What Are Chakras?

You’ve probably heard the term “chakra” thrown around in recent years, but what does it mean? Chakras are centers of energy. They are switches that channel energy into every part of your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. There are seven major chakras that radiate out from different points along your spine and runs from the base of your spine to the top of your head. Each of these chakras govern different types of energy.

How They Affect You

Chakras are responsible for creating and maintaining your very existence. Because they act like a switch, they can sometimes be turned “off” or become unbalanced causing deficiencies within the body. The seven major chakras each have different characteristics and energy that they harness. The chakras found lower along the spine act as the building blocks for survival and as you go up, you move towards more complex needs. I like to think of it as the yogi version of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.

The Muladhara Chakra (Root Chakra) is located at the base of the spine and is all about self-preservation. When it is balanced, you experience good health, confidence, a sense of trust with the world, prosperity and stability. But when it becomes unbalanced, you may feel disconnected from your body, disorganized, greedy, sluggish, a fear of change and have poor focus and discipline. You may experience bowel or eating disorders.

The Swadhisthana Chakra (Sacral Chakra) is located just above the Root Chakra at the lower belly and is all about pleasure and emotions. When it is balanced you have the ability to experience pleasure, nurturance of self and others, you place healthy boundaries, and move gracefully. When this chakra becomes unbalanced there is rigidity in the body and attitude, a fear of sex, denial or lack of pleasure, poor boundaries, emotional dependency or obsessive attachment.

The Manipura Chakra (Solar Plexus Chakra) is located at your belly button and represents individualism. When it is balanced you are responsible, balanced, spontaneous, able to meet challenges, have a good self-esteem and warmth in your personality. But when it becomes unbalanced, you may experience low energy, weak will, low self-esteem, poor digestion, attraction to stimulants, temper tantrums, the need to be right or stubbornness.

The Anahata Chakra (Heart Chakra) is located at, you guessed it, your heart and governs love and balance within your life. When it is balanced, you feel commpassionate, loving, empathetic, altruistic, peaceful and have a good immune system. When it becomes unbalanced, you become anti-social, critical of yourself and others, lonely, depressed, narcissistic, jealous, codependent, demanding, clingy or develop a fear of intimacy.

The Vishuddha Chakra (Throat Chakra) is loacted at your throat and encourages you to speak and be heard. When it is balanced, you are a good listener, you speak the truth that heals, you exhibit clear communication and live creatively. But when it becomes unbalanced, you talk too much or too little, you have poor rhythm, theres an inability to listen, you gossip or become shy.

The Ajna Chakra (Third-Eye Chakra) is located between your eyebrows and is linked to intuition and pattern recognition. You may experience intuition, perception, imagination, good memory or the ability to visualize things when it is balanced. But when it becomes unbalanced or is switched “off,” you may experience poor vision or memory, hallucinations, delusions, obsessions, feelings of insensitivity, a lack of imagination or denial.

The last chakra is the Sahasrara Chakra (Crown Chakra) which is located at the crown of the head and governs self-knowledge and understanding. When it is balanced, you have the ability to percieve and analyze information, you are open-minded and you exhibit wisdom and mastery. When it becomes unbalanced, you may experience spiritual cynicism, apathy, rigidity in beliefs, confusion, spiritual addiction or over intellectualization.

How to Balance Your Chakras

You can balance specific chakras by concentrating on their location while performing these yogic practices.

From the bottom chakra (the Root Chakra) to the top (the Crown Chakra):

• Yogi squat, mountain pose, warriors, sitting postures or engage Mula Bhanda while chanting or mentally speaking “I am.”

• Bow, goddess, hip circles, knee down twist, half moon or dancer while chanting “I feel.”

• Eagle, crow, camel, stargazer, triangle, cow face, cobra, bow or happy baby while changing “I will.”

• Bridge, wheel, camel, dancer or fish while chanting “I love.”

• Fish, camel, shoulder stand or plow while chanting “I speak.”

• Child’s pose, yoga madra or eye yoga (sitting while moving your eyes in certain patterns) while chanting “I know.”

• Lotus or headstand while chanting “I am everything.”

Create a sequence of these poses that you like and practice them often to ensure your chakras are aligned and you are balanced.