What are Chakras?

There is a good chance that you have heard about chakras in a yoga or meditation class. Or maybe, when you went for an energy healing session like Reiki, you were told you have a blocked chakra. But do you really know what they are?

We have seven main chakras and several minor chakras. When talking about chakras most people are referring to the main chakras.

Chakras are the main energy centers of the body. The word chakra translates to “wheel” in Sanskrit. You can imagine them as wheels of free-flowing energy.

How do They get Blocked?

Our chakras develop during childhood and each chakra has a main purpose. Majority of our beliefs are imprinted in our subconscious mind during the first 7 years of our lives and these beliefs all have a major impact on our chakras.

Imagine a young child is punished and the parent says: “I do this because I love you”. The child is mentally and emotionally not far enough developed yet to understand what is going on. But understands that his parents love him and punishes him. What does your subconscious mind do? It links punishment with love.

Subconsciously you might now believe you need punishment to be loved. This belief will block your heart (fourth chakra) and prevent you from living a life where you are able to fully love (others and yourself) and be loved.

And so do all our beliefs and traumas (small or big) affect our chakras.

The Chakras

Root Chakra (First chakra, Muladhara)

The Muladhara or first chakra represents our foundation. It is about our survival and safety on earth. It sits at the base of your spine and gives you the feeling of being grounded.

Location: Base of spine

Central issue: Survival

Color: Red

Element: Earth

Demon: Fear

Rights: To be here, to have

Sacral Chakra (Second chakra, Svadhisthana)

The Svadhisthana or second chakra is about our emotional identity. It sits at the lower abdomen and governs emotions, creativity and sexual energy.

Location: Below the naval

Central issue: Sexuality, emotions

Color: Orange

Element: Water

Demon: Guilt

Rights: To feel, to want

Solar Plexus Chakra (Third chakra, Manipura)

The Manipura or third chakra is about our self-definition. It sits in the solar plexus and governs power and will. It speaks to your ability to be confident and in control of your life.

Location: Solar plexus, upper abdomen

Central issue: Power, will

Color: Yellow

Element: Fire

Demon: Shame

Rights: To act

Heart Chakra (Fourth chakra, Anahata)

The Anahata or fourth chakra is about self-acceptance. It sits in the heart area and governs love and relationships. It speaks to your ability to give and receive love (from others and ourselves).

Location: Heart area

Central issue: Love, relationships

Color: Green

Element: Air

Demon: Grief

Rights: To love and be loved

Throat Chakra (Fifth chakra, Vissudha)

The Vissudha or fifth chakra is about communication. It sits in the throat and governs self-expression. It speaks to your ability to communicate your personal power.

Location: Throat

Central issue: Communication

Color: Light blue/Turquoise

Element: Sound

Demon: Lies

Rights: To speak and be heard

Third Eye Chakra (Sixth chakra, Anja)

The Anja or sixth chakra is about intuition and imagination. It sits in the forehead between the brows and looks to self-reflection. It controls our ability to see the big picture and connect to our intuition.

Location: Between the brows

Central issue: Intuition, Imagination

Color: Dark blue/Purple

Element: Light

Demon: Illusion

Rights: To see

Crown Chakra (Seventh chakra, Sahasrara)

The Sahasrara or seventh chakra is awareness. It sits on the crown of the head and looks to self-knowledge. It represents our ability to be fully connected spiritually. You access higher consciousness through your crown chakra.

Location: Crown

Central issue: Awareness

Color: Violet/White

Element: Thought

Demon: Attachment

Rights: To know

Balancing your Chakras

All your chakras work together as a system which means if one is out of balance, it will affect all the others. Don’t stress. It is totally normal to have more than one chakra out of balance. To get them all open and in the right flow is part of a life journey towards inner healing and living a full life.