Imagine seven ‘wheels’ of energy spinning in your body along its centerline, from the base of your spine to the top of your head. These subtle energy channels each correspond to different areas of the body as well as specific life situations. They channel energy to where it’s needed, for optimal health and wellbeing.
In many ways the chakras are like intersections in a busy city. They channel traffic, and the traffic grid is designed to keep traffic flowing freely. But as we have all experienced, city traffic can easily become snarled. All it takes is one angry or insensitive driver blocking an intersection, and everything comes to a stop. Traffic ‘upstream’ from the blockage becomes an impassable domino effect of cars clogging the streets and blocking other intersections. And ‘downstream’, the streets are empty.
*Check out the chakra chart below to understand your chakras better: Click to enlarge or download
Imagine that scenario in your energy flow. If one or more of your chakras are blocked, they cause disturbances and imbalances on both sides of the flow. The result is stagnating energy that causes poor health, undesirable life conditions, unhappiness and a sense that nothing is going right.
You may have blockages or imbalances in several chakras, but it is often due to one major blockage in one chakra that then affects the others. Take a free chakra test to find out which of your chakras are blocked!
Now that you know how important the chakras are to your overall health and wellbeing, let’s look at individual chakras and the ways they affect the system.
Starting at the bottom of the line of chakras, we find the first chakraor the Root chakra, located at the base of the spine. It corresponds to the physical body and connection to the Earth. Just like a foundation, it is concerned with the basics of survival: food, shelter, safety, comfort and belonging. You can tell if your root chakra is closed if you often feel stuck and sluggish; you experience unrelenting stress because of a belief that you must rely on external circumstances; you may have persistent financial problems and find yourself in a less-than-ideal career.
> Read more about the Root Chakra here
Just up from the root chakra is the Sacral chakra. This is the seat of kundalini energy, sexuality, pleasure, intimacy, creativity and the joys of life. This chakra is located just below and behind the navel. Looking at the body from head to toe, this is your physical center. If your sacral chakra is weak, you struggle with a healthy self-image; you experience difficulty allowing yourself to become emotionally and sexually intimate; you move from one relationship to another, desperately trying to find “the one” yet lacking the sense that you are worthy of love. Most notably, your libido is very low.
> Read more about the Sacral Chakra here
Moving up, the Solar plexus chakra is the center of your personal power. Physically, it is located about two inches below the breastbone. It is the seat of your ego, willpower, passions and ambition. If your solar plexus chakra is imbalanced or depleted, you will find it difficult to take action on your dreams due to a sense of powerlessness and low self-esteem; you have very low self-worth, feel like a victim and often suffer from stomach issues and anxiety.
> Read more about the Solar Plexus Chakra here
The fourth chakra is the Heart chakra, the center for love and spirituality. Love doesn’t mean only love for others; it also applies to self-love and self-acceptance. This chakra is located right next to your physical heart – which is why, when you are struggling in this chakra, you may experience heartache! If your heart chakra is weak, you have trouble with giving and receiving love and being compassionate; you hold grudges and become needy in relationships, and this often leads to anger and distrust. A weak heart chakra can be at the root of heart disease, asthma and allergies.
> Read more about the Heart Chakra here
The fifth chakra is next in line. The Throat chakra is your communication center – your voice, your creative self-ｅxpression. The throat chakra is also responsible for truth, honesty and integrity. If you are unable to voice your opinions or true feelings; if you are known as the ‘quiet one’ and if you are frustrated because you don’t feel that other people hear what you have to say, your throat chakra is blocked. Throat and mouth problems are common.
> Read more about the Throat Chakra here
Your sixth chakra is the Third eye chakra (or brow chakra). It sits just between and above the eyes and it is responsible for psychic abilities such as intuition as well as your sense of purpose in life. Your third eye chakra is closed if you struggle with finding meaning in life and often ask yourself, “Why am I here? Why was I even born?” You have trouble making decisions and suffer from headaches and tension.
> Read more about the Third Eye Chakra here
Finally, we reach the Crown chakra located at the top of your head. This is the connection between you and the divine. It is responsible for spirituality and enlightenment. Your brain functions and central nervous system are controlled by the crown chakra. If this chakra is depleted or blocked, you will experience loneliness, insignificance and meaninglessness. You may feel a strong attachment to material possessions and achievements (and define yourself according to them) and a disconnect from the spiritual side of life. Headaches are common.
> Read more about the Crown Chakra here
Now, this list of problems can be overwhelming and depressing, if you suffer from more than just a few. But remember, you most likely have a blockage in one primary chakra that causes imbalances in the rest. That’s why it is important to find out where the main blockage is and what caused it. Then, with simple knowledge and exercises, you can become like a helpful police officer guiding traffic at a snarled intersection and restore the free flow of energy in your body.
When the seven chakras are in balance, life feels good and all is as it should be. This small introduction to the seven chakras is just the start to that journey.
The word chakra means wheel in Sanskrit. This is because each of the chakras is connected to the next in what appears to be a vertical line up the body. They also create loops of energy that surround your body. Generally, the 7 chakras are classified from the bottom to top of the head in an ascending manner. Each chakra has a corresponding color that make an ascending rainbow.
To find out if your chakras are opened or closed, please take a FREE 3-Minute Chakra Test