Banded about freely in New Age communities, talk of chakras and chakra balancing has become commonplace over the last few years. Feeling bloated? That’ll be a blockage in your solar plexus chakra. Sinus pain? A problem with your third-eye chakra…. Simple enough, right?
But the subtle bodies that the chakras concern aren’t like the physical body that, here in the west, we tend to take our cues from. Whether your chakras are in or out of balance can be a tricky thing to detect, and chakra healing can be an even subtler practice too.
But before we jump straight into chakra meditations, let’s go back to basics for a moment – what IS a chakra, and what do they do?
What Is a Chakra?
In Sanskrit, chakra literally translates as “wheel.”
Understood in eastern cultures for millennia to be powerful energetic centers within the body, the chakras are now becoming more widely recognized in the west too, as sites inside the body where meridians (energy lines) converge and cross, and energy powers up. As there are thousands of meridians (just as there are thousands of blood vessels) there are many, many chakras in the human body. However, in spiritual and yogic practice, the focus is most often placed on the major chakras: the 7 sites were multiple channels or major channels cross.
Understanding Each of the 7 Chakras
The Root Chakra
Situated at the base of the spine (tailbone) this is red in color and is related to how rooted and grounded we feel, and our most basic human needs.
If your root chakra is out of balance and needs strengthening and healing, you might often feel that events threaten your security or that you’re unhappy with your body size or shape. You might feel as if your material life has gained control over you, putting you in a powerless state. If your root chakra is overactive, you might notice anger rising over the smallest of issues, releasing in inappropriate bursts.
The Sacral Chakra
Situated about two inches below the navel, it is orange in color and is related to our sense of wellbeing, creativity, and abundance.
Low energy through your sacral chakra can result in lacking energy and motivation. You might feel lazy and depressed, lacking simply joyful moments. If your sacral chakra is overactive, you might feel consistent frustration, often leading to tears.
The Solar Plexus Chakra
Situated in the upper abdomen, just below the sternum, this is yellow in color and is related to self-esteem and confidence
Inactivity of the solar plexus chakra might cause you to feel powerless, especially under pressure. Stomach butterflies, nausea, performance pressure—you might feel as if you can’t gain control over simple actions in your life. If your solar plexus chakra is overactive, you could express the “control freak” archetype.
The Heart Chakra
Situated in the center of the chest, this is green in color and relates to how we give and receive love.
If you have relationship problems or feel unattached to your loved ones, it might suggest a weak heart chakra which is in need of healing. If overactive, you might feel hardcore attachments, resulting in exaggerated emotionalism.
The Throat Chakra
Situated at the physical throat, this is blue in color and relates to self-expression and how we communicate our truth with the world.
A weak throat chakra could make you unable to speak your truth and express yourself. When overactive, you might speak before you think, have unnecessary arguments, and say hurtful words.
The Third-Eye Chakra
Situated on the center of the forehead, just above the eyes, this is indigo in color and relates to intuition, imagination, cognition, and wisdom.
Lacking foresight and organization? Your third eye chakra might be underactive. If overactive, one might experience nightmares, feeling stuck in an emotional rut, becoming closed off to new ideas.
The Crown Chakra
Situated at the very top of the head, this is violet in color and relates to our connection to the superconscious and the divine.
Confused thinking when you are under stress shows an imbalance in your crown chakra. You might wander without having a specific purpose or path, leaving you sometimes feeling lost.
Balancing the Chakras
Many people use yoga, guided meditations, binaural beats, and even tantra to balance and heal these energy centers, but there are other easy, quick (and free) ways to do this at home. One of the most powerful (and personalized) ways is by using sigils.
Creating a Sigil For Each Chakra
A sigil is an inscribed symbol that’s been imbued with a special mystical potency. Anybody can create one, for any purpose yet sigils are especially effective when it comes to working with healing and balancing the chakras. You can create a sigil for each separate chakra, or on for all combined. Here’s what to do:
- Focus on a sentence starting with “I am […]” that best describes your goal to heal the chakra in question. (Or the same phrase to balance the chakras one at a time; who doesn’t love to recycle?).
- From the sentence, remove all vowels and repeating consonants, so you’re left with a condensed version of your sentence or phrase. For example, if your phrase was “I am white light,” you’d come to “mwhtlg.”
- Repeatedly draw and play with the scripted letters until you come to a satisfactory sigil, a written and/or drawn symbol which resonates with you, representing the original phrase.
How to Use your Sigil
Once you’ve created your sigil, it’s super-simple to use it in your chakra meditation.
- First, decide which chakra you’re going to focus on, or simply take each one, in turn, moving from the root up to the crown.
- Next, close your eyes slow down your breathing, by taking some, long, deep, cleansing breaths to soothe your nervous system.
- Relax your mind and pull your attention to the physical area of your body, where the chakra is positioned.
- Picture your sigil in the chakra’s core position, and holding an intention to connect to the highest expression of that chakra that you want to cultivate.
For example:
Root: Trust
Sacral: Sexuality & Creativity
Solar Plexus: Personal Power
Heart: Love
Throat: Truth
Third-Eye: Wisdom
Crown: Divine Oneness
- Once you feel a sense of connection, stay in that energetic state for a few moments, and keep visualizing the sigil there too. This serves to stabilize the manifested experience of that expression, as well as clearing out negative energy and blockages from the chakra itself.
- When you feel complete, gently open your eyes and come back to your day.
After trying the chakra balancing meditation above, please comment and share your mind, body, and soul understandings. Each one of us is unique—the keyword for this practice is “experiential.” And the more you practice, the more you will grow accustomed to the subtle energies of the chakra system.
