your body and mind. If you’re interested in gaining more insights that can help you live a healthier and more fulfilling life, take a CircleDNA test, which provides you with hundreds of reports about yourself to help you get to know yourself better. You’ll receive DNA insights that reveal over 500 reports about your health, based on your unique DNA.
