Demystifying the Chakras… Our Subtle energy centers. July 14, 2020 – Posted in: Chakras

We now know without doubt that the entire universe and everything in it is made of energy. Our bodies, hence, are no different.

While we are well aware of the anatomy and physiology of our physical body and its role in our health and well being, we can also gain a lot from knowing about the energy which differentiates the same body from the state of being alive to the state of being dead.

This life force or energy within us is called “Prana” or “Chi” and it moves, spins and rotates within our body. This energy has 7 (basic) subtle centers in our body called the Chakras. They extend from the base of our spine to the top of our head.

The 7 chakras play an important role in the balance and health of our bodies.
By learning about the 7 chakras, we can become more in tune with the natural energy cycles of our body and be able to access our full vitality.
In a sense they play both a physical role as well as a spiritual role in our body. The optimum benefit we could obtain from them would depend on whether they are balanced, blocked or overactive.

The seven chakras from the bottom of the spine to the top of the head are as follows:

1) “Muladhara” – Root chakra
2)“Svadhishthana” – Sacral chakra
3) “Manipura” – Solar plexus chakra
4) “Anahata” – Heart chakra
5) “Vishuddha” – Throat chakra
6) “Ajna” – Third eye chakra
7) “Sahasrara” – Crown chakra

Muladhara Chakra – Root Chakra

As the name Muladhara suggests, it forms the foundation of all chakras. The word Mula means root and Adhara means support.
In our sitting position it connects all our energies to the earth and hence causes what is called grounding.
Associated color : Red
Location : Base of spine, at the level of the tip of the last bone or tail bone coccyx, at the perineum.
Represents : The foundation and hence the 3 “S”s – Safety, Security and Stability.
The Muladhara Chakra’s role is to give you everything you need to survive on this earth, typically financial and emotional security.
In practical terms, for every human being our survival needs come first. And this chakra gives us the energy to do that.
When balanced : it keeps us centered, grounded, happy and stable. A feeling of accomplishment and peace
When blocked : It is expressed as us being fearful or anxious, doubtful, insecure and unstable.
Might present as frequent daydreaming, poor concentration or feeling spacey.
To balance an underactive chakra : You only have to reconnect to the earth by being out in nature. Walking barefoot, gardening, swimming or even just playing outdoors energizes your root chakra.
Overactive Chakra : Makes one aggressive, greedy, crazy for power, materialistic.
An overactive root chakra will overdo messages of survival, even in the absence of a real threat. It might present with digestion problems, lower back issues, hip pain, pain in the legs, feet, and ovarian cysts in women or prostate issues in men.
To balance an overactive chakra : Take time each day to nurture your soul by praying and meditating.
Volunteering and acts of kindness and compassion can guide overactive energy away from your root chakra into higher energy centers in your body.
Stones that help balance the Muladhara Chakra : Tiger’s eye, Hematite, Fire agate, Bloodstone
Essential oils : clove essential oil, cinnamon essential oil

Svadhishtana Chakra – Sacral Chakra

The word Svadhishthana stands for, sva – self; and shthana – place, which translates to place of the self.
Associated color : Orange
Location : Right below the navel extending to its center. Approximately 3 cm above the Muladhara Chakra
Represents : self nourishment and one’s creative, emotional and sensual energies.
It is the center of your feelings, emotions and empathy.
This chakra is all about your identity as a human.
It is where your creative life force energy resides and helps you enjoy your physical life on this earth.
It’s the energy that helps you to enjoy the fruits of your labor, including indulging in pleasurable activities like sex and intimacy.
It governs the bladder, kidneys, lower abdomen and reproductive system
When balanced : it will help you to enjoy the pleasurable things life has to offer, without overdoing them
Whether it is good food or creative pursuits, you will find them inspiring and enjoyable
When blocked : If you have often focused your life on very practical things without enjoying the fruits of your labor, your sacral chakra may get blocked leading to depression, impotence, decreased libido and appetite and a lack of passion and creativity. You struggle to find the joy in life
To balance an underactive chakra : You only need to take time out to enjoy life! Pamper yourself. Indulge in any activity that brings you joy. Create some art, enjoy a meal mindfully, express your love and affection to your partner
Overactive Chakra : The sign of an overactive chakra is developing an addiction and wanting everything in excess. If you find yourself enjoying things that aren’t nourishing for your soul or healthy for you, then its a sign of an overactive chakra.
You could develop addiction, obesity, hormonal imbalances, and restlessness
To balance an overactive chakra : To balance your overactive chakra, you only need to move the excess energy away from the pleasure and into your heart. Take time to assess your actions and how much of it is actually getting you pleasure
Stones that help balance the Svadhishtana Chakra : Citrine, moonstone, coral
Essential oils : orange essential oil

Manipura Chakra – Solar plexus Chakra

The word Manipura means “resplendent gem”
Associated color : Bright yellow like the sun
Location : It extends from the navel through the area of the solar plexus and up to the breastbone just beneath the chest
Represents: It is the center of your self esteem, self care and power of transformation. A balanced Manipura helps you to tap into your personal power.
This chakra is where your self-confidence and identity are born.
We often hear of the term “gut feeling”, the seat of this “intuition” lies in the Manipura chakra.
When balanced : you will feel a sense of wisdom, decisiveness, and personal power.
When blocked : it can make you indecisive, insecure, needy, clingy and timid. You may have trouble standing up for what you believe in and saying no out of fear of being judged.
This can present as constipation, irritable bowl syndrome, eating disorders, ulcers, diabetes, issues with pancreas, liver, and colon.
To balance an underactive chakra :
To energize your Solar Plexus, think of and develop your talents and abilities that you know you are good at.
Make a list of yours positive traits. Provide yourself with customized positive affirmations.
Your inner-being is constantly talking to you through this chakra, so, the easiest thing you can do to unlock it is to listen to it.
Overactive Chakra : when this chakra becomes overactive you try to control the lives of others. You may feel that you are quick to lose your temper, and are overwhelmed by the need to control and micromanage the lives of people around you. You become greedy, overly critical, stubborn and experience a lack of compassion and empathy.
Such people may also suffer from digestive issues or even disorders of the appendix, pancreas, liver, and kidneys.
To balance an overactive chakra : To balance the Manipura chakra, you need to practice love and compassion. Meditate on sending love and kindness from your heart to all those around you.
Spend time in the sun. Try new activities that bring you peace and joy.
Stones that help balance the Chakra : Citrine, malachite, topaz, calcite.
Essential oils : saffron cold pressed oil, cedarwood essential oil.

Anahata Chakra – Heart Chakra

The word Anahata means “unhurt” & “unbeaten”
Associated color : Green
Location : center of the chest just above your heart
Represents: it represents love, self love & love in our relationships & unconditional love. Our connection to others, our compassion & kindness have their roots here
It is the link between the lower 3 physical chakras & the higher 3 spiritual chakras
When balanced : one is peaceful, loving, warm, compassionate, & tolerant
When your heart chakra is balanced, you will be able to equally feel love for yourself & others. Even when difficult situations present themselves, you can still see them with compassion & kindness
When blocked : you experience a lack of empathy, feel bitter, intolerant, hateful & develop trust issues
When your heart chakra is blocked, you will find it hard to get close to anyone.
You will build a wall around your heart and not let anyone in. Physically, you may suffer from circulatory system problems including the lungs
To balance an underactive chakra :
You will need to view everyone as a larger collective. Show appreciation to yourself & give yourself the love that you expect from others. Then, spread that compassion to those around you
Overactive Chakra : Giving too much. Feeling jealous & defensive. Having codependent relationships & becoming self sacrificing
When this chakra is overactive, we forget to put up healthy personal boundaries & start to make unhealthy choices, in the name of love
It’s important to treat yourself with the same compassion & kindness that you give others, but when overactive, you may find yourself always putting the needs of others before your own
Physical symptoms could include a fast heart rate, palpitations & heartburn
To balance an overactive chakra : Balancing your heart chakra means re focusing that love you’ve given excessively to others while overlooking yourself, & focusing some of it back on yourself. You can do this by including self care activities in your routine. Pampering yourself
Stones that help balance the Chakra : Emerald, Rose quartz, Jade, Green tourmaline, Green calcite
Essential oils : green apple essential oil

Vishuddha Chakra – Throat Chakra

The word Vishuddha means “very pure”
Associated color : blue
Location : center of the neck, right in between the collar bones
Represents: the ability to speak and communicate effectively and with clarity.
It also represents being true to oneself in one’s communication, and being able to voice one’s personal truth
When balanced : one is clear in communication and expression, balanced and is adept at the use of appropriate words.
One’s speech reflects love, compassion and truth
When blocked : one experiences an inability to speak with clarity, is fearful of being misunderstood, is shy and secretive, finds it difficult to voice emotions, struggles to find the right words and is poor at listening
Physical symptoms could travel to the digestive system due to the often “swallowed” words.
To balance an underactive chakra :
Speak your truth. Initially to yourself. But practice giving appropriate words to your emotions. Feel them and express them till you can do it in the presence of others
Overactive Chakra : one becomes opinionated, overly critical, uses harsh words and is insensitive in speech, loud, often interrupts or talks over others, raises one’s voice to be heard and indulges in gossip
Physical symptoms could include frequent throat pain and mouth ulcers
To balance an overactive chakra : practice the pause, take a moment to think and reflect before you speak.
Speak only that which is true, necessary and compassionate.
Stones that help balance the Chakra : Lapiz lazuli, turquoise, aquamarine
Essential oils : Fennel essential oil

Ajna Chakra – Third eye Chakra

The word Ajna means “beyond wisdom”
Associated color : indigo
Location : center of the forehead, between eye brows (represents the pineal gland)
Represents: our intuition and foresight. It’s the centre of command and governs one’s imagination and openness. It opens your mind to the ability to see beyond the physical world and the 5 senses.
When balanced : one is clear in thought and vision, imaginative and intuitive. One feels balanced between the material and the spiritual world. One might unlock one’s ability of clairvoyance and clairaudience
When blocked : a blocked third eye chakra is more common. It often leads one to being poor in judgment and imagination. It causes an inability to focus and an inability to see beyond the materialistic life.
Physical symptoms could include headaches, allergies and sinusitis.
To balance an underactive chakra :
Take the time out to perceive and listen to your intuition and feelings outside the usual physical senses.
Indulge in meditation and try to connect to your inner self and to see beyond the illusions and distractions of this world
Overactive Chakra : we are often too connected to this physical world and hence it is rare that someone might experience an overactive third eye chakra.
But if it is overactive one might experience nightmares, hallucinations and can cause one to even get delusional and obsessive. One’s connect to other realms might become excessive.
One might want to spend excessive time in the pursuit of occult sciences which might overwhelm them rather than bring peace and calm
To balance an overactive chakra : connect to nature with your 5 physical senses. Disconnect from the psychic world for a while by indulging in simple pleasurable activities of this physical world. Remind yourself of your physical self, of being a human being.
Stones that help balance the Chakra : Amethyst, Lapiz lazuli, purple fluorite

Sahasrara Chakra – Crown Chakra

The word Sashasrara means “thousand petaled” as also “infinite”
Associated color : violet
Location : Top of the head, at a point where frontal, parietal and temporal bones intersect. It extends downwards to between your eyes and extends upwards and outwards infinitely, connecting you to the energy of the universe.
Represents: states of higher knowledge, transcendental consciousness and divine connection.
It’s literally a seed of the universal energies.
It makes one aware of the fact that we are powerful spiritual beings who have a human existence
When balanced : one is aware, intelligent, wise, understanding, conscious and enlightened. The balance of this Chakra is what people on the spiritual path aim for. The balance of the crown chakra is what is called attaining Nirvana. One experiences unconditional universal love and unshakable faith, and escapes the cycle of suffering and death.
A balanced Sahasrara will ensure that all other chakras get aligned and balanced too.
When blocked : An underactive crown chakra feels exactly like we usually do being a human, with all our doubts, lack of clarity and our assumptions.
A severely blocked crown chakra can lead one to be depressed and experience a lack of faith in the divine. It causes brain fog and learning difficulties
Physical symptoms could include headaches, migraines, neuralgia, depression etc
Overactive Chakra : there are 2 schools of thought here. One who believe that it is impossible to have an overactive crown chakra, because it is impossible to be overcome with conscious energy while existing in the material world. And the other who believe an overactive crown chakra makes one becomes dogmatic and judgemental. One might experience an imbalanced spiritual addiction and feel ungrounded.
To balance the crown chakra :
Practice meditation and try to connect to your inner and higher selves and try to balance your other chakras. Nirvana is a possibility for every human being. Keep an open mind and have faith.
Stones that help balance the Chakra : Diamond, clear quartz, amethyst, moonstone
Essential oils : Jasmine essential oil