What Are the Chakras? How to Balance Your Chakras

A chakra, derived from the Sanskrit word for “wheel” or “cycle,” is one of seven points of spiritual energy associated with different parts of the physical body, which practitioners of Hinduism, Buddhism, and New Age ideology believe to be a source of emotional and physical well-being. The chakra system includes seven main chakras located at various points, from the crown of the head to the base of the spine.

The open energy flow between the chakras provides a balance of life force. When the chakras become out of sync or “blocked,” it negatively affects your physical, spiritual, and emotional health.

The chakra system originated in India between 1500 and 500 BC, first described in an ancient text called The Vedas. The seven main chakras include:

1. 1. Crown chakra (Sahasrara): You’ll find the crown chakra at the top of the head, representing your ability to connect spiritually to your higher self. It controls the nervous system, intelligence, inner wisdom, and enlightenment. You might feel depressed, frustrated, or stubborn if you have a blocked crown chakra.
2. 2. Heart chakra (Anahata): The heart chakra exists in the center of your chest, above the heart, and forms a connection between your upper and lower chakras. The heart chakra represents a connection with other people, compassion, empathy, and your ability to give and receive love. When your heart chakra becomes unbalanced, you may feel angry, jealous, distrustful, anxious, and have trouble communicating with others.
   
3. 3. Root chakra (Muladhara): Located at the base of the spine near the tailbone, the root chakra (also known as the first chakra) represents how you exist within the physical world and controls stability, independence, survival, and your drive to succeed. You might feel fear, frustration, insecurity, and a lack of ambition or purpose when out of balance.
4. 4. Sacral chakra (Svadhisthana): Your sacral chakra inhabits your lower abdomen, just below your navel. The sacral chakra controls your feelings of self-worth, sexuality, intuition, pleasure, and creativity. When out of balance, you might feel emotionally unstable, creatively empty, and obsessed with sexual thoughts.
5. 5. Solar plexus chakra (Manipura): Located in the upper abdomen between the ribcage and the navel, the solar plexus or Manipura chakra (also called the third chakra) represents your personal power through self-esteem and confidence. When balanced, your solar plexus chakra allows pure, productive self-expression without fear. If blocked, you may feel ashamed, full of self-doubt, and suffer from depression caused by low self-esteem.
6. 6. Third eye chakra (Ajna): Your third eye chakra, or Ajna chakra, exists on your forehead between the eyebrows and controls your intuition and ability to see connections between events. It represents your intellect, wisdom, and spiritual power beyond the mortal plane of existence. When misaligned, you may feel like you have a headache or blurred vision.
   
7. 7. Throat chakra (Vishuddha): The throat chakra controls truthful self-expression through communication, confidence, and personal power. It represents your ability to speak freely and connect with the heart chakra. A blockage in the throat chakra manifests as an inability to express your true feelings.

Practitioners believe the chakras of the human body require continuous, balanced flow between the energy centers to function well. Chakras distribute prana, or life force, through the different parts of the physical body, including specific organs and glands near each chakra (for example, the throat chakra affects the thyroid). Balanced chakras create optimal energy flow, positively affecting your physical, emotional, and mental health.

If you sense a blockage in your chakra system, consider the following tips and approaches to help you get back into balance:

1. 1. Awareness: Develop an understanding of your emotional states, behavior, and how you feel physically. If you are out of balance emotionally or not feeling well physically, you may have a chakra blockage.
2. 2. Chakra meditation: Meditation and mindfulness allow you to clear your mind by releasing negative thoughts. Mindful breathing, or pranayama breathing, increases the energy flow to all chakras.
3. 3. Journaling: Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you examine them, giving you access to possible chakra imbalances and unconscious emotions. Learn how to journal.
4. 4. Reiki: Japanese for “spirit vital force,” Reiki involves floating your hands over another person’s body to move energy or life force known as qi through the body.
5. 5. Visualization: You might imagine the energy of each chakra in your mind, creating a visual image of release and energy flow. Work your way up from your root chakra through your crown chakra, visualizing and exploring the ideas associated with each chakra as you go.
6. 6. Yoga: Taking a yoga class can help you release tension and improve energy flow. Yoga poses promote chakra balance, and certain poses connect to specific chakras (for example, the fish pose supports healing of the throat chakra).

Find something comfortable to sit or lie on, grab a MasterClass Annual Membership, and dial into the present moment with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of the Western mindfulness movement. From formal meditation exercises to examinations of the science behind mindfulness, Jon will prepare you for the most important practice of them all: life itself.