The concept of Chakras is believed to originate in ancient India where it was an important part of spiritual traditions. It served as a concept to understand our energy system and the link between body, mind, and spirit.
Today the chakras still play an important role and are widely referred to. For holistic practitioners, the chakra system is still an important framework for understanding our health and the link between body, mind, and soul.
Learning about and understanding the chakras can help us identify areas that need attention. Working with the chakras to remove blockages and balance them can offer many benefits, including improved physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
By exploring the various chakras below, you will be able to identify when a chakra is unbalanced and what you can do about it.
What are Chakras?
Chakras originate from Sanskrit (cakra) which means “wheel” or “circle”. The chakras can be considered the energy centers of our body. When they are balanced and healthy we experience a sense of well-being and energy is flowing freely in our body. You will naturally have a more positive outlook on life, feel energized and confident. On the other side, if a chakra is blocked or out of balance, it may negatively impact our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. It may even lead to physical illness or mental imbalances like depression or anxiety if not addressed.
By familiarizing yourself with the 7 main chakras you will be able to identify when a chakra needs your attention. You will also learn how to support each chakra to regain its balance if blocked or unbalanced.
The 7 Chakras
There are 7 main chakras:
- Root chakra (Muladhara)
- Sacral chakra (Svadhisthana)
- Solar plexus chakra (Manipura)
- Heart chakra (Anahata)
- Throat chakra (Vishuddha)
- Third eye chakra (Anja)
- Crown chakra (Sahasrara)
Each chakra is responsible for different areas and is strongly tied to the organs and glands that surround it. Below you will find information about each of the 7 main chakras. Later we will explore additional less-known chakras.
1. The Root Chakra (Muladhara)
Location: At the base of the spine near the perineum.
Color: Red
Element: Earth
What is this chakra about:
– Having basic needs met. Food, shelter, etc.
– Feeling secure
– A sense of belonging, being part of a group.
When the chakra is blocked:
– A feeling of insecurity
– Fear or anxiety can be an issue
– Difficulties to sleep or poor sleep quality
How to promote a healthy Root Chakra:
– Walking barefoot in nature.
– Swimming in the Ocean.
– Work on your beliefs about the Universe that surrounds you. This can be done through affirmations.
Signs of a healthy Root Chakra:
– You trust in yourself and the world around you.
– You are grounded and present
– It is not easy to “rock your boat”
– Feeling safe and secure
Affirmations to support the Root Chakra
– I am safe and well-protected
– The Universe wishes me well
– I trust in the process of life
– I am centered and grounded
2. The Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)
The Sacral chakra is sometimes also referred to as the Sacrum chakra.
Location: Found in the lower abdomen, about two inches below the navel.
Color: Orange
Element: Water
What is this chakra about:
– Sexuality
– Passion
– Creativity
When the chakra is blocked:
– Reduced creativity
– Emotional disturbances
– Addiction to pleasure-driven activities
– Fear of losing control in relationships
– Low libido or fear of pleasure
Note: Being ashamed of our sexuality can cause blockage in this chakra.
How to promote a healthy Sacral Chakra:
– Having a healthy sexuality
– Engage in creative activities. Do things that stimulate your creativity
Signs of a healthy Sacral Chakra:
– You feel good about your sexuality
– The ability to balance emotions
– Healthy creative expression
Affirmations to support the Sacral Chakra
– I am a sexual being
– I invite joy into my life
– Joy is an important part of my life
– I embrace my sexuality and am not afraid to express it
– I have healthy boundaries
– I am a creative being
3. The Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)
Location: Positioned in the upper abdomen, in the stomach area a few fingers above the navel.
Color: Yellow
Element: Fire
What is this chakra about?
– Confidence
– Self-esteem
– Intellect
– Ego
– Willpower
– Aggression
– Getting things done
– Digestion
When the chakra is blocked:
– Lack of energy and motivation
– Low self-esteem
– Self-victimizing mentality
– An assumed loss of personal power leading to anger, resentment and no sweetness in life.
– Rigid and controlling behavior
– Difficulty setting boundaries
– Digestive issues
How to promote a healthy Solar Plexus Chakra:
– Taking responsibility for your life
– Avoid the victim role
– Claiming your power (and place in life?)
– Train stepping into your power.
Signs of a healthy Solar Plexus Chakra:
– A sense of purpose
– Being self-motivated
– A greater sense of purpose
– Not being afraid of being powerful
– You have healthy boundaries
Affirmations to support the Solar Plexus Chakra
– I feel calm, confident, and capable.
– I am a powerful creator of my life.
– I value myself
– I stand in my personal power.
4. The Heart Chakra (Anahata)
Location: Located at the center of the chest, near the heart.
Color: Green
Element: Air
What is this chakra about?
– Expressing and experiencing love.
– Feeling Compassion & Empathy
– Unconditional love
– Forming deep and meaningful connections with other people.
When the chakra is blocked:
– Resistance towards love
– Unhealthy attachment
– Lack of self-love
– Lack of empathy and compassion towards other
– May tend to isolate yourself excessively
– Inability to forgive
– Difficulties in forming or maintaining healthy relationships with others
Note: The loss of a loved one or a breakup, can cause the heart chakra to become blocked. Here processing of the involved feelings is important to unblock the heart chakra.
How to promote a healthy Heart Chakra:
– Engage in loving relations.
– Bonding and snuggling with pets is another great way to open the heart chakra.
– The crystal rose quartz is very suitable for working with the heart chakra. It is a very heart-opening crystal.
Signs of a healthy Heart Chakra:
– Find it easy to express and experience love
– Able to feel empathy for others
– Easy to form and maintain healthy relationships
– Feeling joy and a sense of connectedness to the world around you.
Affirmations to support the Heart Chakra
– I am worthy of love
– I deserve love and to be loved
– Love is all around me and everywhere I go
– I love myself unconditionally
5. The Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)
Location: Situated in the throat area, at the base of the neck.
Color: Blue
Element: Ether
What is this chakra about?
– Communication
– Self-expression
– Speaking your truth, being authentic.
When the chakra is blocked:
– Challenges around communication.
– Find it difficult to express your opinions.
– Unable to speak up to defend yourself, your opinion, or state your choices.
– Having a hard time expressing freely what’s going on inside you.
Note: Suppressing what needs to be spoken can be reflected as a sore throat.
How to promote a healthy Throat Chakra:
– Practising speaking your truth under safe conditions.
– Learning to express your needs, desires, and opinions.
Signs of a healthy Throat Chakra:
– You express yourself with confidence
– Your communication is authentic
– You speak your truth with confidence and in a balanced way.
– You are able to verbalize and express needs, desires, and opinions
Affirmations to support the Throat Chakra
– I express myself with clarity and honesty.
– My words have power, and I communicate with confidence.
– I speak my truth and listen with an open heart.
6. The Third Eye Chakra (Ajna)
Location: Positioned in the center of the forehead.
Color: Violet/Indigo
Element: Light
What is this chakra about?
– Intuition
– Heightened perception
– Communicate with our soul and spirit guides.
– Ability to listen to our inner wisdom.
– Development of spiritual abilities.
When the chakra is blocked:
– Disconnection from your intuition and inner guidance
– Lack of clarity
– Difficulties to concentrate
– Lack of creativity or imagination
– Difficult to make decissions
Note: Alcohol can affect our third eye chakra which can make it challenging to tune into our intuition and inner guidance system.
Note 2: Some people with a very active third eye chakra might try to suppress this by forming an abusive relationship with various drugs. This tends to go away when the person learns to embrace his/her spirituality in a healthy way. Here a mentor can be useful.
How to promote a healthy Third Eye Chakra:
– Meditation
– A healthy and balanced diet.
– Train using your intuition to make decisions
Signs of a healthy Third Eye Chakra:
– Strong intuition
– You often “sense” what the right thing to do is.
– Increased creativity
– Easy to see through people’s hidden agendas.
Affirmations to support the Third Eye Chakra
– I trust my intuition and follow my inner guidance system.
– My intuition is a powerful tool that helps me navigate life.
– I am aligned with my inner truth and higher self.
7. The Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)
Location: Located at the top of the head.
Color: Purple
Element: Thought or Consciousness
What is this chakra about?
– Connection to the divine.
– The link between our physical selves and the spiritual world.
– The desire to be connected to something bigger.
– A greater sense of purpose.
When the chakra is blocked:
– Lack of purpose
– Feeling ungrounded
– Trouble trusting the Universe
How to promote a healthy Crown Chakra:
– Reading spiritual or religious texts
– Praying
– Meditation
Signs of a healthy Crown Chakra:
– A positive outlook on life
– A greater sense of purpose
– Trust in the divine
Affirmations to support the Crown Chakra
– I believe in a greater meaning
– I am divinely guided
– I am a spiritual being in a human body
– I honor the Divine within me
– I am a magnificent creation of the Universe
The 12 Chakras
Besides the 7-chakra system, you may have encountered some sources referring to “12 chakras” or “the 12 chakra system“. The 12 chakra system can be considered an extension of the 7 chakra system. It reaches further down and higher up. Below, it includes the connection to Earth, and above the 7 main chakras, it extends to higher levels of consciousness, connection, and understanding.
If you work with the body’s health from a holistic perspective, it will in most cases be sufficient to stay to the 7 Chakra system since most alignments are related to the 7 main chakras. However, in rare cases, ailments or blockages can be rooted in some of the additional chakras. For this reason, I will cover them briefly here.
Chakras of the 12 chakra system
Below is how the 12 chakra system is typically depicted:
1st Earth Star Chakra
2nd Root Chakra (Muladhara)
3rd Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)
4th Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)
5th Heart Chakra (Anahata)
6th Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)
7th Third Eye Chakra (Anja)
8th Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)
9th Soul Star Chakra
10th Universal Chakra
11th Galactic Chakra
12th Divine Gateway Chakra
Another interpretation of the “12 chakra system” is shown below. Here the first chakra, The Earth Star Chakra, is referred to as number 0, and an extra chakra, “The Spirit Star Chakra“, is added. This takes the total count to 13 making it fair to talk about a “13 chakra system“.
0 Earth Star Chakra
1st Root chakra
2nd Sacral chakra
3rd Solar plexus chakra
4th Heart chakra
5th Throat chakra
6th Third eye chakra
7th Crown chakra
8th Soul Star Chakra
9th Spirit Star Chakra (addition)
10th Universal Chakra
11th Galactic Chakra
12th Divine Gateway Chakra
The additional chakras of the 12- and 13-chakra system are described below. The main 7 are included for reference.
0 The Earth Star Chakra
The Earth Star Chakra is located below our feet and similar to the Root Chakra is helps to keep us grounded. It is about the connection to Mother Earth and the collective consciousness of the planet.
1st Root chakra (Muladhara) – covered in detail above
2nd Sacral chakra (Svadhisthana) – covered in detail above
3rd Solar plexus chakra (Manipura) – covered in detail above
4th Heart chakra (Anahata) – covered in detail above
5th Throat chakra (Vishuddha) – covered in detail above
6th Third eye chakra (Anja) – covered in detail above
7th Crown chakra (Sahasrara) – covered in detail above
8th The Soul Star Chakra
The Soul Star Chakra is located approximately 12 inches above the head and above the Crown Chakra. This chakra is about the connection to your soul and feeling the connection to your soul. It is about recognizing your divine power as a spiritual being, about facilitating the integration of higher wisdom into human experience. The accumulated experience of your soul is available here through your soul and the Akashic records.
9th The Spirit Star Chakra
The Spirit Star Chakra is located above The Soul Star Chakra. This chakra is linked to the higher spiritual realms and connection to light beings such as angels, spirit guides, and beings from higher dimensions and other places in the Universe.
10th The Universal Chakra
The Universal Chakra is located above the Spirit Star Chakra. This chakra is about feeling in close alignment with the Universe and all that is and connection to the Divine light beings in the Universe. It is also about aligning the light body with the physical body.
11th The Galactic Chakra
This Chakra is about the ability to reach anywhere in the realms of creation. Communicate with the highest vibrational light beings. The ability to bring insight and healing from the higher realms.
12th The Divine Gateway Chakra
This chakra is about full ascension and reaching beyond the limits of the physical Universe. It signifies unity with the divine, infinite consciousness, and cosmic oneness. Complete connection to the Divine Source and the possibility to explore other worlds and realms.
The 114 Chakras
According to Sri Amit Ray, there are as many as 114 chakras all over the body. He discovered the 114 chakras in 2018 through profound meditation experiences and by researching knowledge passed down verbally through generations. His work aimed to aid accuracy in meditation and the transmission of healing energy and for the transformation of the soul.
Scientifically, Ray linked the 114 chakras with the glands, hormones, brain areas and neurons, neurotransmitters, brain-gut axis, and the HPA axis.
Perspective on the Chakra Systems – 7, 12, 13, or 114 Chakras?
It can seem a bit confusing with the various chakra systems and a steadily increasing number of chakras. They are however focused around the same 7 main chakras. I perceive it like the Universe. If we continue to zoom in (or out) we will discover the infinite nature of the Universe. In the same way, we can probably continue to discover sub-chakras that are responsible for very specific areas, if we put in the needed energy and effort to discover these (as Sri Amit Ray did).
The other way around, if we zoom out, we will discover higher and higher levels of chakras that include more and more integration with the Universe and collective divine consciousness.
Sounds and Chakras
Each chakra is associated with a sound. The sound can be used to activate, open, heal, or stimulate the relevant chakra. Below you will find the sounds or mantras linked to each of the 7 main chakras.
- Root chakra (Muladhara) – “LAM“
- Sacral chakra (Svadhisthana) – “VAM“
- Solar plexus chakra (Manipura) – “RAM“
- Heart chakra (Anahata) – “YAM“
- Throat chakra (Vishuddha) “HAM“
- Third eye chakra (Anja) – “OM“
- Crown chakra (Sahasrara) – “AUM“
You can try chanting the mantra of the relevant chakra and explore how it affects you.
In my experience, you can actually feel how the sound is working on the relevant chakra.
Chakras FAQ
– What Chakra is related to Manifestation?
Several chakras are related to manifestation. The Solar Plexus chakra holds our personal power and is hence important. But the Throat chakra is also key since communication is an important part of manifestation. If we can’t express what we want, how can we get it? Further, being grounded and standing strong in life are also important aspects and related to the Root chakra. Lastly, visualization and following our intuition play a role which is the Third eye chakra.
Basically, many chakras are involved in manifestation and specific chakras are sometimes linked to specific things. For instance, if we want to manifest “lasting love” or “a healthy relationship”, the Heart chakra must be balanced. Otherwise, it can be difficult.
More FAQs will be added as they arise.
Related content:
1) How to heal Past Life Trauma?
2) How to Ground Yourself – The practice of grounding
3) What are the Akashic Records and How to access them?
Sources:
1) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342562977_A_Brief_History_of_the_Chakras_in_Human_Body?channel=doi&linkId=5efb5246299bf18816f398d2&showFulltext=tru
2) https://innerinsights.shop/en/the-12-chakra-system-explained/
Picture credit: Freepik.com