Introducing Chakras (Our Body’s Energy Centers)

The chakras are points or energy centers within our field; we picture them as spinning disks of energy that correspond to our physical and emotional bodies. When our chakras are out of balance, we may experience difficulty processing emotions or letting go. We may feel stuck or even have physical unease or distress. As we begin to balance and align our chakras, we may experience a general sense of well-being both emotionally and physically; we may feel present in our bodies and more aware of our emotional state.

While there are many energy points within the human field, we primarily work with the seven chakras set within the physical body.

They are as follows:

The Root Chakra, or Muladhara; primary color: red; location: below the tailbone, at the base of the spine; relates to basic needs and survival.

The Sacral Chakra, or Swadhisthana; primary color; orange; location: 3-4 fingers below the belly button; relates to creativity, sexuality, and abundance.

The Solar Plexus Chakra, or Manipura; primary color: yellow; location: situated between the belly button and the breast bone; relates to self-worth, self-awareness, and confidence;

The Heart Chakra, or Anahata; primary color: green; location: the center of the chest; relates to self-love, compassion for others, and empathy.

The Throat Chakra, or Vishuddha; primary color: blue; location: the center of the throat; relates to self-expression and speaking our truth.

The Third Eye Chakra, or Ajna, primary color: indigo; location: behind the eyebrows, in the center of the head; relates to our inner guidance, discernment, and intuition.

The Crown Chakra, or Sahasrara; primary color: violet or white; location: the top of the head; relates to our connection to our spirituality.

One way to work with our chakras is by focusing our attention on each area while in meditation. An easy way to do this is to call upon the universal light to enter our bodies. Using our inner senses, we will follow the light move from the top of our head through the soles of our feet, letting it ground us to the earth. We then use our breath to expand the light throughout the body and energetic field, allowing it to fill in any depleted areas within. Once we feel ready to continue, we bring our inner senses to each spinning chakra, one at a time, focusing on any pressing issue relating to that chakra. For example, as we focus on the root chakra, the feeling of being unsupported may arise. When we concentrate the universal light on the spinning chakra, it penetrates and infuses into this energetic center, addressing and releasing any connections or blockages related to that feeling. We can visualize healing through our inner senses as the red of the root chakra becomes clear and vibrant. Once we feel that the process is complete, we move our attention to the Sacral chakra, where we repeat the exercise until we have moved through each of the remaining chakras.

At the end of the meditation, we move our attention to our energetic body, visualizing all the chakras spinning together in unison as each color expands and blends with adjacent energy until they become one light, blended, white, and pure. We give thanks to the universal energy, our bodies, and our energetic field.