Chak...What?

Author: Emilia Wheaton
Editor: Kristen Kennedy Smith​

Maybe you’ve heard a yoga instructor say something like “raise your thumbs to meet your Ajna third eye center” or seen a Chakra balancing workshop advertized on Instagram and aren’t quite sure what everyone’s talking about when they mention the Chakras. Affirmations and Innovations is here to drop some basic Chakra knowledge.

First off, the word Chakra originates from a Sanskrit word meaning wheel. We can envision the Chakras as energy wheels that align along the spine. Each Chakra corresponds with a body position, a color, and emotional traits. Energy flows in and out of our Chakras, but energy can sometimes get stuck or be absent, leaving one or more Chakra depleted and weak. Fortunately, the more we know the better we can notice our body and mind’s signs to take care of our energy needs.

ROOT: Muladhara
Located at the base of our spine, the root chakra is associated with the basics, like security, money, home and survival. If there is a disruption in our lives causing us to lose security or groundedness we may physically perceive this root chakra imbalance as ankle or knee pain or we may experience fatigued or restless legs. Emotionally, an imbalanced root chakra feels like fear, overwhelm or worry. 

SACRUM: Svadhisthana
The sacral chakra sits among our hips and governs sexuality, suppressed emotion, frustration and a sense of feeling all the feels. Pain or discomfort in our sexual organs, lower back pain or tight hips or IT bands can signal an imbalance in our sacral chakra. An emotional imbalance feels like otherwise unexplained frustration or anger. 

SOLAR PLEXUS: yellow; Manipura
The solar plexus chakra is at our body’s center, right in the middle of our torso at our stomach and is associated with personal willpower, boundaries, confidence, excitement and anxiety. When energy flow to our solar plexus is disrupted, we can feel stomach aches, bloat and experience poor digestion. Emotionally, a disrupted solar plexus feels like anxiety, discomfort, doubt, or acting manipulative.

HEART: green; Anahata
Our heart chakra is associated with healing, love, care and compassion but when it is out of balance we may feel closed off, grief, sadness, depression, or fear of intimacy. Physically, an out of balance heart chakra can feel like a difficulty breathing, a tight chest, sore arms or wrists or general fatigue and illness. 

THROAT: blue; Vishuddha
Located at our neck, the throat chakra rules our ability to speak our truth and use our voice, to express ourselves genuinely and clearly. If energy running through our throat chakra is blocked we can feel a sore throat, cough, or produce phlegm and clear our throat constantly. Emotionally, an unbalanced throat can feel like suppression, disempowerment, inauthenticity or even a compulsion to tell lies.

THIRD EYE: indigo; Ajna
Posed in the center of our forehead, in between our eyebrows is the third eye chakra. It is associated with the pineal gland which regulates our sleep/wake cycles. It is associated with wisdom, foresight, spirituality and insight, which makes sense given it’s positioning near the optic nerves. If our third eye chakra is unbalanced, we can feel headaches and tired eyes or cause us trouble sleeping. An emotional third eye balance generates confusion, mental fog, lack of direction or feelings of being stuck without visions for one’s future.

CROWN: violet; Sahaswara
The last chakra positioned at the very top of our head or slightly above our head, where a crown would sit, is associated with thoughts, knowledge, understanding and our sense of presence. Physical imbalances will feel like migraines or tension headaches, fatigue, or sore temples. Emotional symptoms of an unbalanced crown can feel like overthinking, anxiety, close mindedness or urgency.

Knowing how to identify the ebb and flow of energy throughout our chakras can help us identify which chakras are open and balanced versus which are closed and blocked. These imbalances can be alleviated by practicing yoga, modifying our diet or receiving reiki. Give Episode 21 of The Old Soul Millennial Podcast a listen if you’d like to learn more about the chakras and ways to settle chakra imbalances.

Want even more Chakra knowledge drop?! Kristen offers an incredible webinar to help us uncover the truths behind the body’s 7 Chakras.

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