Chakra blockages or chakra alignments are both popular terms in the spiritual field nowadays. Perhaps you’ve heard of chakra balancing in a yoga class, from your friend who practices meditation, or in a documentary about consciousness or emotional healing.
Chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit and refers to the different energy points in your body that should be kept aligned and open for healing and maintaining your physical and emotional well-being.
Although it has become more popular with the growth of New Age philosophies, the chakra system is an ancient and complex energy practice that originated in India. It was first mentioned in the sacred texts of the Vedas around 1000 BC.
These chakras release energy that flows into our everyday lives and are linked to specific parts of our body.
When facing a challenging circumstance, this energy can get blocked and stop flowing freely, leading to chakra imbalance.
These blockages can manifest in different ways. For example, the throat chakra influences our communication skills. If you are dealing with a relationship where you are unable to speak your mind, this chakra gets blocked, and you may lose your voice.
Below we will describe all of these energy centers and what it means when there is an imbalance.
What are the 7 chakras? How do their blockages manifest?
Root chakra
The root chakra or Muladhara chakra is linked with the earth element. Earth represents our physical body, our base or foundation.
Its symbolized by the color red and stands for the birth of human consciousness, stability, grounding, and rigidity.
A blocked root chakra can manifest in constipation, colon problems, and insecurity about our finances or basic needs.
When this chakra is open and fully aligned, we feel secure and grounded both emotionally and physically.
Sacral chakra
The sacral chakra or Svadhisthana is linked with the water element, representing fluidity, movement, and flow. Its outlined by the color orange.
This chakra is associated with our feelings of self-worth, and its blockage can manifest in sexual impotence and lack of creativity.
Solar plexus chakra
The solar plexus or Manipura chakra is associated with the fire element and the sun. The color yellow represents it.
This is the chakra that influences our personal power, self-esteem, and confidence. When it is blocked, we are incapable of setting worthwhile goals because we feel inadequate to achieve our objectives.
Heart chakra
The heart chakra, also known as Anahata, is linked to the air element, representing our relationships, connection, love, and compassion.
It is symbolized by the color green. People with a heart chakra blockage feel insecure, lonely, scared, and isolated.
Throat Chakra
The throat chakra or Vishudda is related to the ether element, which stands for communication, purification, and authenticity.
Its symbolized by the color blue, and its blockages can manifest in gossiping, speaking without thinking, or having trouble speaking your mind.
When in alignment, we can talk and listen with compassion and feel empowered through conversations because we are authentic with our inner selves.
Third eye chakra
The third eye chakra is deeply associated with the light dimension. It represents the awakening of the pineal gland and the center of wisdom and gravity.
Its symbolized by the chakra color indigo, and its blockages can manifest in having trouble listening to reality (aka, a know-it-all) or disconnecting with our intuition and imagination.
When it’s open and aligned, we can follow our inner compass and see the big picture of our circumstances.
Crown chakra
The crown chakra or Sahasrara is associated with empty space. It represents our spiritual transcendence and the merging with the infinite and divine source of creation.
Its color is violet, and it is linked to the rest of the chakras, which influences all of our organs, brain, and nervous system.
This chakra is considered the chakra of spiritual enlightenment, and it symbolizes the connection with our life purpose.
Opening this chakra will help keep the rest of the seven chakras open, and the person will experience bliss and a sense of direction.
How do you balance your chakras?
The best way to bring balance and open the chakras to align your physical body with the cosmos is through yoga postures, breathing practices, and meditation.
To unblock the root chakra, you can practice any pose that helps balance your body, such as the tree, the mountain, or the warrior pose. Any of these practices will help you establish a better relationship with the foundation of your body.
To unlock the sacral chakra, you could practice poses that strengthen your pelvic areas, such as the bridge, lizard, or pigeon pose.
The solar plexus chakra is related to your inner fire, so core strengthening poses such as boat or triangle will bring more balance to this chakra.
Regarding the heart chakra, you can practice the cow face pose and humble warrior, which will open your shoulders, chest, and arms so you can embrace the people you love in your life.
Plow and fish are excellent poses for opening the throat chakra. The third eye chakra requires postures that connect your upper body with your lower body, so poses like forward fold or folded eagle are excellent for unlocking it.
And finally, the crown chakra needs a pose where you can relax and connect with your higher self, such as savasana.
This pose strengthens the link to your spirit, reminding you of where you came from and where you are going.
Chakra balancing stones
Each chakra in our body creates a flow of energy that communicates with every area of our lives. They are charged by colors. When these colors are employed correctly and combined with stones, they can balance our chakras and release any existing blockage.
Everything is energy, which means that we need to pay attention to our emotions, ideas, and concerns because they influence our overall well-being.
Let’s say your boss is giving you a hard time, your car broke down, and you are late for your doctor’s appointment.
You might experience that your back starts to hurt, your stomach tightens up, and negative thoughts invade you.
Learning about the stones for each chakra can help you balance your emotional, mental, and physical well-being. This will lead you to let go of your extra baggage and move towards a fuller and more fruitful life.
Root chakra stone
Although there are many healing stones to balance your base chakra, the most popular one is obsidian.
This stone not only possesses exceptional protective properties but also keeps you grounded in the present. If you feel anxious, angry, or out of focus, the obsidian will help your get your priorities straight.
Sacral chakra stone
Orange gemstones like calcite and aventurine can help you restore your independence and zest for life. They will also enhance your intuition and uplift your humor. There are also a myriad of ways to work with sacral chakra stones for clearing and balancing.
Solar plexus chakra stone
Radiant yellow stones like citrine are great for this chakra. This healing crystal gives you mental clarity and boosts your creativity and confidence.
Heart chakra stone
Green and pink stones are great to balance this chakra. The rose quartz can be an excellent choice, as it increases compassion, self-love, and kindness.
Throat chakra stone
The lapis lazuli stone assists you in expressing your thoughts with confidence, enhancing your communication skills in every aspect of your life. This stone connects your heart with your mind to help you speak honestly and effectively.
Third eye chakra stone
Purple or indigo stones like the amethyst release the third eye chakra from any existing blockage. This healing crystal can lower your stress levels and supports you in times of confusion, helping you reach your inner guidance.
Crown chakra stone
These stones assist you in experiencing a higher vibration and connecting you to the source of creation. Clear quartz can help you open up this chakra since it is a powerful energy cleanser for environments and living beings.
Clear quartz helps you release your worries, clear your mind, and protect your energy field from harmful energies. If you are pursuing a spiritual path, this crystal can help you stick to your intentions and reach your objectives.
One of the easiest ways to carry stones and their supportive and healing energies is by wearing them as gemstone jewelry. It’s attractive, fashionable, and helps to balance your chakras and strengthen your intentions throughout the day.
If you are not sure about which chakra you want to focus on, you can opt for a 7 chakra bracelet or a gemstone pendant necklace that can help unblock all your energy centers at the same time.
Chakra balancing requires you to show up again and again.
Learning how your chakras operate and are connected to your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual energies will help you identify where the prana might be blocked.
This will guide you to practice a yoga posture or pick the chakra stones that can enhance your wellness, connect with your inner self, and harmonize your emotional and mental state.
We could encounter problems related to specific chakras throughout our lives, even if we are not aware of this.
At times, we may struggle with our finances; at other times, we may feel unable to trust others; or perhaps we feel lost and disconnected from our intuition.
Sometimes it takes more than taking a pill or going on a weekend getaway. Unblocking your chakra energy can be the basis for improving your overall health.
External Resources
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHAKRA BALANCING
What Chakras Are and How Yoga Can Help Balance Them
CHAKRA BALANCING TREATMENT