A chakra is simply defined as an energetic center. Its origin comes from the Sanskrit language chakra meaning wheel or disc. Typically, we speak of the main seven chakras. I am sure you have seen the image of a person’s body with seven-colored centers from top to bottom. Each chakra location corresponds to an organ and has a specific energy. A blocked or unbalanced chakra can affect your wellbeing, from physical to mental to emotional. [1]
Chakra balancing is the process of restoring the flow of energy through one or any of these centers. Aligning your chakras is very important! You could be having a small misalignment that is reflecting on many areas of your life. Think of the chakras as the wheels of your car. A wheel that is out of balance or worn out can become an unsteady and uncomfortable ride. [2]
The seven energetic centers
Why Should I Align My Chakras?
Benefits of balancing your chakras include:
- sense of security, feeling grounded
- establishing healthy boundaries
- enhanced self-esteem
- a positive perception of love
- effective communication
- mental focus
- a better sense of purpose
We are a whole. Because everything is connected, a blockage here can affect energies there. In the long run, any imbalance will affect a body part, an emotion, or even a relationship or a financial situation. In fact, it’s not only a ‘block,’ but it can be a misalignment.
Your chakras can be overflowing with energy, meaning it’s way too open. They can be blocked, meaning energy can’t flow through this path. Or it can be misaligned, meaning the energy is flowing but not on the path it’s supposed to. They could also be spinning in the direction it’s not supposed to. The seven main chakras should be all rotating to the right. If one of them has a leftward movement, you already have a misalignment.
How To Start: Practices that Align Chakras
Chakra alignment is not a pseudoscience! Healing systems like acupuncture, yoga, and reiki have observed and treated the body based on these energetic ‘flows’ and circles. Scientific research has associated different body organs and body parts with the specific chakras. [3]
The theory lists a few ways of stimulating our chakras, with the idea of adjusting them. They are external methods, but ultimately the person has to internalize these practices. True balance comes from within.
Here are simple ways of working your chakras:
- Percussion and rhythms
- Friction
- Massage
- Magnetism
- Heat
- Mantras
- Focusing attention
- Mindset [4]
These techniques are summarized and used by different types of healers and healing practices. In essence, you are working through each energy center to seek balance. Because each center and its respective blockage and flow are associated with an organ, the healing practice often focuses on this organ and its functions. Usually, healers combine techniques to treat and align the patient.
Here are other practices that you can find online, in your hometown, or that you could even try by yourself:
Chakra Balancing & Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential plant-based oils. It’s a healing approach that focuses on the sense of smell. It can reinvigorate the body, the mind, and the spirit. You can shift your energies and feel good when you apply a smell that you like. Has fresh mint or a boiling pot of mint tea ever refreshed you, maybe woken you up? Smell is one of our primary senses. We might not be the mammals with the keenest olfactory system, yet we can distinguish and use it daily. [5]
Essential Oils
Scents can be used as a powerful healing tool. Hippocrates was a strong believer in aromatic baths and massages. Egyptians used essential oils as love potions, cosmetics, and perfumes. During World War I, a French chemist investigated the antibacterial properties these had with soldiers’ wounds. Nowadays, it’s a big market, and essential oils are used in and out of hospital settings. [6]
The main intention of aromatherapy is to calm, balance, and rejuvenate. When balancing chakras, there is sufficient literature that pairs each center with specific scents:
1. First Chakra: Muladhara, our Root, can be Treated with Patchouli Essential Oil
The root chakra is found at the base of the spine. It’s associated with grounding, the Earth, and the physical world. The feeling of survival and being stable can be lost when this chakra is unbalanced. Patchouli is a scent that helps you enjoy being by yourself, relaxes you in your body, and has an overall resting and grounding feeling.
Other scents that help align your root chakra include cypress, ginger, cinnamon bark, cedarwood, sandalwood, geranium, wild orange, and ylang-ylang.
2. Second Chakra: Swadhisthana, our Sacrum, can be Treated with Neroli Essential Oil
Located in the low abdomen, this energetic center is found between the pelvis and the belly button. The orange colour, the water element, and it’s related to vitality, passion, self-gratification, and emotional intelligence. Out of balance, this chakra can mean a lack of enjoyment, decreased sexual satisfaction, inability to embrace change, and lower emotional intelligence.
Neroli is an oil that can help bring a peaceful and stable calmness. It can also help heal traumas from abuse or emotional turbulence. It can guide you into opening up to loving yourself. Other scents are rose, jasmine, geranium, cardamom, orange, fennel, nutmeg, and coriander seed.
3. Third Chakra: Manipura, our Solar Plexus, can be Treated with Pine Essential Oil
Located right above the belly button, this chakra is associated with the colour yellow and fire element. It’s related to vitality, motivation, and willpower. Out of balance, you might feel tired or chronic fatigue, a constant fear of rejection, digestive issues related to the pancreas and gallbladder, and maybe being too self-critical.
The solar plexus is the connection to the self. In balance, you emanate and feel self-respect and self-compassion. Pine essential oil is here to help us unblock and restore this sense of self. It allows us to release old traumas and past ideas of ourselves. It’s replenishing and restorative to this important energetic center. Other scents that can positively stimulate our Manipura include bergamot, grapefruit, rosemary, mandarin, juniper, and lemon.
Other things you can do to center your Solar plexus include:
–Physically: work out your core. It’s your center. A strong abdomen will mean a strong self-belief. It makes sense: crunches and planks push your self-limiting perception of how strong your center is. Give it a try! Make your center strong.
Your center is your navel; right above is Manipura. Breathe into your Fire.
–Psychologically: talk to your inner critic and make peace. All the self-judgments you have built throughout the years, let them go. It’s not an easy task because you might have been repeating them subconsciously for a long time. Deep down, you know some of them are repetitive, and they serve you no purpose. Breathe deeply, write if you need, and start the acceptance of your Self.
–Emotionally: let’s take it a step further and talk to ourselves positively. This exercise enforces you to find your love in yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror and repeat these positive affirmations (or similar ones you feel comfortable with): I am enough. I am worthy of. I am capable of. I am powerful. [7]
4. Fourth Chakra: Anahata, our Heart, can be Treated with Rose Essential Oil
Further up, we have the fourth energetic center called ‘Anahata,’ linked to the Heart and associated with the colour green. It’s self-acceptance and love. The element is air, and other organs it works with are the lungs, the skin, the rib cage, the arms, and the hands.
Out of balance, you can manifest asthma, upper back and shoulder pains, the constant fear of being alone, jealousy, arm and wrist pain. On the flip side, a balanced Anahata means a good feel of gratitude, love, joy, and compassion for people around you.
Rose is an essence for the heart. To bring acceptance and cultivate peace inside this center of ours, this oil can help you. It will allow the flow of emotions, release constricted feelings, and bring an overall harmonic sense of being.
Other scents for balancing the fourth chakra include jasmine, cypress, geranium, lavender, melissa, eucalyptus, and chamomile.
5. Fifth Chakra: Vishuddha, our Throat, can be Treated with Lavender Essential Oil
The fifth energetic center that we can balance or have out of balance is called Vishuddha, and it is found at our throat. It will be associated with communication and is represented by the colour blue or sometimes a turquoise like blue.
On the idea that it’s about communicating and about self-expression, you will find that this chakra unbalanced can manifest as issues expressing yourself, ear infections, sore throat, the constant fear of being out of control, neck and shoulder pain, and thyroid problems.
When this chakra is balanced, you become honest, truthful, and voice exactly what you want and naturally articulate your words. You become a good listener, and your voice is fully felt.
Lavender is an essence that helps stimulate this chakra. It will expand your awareness and perspective. Other scents that help with communication and blocked throats include frankincense, geranium, sage, peppermint, eucalyptus, clove, tea tree, and roman chamomile.
6. Sixth Chakra: Ajna, our Third Eye, can be Treated with Sandalwood Essential Oil
The second to last chakra is called Ajna, and it is located in the forehead, slightly above the point between our two eyebrows. It’s the Third Eye. The colour is indigo, and the element is Light. It’s associated with knowledge and self-reflection.
When this chakra is out of balance, you might have headaches, sinus problems, blurred vision, eye strain, stubbornness, and moodiness. When in balance, you will have a good sense of intuition and memory. You will be able to visualize and connect with the vision of your life.
Sandalwood oil can help you align this chakra. It’s important when meditating and grounding to have a clear vision of your authentic self. Using this essential oil, you can develop inner awareness and make softer the process of exploring your deeper self.
Other scents that aid in balancing chakra Ajna are: bay laurel, palo santo, carrot seed, melissa, chamomile, rose, clary sage, and rosemary.
7. Seventh Chakra: Samsara, our Crown, can be Treated with Lime Essential Oil
Lastly, we have the crown! This seventh chakra is on top of our heads. The colour is violet. The element is thought or awareness. This is the last step to the divine connection. It’s self-will and self-knowledge.
“I am connected to all; I am part of it all.”
An unbalanced Samsara can mean you have rigid thoughts, a constant fear of alienation, materialism, attached, or greed. But balanced, this chakra allows you to become a deep thinker. You have an open mind, curiosity, and a connection to higher knowledge. You are peaceful and healthy.
One of the oils that can help balance this chakra is lime! It can aid in finding the perception of the truth. It releases and breaks the illusion and promotes clarity. Other scents that positively stimulate the crow chakra are frankincense, sandalwood, vetiver, lotus, rose, cedarwood, spikenard, benzoin, and palo santo.
Chakra Balancing Meditation
Moving on from scents, we have a top solution to aligning every single chakra: meditation. It’s a simple practice that can help you calm your mind, recenter, and gives you strength in many ways: emotional, spiritual, mental, and so on.
It’s becoming trendy, and despite being a bit challenging at first, you can easily incorporate it into your morning (or nighttime) routine.
There are plenty of meditations focused on balancing chakras. Unlike mindful meditation, where the main goal is to be present and in your breathing, chakra meditations involve a bit more visualizing and connecting with each center. It’s probably more similar to a ‘body scan’ meditation, where you check the energy or the feel of each of your body parts with your eyes closed in a relaxed position.
Chakra balancing meditation encourages you to connect with each center and its respective properties. Each chakra has a root sound or ‘bija mantra,’ which you can hum just like an Om when meditating. There are also ‘mudras’ or hand positions for each chakra.
Chakra meditation has a variety of benefits:
- can increase concentration, memory, and focus
- improves self-awareness
- increases productivity and creativity
- stimulates self-compassion and compassion to others
- can reduce anxiety and stress
- better sleep [8]
Yoga
Yoga = alignment.
This is the undeniable truth of why it’s becoming so popular in any healing, medical, or wellness sphere. Yoga will help you balance physical pains; yoga will balance the mind and definitely balances your chakras! In fact, yoga’s benefits come from the fact that it is chakra balancing. Yoga poses were specifically designed years ago to treat a given body part. The collection of poses targets all the energy centers that we have.
Here’s a list of some poses and the chakras they can balance:
- Tree pose for root chakra: like the roots of a tree, this pose cultivates grounding and a sense of self-esteem.
- Goddess poses for sacral chakra: by opening up your hips and the pelvic floor, this pose stimulates your reproductive and sexual organs, your sense of creativity, and fertility.
- Boat pose for the solar plexus: let’s build core! Your center is the physical abdominal muscle. Work it out, and you will develop a strong sense of Self.
- Camel poses for the heart center: by opening up your chest, pulling back your shoulders, and raising it to the sky, you’ll align your Anahata. You’ll start feeling joyful, loving, and with a strong sense of acceptance. Open up your chest and breathe in.
- Shoulder stand for the throat chakra:Â having trouble communicating? Let’s focus on balancing your throat chakra, Vishuddha. This pose opens up and stimulates this energetic center.
- Sitting pose for the Third Eye: let’s recenter. Breathe deep. Feel it all. Feel. Get in touch with your intuition and open up your mind. This pose is great to open up and trust, learn new perspectives and let go of blockages in the Third Eye chakra center.
- Corpse pose for the Crown: let’s close this practice by laying down and giving ourselves to the Universe. This peaceful pose is for us to let go, relax and detach from the physical world. Feel free to fall asleep! Savasana is the favourite part of yoga for many. It’s true happiness; it’s a true connection to the spiritual world. [9]
Reiki for Chakra Balancing
Last but not least, let’s review Reiki, a healing practice that can help center and balance your chakras. Despite being from a different culture and time in history, many Reiki healers use and see these systems overlap. Reiki is originally from Japan.
Buddhist monk Mikao Usui learned that the universal energy could flow through anyone, and he developed meditations and practices to channel them. The lines and centers are called tandems, which are very similar to chakras. One of the primary tandems called Seida is in the lower abdomen, similar to the Sacral chakra.
It’s the same idea that we accumulate blockages through life in given centers and channels. And it’s the same healing concept of unblocking. A Reiki practitioner focuses on each tandem and releases blocks. A reiki healer who knows the seven chakra system and their location is actually in advantage. It’s another way of looking at the human body and the energy moving inside of us. It’s definitely the same capacity and intention to heal and balance. [10]
Ready to balance yourself?
All in all, balance is the secret to life and a lasting, good, inner sense of wellbeing. Feeling a bit unbalanced? The first step is to identify and understand where and why you have a blockage. The seven chakras are a beautiful way of mapping each pain and block we accumulate as we go through our days, weeks, years. It’s important to take time and figure out what is blocked. And then, you can unblock.
Beyond aromatherapy, yoga, reiki, and meditation, there are specific activities and things you can do to balance each chakra. It usually involves working with and diving deep into each chakra’s properties, elements, and colours. For example, to positively stimulate the sacral chakra, wear and seek out the colour orange and connect with water. Visit the Ocean or take a bubble bath.
Is your Heart blocked? Work with green, work with your hands, and eat a lot of greens. Send yourself flowers. In the end, it becomes intuitive. It becomes about listening to yourself and your different centers. The Truth is in you! Good luck.
Sources
[1] https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/4964/chakra
[2] https://www.wellnessinharmony.com/chakra-balancing-important-health/
[3] Sweta, K. M., Awasthi, H. H., Godbole, A., & Prajapati, S. (2017). The physio-anatomical resemblance of inferior hypogastric plexus with Muladhara Chakra: A cadaveric study. Ayu, 38(1-2), 7–9.
[4] DeRose, L. (2006). Chakras y kundalinÃ. Buenos Aires: Kier.
[5] https://ct.liveyourtruth.com/the-significance-of-chakra-alignment-for-energy-and-health/
[6] Robins, Jo. (1999). The Science and Art of Aromatherapy. Journal of holistic nursing: official journal of the American Holistic Nurses’ Association. 17. 5-17.
[7] https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/solar-plexus-healing-the-third-chakras-connection-to-disease
[8] https://www.louise-armstrong.com/12-amazing-benefits-of-chakra-meditation-2/
[9] https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/7-poses-chakras#gid=ci0207568e70112620&pid=corpse-pose-savasana
[10] https://www.chakras.info/reiki/
