The 7 Chakras Beginners Need to Cleanse for Stress Relief and More
7 minute read
While modern medicine is capable of helping you with your health issues, traditional means can still prove useful. If you’re ready to try an alternative method to all-over well-being, then chakra clearing with traditional Indian philosophy can be a productive habit to start.
According to Hindu tradition, your chakras are points in your body through which energy moves and circulates. If one chakra is blocked, it can set off a chain of events that can cause ailments in your physical and mental health.
Use this guide to discover your seven chakras and learn their purported importance in your life. If nothing else, it’s a very interesting way to learn about philosophy integral to a cultural tradition with thousands of years of history.
What is a chakra?
The word “chakra” is a Sanskrit word that translates to wheel. The imagery to hold is of an energy wheel, constantly spinning and rotating. Having each wheel spinning in harmony with the others powers your body in a positive direction and keeps it open.
Your chakras run along your spine from bottom to top, and it’s believed that your energy moves through your body along the spine.
One look at a spinal nerve chart and you’ll see that your nerves all run through your spine, making it the hub of all body movement and functions. Each chakra is affiliated with a color and an element of well-being. These elements roughly parallel Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
1. Root Chakra
The root chakra, or Muladhara, is your foundation and is said to provide a sense of being grounded. It is located at the base of your spine, at the end of your tailbone.
It’s correlated with basic survival issues like financial independence, money and food. The color associated with your root chakra is red.
2. Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra, or Svadhishthana, is related to your need to connect with others and be a part of a society. It is closely related to your sexual needs and is located in your lower abdomen, roughly two inches below your belly button and two inches inward. It is associated with the color orange.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra
The solar plexus chakra, or Manipura, is affiliated with your sense of self and confidence. It is located in your upper abdomen and the area of your solar plexus; it is associated with the color yellow.
4. Heart Chakra
The heart chakra, or Anahata, represents your ability to love and to feel love. This chakra is located in the center of your chest, located just above your actual heart and is affiliated with the color green.
5. Throat Chakra
The throat chakra, or Vishuddha, is connected to your ability to communicate and express yourself. It’s located in your throat region and is affiliated with the color blue.
6. Third Eye Chakra
The third eye chakra, or Ajna, rests in the middle of your forehead and is also called the brow chakra. It’s correlated to your intuition, imagination, wisdom, focus, ambitions, and ability to think and make decisions. Its color is purple.
7. Crown Chakra
The crown chakra, or Sahasrara, rests atop your head at the highest point. It represents enlightenment, spirituality, and beauty. It is affiliated with the color white.
How to Clear Your Chakras
Feeling open and clear through these parts of your life can lead you to a happier and more fulfilled existence. Whether you’re willing to embrace the entire philosophy or not, you can see where it’s a good idea to focus on these areas of your life and establish a grounded and connected feeling.
To clear your chakras, you can find some meditations online to help you begin. It’s good to have a baseline of comfort to help you establish a meditation routine.
To begin, find a quiet space, free from outside distractions. Sit on the ground, in a comfortable position. Take a few moments to relax, breathe deeply, and let tension slip away and your muscles relax. Be aware of your body and where you are in this moment in time.
Then start by bringing your attention to the base of your spine, your tailbone. Picture your root chakra as a red ball of light. It’s pulsating with energy and moving gently in that area, opening up and releasing any blocked energy. Feel warmth and energy in that region as the chakra spins and releases tension.
Now move your attention upward to just below your belly button. Feel the warmth of an orange spinning light. Breathe deeply and slowly, letting the spinning settle into a pace that matches your root chakra.
Again, move your attention upward and let it settle in your solar plexus. The light is now yellow, and you control the spinning with your breath so that it matches the other chakras.
Allow your focus to rise up to the center of your chest, right above your heart and feel the bright green light spinning in harmony. Let your emotional center relax and be freed of all heavy burdens. Feel lightness and peace settle in this area.
Follow the path upward to your throat where a bright blue ball of light spins gently. It does not irritate your throat but feels like a good energy, clearing all disruptions.
Next move to your third eye chakra, a spot right in the middle of your forehead. The rotating purple or indigo light becomes brighter as you imagine yourself being filled with wisdom and the power to make good choices.
Finally, draw all of your attention to the very top of your head, there sits a vibrant violet or white light that shines out from your body and connects you to the universe. There’s a sense of peace and well-being that comes from this chakra and radiates through your body and out to the world around you.
| Related: 3 Yoga Stretches Great for Back Pain Relief |
You control your meditation and can decide to focus on your chakras in the series listed above, from bottom to top. Or you can choose to pay attention to one chakra at a time. Each session will then require your complete attention, but we still suggest following a pattern from bottom to top.
While the overall health claims of some alternative medicine practitioners is dubious at best, cleansing your chakras through meditation has been shown to reduce stress.
The Bottom Line
Daily, focused attention on your physical, spiritual and emotional needs can help you find peace and relaxation in your life. It can also help you identify areas that need attention and that trouble you.
Whether you’re ready to accept the power of chakras and use them to find enlightenment or if you’re just looking to find peace in your life, this practice is a healthy approach to achieving your goals. Centered thought, breathing and focused relaxation is wonderful way to start each day.
