A Beginners Guide to Chakras
Whats a CHAKRA? // You may have heard the term in a yoga class. You may know nothing about them. They’re such an integral part of the energy and wellness world, and we live by them, unknowingly, on a daily basis. We all have them, and with enough knowledge, we can slowly gain clarity over how each one affects our lives. How we can learn from them and how to grow into our authentic best badass-est selves through them.
Personal experience // Through chakra work, I’ve experienced absolute bliss after having them opened and cleared. Through work on clients, I’ve felt the heat of stagnant energy of them unopened. I’ve experienced a great deal of pain, manifested in my solar plexus because the chakra, and felt the weight lifted after having it cleared. (More on what it takes to open your chakras later in the post).
Let’s get to it // Chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit. You can visualize them as energetic wheels though out the body. There are seven (main ones) that we’ll be talking about here. They line up, from top to bottom, from the base of your spine to just above the crown of your head. They are wheels of energy that connect the consciousness to the physical body, and they either spin (unblocked, open, healthy) or stagnant (blocked, closed, unhealthy).
And this is what we’re diving in to here today :)
healthy vs. not so healthy charkas// A life with healthy and balanced chakras is a life we love. We experience the truest, most aligned version of ourselves. We feel worthy of health and happiness and don’t settle for anything less. We have faith that the universe has our back, and we live abundantly whatever that means to us. On the flip side, a life with unbalanced chakras is one that feels heavy. Stagnant. Enclosed and caved in. Where we are the victims of our own lives. We turn to unhealthy habits as distractions, and don’t let life in. Scared for the future, we feel the weight and burden of unknowing.
Delving into each chakra is getting to know yourself a little better. It’s an insightful journey to the depths of you. We will take it step by step, so no need to be overwhelmed thinking “well shit, how do I overhaul my entire life?”. In this article, I mention how you feel when yours chakra are opened or closed. If you resonate with any of them, just breath through it, don’t judge yourself (this is part of the self healing process) and keep reading for tips on what to do.
Let’s get started, shall we?
The Root Chakra:
(Oriented toward survival. Located at the base of the spine.)
OPEN: You feel safe and stable in your life. Comfortable in your own skin and grounded. You accept abundance in your life, and can stand on your own two feet when things aren’t going your way. You have faith in your actions, your self as a whole, and the universe.
CLOSED: You feel heavy and lethargic. Unfocused, scattered and restless in a job, home, friendships. You live in a lack mindset. You are unable to manifest material things you want in your life, including money.
the Sacral Chakra:
(Center of sexuality, emotions, pleasure. Located at lower abdomen):
OPEN: You are in touch with your sensuality and express your emotions easily. You enjoy healthy sexual relationships, find it easy to nurture yourself and surrender to the flow of life.
CLOSED: You may live in emotional turmoil, have frequent mood swings and overly depend on others for emotional support. You may also have a tenancy to block your emotions, feeling empty and lonely.
the Solar Plexus Chakra:
(Represents confidence, power and assertiveness. Located in the solar plexus):
OPEN: You have passion for your life, and a strong sense of self worth. You feel confident and a have good sense of your personal power. You enjoy spontaneity, take on challenges and are empowered through out your path.
CLOSED: You may be stubborn in your outlook on life, and have a tendency to be controlling. You may also lack energy, are weak willed and allow others to dictate your life. Passive aggressive behavior then ensues, because you can’t say no.
the Heart Chakra:
(Represents love for others and self. Located in the heart space):
OPEN: Your relationships are open and loving. You are compassionate towards yourself and others. You are comforting and kind to people without the need to fix them or their situation. You aren’t judgmental, and forgive easily.
CLOSED: You may experience jealousy, possessiveness, and lack self love. You seek constant outside validation. You may also have a tendency to withdraw from people, becoming cold and protective of yourself. You can be quite judgmental, have a hard time forgiving, and refrain from relationships completely.
the Throat Chakra:
(Source of communication. Located in the throat)
OPEN: You express yourself honestly and feel true to your authentic self. You have clear communication and live by your own truth. You are a good listener to others, and can hear your inner voice very clearly.
CLOSED: You might be big talker, dominating the conversation. You enjoy gossip, complaining, and have no problem speaking negatively about others. Alternately, you might find it hard to express yourself, have a fear or speaking, and feel shy and withdrawn.
the Third Eye Chakra:
(Brings us added awareness to the world around us. Located just between your eyebrows)
OPEN - You are clear about your intentions, have focus and purpose. You are in touch with your intuition, any insights you receive, and can read energy well,. You have a good memory, you value the messages from your dreams, and often find yourself and the right place in the right time.
CLOSED - An inability to recall your dreams, poor memory and difficulty visualizing. In extreme cases, you may have lost touch with reality, have nightmares or hallucinations.
the Crown Chakra:
(Connects us to spirit. Universe. Source Energy. Located at the top of your head)
OPEN- You trust your intuition, your connection with the universe is strong, and you live your life soulfully. You live in the present, released from past anxieties and future worries. You honor your sacred life, finding value in the most simple of daily experiences.
CLOSED - You have a limited world view, only acting on what you believe to be true. It’s easy for you to be consumed by material things rather than more meaningful life experiences. You’re rarely open to new beliefs, and stay in your comfort zone.
Now what? // Ok, you’re probably thinking: “Crap, I’m judgmental, my throat chakra must be closed!” “I’m horrible with money! My root chakra must be unhealthy!” “Oh yay! I have amazing relationships with friends, family and spouse, my heart chakra must be glowing!”
Baby steps here. Again, we want to come into this with
awareness, and not spiral down a long hole
of self judgement and criticism (again, from experience).
The Grand Central Station of energy // The chakras are like a busy intersection. A major city, a bus terminal, an airport. The roads, the flight paths, the bus routes that lead to this major intersection all signify something. Past memories that are ingrained in your being. Bad habits you subconsciously picked up along the way. Programming inflicted on you at a young age. We act, feel and think according to how we’ve interpreted our life up to this point. And its all in there. Those wheels of energy.
The more you know // As we know, the chakras are the major centers of where consciousness (everything you are that isn’t psychical) meets the physical plane. What we believe to be true, from birth, resides in and effects each one very deeply. You do not want that traffic to stop. That isn’t a pretty picture. We want to keep it flowing and keep it glowing.
“The emotional experience of fear, for example, affects our bodies, our interactions and physical symptoms in certain ways. Butterflies, a cramp, exhaustion - it stems from lack of confidence in dealing with the world and may lead us down negative spirals. The fear, located in the 1st chakra, may be due to unresolved childhood experiences and past triggers, which inevitably rules our behaviour. To heal the chakras, we heal ourselves of restrictive patterns.”
What we are is reflected back to us // What we generate inside, due to past events, reactions, circumstances and habits determines what we receive in our lives. It makes sense, then, to want to generate positive energy, clean out those chakras, update the habits and discard outdated programming.
Whatever you do to heal yourself on the inside is reflected back to you on the outside.
No self judgement, please // Looking at these things in your life can be scary and take time. Lots of time. I’ve been doing this for years. It gets overwhelming sometimes, as do any challenges that push you to be the best version of you.
Its a lot of work, but its worth it.
Just take it one breath at a time. One reaction at a time.
You becoming a little more aware of the control you have over your life is step one, and just go slowly from here.
The more conscious you are of where your energy stands, the more we can slowly step into the necessary changes and create a more balanced, meaningful and aligned life.
Ways to clear the chakras
meditations
yoga postures
mantras
crystals
candles
foods
Energy healing
reiki
visualization
If you have any questions or information on more in depth resources, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am offering a two hour chakra workshop on February 23rd in Phoenixville, where I’ll show you specific physical moves we can do to generate positive energy, mantras, discuss crystals and guide you though a full meditation.
Thank you for skimming ;)
xx, LrM
