What is Chakra Balancing?

What is Chakra Balancing?

The Sanskrit word Chakra literally translates to wheel or disk. In yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda, this term refers to wheels of energy throughout the body. There are seven main chakras, which align the spine, starting from the base of the spine through to the crown of the head. To visualize a chakra in the body, imagine a swirling wheel of energy where matter and consciousness meet. This invisible energy, called Prana, is vital life force, which keeps us vibrant, healthy, and alive.

The Importance of the Main Chakras in the Body

These swirling wheels of energy correspond to massive nerve centers in the body. Each of the seven main chakras contains bundles of nerves and major organs as well as our psychological, emotional, and spiritual states of being. Since everything is moving, it’s essential that our seven main chakras stay open, aligned, and fluid. If there is a blockage, energy cannot flow. Think of something as simple as your bathtub drain. If you allow too much hair to go into the drain, the bathtub will back up with water, stagnate and eventually bacteria and mold will grow. So is too with our bodies and the chakras. A bathtub is simple; it’s physical so the fix is easy.

Keeping a chakra open is a bit more of a challenge, but not so difficult when you have awareness. Since mind, body, soul, and spirit are intimately connected, awareness of an imbalance in one area will help bring the others back into balance. Take for example, a wife, who has recently lost her husband. She develops acute bronchitis, which remains in the chest, and then gets chest pains each time she coughs. The whole heart chakra is affected in this case. If she realizes the connection between the loss and the bronchitis, healing will occur much faster if she honors the grieving process and treats that as well as the physical ailment.

Balancing your chakras improves your health and well-being, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Chakras are wheels of light located all over our body.  We have thousands of them in our body but the seven major ones are located along our spine from its base to the crown of the head. Each chakra is represented by a colour of the rainbow –  red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

  • Crown Chakra – Top of Head – Violet
  • Third Eye/Brow Chakra  – Above & between eyebrows  – Indigo
  • Throat Chakra – Base of throat – Blue
  • Heart Chakra – Centre of chest – Green
  • Solar Plexus Chakra – Just above navel – Yellow
  • Sacral Chakra – Just below navel – Orange
  • Root/Base Chakra – Base of spine – Red

Chakras are like the power stations of our body, bringing it to life, and keeping it healthy. Each chakra is associated with different parts of us and they need to spin totally in balance for us to feel good.

The chakras absorb energy that comes from our thoughts, feelings and outside environment and feed this to our body.  Our body is affected by the quality of the energy that passes through the chakras. Our chakras also absorb energy from the environment.

We cannot avoid coming into contact with negative energy or feeling down sometimes, but there is a lot that we can do to change our feelings from negative to positive and to protect ourselves from harmful energy in the environment.  Keeping our chakras in tip-top condition is the key, in other words keeping them spinning in balance.  Chakra balancing is a bit like spring-cleaning the chakras and fine-tuning them.

Each chakra is associated with different body parts, emotions and life areas, so in balancing each chakra, you will be giving energy and help to any issues or problems you have. There are too many areas to discuss in one article, but very general associations are shown below:

  • Root Chakra – Survival, Security, Energy, Trust, Power to achieve
    Part of body – Skeleton, Legs, Bones, Spine, Large intestine
  • Sacral Chakra – Feelings, Self-awareness, Self-love, Creativity
    Part of body – Kidneys, Bladder, Sexual organs, Reproductive system
  • Solar Plexus Chakra – Personality, Self-respect, Self-confidence
    Part of body – Digestive system, Small intestine, Skin, Nervous system
  • Heart Chakra – Love, Compassion, Sharing, Forgiveness
    Part of body – Heart, Chest, Lungs, Arms, Hands, Circulation
  • Throat Chakra – Creative self-expression, Communication, Inspiration
    Part of body – Throat, Neck, Nose, Mouth, Teeth
  • Third Eye Chakra – Intuition, Understanding, Insight, Realisation
    Part of body – Eyes, Ears, Base of skull, Nervous system
  • Crown Chakra – knowing, wholeness, perfection, enlightenment, unity
    Part of body – Upper skull, Skin

The Chakras of Matter

The first three chakras, starting at the base of the spine are chakras of matter. They are more physical in nature.

First Chakra: The Muladhara is the chakra of stability, security, and our basic needs. It encompasses the first three vertebrae, the bladder, and the colon. When this chakra is open, we feel safe and fearless.

Second Chakra: The Svadhisthana chakra is our creativity and sexual center. It is located above the pubic bone, below the navel, and is responsible for our creative expression.

Third Chakra: The Manipura chakra means lustrous gem and it’s the area from the navel to the breastbone. The third chakra is our source of personal power.

The Fourth Chakra: The Connection Between Matter and Spirit

Located at the heart center, the fourth chakra, anahata is at the middle of the seven and unites the lower chakras of matter and the upper chakras of spirit. The fourth is also spiritual but serves as a bridge between our body, mind, emotions, and spirit. The heart chakra is our source of love and connection.

When we work through our physical chakras, or the first three, we can open the spiritual chakras more fully.

The Chakras of Spirit

Fifth Chakra: The Vishuddha chakra is the fifth chakra, located in the area of the throat. This is our source of verbal expression and the ability to speak our highest truth. The fifth chakra includes the neck, thyroid, and parathyroid glands, jaw, mouth, and tongue.

Sixth Chakra: The Ajna chakra is located in between the eyebrows. It is also referred to as the “third eye” chakra. Ajna is our center of intuition. We all have a sense of intuition but we may not listen to it or heed its warnings. Focus on opening the sixth chakra will help you hone this ability.

Seventh Chakra: The Sahasrara chakra or the “thousand petal lotus” chakra is located at the crown of the head. This is the chakra of enlightenment and spiritual connection to our higher selves, others, and ultimately, to the divine. It is located at the crown of the head.

Clue to Aligning the Chakras

Awareness to which of your chakras are out of balance is key to aligning them. Our bodies are in constant flux between balance and imbalance. Unless you have an apparent problem in one area of the body, imbalances can be difficult to detect. That being said, it’s good to bring awareness to your body/mind and start to learn its signals and clues.

For example, frequent constipation can indicate a blockage in the first chakra. A recurring sore throat leaves clues to a blocked fifth chakra. Frequent headaches around the area of the forehead may mean your sixth chakra is blocked.

Chakra balancing offers very positive results – improving your health and making you feel good about yourself.

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Heart / Anahata Chakra | 4th Energy Center| Chakra Balancing

Heart ChakraThe fourth chakra is at the center of the seven chakras with three below and three above. This is the area where physical and spiritual meet. The fourth chakra, also referred to as the heart chakra, is located at the center of the chest and includes the heart, cardiac plexus, thymus gland, lungs, and breasts. It also rules the lymphatic system. The Sanskrit word for the fourth chakra is Anahata, which means “unstruck” or “unhurt.” The name implies that beneath the hurts and grievances of past experiences lies a pure and spiritual place where no hurt exists.

When your heart chakra is open, you are flowing with love and compassion, you are quick to forgive, and you accept others and yourself. A closed heart chakra can give way to grief, anger, jealousy, fear of betrayal, and hatred toward yourself and others.

The heart chakra – the wellspring of love, warmth, compassion, and joy is located in the center of the chest at the heart level. Anahata moves love through your life.

It is the center of your deep bonds with other beings, your sense of caring and compassion, your feelings of self-love, altruism, generosity, kindness, and respect.

Anahata is an integrating and unifying chakra – bringing to wholeness – as such, it is your healing center. Indeed, most spiritual traditions recognize love as the ultimate healing force.

The energy of anahata allows us to recognize that we are part of something larger, that we are interconnected within an intricate web of relationships extending through life and the universe.

Anahata allows us to recognize and get in touch with the sacred and fundamental truth that runs through all of life and connects everything together.

The “way of the heart” or the “path of the heart” is living your life from this energy center of love.

It means living your life with loving kindness and compassion towards others. It means that your heart is open to others and you inspire kindness and compassion in others. You create safe and supportive environment.

Others can feel your love and warmth. They feel loved and accepted unconditionally. People feel at peace around you, as there is no judgment coming from you.

When anahata is open and energy is flowing freely, you are not only loving to others, you are also loving to your self. You know when you need to say no and when you need care and self-nurturing.

All of the seven chakras are important and while I cannot say that the heart chakra is the most important, I do want to say that it is very important.

Most of the world’s spiritual traditions recognize love as the unifying force, the energy that is the most fundamental part of the universe, and of ourselves.

To open to love is to reach to the deepest places and connect with our true essence, our spirit, and our soul.

Choose the Essence of Anahata

Some people choose to live in the place of grievances. They’ve been hurt in the past by parents, siblings, classmates, or loves. Maybe you’ve been there too. It’s impossible to avoid situations where someone may try to hurt you. But you get to choose what to do with that hurt. Some people might try to hurt the other person back. Yet, that is not living from a place of Anahata. The person who inflicts pain on others is coming from a place of fear, ignorance or hatred, all of which represent a closed heart chakra.

When you encounter hurt feelings from your past or present, you can choose to feel them fully and let them go or hold onto them. By letting them go, you’re able to open your heart to new people and new experiences with compassion, love, and understanding. Holding onto hurt harbors negative feelings and cuts you off from opportunities to love and serve. Letting go is as easy as making a choice. Your mind and your ego may tell you otherwise but it’s as simple as choosing to let go and move on.

Empathy and Compassion Create Openness

Walking in another person’s shoes is not easy to do, but can be helpful in fostering a sense of empathy. To help create empathy and compassion, I like to play a game called, “the what if scenarios.” When encountering a person who is being unpleasant or who has treated me poorly in the past, I quickly take my mind through a host of what ifs. For example, ask yourself, “What if that person is just having a bad day?” or “What if that person just lost his job?” “What if she just learned her husband was having an affair?” “What if he was just diagnosed with an illness?” As you create these stories, of which the possibilities are endless, you begin to empathize with the other person and his or her situation. This method takes you away from yourself and self-pity and places compassion onto the other person.

Now, let’s suppose that there’s a family member or close friend who just repeats a pattern of inflicting hurt on a constant basis. You can still offer love and compassion either from a distance or by setting boundaries. In any case, know that when someone chooses to hurt you, it’s almost never about you. It’s about them.

Give Love to Receive Love

The best way to receive love is to give it. Other ways you can give love:

  • Smile at everyone you see daily, even if you don’t feel like smiling. It’s contagious.
  • Forgive and move on. Life is too short to hold grudges.
  • Give friends, family and co-workers positive affirmations and feedback.
  • Try to go one day a week without criticizing anyone or anything, including yourself.

Take any opportunity you can to foster love and loving feelings. Love is a currency and whatever you give will come back to you.

Asanas, Sounds, Colors, and Gems to Balance the Fourth Chakra

Any yoga pose that opens the area of the chest will help to balance the heart chakra. Some poses include camel, standing bow pose, and cow face pose.

The mantra sound corresponding to the fourth chakra is the sound YAM. A special mantra to help expand love and compassion is OM MANI PADME HUM. You can repeat this mantra in meditation to gain greater access to these qualities.

The color is emerald green and the gemstones associated with the heart are emerald, malachite, jade, and rose quartz.

Physical Signs of Blocked Anahata Energy

The heart chakra directly affects the heart, lungs, chest, arms, and hands. When misaligned, poor circulation, high or low blood pressure, and other heart and lung conditions can result.

Mental Signs of Blocked Anahata Energy

Mentally, an imbalanced heart chakra can result in problematic issues, such as co-dependence, manipulative behaviors, feeling of unworthiness, and an inability to trust yourself or others.

Energetic Benefits of Aligning the Heart Chakra

When the heart chakra is in healthy alignment you will feel surrounded by love, compassion, and joy and connected to the world around you.

What does healing the heart chakra mean?

Healing the heart chakra may mean several things and refers to many different techniques. We will cover the main ones and remain as practical as possible. Heart chakra healing is sometimes also referred to as balancing, opening, or clearing. The main idea behind healing the heart chakra is to restore flow of energy and overall balance.

Why do we need heart chakra healing?

The heart chakra is particularly vulnerable to disturbances associated with relationships and love. We all have a history of relationships from the moment we’re born to now. During our history, there were many events and opportunities for positive or negative experiences regarding love and relating to others.

As we encounter life difficulties, we have two main ways to cope: We may shut down or decrease the energy that we dedicate to the situation, or we may boost or increase our energy to fight it. These defense mechanisms get anchored in our chakras.

In the case of the heart chakra, we might have felt hurt during childhood or a recent breakup and closed our chakra to numb our pain and avoid suffering. Or on the opposite side, we may have opened and extended our heart energy to a demanding partner or parent in need, sometimes to the point of over-extending and being drained.

Over time, these defense mechanisms can cause imbalance in the heart chakra and other chakras, leading to an overactive, deficient or blocked chakra. One may tend to have excess or deficiency in the heart chakra, or both depending on the situation and coping mechanism.


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