An Introduction To Chakras
Have you ever been in a yoga class when the teacher refers to a certain pose in relation to a chakra and wonder what exactly is a chakra?
I’ve been practicing yoga for a number of years now and have gone to various classes with a number of teachers and unless you go to specific workshops not much is actually taught or explained about chakras in yoga classes. You may hear the yoga teacher refer to your ‘third eye’ and by the positioning of your hands between your eyebrows you could hazard a guess as to where the third eye is but would you necessarily know what it is and how it benefits you?
So what is a Chakra? Chakra is a Sanskrit word that translates to wheel or disk. This ‘wheel’ represents the energy that spins and rotates throughout our body. This energy, Prana, our life source has seven main centres in our body that align the spine and these seven centres are known as the 7 Chakras.
In a healthy, balanced person all our seven chakras are working in harmony and the right amount of energy is circulating to every single part of our body, mind and spirit. However, if our energy levels are over or underactive at any point this may affect the way we feel, physically or emotionally or both.
What are the 7 Chakras?
- Muladhara – Root Chakra
- Svadhishana – Sacral Chakra
- Manipura – Solar Plexus
- Anahata – Heart Chakra
- Vishuddha – Throat Chakra
- Ajna – Third Eye
- Sahaswara – Crown Chakra
Each chakra has a specific colour:
- Root Chakra (Red)
- Sacral Chakra (Orange)
- Solar Plexus (Yellow)
- Heart Chakra (Green)
- Throat Chakra (Blue)
- Third Eye (Indigo)
- Crown Chakra (violet)
First Chakra: Muludhara/Root Chakra.
As the name suggests this is the chakra that roots us, it is the chakra of stability and security and provides us with everything we need to survive. It is located at the very base of our spine, by our tailbone and goes up to just beneath our belly button.
When our root chakra is balanced we feel emotionally, physically and financially secure and stable. When this chakra is overactive it can cause us to feel anxious and when it is underactive we’re not as focused as we should be and it can feel like we’re living in a daydream.
When your root chakra is balanced you feel calm and at peace within yourself so focusing on ways to connect your mind, body and spirit, such as meditating or taking a little time out each day to concentrate on things that make you happy or can bring joy to others will really help keep this chakra in balance.
If you’re feeling a bit low you may feel that reconnecting with the earth and nature can help energise your root chakra. A walk in the park, barefoot would be a great way to do this (if the weather allows).
Second Chakra: Svadhishana/Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra is our creative and sexual centre. It is located below our belly button and just above our pubic bone.
When in balance we like to indulge in the good things in life, good food, fun and creative activities, sex and enjoying our relationships.
When the sacral chakra is overactive we can overdo the ‘pleasure’ part and some activities or habits can become an addiction or obsession. While most things should be enjoyed there are some things that if we have or do too much of can cause us more harm than good. For example, we can enjoy good food but when we eat too much or eat too much of the wrong kind of food this can lead to problems.
However, when we don’t focus enough on the things that make us happy and get bogged down by practical and often mundane matters it can cause our sacral chakra to become underactive and this can make us feel depressed, have a low sex drive and lack of passion generally in all areas of our life.
So in order to energise our second chakra we need to enjoy life!
Third Chakra: Manipura/Solar Plexus
The Solar Plexus translates to ‘lustrous gem’ and is located at the centre of your belly button and extends up to your breastbone. This chakra is the source of your personal power and where your self-confidence stems from.
When this chakra is balanced we ooze self-confidence and are decisive in our actions. When this chakra is overactive our self-confidence can lead us to impose our views and opinions on others and we get angry and can show a lack of compassion towards others. When our solar plexus is underactive we question our decisions and are un-decisive and can become a little needy.
Affirmations and concentrating on your strengths and achievements is a good way of balancing and energizing your solar plexus.
Fourth Chakra: Anahata/Heart Chakra
Our heart chakra is where our love, compassion and kindness come from. It is located over your heart and your breastbone and up to your throat.
When in balance we feel love for ourselves and for everyone around us and are kind, and compassionate. When the heart chakra is overactive we are in danger of putting other people’s needs in front of our own and this can lead us to make unwise choices.
When our heart chakra is underactive we can build walls around ourselves to stop others from getting in and too close because we’re afraid of getting hurt and having our heart broken.
To balance and energise our heart chakra we need to concentrate on ourselves and show ourselves love and compassion. Do one thing every day that’s just for us, something that makes us happy.
Fifth Chakra: Vishuddha/Throat Chakra
The throat chakra is where our personal truth comes from and is the source of our verbal expression. The throat chakra is located above your heart and between your collarbones.
When this chakra is overactive we feel we are being ignored and feel we have to shout louder to be heard or get attention and when this chakra is underactive we do the opposite and become withdrawn, trying not to draw attention to ourselves
To balance and energise the throat chakra tell yourself exactly how you feel, express your emotions whilst looking in the mirror, it doesn’t matter if no one else can hear you so long as you speak your own truth.
Sixth Chakra: Ajna/Third Eye
Our third eye is where our intuition comes from and is located between the eyebrows.
When our third eye is balanced we are in tune with everything that is going on in and around us and we feel our five senses are all engaged.
To keep your third eye balanced and energised devoting some quiet time to yourself and meditating can help you stay focused and think clearly so you make clear, well informed and wise decisions.
Seventh Chakra: Sahaswara/Crown Chakra
The crown chakra is located at the top of our head and is also known as the ‘thousand petal lotus’. It is the chakra of enlightenment and spiritual connection.
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