Derived from Sanskrit, the word ‘chakra’ translates from Hindi as ‘wheel of spinning energy’. In the body, chakras are a line of seven wheels of energy that radiate from the ‘root’ in the bottom of your spine to the top of the head, or ‘crown’. In this article, we explore how to open your chakras.
There are seven wheels of energy throughout the body, each corresponding to nerve centres while influencing our state of mind, emotions, and physical wellness. Think of your chakras as a rainbow of energy travelling up your body – when you feel happy, relaxed, and healthy, your chakras will work as they should, and you will feel balanced. However, if you are stressed or unwell, your chakras will become blocked, resulting in you feeling emotionally and physically uneven. If you feel your chakras are not flowing freely, it’s important to identify and address the cause as soon as possible.
The Seven Chakras
From the ‘root’ to the ‘crown’, find out more about the seven chakras and how to open your chakras:
Chakra One – The Root
The Root, or Muladhara by its official name, is red in colour and located at the very bottom of your spine. The Root is the chakra closest to the earth and, therefore, represents stability and security – it is what grounds you as a person.
What your Root Chakra does
When your Root Chakra is open, you will feel safe, secure, and confident, however, if your Root Chakra is closed or overworked, you may feel unstable, paranoid, and worried about different things in your life such as money and work, for instance.
Effects of an overworked Root Chakra
Common issues caused by an overworked Root Chakra include digestive problems and lower back pain, as well as emotional instability.
How to open your Root Chakra
If you’re experiencing the effects of an overworked Root Chakra, try meditating daily to calm your mind, connect with the earth, and relax your body. It is also important you address any problem areas of your life that may be causing you to worry more than you should, such as debt or work.
Chakra Two – The Sacral
The Sacral, also known as the Navel or, officially, Svadhisthana Chakra, is orange and located below the belly button – it associates with pleasure, including excellent food, travel, and sex.
What your Sacral Chakra does
When your Sacral Chakra is balanced, you will feel happy and comfortable with life and accept that you are enjoying and experiencing life as you should and doing what you want to do.
Effects of an overworked Sacral Chakra
Even though enjoying life’s pleasures is a good thing, and exactly what life is about, sometimes, we can overdo it. Greed and addiction are both adverse effects of an overworked Sacral Chakra, which may result in weight gain and, often, insomnia. If you are experiencing the consequences of an overworked Sacral Chakra, try contemplating the different things you regularly enjoy in life and consider whether they are healthy for your mind, body, and soul before taking the plunge.
How to open your Sacral Chakra
If you haven’t been enjoying life very much due to stress or lack of time, you may find that your Sacral Chakra is underworked. Symptoms of an underworked Sacral Chakra include a lack of passion, depression, and low sex drive. It is easy to open your Sacral Chakra – all you must do is enjoy life in the form of great food, lovemaking, and embracing adventure such as the great outdoors.
Chakra Three – The Solar Plexus
The Solar Plexus, or Manipura, Chakra is yellow and fills the space between the top of your belly button and chest – when people refer to a feeling in their ‘gut’, this is what they mean. The Solar Plexus Chakra is where your identity, self-confidence, and personal drive live and thrive.
What your Solar Plexus Chakra does
When your Solar Plexus Chakra is balanced, you will feel wise, determined, and decisive about the direction of your life efforts. After all, often, confidence is king and the key to success.
Effects of an overworked Solar Plexus Chakra
Confidence is a powerful thing, but over-confidence can be damaging. When your Solar Plexus Chakra is overworked, you may act controlling to others, as well as short-tempered and, at times, selfish. When you have an overactive Solar Plexus Chakra, often, you will experience digestive problems.
How to open your Solar Plexus Chakra
If your Solar Plexus Chakra is underactive, you may feel tired, insecure and, consequently, shy in social situations – the opposite of confident. In which case, reassure your body and mind of what you’re good at – if necessary, ask someone to help you – and remember that you are a talented individual with unique skills and insight that others find valuable and, often, essential. To rev up your drive, create personal targets and milestones to work towards with passion and confidence.
Chakra Four – The Heart
The Heart, or Anahata, Chakra is green and, as you may have guessed, located in the heart. It is where your love, kindness, and compassion thrive. As well as loving and caring for others, the Heart Chakra tells us to love and care for ourselves, too, which means keeping our mind, body, and soul healthy, including taking the time to heal when necessary.
What your Heart Chakra does
There isn’t much to the Heart Chakra. When your Heart Chakra is balanced, you can feel compassion and love towards yourself and others – this includes having the ability to feel love over anger in stressful or emotional situations.
Effects of an overworked Heart Chakra
If your Heart Chakra is overworked, you may find yourself being too selfless, always putting other peoples’ needs ahead of your own, regardless of how they treat you. Heart palpitations and heartburn are common symptoms associated with an overworked Heart Chakra.
How to open your Heart Chakra
Before opening your Heart Chakra, you may feel reluctant to let people into your life, revealing the real you, as well as physical problems such as circulation problems which may cause you to feel or act ‘cold-hearted’. To balance your Heart Chakra, you need not only balance your relationships with the people around you, giving them enough of your time but never too much, but also treat yourself to downtime for activities such as meditation and massages. It may sound like a cliché, but loving yourself is the best way to ensure your Heart Chakra remains in balance.
Chakra Five – The Throat
Officially named the Vishuddha Chakra, the Throat Chakra is purple and located between your collar bone. On both a physical and emotional level, the Throat Chakra is what gives you a unique voice.
What your Throat Chakra does
Your Throat Chakra is what enables you to speak with kindness, honesty, and compassion, knowing what to say in different situations to benefit those around you and present your opinion and advice.
Effects of an overworked Throat Chakra
If your Throat Chakra is overworked, which happens most often when you have struggled to have your opinion heard, it will often cause you to become louder and, usually, more abrupt. You may interrupt others or not give others a chance to voice their opinion. Physical symptoms of an overworked Throat Chakra include throat pain and mouth ulcers.
How to open your Throat Chakra
If your Throat Chakra is out of balance, you may feel like you want to remain unnoticed, as well as being reluctant to voice your opinion, but that’s not the way to deal with it. The Throat Chakra requires charisma to thrive, and it is, therefore, essential that you voice your opinions and valuable input in a fair, honest fashion. If you struggle to express yourself sufficiently, try practising at home in front of the mirror, as if you’re preparing for an interview or big speech at work.
Chakra Six – The Third Eye
The Ajna, or Third Eye, translates to ‘beyond wisdom’ – it is indigo and located between your eyebrows. The Third Eye focuses on your perceptions beyond the physical world and your five senses, relating to psychic energy and intuition. The idea of the Third Eye derives from the pineal gland in the brain – a pinecone-shaped glad that takes in light and is, therefore, responsible for your awareness.
What your Third Eye does
When balanced, your Third Eye is one of the most powerful in your body, allowing you to feel at peace with both the physical and material world. You may find yourself developing psychic tendencies.
Effects of an overworked Third Eye
You will rarely find your Third Eye overworked or out of balance, as most of us are unable to harness the power of the Third Eye – it requires immense dedication. However, if you’re regularly involved in psychic-centered activities such as astrology and the paranormal, you may find yourself overwhelmed and distracted from real life, in which case you should take the time to rediscover yourself and the real world by immersing yourself in nature, for instance.
How to open your Third Eye
If you have an immense dedication to the cause, you can empower your Third Eye by regularly immersing yourself in long periods of solitary meditation, during which you can discover your inner spirituality and signs of energy around you that you may not have noticed before.
Chakra Seven – The Crown
Located at the crown, or top, of your head, the Sahaswara, or Crown, Chakra translates to ‘thousand petal lotus’ and is pale purple, or violet, in colour. The Crown Chakra represents all the energy we see and feel and goes beyond the bounds of our being and to divine levels.
What your Crown Chakra does
Opening your Crown Chakra is, in Buddhist terms, the same as reaching ‘enlightenment’ – it seems unattainable; however, the journey to enlightenment, whether achieved or not, is what keeps us happy and healthy.
Effects of an overworked Crown Chakra
It is impossible to have an overworked Crown Chakra – an underworked Crown Chakra means you’re human.
How to open your Crown Chakra
Instead of aiming for the highest possible goal from the get-go, open your other chakras, and train your mind and body to work towards opening your Crown Chakra. Almost no one achieves enlightenment so always focus on keeping your body, mind, and soul in balance rather than striving towards the highest goal possible.
Regardless of your lifestyle, try our tips for how to open your chakras and keep them in balance for a healthier, happier you in mind, body, and soul.