Chakras 101
The chakra system is a system that’s discussed both in and out of yoga studios, amongst therapists, psychologists, doctors, nurses, bodyworkers, and anyone else with an interest in the process of their emotional and psychological development. You may also stumble upon chakra discussion in high schools, colleges, coffee shops, restaurants and bars. It’s definitely a topic that’s both accessible and incredibly scholarly.
According to Anodea Judith, author of Eastern Body Western Mind, “The Chakra system is a seven-leveled philosophical model of the universe.” and “A chakra is a center of organization that receives, assimilates, and expresses life force energy.” As a human being existing here on planet Earth, you have seven main chakras that are stacked like a column from the base of your spine to the crown of your head.
There are other minor chakras, but you’ll usually see books, classes, and workshops on only seven. The chakra system is a beautiful system to study and use in your own yoga practice, meditation practice, or as a way to navigate your thought patterns, tendencies, places of excess, deficiencies, and a path to discovering better balance.
Table of Contents:
What exactly are chakras and how is the word pronounced?
What are the seven chakras?
A guide to the first chakra
A guide to the second chakra
A guide to the third chakra
A guide to the fourth chakra
A guide to the fifth chakra
A guide to the sixth chakra
A guide to the seventh chakra
How do I incorporate the chakras into my practice or my classes?
1. What exactly are chakras and how is the word pronounced?
Your body is full of energy and has many centers and pathways that hold or move that energy. Three specific energy channels in your body are ida, pingala, and sushumna. Sushumna is an energy channel in line with your spine while ida and pingala meet at the base of your spine, separate, meet again, separate, meet again, and so on. The meeting points of ida and pingala are where your chakras are located. A chakra may be understood as an energetic center that’s possibly spinning like a wheel.
You can pronounce the “ch” in “chakra” like the “ch” sound in the word “patch” or “chocolate.” It’s often mispronounced like the sound the “sh” makes in “shoe.”
2. What are the seven chakras?
The first chakra begins to develop while you’re still in the womb and then the next six chakras develop as you grow up and move through your life. Once a chakra is developed, it doesn’t mean it’s perfected. As you grow and learn, your chakras will also come in and out of balance along with your life experiences. Balancing the chakras is an ongoing process and even once you feel balanced, you may come out of balance again. It’s kind of like how one day you can come into tree pose effortlessly and then on another day, you constantly fall out of it.
Each chakra is associated with a color, a location, and also physical and emotional ways to spot imbalances.
3. A guide to the first chakra
The first chakra is called Muladhara, or The Root Chakra. It develops from the time you’re in the womb through about twelve months old. This is the chakra responsible for trust, grounding, feeling at home, and security. Its color is red and it's located at the base of your spine. When it’s out of balance, there may be issues with boundaries, emotional eating, weight changes, and overall feelings of sluggishness. When it’s in balance, there’s good health, a sense of groundedness, healthy boundaries, and an ability to feel safe. Some healing practices to come back to balance may include: receiving massages and other bodywork, grounding yoga asana, and incorporating essential oils like clove, copaiba, and cedarwood into your life.
4. A guide to the second chakra
The second chakra is called Svadhisthana. It develops from about six months to two years old. This is the chakra responsible for movement, sensation, emotion, pleasure, and needs. Its color is orange and it's located at the lower abdominals. When it’s out of balance, there may be signs of pleasure addiction or a fear of pleasure, poor boundaries, obsessive attachment, and even an inability to feel. When it’s in balance, there’s a healthy relationship to experiencing pleasure, the ability to adapt to changes, strong boundaries, and even a visible grace as you move. Some healing practices to come back to balance may include: working on boundaries, therapies that support healthy pleasure alignment or emotional release and using essential oils such as cypress, clary sage, and cinnamon.
5. A guide to the third chakra
The third chakra is called Manipura. It develops from about eighteen months to four years old. This is the chakra responsible for power, energy, and self esteem. Its color is yellow and it's located at the solar plexus. When it’s out of balance, there may be shaming behavior, physical abuse, or controlling behavior. When it’s in balance, there is an ability to be a strong leader, confidence, healthy self esteem, and a sense of playfulness. Some healing practices to come back to balance may include: taking risks, incorporating a more vigorous yoga practice, and incorporating essential oils like blue tansy, rosemary, and lemon into your daily routine.
6. A guide to the fourth chakra
The fourth chakra is called Anahata. It develops from about four to seven years old. This is the chakra responsible for love, relationships, the ability to take things in and also the ability to reach out. Its color is green and it's located at the center of the chest. When it’s out of balance, there may be jealousy, fear of intimacy, loneliness, and lack of empathy. When it’s in balance, there is an overall sense of compassion, lots of self love, good immunity, and an overall peaceful presence. Some healing practices to come back to balance may include: breathwork (pranayama), journaling, looking into existing assumptions about relationships, and working with essential oils like rose, ylang ylang, and peppermint.
7. A guide to the fifth chakra
The fifth chakra is called Vishuddha. It develops from about seven to twelve years old. This is the chakra responsible for communication, the ability to listen, and finding your voice. Its color is blue and it's located at the throat. When it’s out of balance, there may be a fear of talking or a tendency to overtalk, gossiping, and difficulty expressing emotional verbally. When it’s in balance, there is clarity through self expression, the ability to speak with a purpose, and emobdyign the qualities of a good listener. Some healing practices to come back to balance may include: bodywork on the neck and shoulders, singing, chanting, telling stories, and working with the essential oils of bich and lavender.
8. A guide to the sixth chakra
The fifth chakra is called Ajna. It develops during adolescence. This is the chakra responsible for intuition, dreaming, and imagination. Its color is indigo and it's located at the third eye. When it’s out of balance, there may be lots of nightmares, poor memory, difficulty envisioning the future, obsessions, and insensitivity. When it’s in balance, there is good dream recall, strong intuition, and good perception. Some healing practices to come back to balance may include meditation, creative visual art, guided visualization, and working with the essential oils: rosemary, clary sage, and lemongrass.
9. A guide to the seventh chakra
The fifth chakra is called Sahasrara. It develops during early adulthood and beyond. This is the chakra responsible for belief systems, understanding, and connection to the divine. Its color is vilot and it's located at the crown of the head. When it’s out of balance, there are signs of confusion, over-intellectualization, learning difficulties, greed, and disassociation from the body. When it’s in balance, there is general awareness, compassion, a feeling of being spiritually connected, and open-minded. Some healing practices to come back to balance may include discipline in a spiritual practice like committing to prayers or japa, understanding your physical and emotional connection, and working with the essential oils: frankensense, sandalwood, and roman chamomile.
10. How do I incorporate the chakras into my practice or my classes?
The chakra system can be incorporated into classes for kids, adults, and it can also used in your own offerings to individual clients. The chakras make great class themes, projects, and meditation topics. You may also choose one chakra a week and try to incorporate some of the balancing practices into your self care while also noticing when the qualities of that chakra show up. If you enjoy working with essential oils, you can also incorporate the essential oils associated with each chakra into your daily routine by adding them to your diffuser or into your body oils and lotions.
There are lots of yoga classes that may even have physical chakra themes, like focusing on the heart chakra during a class that’s focused on back bends.
This blog was written for YogaRenew Teacher Training