Chakras: wheels of Life

Chakras! We’ve all heard of them but unless we’re really into yoga or interested in energy, there’s an aura of mystery around what they are, where they’re located and what they do. You often find drawings of them in yoga studios or in holistic / alternative healing centers - the 7 rainbow-colored discs, or wheels, that are said to be located along our bodies.

Why is it interesting to know more about them?

If you’ve ever been sick physically, had an illness or affection - one of the causes could be linked to the malfunctioning of one of your chakras - an energetic “blockage”.

Take for instance the lower back: lower back pain - depending which vertebrae is affected (painful) your blockage could either be at the first or second chakra. Big difference! If it’s the first, it could be related to not feeling grounded, stable, financial issues, personal security…. if it’s the second, it could be related to your emotions, feelings, desire, intuition.

It’s a beautiful adventure looking into this… and it makes perfect sense once you get the hang of it. What I love about it is that so often when we have an issue, we turn to traditional medicine and try to cure the effect - disregarding the cause. Taking care of your chakras, being in tune with your body - nurturing it, will allow it to take good care of you so you’ll stay healthy and happy.

Chakras and Imbalances

I started my Reiki journey years ago, training to become a Practitioner and later a “Reiki Master”. If you are not familiar with the concept, it is a holistic therapy that works with energy. I will write about my experience with it soon. Anyways, the ABC of Reiki is knowing the chakras very well… why? Because they are our body’s energy centers that keep us in balance - physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. In fact, every one of those energy centers is directly linked to a part of our body (governs it) and when our chakras are “aligned” or “spinning well”, we should be in perfect health. When there’s an imbalance, problems may start to appear. Problems from back pain to ulcers, depression, vision issues… etc. you name it, but also issues with self-confidence, love, ego, need for security, materialism… literally everything is interconnected.

The chakras can be opened through various meditations, physical exercises, healing methods and life experiences, leading to deeper states of consciousness.

If you believe in the idea that illnesses have spiritual causes, that when you are sick it isn’t simply a chemical imbalance but that there is actually an emotional - spiritual problem that triggers it - the study of chakras brings light to this. I feel it provides a key to understanding our bodies - not being victimized by them but understanding them and learning to work together for our highest benefit.

Wheels of Life

In an attempt to better understand the topic, I started reading about energy and where better to start learning about our own energy than by reading about the chakras? There’s a book I highly recommend - “Wheels of Life" by Anodea Judith. It’s an incredible journey into the world of the chakras - what they govern, how to work with them, how to balance them. It’s one of my favorite books ever that is both poetic and empowering… a gold mine for the soul.

Here is Anodea Judith’s description of what Chakras are:

At the inner core of each one of us spin seven wheel-like energy centers called Chakras. Swirling intersections of vital life forces, each chakra reflects an aspect of consciousness essential to our lives. Together the seven chakras form a profound formula for wholeness that integrates mind, body and spirit. As a complete system, the chakras provide a powerful tool for both personal and planetary growth.

Chakras are organizing centers for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of life energies. Our chakras, as core centers, form the coordinating network of our complicated mind/body system. From instinctual behavior to consciously planned strategies, from emotions to artistic creations, the chakras are the master programs that govern our life, loves, learning and illumination.

Chakra ABC

Base Chakra - Muladhara

Location: Base of Spine

Governs: Feet, Legs, Bone, Teeth, Large Intestine

Related to: Stability, Security, Grounding (Finance, Roots), Food, Beginning

Colour: Red

Second Chakra - Swadhisthana

Location: Pelvis

Governs: Reproductive Organs, Womb, Lumbar Spine, Kidneys, Circulatory System

Related to: Emotions, Sexuality, Control, Nurturance, Change, Movement

Colour: Orange

Third Chakra - Manipura

Location: Solar Plexus

Governs: Digestive system

Related to: Sense of Self, Ego, Power, Will, Autonomy, Metabolism, Transformation

Colour: Yellow

Fourth Chakra - Anahata

Location: Heart, Chest

Governs: Arms, Heart, Lungs, Hands

Related to: Love, Gratitude, Relationship, Balance, Unity, Healing

Colour: Green

Fifth Chakra - Vissudha

Location: Throat

Governs: Respiratory System, Shoulders, Thyroid, Neck

Related to: Communication, Telepathy, Creativity

Colour: Blue

Sixth Chakra - Ajna

Location: Third Eye (in between your eyebrows)

Governs: Eyes

Related to: Clairvoyance, Seeing beyond the surface, Knowledge, Intuition, Vision

Colour: Violet

Seventh Chakra - Sahasrara

Location: Above the head

Governs: Cerebral Cortex, Central Nervous System

Related to: Consciousness, Thought, Information, Knowledge, Transcedence

Colour: Pink / White

You can understand what “state” each of your chakras are in by first tuning into the area of the body that corresponds to it. Is it fluid, alive, painful, relaxed? The physical plane often gives us a lot of clues about what is going on inside on deeper levels.

Liberation & Manifestation

You’ve probably heard people talk about base energies and higher energies… or are familiar with the concept: the tangible, material vs the spiritual (enlightenment… etc.). Often when these concepts are talked about, it is implied that “base” energies - basic needs in the material plane are inferior to higher energies that deal with our emotions, with intellectuality, with the spirit… and that we should always strive to rise above.

The truth is, in order to be balanced, happy and whole - ALL of your energy centers must be in good health and they are all as important as each other - from the material to the spiritual - they each have their place.

In fact, there are two currents that run through all of your chakras - one that runs downward and one that runs upward - they are called the manifesting and liberating currents.

Manifesting current: begins in pure consciousness and descends through the chakras into the manifested plane.

Liberating current: begins in the manifested plane and moves up through the chakras toward freedom, expansion, abstraction and universality.

In short, the liberating current brings in excitement, energy and novelty, whereas the manifesting current brings, peace, boundaries and stability. In order for both of these pathways to be whole - all of our chakras must be open and working well.

So here is the base of this fantastic book that I highly recommend you start reading if you’re interested in the topic. May it inspire you to dive deeper into the world of energy and self-knowledge.

Happy reading!

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.