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Chakras

The history of chakras

Chakras have only recently become more well-known, with the growth in popularity of yoga and New Age philosophies in general. They are a complex and ancient energy system that originated in India. They were first mentioned in the Vedas, ancient sacred texts of spiritual knowledge dating from 1500 to 1000 BC. There’s a lot one can study about them.

As these are all energetic centers of the body that correspond to feelings, one of them probably resonated with you as you were reading. A different one may resonate with you tomorrow. It’s likely that one resonates with you more than any others as a continuous problem, a chakra where you often deal with blocks. Other blockages may pop up every now and then. In the chakra system, these patterns have specific terms and there are recommended treatments.

So what should you know about the chakras? Below is your crash course.

Chakra 101

Chakra (cakra in Sanskrit) means “wheel” and refers to energy points in your body. They are thought to be spinning disks of energy that 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.

Some say there are 114 different chakras, but there are seven main chakras that run along your spine. These are the chakras that most of us are referring to when we talk about them.

Each of these seven main chakras has a corresponding number, name, color, specific area of the spine from the sacrum to the crown of the head, and health focus.

The Different Chakra Colors and Their Meanings

1. The Root Chakra (Muladhara) – Red Color

Symbolizes: Energy, stability, comfort, safety

Location: Base of the spine near the tailbone

Color: Red

2. The Sacral Chakra (Svadhishthana) – Orange Color

Symbolizes: Sensuality, sexuality, pleasure, sociability

Location: Lower abdomen just above the pubic bone

Color: Orange

3. The Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) – Yellow Color

Symbolizes: Strength, personality, power, determination

Location: Upper abdomen above the navel

Color: Yellow

4. The Heart Chakra (Anahata) – Green Color

Symbolizes: Acceptance, love, compassion, sincerity

Location: Center of the chest

Color: Green

5. The Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) – Blue Color

Symbolizes: Communication, expression, creativity, inspiration

Location: Base of the throat to the eyes

Color: Blue

6. The Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) – Indigo Color

Symbolizes: Intuition, lucidity, meditation, trust

Location: Between the eyebrows on the forehead

Color: Indigo, purple

7. The Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) – Violet Color

Symbolizes: Knowledge, consciousness, fulfillment, spirituality

Location: Just above the top of the head

Color: Violet, purple, white

Why are the chakra colors important?

Keeping this in mind, working with a particular chakra color can help you draw that color's energy—or frequency—into your life. When deciding on a color to incorporate into your practice, consider what energy you are looking for right now. Then, read the list below to find the color that corresponds to it. Picture that color as a sphere of light that exists in your body and watch it grow and radiate. Visualize it becoming stronger and more vibrant with each breath. If you're into crystals, you can also seek out a stone that corresponds to your chosen color and work it into your spiritual practice. Hold it during meditation, add it to your altar, or carry it around as a reminder of an intention.
1. Root Chakra (Muladhara)

Color: Red

The root chakra is our foundation. It develops in our first seven years of life and deals with survival and security needs. It's represented by the color red, and when out of balance, we may feel insecure, unsafe, and even disconnected from reality.

Stone: Hematite

Hematite, a reddish-black mineral, is a good stone to work with to nourish your roots.

2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)

Color: Orange

The sacral chakra, which is located in your lower abdomen, is all about creativity and sexuality. It's associated with orange and is formed in the seven years after your root chakra until age 14. (This seven-year timeline continues with each chakra as we get older).

Stone: Tiger's Eye

The orange quality of tiger's eye makes it a good stone to work with if your sacral chakra is out of balance and you feel a lack of control in your life.

3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)

Color: Yellow

Moving from the lower to the upper abdomen, you'll find your solar plexus chakra, which is associated with the color yellow. This chakra deals with confidence as well as overall self-worth and self-esteem.

Stone: Amber

If you've been feeling any sort of shame or self-doubt, you may likely feel it in your gut. In this case, one yellow stone you can work with is amber.

4. Heart Chakra (Anahata)

Color: Green

The heart chakra—located just above your heart in the center of your chest—which is associated with the color green. It deals with our ability to both give and receive love to ourselves and others.

Stone: Rose Quartz

This is the one exception to crystal-color coordination: "Pink rose quartz is the premier stone when working with the Heart Chakra,"

5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)

Color: Light Blue/Turquoise

The throat chakra, which is associated with light blue or turquoise, is all about expression and truth. When it's open, we can communicate our truth clearly and effectively. When it's blocked, we struggle to share authentically.

Stone: Blue Lace Agate

The beautiful light blue shade of this stone makes it excellent for throat chakra work.

6. Third-Eye Chakra (Anja)

Color: Dark Blue/Purple

As we get older, we get closer and closer to self-actualization. From ages 36 to 42, our third-eye chakra develops, and it's associated with dark blue and purple shades. It deals with intuition and our ability to move past our ego. When it's unbalanced, we'll feel out of touch with our intuition.

Stone: Amethyst or Lapis Lazuli

Amethyst, with its rich purple tones, or dark blue lapis lazuli are both good stones for this chakra.

7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)

Color: Violet/White

And lastly, at the crown of our head, we have the crown chakra. The final chakra is associated with shades of violet and glowing white. It develops when someone has become evolved enough to tap into higher consciousness—something that can take a lifetime and doesn't happen for everyone.

Stone: Clear Quartz

Clear quartz is a good stone for working with this chakra since it's thought to help open you up to spiritual connection.

What blocks your chakras?

Before you can successfully unblock your chakras, though, it’s important to know what causes the blockages in the first place. For starters, blocked chakras happen when there’s an absence or lack of energy that’s stored in each of the chakras. Specifically, blocked chakras are usually formed during periods of high stress and conflict or form as a result of an unhealthy or toxic lifestyle.

If you want to know if your chakras are blocked, there are a number of telltale signs. You may find yourself in a never-ending loop of anxious thoughts, or you may feel pain in a specific area of your body, says spiritual guide, reiki healer, and mindfulness facilitator. That’s because each chakra corresponds to different areas of your physical body and organs.

The chakras blow life force energy through [the body], so when chakras become blocked, it can affect our physical body as well as our mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies, For instance, with the root chakra, if there’s lots of fear and scarcity around finances, this means it’s blocked.

How to unblock chakras

While visiting a certified and skilled reiki healer may be your best bet at balancing and opening your chakras, with enough practice and awareness of your energy centers, you can learn how to open them up on your own.

Surrounding yourself with the element, stones, or colors associated with each chakra can aid the unblocking process. If your throat chakra is blocked, for example, meditating while holding throat chakra stones or dressing yourself up in something blue–its corresponding chakra color–can help you activate and unblock it.

Meditating, yoga, positive affirmations, reiki self-healing, and even immersing yourself in a sound bath can also help you in the process of unblocking chakras. The chakras are emitting vibrations, so when you go to a sound bath, for instance, those [vibrations] can activate those chakras that are blocked and release energy.

Its suggested utilizing chakra seed mantras, or chants, to equalize your energy centers. While you meditate, focus on the chakra that you’re focusing on. Take a deep breath in and then sound each word out loud for several seconds. This practice is called toning and it calms your nervous system, promotes calmness and well-being, and opens each of your chakras.

The corresponding chants for each chakra are as follows:

1st Chakra (Root Chakra): LAM

2nd Chakra (Sacral Chakra): VAM

3rd Chakra (Solar Plexus Chakra): RAM

4th Chakra (Heart Chakra): YAM

5th Chakra (Throat Chakra) – HAM

6th Chakra (Third Eye Chakra) – OM

7th Chakra (Crown Chakra) – AH

Why the chakras need to be balanced

While each chakra has its own distinct properties, they’re all thought to work as a system. That means if one’s out of balance, it affects all the rest, hence why chakra balancing is so paramount. For instance, if you have a blocked throat chakra, you might also experience difficulties with your heart chakra—since you’re not able to communicate what you feel and are likely sitting with those emotions.

Note that you can also have an overactive chakra, which can manifest in similar symptoms of a blocked chakra. An overactive chakra happens when energy is in excess, leading to similar negative feelings and thoughts. You might have an overactive heart chakra, for example, if you’re feeling insecure or needy in a relationship. For that reason, finding a comfortable middle is crucial to finding balance with not only yourself but with the energy around you.

If you have signs of multiple blocked or overactive chakras, though, just know that it’s totally normal—and any good yoga class or healer will work to align all of them at once, creating a clear channel for prana to flow from head to toe.

How do you know if your chakras are balanced?

Contrary to a blocked or overactive chakra, which prompts stress, persistent dysfunctional thinking patterns, and poor sleeping and eating habits, balanced chakras promote peace and good health, and you’ll feel joy naturally within your body. When you feel grounded, your energy is flowing smoothly up and down your energy centers and your chakras are aligned, When your chakras are open and flowing you feel a vibrant flowing energy moving up and down your body and feel vibrant energy flowing through you.

Plus, you’ll know if your chakras are balanced by the way you approach and experience major and day-to-day stressors—things don’t get under your skin as easily. No matter the challenge, when we are living in alignment with our optimal frequency, we will be able to navigate with relative ease and grace throughout the process,

Remember, your chakras, like all energy, are constantly in motion, and because of the trivialities of life, it’s not always possible to have all seven chakras aligned and opened. The foods we eat, the things we consume and absorb all have varying effects on the chakra system’s capacity for alignment. If your chakras are opened and aligned, though, You feel peace coursing through your body, a sense of flow and vitality.

That said, don’t trip up if you aren’t in perfect alignment with prana—it takes time and practice! Your spiritual journey isn’t linear and it should be expected that sustaining constant balance is an unfair expectation for yourself.

Now that we’ve explored the mechanics of how chakras flow energy throughout the body, we can delve into the meanings of each of the seven chakras. Read on to learn more about each chakra, plus, signs they may be blocked and tools you can use to open them back up.

One Final Note..

If chakras interest you beyond the above breakdown, you can find information about chakra balancing and realignment.

This can involve many things including yoga, meditation, chakra cleansing, certain types of bodywork, and even music.

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Most recent revision June 22, 2025 09:06:38 PM

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