The Chakra system is an eastern philosophy and alternative medicine for the spirit. They are essentially the 7 main energy disks that connect our spirit to our body. The Hindu religion regards them as stages of spiritual consciousness that we develop, starting from when we are born, throughout our life, and carried to old age.
Once you start to read on the Chakras and their purpose, you honestly start to get hooked. They are like the 7 astrological signs that define every aspect of your life. But the beautiful thing about it is that you have full control of them and you can unblock or align them if necessary. This eastern spiritual system is also really interesting because everything about it connects back your your experiences in life; the Chakras are developed and impacted by your upbringing, society, culture, faith/spirituality, and everything else in between.
They are similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, in the sense that we humans have fundamental necessities in order to survive. So because these energy fields are molded by humans' innate curiosity of the world and life, they essentially depict your human nature; your habits, your tendencies, your choices, your actions, everything really. And because they are developed over time, the Chakras are also distinct lessons (or levels) of understanding your personal and spiritual power.
They can be blocked, over stimulated or under stimulated. The purpose of them is to balance and align them. Why? Because they are tools that we have full access to and they assist in connecting us to our true divine self. They help us master the universe (our time and our space) in a harmonious and mindful way. When you take time to understands each Chakra and see how they affect you, you begin to understand why there is a blockage on an imbalance. Applying the healing practices, if necessary, essentially helps you connect of your physical body to your spirit.
The Chakras are aligned vertically on your body, starting from base of your spine (the tailbone) going upwards in the middle of the spine and continuing to your head (see image). As energy centers, they embody specific characteristics based on their body location. They rule different body parts, mental stages/phases, and of course like mentioned before life lessons. This part 1 of the blog will cover the first 3 main Chakras; Root, Sacral, & Solar Plexus. They are the foundation/base of the 4 other ones that follow.
The Root Chakra
Location : Base of spine
Color : Red
Element : Earth
Gemstones : Agate, Ruby, Garnet, Bloodstone, smoky quartz
Ruling Organs : Physical body support, base of spine, legs, bones, feet, rectum, immune system
Okay so this is where it all starts. The Root Chakra (spiritually correct term the Muladhara). It is the foundation of all the other Chakras that follow. It is impossible to heal any other chakra if the Root Chakra is neglected. We develop our root chakras when we are new lil humans in this world. It embodies stability, safety, and security. This developes through the way you are acknowledge in your tribe (your family). It’s that feeling you get when you know your tribe got your back no matter what. The purpose of the root chakra, just like it’s name, is to ground you. To keep you connected to home (our earth), but also the personal home. How stable do you feel? How do you feel about your will and ambition to survive and thrive? It’s how you identify within that first group you are placed in; which is your family.
So, because this is the very first chakra, it is important to pay attention this one before any other chakras. If the root chakra is not balanced or aligned then working on the other chakras would be pointless.
Healthy Root Chakra
Personal characteristics that rule the root chakra are; being well-grounded, vitality, being comfortable in your own body, stability, prosperity, and a feeling safety and security. A healthy root chakra is also an active and healthy person. People that take care of their body physically and are tuned with what their body desires/demands. They are able to trust others and primarily trust themselves. Essentially, stability and sense of worth in the world is strongly present.
Imbalance in your root chakra
Just as chakras can be can balanced, they can either be excessive or deficient. We call that being overactive, under-active or completely blocked. So even if a person works out everyday, maintains a meal plan or takes their vitamins; the root chakra may have an imbalance. Things like being very emotional, irrational, moody are characteristics of an overactive chakra. A lot of time people experience mental instability like anxiety, issues with self-esteem or have problems with self-worth. Those are mainly under-active signs, but in general a chakra being under-active or overactive signifies an imbalance.
Some practices to help heal your Muladhara
There are numerous ways to tune into your chakras and foster their energy, which is essentially catering to your physical and spiritual needs. The first chakra grounds you to the earth. The most basic and easy practice is to walk barefoot in nature. Being in nature itself is a good first step. Meditating with the intention to work on your root chakra is also another way to start. Here is a quick list of simple practices that can help you start connecting to your root chakra:
-Yoga (known as asana yoga) there are specific yoga positions that help you open and align your root chakra
-Any other physical activities; running, stretching, swimming, hiking…
-Affirmations ; mantras, chants, prayers...Sounds create vibrations in the body, and these vibrations help the cells work together in synchronistic harmony. The mantra sound that corresponds to the root chakra is LAM.
-Connecting with nature ; plant some seeds, take care of plant, adopt a pet (only if you’re going to be responsible!)
-Meditations ; visualization meditations, candle meditations, breathing meditations, music meditations
-Eat healthy, Drink Water!
-Clean your home; organize and declutter your space.
The Sacral Chakra
Location : Below the navel, womb
Color : Orange
Element : Water
Gemstones : Moonstone, amber fire opal, tiger's eye, and coral
Ruling Organs : Sexual organs, large intestine, lower vertebrate, pelvis, appendix, bladder, hip area
The second chakra, or the Svadhishthana, embodies exactly what the western name for it is; Sacredness. It’s located on your navel area ruling your reproductive organs. This chakra represents the power of relationships to yourself and to others. It is the energy that pushes us toward relating to external forces and it is the energy that fuels your creativity. With creativity comes expression; the way we use our emotions and how we apply them to all that we make in our own world. After developing our first chakra, the sacral chakra first become active when we understand that there are other individuals outside our tribe. As we mature, it’s helps us discover the need of other relationships that satisfy personal and physical needs.
Healthy Sacral Chakra
Characteristics of a balanced sacral chakra are feelings of wellness, abundance, pleasure, and joy. The person feels good about what they bring into the world and feel confident about their relationships with external forces and overall society. Because the sacral chakra also governs sexuality and all the emotions that come with it, other positive characteristics are honoring your body and sexual health. The energy of this chakra is primarily feminine and passive and therefore can be used for birthing creativity.
Imbalance in your Sacral chakra
Characteristics of a deficient sacral chakra is shyness, timidness, or immobilized by fear. Tensions in this chakra manifest as inner conflict, sexual problems, instability and a sense of isolation. The blockage affects our creativity, sexuality, relationships, empathy, nurturing, pleasures, emotions, movement, change, and intimacy. When the sacral chakra is overactive, it is harder for a person to control their emotions; feelings of blame and guilt are frequent. Like writer's block, creative’s block is also a thing. A blocked sacral chakra may interrupt the creative mind and fill it up with self-doubt; which can also lead to money/financial problems.
Some practices to help heal your Svadhishtana
Easiest way to connect to your sacral chakra is to play like a kid! Literally! Paint, draw, dance, create a vision board, play with clay, watch youtube! (cause that’s what all the kids are doing these days!). The sacral chakra is ruled by how you use your creativity with the external world. Even cooking, baking, or gardening are ways of creating. You don’t have to be an an acrylic artist or a pastry chef. Aside from exercising your creative side, maintaining a healthy sexual life is another important practice. Ask yourself; how do I value my body and sexual energy? Connect with your emotions and see if there is anything you’re holding on to and commit to taking care of those emotions in a healthy way. You can also try;
-Be aware of your emotions and feelings in your environment.
-Reclaim the creativity that you may think you don’t have. You have the right to have a passion for something and going back to that center is what makes the energy flow freely.
- Asana Yoga for the svadhishtana chakra
-Affirmations ; mantras, chants, prayers...The mantra sound that corresponds to the sacral chakra is the sound VAM
-Meditations ; visualization meditations, candle meditations, breathing meditations, music meditations
-Arts & Craft; get yourself a Pinterest account! Already have one? Create vision boards and start doing some DYI projects
-Invest time in masturbating sessions; invest in a crystal dildo or yoni egg and create a self-love ritual.
The Solar Plexus Chakra
Location : Navel (solar plexus area) to bottom of breastbone
Color : Yellow
Element : Fire
Gemstones : Golden topaz, amber, yellow tourmaline
Ruling Organs : Abdomen, stomach, upper intestines, liver, kidneys, spleen & middle spine
Considered the personal power center, the Manipura (which means “lustrous gem”) is the third chakra that rules and governs self-esteem, warrior energy, and the power of transformation. The Manipura chakra also controls your metabolism and the organs in charge of digestion. This chakra is that ‘gut feeling’ we get when something feels odd. It is also that energy that gives you the push and motivation to make decisions. The sacred truth to this chakra is to honor yourself and understand your own potential. There’s a purpose to why the solar plexus is given the color yellow and that’s because it represent this light or fire we have within. This flame, also called Tejas in Sanskrit, is the gas that keeps our inner drive motivated and running about completing your goals.
Healthy Solar Plexus Chakra
Feeling self-confident, having a strong sense of purpose and personal power, and feeling self-motivated are characteristics of an open and healthy Solar Plexus. Being tuned with ‘that gut feeling’ is being connected to what makes you uncomfortable or what make you sure of something. Solar plexus energy guides us with our intentions and the way we want to transform the world around us. In a sense, this chakra provides us the awareness of the law of attraction. A balance solar plexus is knowing the power you hold to manifest anything.
Imbalance in your Sacral chakra
If your third chakra is out of balance, you can suffer from low self-esteem, have difficulty making decisions, and may have anger or control issues. Fear is present in areas like being rejected, being criticized, or being embarrassed. An overactive solar plexus can also show sign of aggressiveness, anger, being a perfectionist or being overly critical of oneself or others. While characteristics of an under-active solar plexus are having a passive attitude (too passive though), being indecisive, super shy or timid, and intimidation.
Some practices to help Heal your Manipura
The most common and effective practice for the Manipura chakra is breathing exercises. Whenever you feel that uncomfortable feeling in your gut, may it be in a situation where you have to make a decision or you’re feeling perplexed about a situation, take some time to listen and tune in.
Close your eyes, place your hand over your belly.
Think about the problem or issue you’re experiencing.
Pay attention to how your third chakra feels when you think about the different ways you can regard the problem or issue. If you feel sick to your stomach or you feel that weird sunken feeling.. Don’t do it!
If you present your solar plexus with the right choice, you’ll feel lightness or relief in the area. You may even feel like you can breathe easier.
Other practices you can try:
-Be aware of your emotions and honor your instincts.
Set small goals for yourself
-Be mindful of the your diet and drink water!. The Solar Plexus rules the digestive system. Your gut is your second brain!
-Asana Yoga for the Manipura chakra & Brikram yoga is good too!
-Affirmations ; mantras, chants, prayers...The mantra sound that corresponds to the solar plexus chakra is RAM
-Meditations ; visualization meditations, candle meditations, breathing meditations, music meditations
-Inspirational videos and talks; get on Tedtalks, podcasts, read inspiring autobiographies
Go to Part 2 to learn about the other chakras.
Sources:
Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss, PH.D.
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