“Change is scary. Growth is scary. But what’s more scary? Being stuck someplace you don’t belong. “
How does this quote relate to your life right now, and what you’re going through that could use some loving care and help?
The last six months have turned things upside down both literally and figuratively in so many of our lives, right? So where are you feeling stuck right now? Is it with a relationship? A job you can’t figure out how to part with? Or did you get laid off due to COVID-19 and can’t find the next soft place to land in your career, thus creating a sense of panic and stress for you that you don’t want or need? You are not alone in feeling frustrated. I’m definitely here with you too.
One of the first things you can do to regroup is clear negative energy around you by rebalancing your chakras. It’s step one of my four part series on mindfulness, focused on hitting your “reset button.”
Once you identify exactly where the blocks are in your body and emotions, I will share four different things you can do to regroup and re-center your mind-body connection. Let’s get started!
What Is Chakra Energy Anyway?
Perhaps you’ve heard the word before, but have no clue what it means or how to unpack it. How can you tell if one of your seven chakras is out of tune and how can you bring it back into a rhythm and flow?
Let’s start with a simple definition of chakra energy. The chakras are seven points of physical or spiritual energy in the human body, according to yoga philosophy. We have to recognize that our bodies are more than their physical components. Whether you realize it or not, we have an energy that extends beyond our physical wellbeing.
The Seven Chakras
Here’s a quick reference guide to the seven chakras to get you up to speed:
The Root Chakra
Color of the chakra: Red
Location: Base of your spine
Meaning: Physical identity, stability, grounding
A blocked root chakra can be connected to physical issues like arthritis, constipation, and bladder or colon problems, or emotional ones like feeling insecure about finances or basic needs and well-being. When it’s in alignment and open, we will feel grounded and secure, both physically and emotionally.
The Sacral Chakra
Color: Orange
Location: Right below the belly button
Meaning: Sexuality, pleasure, creativity
Issues with this chakra can be detected via problems like urinary tract infections, lower back pain, and impotency. Emotionally, this chakra is connected to our feelings of self-worth, or, taking a deeper dive, specifically our self-worth surrounding our creative and sensual side.
The Solar Plexus Chakra
Color: Yellow
Location: Right below the ribcage
Meaning: Self esteem, confidence
Blockages in the third chakra are often identified by way of digestive issues like ulcers, heartburn, eating disorders, and indigestion. It’s the chakra of our personal power, so it’s a direct down line to our self-esteem and self-confidence.
The Heart Chakra
Color: Green
Location: The center of your chest just above the heart
Meaning: Love and compassion, self love
Blocks in our heart chakra can manifest in our physical health through heart problems, asthma, and weight issues. But these blocks are understood even more accurately by mindfully observing people’s actions.
Do you tend to be a people pleaser? People with heart chakra blocks often put others first, to their own detriment. This chakra represents our ability to love and connect to others. When out of alignment, it can make us feel lonely and insecure… like we’re out of an island, flying solo.
The Throat Chakra
Color: Blue
Location: Right above the heart
Meaning: Communication
As one would expect, this chakra is connected to our ability to communicate verbally. Voice and throat problems, as well as any problems in the surrounding area such as the teeth, gums, and mouth, can indicate a blockage. Blocks or misalignment can also manifest themselves through dominating conversations, gossiping, speaking without thinking, and having trouble speaking your mind. When in alignment, you will speak and listen with compassion and feel confident when you speak because you know you are being true to yourself with your words.
The Third Eye Chakra
Color: Indigo
Location: Your “third eye” between your eyebrows, one inch upward
Meaning: Intuition, Imagination
Not surprising based upon its location, blockages here can manifest as headaches, issues with sight or concentration, and hearing problems. People who have struggle with being a “good” listener and lack a grasp of reality, or who aren’t in touch with their intuition, may also have a block. When open and aligned, people tend to follow their intuition and evaluate the “big picture.”
The Crown Chakra
Color: Violet
Location: The top of your head
Meaning: Intelligence, universal awareness
The 7th Chakra is considered the chakra of enlightenment and embodies our connection to our life’s purpose and spirituality. It’s linked to every other chakra (and in turn every organ in our bodies). Additionally, it also aligns with our brain and nervous system. People dealing with a blocked crown chakra may seem narrow-minded, skeptical, or stubborn. When this chakra is open, it’s thought to support the other six chakras to stay open and help us reach a deep level of bliss and enlightenment.
How Does It Work?
When a chakra is out of alignment, how do you decipher which one it is? And how do you bring it back into balance? The key thing to look out for and identify are any negative patterns, recurring issues in your life, or ailments. Often they’re pointing directly to the particular chakra where you have an imbalance. For example, you might get a sore throat or have problems communicating if your throat chakra is out of balance. In a nutshell, anything that steers us away from the life we desire is a chakra block.
Here are four steps to maintain alignment and keep blockages from disrupting your life.
Chakra Checkup
To do this, begin by taking a few deep breaths to help slow down and shift you into a more relaxed headspace. While you’re here, start to analyze which area or areas in your body, breath isn’t flowing easily to, or at all. This will call out which chakra might need a tune up. For example, if you find that it’s hard to get breath into your stomach, that might signal that your solar plexus chakra is blocked.
Make Mindfulness A Daily Practice
Try committing to a daily ritual that includes practices that benefit your mind, body, and soul. It doesn’t have to take up tons of time. Even just a few minutes of visualization, journaling, stretching, or meditation will make you (and your chakras) feel more grounded and centered.
Use Colors As A Guide
Each chakra is connected with a certain color. The root chakra is red. The sacral chakra is orange, and moving upwards, the solar plexus is yellow. So another way to balance a blocked chakra is by meditating on each chakra and imagining its color radiating from its center. Try starting from the bottom of your spine, at the root chakra, and gradually move up through each energy center while picturing the correlating color listed above emanating from your body. It’s a relatively simple technique, and it works. Visualization is a “chakra power tool.”
Meditate With Crystals
Even if you’re new to chakra balancing, one way to rebalance yourself is by using the power of crystals and meditating with them. Choose a crystal connected with the chakra you want to work with. For instance, rose quartz is easy to find online and can help activate your heart chakra, connecting you with deepening feelings of self care and love. Or citrine, for the solar plexus chakra, can help realign you with your personal power and creativity.
Next week in my second installment, we’ll chat about moving your body. Movement helps opens up even more channels that may be blocked, plus it increases your breath, flexibility and endorphins. We’ll tap into some yoga postures, sculpting and stretching techniques that I’ve been studying and teaching for years.
