Chakra Healing: Learn How You Can Balance the 7 Energy Centers

The chakra system is a topic that creates curiosity, and for good reason: it’s packed with endless information to get to know yourself better, and therefore, enhance your wellbeing.

The Seven Chakras

The chakras are the seven energy centers that sit along the spine. The word itself means 'wheel' or 'disk'; if you take a pendulum and let it hover over each energy center, you'll feel the pull and circling of the pendulum.

However, your chakras can also represent emotional centers, which, in the spiritual sense, cannot be physically placed on the body – such as thoughts, although you know you have them, you can’t physically place them into boxes.

Chakra imbalance is often deeply rooted within us, but with consistency, dedication, and time you can heal the issues related to each chakra. But fear not, there are simple ways to balance them – remember that repetition is what works best.

Also, note that you should work on your chakras from the bottom up since the second chakra cannot be fully healed if the first chakra is imbalanced, in addition the third chakra cannot be healed if the second one is off, and so on.

Inside the World of Chakra Healing

The following points describe each chakra in a more detailed way and provide a couple of simple, straightforward attention-focused exercises to heal your chakras.

1. Muladhara (Root Chakra)

It is located at the base of the spine, and relates to your sense of survival and feeling nurtured. According to Anodea Judith, author of "Eastern Body, Western Mind" states that the root chakra is off balance and can be found within the food you eat.

Where to focus your attention?

Focus on the Earth! Walk barefoot, cook with fresh ingredients, open your windows, listen to the birds during your morning meditation, watch the sun rise or set, or take walks.

2. Svadhisthana (Sacral Chakra)

The sacral chakra is located below the navel – it relates to emotions, feelings, creativity and for women, to sexuality and pleasure. Overall, this chakra revolves around your power to create and to let emotions flow. If you find it difficult to share how you feel, or to simply allow yourself to feel emotions, if you often feel guilty, then these are signs that your sacral chakra is off balance. But the more you feel, the more you can release, and the more freedom you can experience.

Where to focus your attention?

Notice where you can be more creative. Although it’s easier said than done, make sure to not judge your creations: often, there is no right or wrong, these concepts are the mind’s way into tricking us into believing something is better than something else. What matters is how much you let your emotions be part of the process. Grab a pen, paintbrushes, or a ukulele, and let the fun begin!

3. Manipura (Solar Plexus)

It is located at the upper part of your belly, where your ribs meet. It relates to your willpower, and your right to act and take responsibility for yourself. It relates to your ego and is directly linked to the space – both physical and mental – you allow yourself to take in the world. Healing the solar plexus is about taking the needs you identify through your lower chakras and taking the steps to actually meet them.

Through the lower chakras, you ground yourself and listen to yourself, and with the third chakra, you act upon what you’ve discovered. Say you feel angry and your body wants to let all that anger out, you realize you need to go for a run to express that anger, and you actually go – that’s the solar plexus healing.

Signs that it is off balance relate to your confidence: if you feel overly confident, or are too afraid to act, then your solar plexus needs healing.

Where to focus your attention?

Stop thinking, get moving! You might tend to feel stressed when you let your mind wander. Although action doesn’t have to be mistaken for impulsivity, it is important to learn to get things going rather than just planning. Start small: organize that cupboard you said you’d organize, start meditating instead of planning or talking about it.

4. Anahata (Heart Chakra)

It is located at your heart, in the middle of your chest. This one is probably the most easily understood: it relates to love, and your ability to love and be loved.

True love encompasses qualities such as generosity, kindness, forgiveness, to name but a few, and unfortunately, the examples you see of love mostly relate to finding love in a partner, and there are so many ways love isn’t shown to you. Anodea Judith argues that “the most common block of the heart chakra is the absence of self-love.”

Where to focus your attention?

Self-love isn’t about bubble baths and shopping sprees; although these activities can fulfill you, their effects are too short-lived. Self-love means being gentle with yourself and practicing patience, forgiveness, generosity every waking minute. Call yourself out when you’re beating yourself up for a mistake (forgiveness). Accept that you can’t go faster than the speed of light – or any other speed, for that matter (patience). Give yourself extra hours of sleep, or hours spent in the kitchen cooking your favorite meal (generosity).

5. Vishuddha (Throat Chakra)

Located at the base of your neck, the throat chakra relates to your ability to speak up and voice your opinions - not the ones expected of you. As you’ll have guessed, this requires a whole lot of practice regarding self-love.

If you feel ungrounded (root), don’t know how you feel (sacral), don’t have the confidence to use your vocal chords to speak (solar plexus), or don’t believe you deserve to be listened to (heart), you won’t be able to use your voice.

Where to focus your attention?

Practice speaking up! Say what you truly have to say. You can start by standing alone in your living room and sharing what you have to say with yourself, or imagining someone’s in front of you.

6. Ajna (Third Eye Chakra)

This one is located in between your eyebrows. It has to do with seeing things as they are, but also about imagination and intuition. If you often ask people questions as to what decisions you should make on an important matter (moving states or countries, ending or starting a relationship, etc.), then chances are this chakra needs a little more balance.

Where to focus your attention?

Connect with yourself! Meditation is definitely a great way to do that, and before you get into your meditation, ask yourself questions. And if you have to make a big decision, learn to consult yourself first. Make lists, meditate, ask yourself while on your yoga mat, and do your research.

7. Sahasrara (Crown Chakra)

This chakra is located at the top of your head. It has to do with spirituality, which is different from religion in the way that spirituality doesn’t bound you to specific beliefs; rather, being spiritual means allowing yourself to ask the big questions: What does life mean? Is there a God? Do I have a life purpose?

Being too set in your ways and finding yourself held back by limiting beliefs regarding yourself (‘others can do this, but not me,’ ‘this is too hard’) and the world around you (‘I need to marry someone to be happy’) are signs that this chakra needs attention.

Where to focus your attention?

Focus your attention on learning more! Be curious about the world and people around you; ask questions in conversations, don’t let your ego trick you into thinking you know it all.