Seven chakras in human body
What are seven chakras in a human body ? And what’s their meaning and significance for us. This article delight helps you to understand what each chakra represents and what we can do to stimulate and balance these chakras in our human body.
Seven chakras in human body
In Sanskrit, the word “Chakra” means “wheel”. It refers to energy points in our body. It is said that these spinning disks of energy should stay “open” and aligned, as they correspond to bundles of nerves, major organs, and areas of our energetic body that affect our emotional and physical well-being.
The human body can be divided into two components – the dense body and the etheric (energy) body. It is the energy body which enables the dense physical body to function.
The etheric body can be considered as a grid of lines of energy. In Yoga these lines of energy are called nadis. Where these lines of energy intersect they form a chakra, an energy centre. The chakras serve to distribute energy around the body.
It is said that overall we have 112 chakras throughout the body, out of which seven chakras are primary that run along the spine. A specific vibration, color and sound is associated with all the 7 chakras. Depending on whether these energy centers are healthy or blocked, you may experience different attributes of your physical, mental, and emotional health.
1. The root chakra
The root chakra is the first chakra of the body and is located in the base of the spine. Its role is to connect your mind, body and soul with the Earth. This chakra is feminine by nature and gives us the feeling of being close to the earth. It is known to keep us grounded and connected with the energy of the earth. When the root chakra is balanced, these are replaced by more positive emotions, and you feel stable, energetic, independent, and strong.
Element: Earth
Color: Red
Mantra: LAM
Location: Base of the spine between the anus and genitals
2. The sacral chakra
The sacral is located right below the belly button– three inches below the navel to be precise. This chakra is associated with the lymphatic system and is responsible for expressing emotions. It also helps you to get in touch with your sexual desires. When the sacral chakra is imbalanced, a person may feel emotionally explosive and irritable, sense a lack of energy and creativity, feel manipulative, or obsessed with sexual thoughts. When balanced, it makes one feel more vibrant, satisfied and having a self worth around pleasure & sexuality.
Element: Water
Color: Orange
Mantra: VAM
Location: Situated at the base of the pubis between the genitals and the sacral nerve plexus
3. The solar plexus chakra
The third chakra is located behind the naval region below the rib cage. It is associated with self-confidence, self-discipline and wisdom. This chakra is also responsible for the ‘gut feeling’. For the uninitiated, gut feeling is getting a cue about something which isn’t right for you. By balancing this chakra, we feel more energetic, confident, productive, and focused.
Element: Fire
Color: Yellow
Mantra: RAM
Location: At the level of the umbilicus corresponding to the gastric or solar plexus
4. The heart chakra
The fourth chakra is known as the heart chakra and is associated with love and compassion.
It is located in the center of the chest and not where the actual organ lies. This chakra is responsible for emotional healing and sound mental health. When the heart chakra is imbalanced, a person may deal with emotional issues like anger, lack of trust, anxiety, jealousy, fear, and moodiness. By harmonizing this energy center, a person begins to feel more compassionate, caring, optimistic, friendly, and motivated.
Element: Air
Colors: Green or pink
Mantra: YAM
Location: On the cardiac plexus in the region of the heart
5. The throat chakra
This chakra is associated with voicing your expressions and being creative. The throat chakra is located right above the heart and is responsible for expressing the truth and sharing your opinion with others. A blockage in the throat chakra may be experienced as timidity, quietness, a feeling of weakness, or the inability to express our thoughts. When this chakra is balanced, it enables creativity, positive self-expression and constructive communication.
Element: Sound or Ether
Color: Blue
Mantra: HAM
Location: On the level of the throat, the nerve plexus of the pharynx region
6. The third eye chakra
The sixth chakra is the third eye chakra, which loosely translates to “beyond wisdom”. This chakra is responsible for garnering information about yourself and beyond the materialistic world. It is located in between eyebrows–the third eye. When imbalanced, it may make you feel non-assertive and afraid of success, or on the contrary, it can make you more egoistical. An imbalance can manifest as physical problems like headaches, blurry vision, and eye strain. When this chakra is active and balanced, a person feels more vibrant and confident, both spiritually and emotionally. In the absence of the fear of death, one becomes his own master and remains free of all attachment to material things.
Element: Light
Colors: Indigo
Mantra: AUM or OM
Location: Between the eyebrows (third eye)
7. The crown chakra
The seventh chakra is known to be responsible for the direct connection with the almighty and the conscious energy. This chakra is located on the top of your head and is associated with the Buddhist concept of achieving nirvana–which is simply not possible for humans. Trying to balance this chakra will help you gain insight into yourself and balance your other chakras. When it gets imbalanced, one might suffer from a constant sense of frustration, melancholy and destructive feelings. When this chakra is active and balanced , a feeling of oneness with the universe with an overall harmonious personality arises. It is considered the chakra of enlightenment and represents our connection to our life’s purpose and spirituality.
Element: Conscience
Colors: Violet or White
Mantra: Silence
Location: Crown of the head
Seven chakras in human body and Health
Seven chakras in human body are associated with the organs and glands of the particular region where they are located. As such, they have a strong bearing on our health, our mind state, and our relation with others. Based on various factors such as our lifestyle, environment and surroundings, past experiences, etc, the chakras can either be balanced or imbalanced. A hypoactive or blocked chakra’s functioning is either insufficient or reduced. Likewise, a hyperactive chakra means there is too much energy flowing into that particular region, and as such, there is an imbalance in the overall flow of energy throughout the body.
Ways to balance or awaken the seven chakras in human body
We can adopt the following practices as tools to balance the Seven chakras in human body :
- Diet: One of the main reasons for an imbalance in the chakras is an imbalance of the five elements in the body. A balanced diet helps to bring balance in the elements of the body. Expose your body to the color representing the vibration you are trying to balance. For example, if you want to correct the Heart Chakra, eat plenty of green leafy vegetables. A cup of green tea might also keep the heart chakra in a healthy condition.
- Asanas: Asanas help to stimulate the chakras, and improve their functioning. Moving through the postures will work out stiffness and tension in your physical body. As your body opens up, the energy flows more freely. With an uninterrupted flow of energy your chakras will balance themselves out. Each chakra has certain yoga postures that help to balance it. This is generally related to the part of the body that the chakra is associated with.
- Breathwork/ Pranayama: Breathwork helps to increase the flow of prana in the body, and removes the stale prana. The best pranayama for balancing is Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing.
- Meditation : Meditation is probably the most effective way to balance the chakras. Each chakra is associated with a seed sound ( Beej Mantra ).However, meditating with seed sound should be done under the guidance of an expert only. Your mental focus during meditation should be on the positive attributes of the particular chakra. Focus on eliminating any emotional blockages by visualizing them dissolving away. Chakra meditation is practiced to raise and maintain the flow of energy upward from the first chakra upward and ultimately to the seventh chakra. This is a delicate and natural practice.
How do you know if your chakras are blocked?
The truth is that you don’t “know”, not in the sense that you can take your temperature and know for certain that your Manipura is blocked. Lots of people feel blockages in lots of different ways. Sometimes there are physical symptoms associated with a blockage and other times there are emotional symptoms. It really depends on the individual and their experiences that may give indication of blockages of certain chakras.
Final Take aways
Chakras are the gateways through which the life force or Shakti moves through the mind body system. This energy gets transformed into mental, physical, and emotional expressions. By focusing your attention for a few minutes every day on each chakra, you will subtly encourage the qualities it stands for. Having your chakra’s open does not mean you are enlightened. It just means you are very aware of your environment or very stimulated at that moment with a complete sense of balance amidst your health, emotions, thoughts, moods & relationships.
Read more : Best Spiritual Practices & tools for Beginners (https://thebrightdelights.com/best-spiritual-practices-tools-for-beginners/ )
Books that help :
1.Chakra Meditation: Discovery Energy, Creativity, Focus, Love, Communication, Wisdom, and Spirit (https://amzn.to/3svvXVQ)
2.Chakra Healing: A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Healing Techniques(https://amzn.to/3Hnc6wr)
3.Chakras – Wheels of Life (https://amzn.to/30RlPez)