I remember when I took my level one Reiki Training, I was so intrigued when my teacher began explaining the chakras. I had no idea that we even had them! I was so excited to learn more and couldn’t understand why we were not taught this amazing knowledge at a young age. The chakras are rich with energy and information about how we exist and relate in the world. It is so important that we have an understanding of how to improve the life force energy that circulates within them. My work with individual clients explores each chakra in co-relation to their life development. It is an integral piece of understanding how to become whole, complete and fulfilled.
What are Chakras?
The chakras are circular spinning disks of energy that are connected to different glands and organs in the body and are responsible for absorbing and distributing our prana (life force energy). We have seven major charkas and they each reside within the spinal column. It is common to experience blockages in different chakras and this can be related to health and psychological issues. Each chakra co-relates to a color and develops at a certain time in our lives. Here is a brief overview of each of these powerful centres.
Root Chakra
The root chakra is located at the base of the spine and co-relates to the colour red.
It is directly connected to our relationship with the earth. This is the first chakra in the development and represents the foundation with which to build our lives. It is within this chakras development that we understand safety and security, survival, basic needs, and grounding.
Signs that our Root Chakra is unbalanced:
Feelings of greed
Feelings of excess negativity
Feeling insecure and living in survival mode.
It is difficult to visualize and manifest our goals if we do not feel safety and security in our immediate environment. If you have concerns over a job situation, physical safety, shelter or health, it may be directly connected to an imbalance in the root chakra.
Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra is located in the pelvic area and is symbolic of the colour orange.
It is connected to our pleasure and enjoyment of life. When we think of the sacral chakra, we can relate it to our feelings, emotions, pleasures, intimacies and sensitivities.
Signs that our Sacral Chakra is unbalanced:
Depression
Low self-esteem
Fear
Jealousy
Lack of desire for intimacy
The sacral chakra is directly connected to our feelings. Because we are not taught to properly process the experiences and emotions throughout life, we can become numb to what is occurring around us. This numbing out of our feelings can cause a disconnection to our bodies and hence deep blockages within our sacral chakra.
When the sacral chakra is balanced, you feel in harmony with life. You are able to express yourself creatively and to mature with each new experience life offers — both good and bad.
Solar Plexus Chakra
The solar plexus chakra is located at the navel centre and is symbolic of the colour yellow.
This is our power centre of the chakras. It is directly connected to our self-esteem and strength. It allows us to set boundaries and get to know ourselves at a deep intricate level.
Signs of an unbalanced solar plexus chakra:
Low self-esteem
Lack of self-control
Depression
Addictions
Unable to set boundaries
A healthy solar plexus chakra allows us to use our personal power in a balanced manner. We are able to make conscious choices while being conscientious of others. We are confident in who we are and the goals we are moving towards in life.
Heart Chakra
The heart chakra is located at the centre of the chest and is resonate of the colour green.
This chakra represents love, compassion, and warmth. When we are in touch with this centre it gives us the ability to love ourselves and others. When this chakra is healthy we feel deep bonds with other people and understand the power of generosity, kindness, and respect.
Signs of an unbalanced heart chakra:
Deep loneliness
Lack of connection with others
Inability to relate to ourselves
Inability to love ourselves
Isolation
This chakra moves love though out lives. Love is the healing force in our world, and if we are unable to love and accept ourselves, it transcends into our connection with others and the world around us.
My work with clients addresses the many issues of the heart. Most of us are not taught to love and accept ourselves and this can cause many other issues throughout our lives such as lack of trust, judgment of ourselves and others, and a lack of forgiveness.
When we learn how to heal the past, forgive others and ourselves, we are able to move into the space of love.
Throat Chakra
This chakra is located at the throat centre and is symbolic of the colour blue.
An open and healthy throat chakra allows us to speak our truth. We are comfortable with what we believe in and can express our thoughts and feelings freely in the world. We are not in judgment but instead in a space of truth.
Signs of an unbalanced throat chakra:
General feeling of weakness
Fear of speaking
Inability for self-expression
Detachment
Shyness
I have witnessed more unbalanced throat chakras, than any of the other major energy centres. Women often struggle with confidence in who they are, and the power to speak their own individual truths. We are usually taught to move through life passively, allowing other people’s happiness to come before our own.
When I work with clients we specifically strengthen this area through energetic work and at home daily practices to cultivate new-found belief and confidence in who they are and their own unique voice in the world.
Third Eye Chakra
The third eye is located in the middle of the forehead, just a few inches above the eyebrows. This energy centre is symbolic of the colour violet.
It is here that we open up to our own inner guidance and deep intuition. We trust our inner knowing and can make sound decisions based on the ability to tap into this trust.
The cultivation of the third eye chakra occurs when we have the ability to meet our own individual soul glow. The more we access this space, the more we begin to open up our physic abilities and universal consciousness.
Signs of an unbalanced third eye chakra:
General mistrust of ourselves and the people around us
Fear based living
Inability to make decisions
Lack of spiritual connection
The third eye is a magical space to begin to cultivate. There are many ways to begin to nurture and access this sacred centre. The first step for my clients is establishing a daily mind and body connection that begins to access deeper layers of our energetic body. Through these methodologies, we begin to trust our space in the world and are able to reach new levels of awareness, trust and decision making.
We are taught from an early age to trust what we can physically see, but we are not taught to trust what we already know.
Crown Chakra
The crown chakra is the very final in development and is located at the very centre of the crown of the head. It is symbolic of the colour white.
A deep connection with our crown chakra represents a relationship with God or Source. It is the height of our spiritual connection and ability to tap into divine consciousness.
Signs of an unbalanced Crown Chakra:
Depression
Lack of joy and happiness
Constant state of worry
Excess stress and the inability to cope with it
Frustration
Our relationship with God or Source Energy is an individual one. I believe that the cultivation of a relationship with the divine is an essential piece of our journey to becoming whole.
When we practice yoga, meditation, energy work, and pranayama, we are uniting our mind, body, and spirit. We are bringing together that which has been disconnected. This connection opens the gateway to a relationship with our unchanging, divinely perfect selves. It is here that we meet the glow of our soul and being to live the life of our highest calling.
Healing Your Chakras
It is important to recognize that our chakras are influenced by everything we do and become balanced and unbalanced naturally. Everything from daily stress to a disconnection to our inner truth and knowing create a lack of balance in our energy systems.
We have the power to heal our chakras through our intentions and actions. 7 Days to Reinvention is a week long program that will open a new door of knowledge and action to begin to strengthen your chakras and improve your life force energy. It is an introduction to the work of the unification of the body mind and soul. I invite you to learn more about 7 Days to Reinvention a program designed to ignite and empower you on a physical, mental and soul level.