Have you heard the word chakra before? Well, if you ever attended a yoga class, you must have. But, do you have any idea what does it mean? If not, don’t worry, you’re not the only one and we’re here to teach you!
Let’s get straight into it 🙂
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One of the ways to define chakras would be saying that they are energy systems, which manage every aspect of your being. Chakras control three significant functions: spiritual, physical, and psychological.
When it comes to the physical aspect, all chakras manage a specific part of your body. Also, chakras are connected to endocrine glands. Chakras regulate how we develop our emotions and beliefs, and in that way, they affect a person’s psychological aspect. From a spiritual perspective, chakras can help you manage and understand your physic abilities, as well as play a role in connecting you to higher spiritual understandings.
The beauty of chakras is that they are a part of every person; every atom of our beings contains this amazing mini-universe, which helps shape our reality.
The world we live in is molded and created by our thoughts and our beliefs around those thoughts. This is where chakras come in. They transform energy, giving you the ability to manifest your thoughts, beliefs, and desires into physical existence.
It is essential to point out that chakras contain all our memories and experiences which govern how we feel about ourselves and how we interact with everything around us. Chakras have the journey of our souls recorded in their memory banks. They can open you up to a more profound understanding of your brilliance. Once you take the time to study and understand this vital part of who you are, you will be able to shape your future the way you want to.
Before you go on to learn about chakras, it is important that you keep in mind that all chakras play an equally important role in helping you control certain aspects of your existence. Also, it is easy for each of your chakras to become imbalanced. This is normal and it happens to everyone since it is a part of soul growth. Luckily, there is a way to restore the balance to your chakras and unblock them, but we will talk about that a bit later.
Now, it’s time for you to get to know the seven chakras and their meanings.
1. Root Chakra – represents the feeling of remaining grounded. Emotional issues that the root chakra impacts include your financial independence and your relationship with money and also food. If there are imbalances, you may experience things like fatigue, lower back pain, depression, sciatica, and anemia.
2. Sacral Chakra – stands for your ability to embrace new experiences. It provides a sense of pleasure and abundance. If it is out of balance, you might find yourself suffering from eating disorders, depression, lower back pain, allergies, urinary problems, and alcohol or drug abuse.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra – represents your confidence and control over life. It is in charge of your self-esteem and self-confidence. If imbalanced, this chakra can cause digestive problems, ulcers, diabetes, constipation, and poor memory.
4. Heart Chakra – as you might have guessed, this chakra represents your ability to love, and it is located just above your heart. It ensures love, joy, and inner peace. However, if this chakra is out of balance, it can cause chest pain, high blood pressure, immune system issues, heart or breast cancer, and heart disorders.
5. Throat Chakra – stands for your ability to communicate with others, and it also gives you feelings of self-expression and a need for the truth. It is located in the throat and, if off-balance, can cause swollen glands, thyroid imbalances, flu, hyperactivity, PMS and bloating.
6. Third Eye Chakra – gives you an ability to see the big picture. It also provides focus, intuition, wisdom, imagination, and aids you when making decisions. If out of balance, this chakra can cause fevers and flu, learning disabilities, sleep disorders, neck and shoulder problems, thyroid imbalances, and problems with coordination.
7. Crown Chakra – represents your connection to spirituality. When imbalanced, this chakra can cause mental illness, headaches, brain disorders, epilepsy, skin rashes, and senility.
Don’t let the imbalance of chakras scare you! Luckily, every time one of your chakras goes out of balance, it can be fixed. The key to healing imbalances is self-awareness. It is your attention to every intention you outlined in the universe, which will lead to understanding what inside of you needs healing.
Chakra systems are very similar to the seven basic chakras we mentioned. If you’re wondering how many chakra systems are there, the answer to that question is that 114 chakras can be found in the human body. However, most people recognize only seven.
Besides chakras, there are also 72,000 “nadis” or energy channels in your body. These channels allow “prana” or vital energy to flow through them. When the nadis meet at different points in the body, they form a triangle. We call this triangle a chakra, which means “wheel.” The reason why this triangle is called a wheel is because it stands for movement, dynamism, and growth. So, even though nadis form a triangle, we call this formation a chakra for a good reason. Some of these centers are very powerful, while others are not as powerful. At different levels, these energy centers produce different qualities in a human being.
It is essential to know that there is a difference between spirituality and religion. Spirituality refers to your spiritual journey, which is not prohibited by the majority of religions.
Even though they are not prohibited, there are some religions in which chakras are a part of their beliefs. So, what religion believes in chakras? They are present in certain forms of Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism. Chakras are prominent in the occult physiological practices of certain types of these religions.
Activating and balancing your chakras is not against any other religion, even though you might be misled to believe so. The chakras can be described as vortices of subtle energy that flow in the spinal column of every human being, whether that person is aware of them or not. The chakras can be described as channels that connect the spiritual and physical aspects of a person. Opening chakras can only bring you spiritual knowledge, which, once again, isn’t considered to be prohibited by religions.
We mentioned a few times already that your chakras can get blocked or become imbalanced. That’s nothing scary; it just means that the flowing energy is hindered or stuck. Think of this as a clogged artery. Unfortunately, chakras can’t function properly if they have blockages. But, the real question is, why do chakras get blocked?
The reasons behind the imbalance of your chakras can be spiritual, physical, or psychological. Physical blocks are literal blockages such as fatty deposits in the arteries, excess waste, a cyst, or even a tumor. These are created due to our poor dietary choices, lack of exercise, not getting enough sleep, or overworking.
Psychological or emotional chakras are a result of negative emotions from the past or even mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression. Emotional toxins can accumulate when a person is unable to process and digest emotions properly. The toxins then block the energy flow of the chakras.
Spiritual blockages can come from spiritual forces found within or outside of a person. If you forget to honor your spiritual side, you are quite likely to block your chakras. Being spiritually rigid and strict can also restrict the flow of energy.
So, now that you know why do chakras get blocked, it’s time for you to learn how to recognize if your chakras are blocked (and what to do to unblock them).
Have you been feeling a little blue lately? Then, one of your chakras could be blocked and out of sync! When chakras are out of balance, then people might experience both physical and emotional issues. These energy centers keep you and your body going day in and day out, so it’s essential for your well-being to keep them healthy and open.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms of blocked chakras!
Blocked Root Chakra
In case you don’t remember, root chakra corresponds to the physical body; it’s your connection to the Earth. An open root chakra will make you feel wanted and loved, content with your body, confident with money, energetic for doing things you want, and it will ensure a secure connection with your friends and family.
Blocked root chakra may cause the following:
- Feeling you’re not good enough
- Constantly having financial problems
- Feeling stuck and sluggish
- Not being happy about your body
- Feeling that you have been abandoned by your friends and family
- Stress due to over-reliance on external circumstances
Blocked Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra is in charge of your sexuality, sensation, pleasure, creativity, relationships, and the joys of life.
Here are the symptoms of blocked sacral chakra:
- Having trouble being emotionally and sexually intimate
- Struggling with a positive self-image
- Being involved in toxic relationships
- Thinking that sex is something bad
- The distrust that someone can love you for you
Blocked Solar Plexus Chakra
Solar plexus chakra symbolizes your self-esteem, self-worth, personal power, and a relationship with yourself.
When blocked, you will experience the following:
- Anxiety and stomach pains
- Difficulty taking action due to lack of self-esteem
- Giving your power away to others as you feel this is necessary to keep peace in relationships
Blocked Heart Chakra
The heart chakra is in charge of your emotions, spirituality, love (for others and yourself), and forgiveness. When open, this chakra will allow you to be comfortable in all your relationships, give and receive love, and feel a sense of gratitude for your life.
When this chakra is blocked, you may experience the following:
- Fear of commitment
- Feeling that you have to please others for them to love you
- The need to hold grudges
- Asthma, allergies, and heart disease
- The trouble with giving and receiving love
Blocked Throat Chakra
The throat chakra is your communication center; it allows you to express yourself, speak the truth, and be heard. This chakra will make you feel comfortable when telling the truth, and it will also make you feel heard.
Blocked throat chakra can cause the following:
- Fear of speaking up
- Fear of expressing what you feel or want
- Sore throat or feeling like your throat is blocked
- Frustration because you feel like other people aren’t listening to you
Blocked Third Eye Chakra
This chakra is responsible for psychic abilities such as intuition. It is also in charge of your sense of purpose in life — self-reflection, visualization, discernment, and trust of your intuition. When open, this chakra will help you act with confidence and have a strong sense of your inner truth.
Blocked third eye chakra may cause the following:
- Disconnection from your intuition
- Difficulty making decision
- Having trouble finding meaning in life
- The frustration that there is something wrong or out of alignment
- Headaches and tension in your brow area
Blocked Crown Chakra
The crown chakra is your connection to the divine. It takes care of your spirituality, divine consciousness, enlightenment, belief systems, and revelation. In addition, this chakra controls your brain and central nervous system.
When this chakra is blocked, you are likely to experience the following:
- Aimlessness, insignificance, and loneliness
- A lack of connection to or guidance from a higher power
- Disconnection from the spiritual side of life and attachment to material possessions
- Migraines and headaches
This list of symptoms of blocked chakras might feel overwhelming. But don’t worry. When it comes to chakras, it’s quite likely that only one is blocked, not all of them. That is why you should try to find the source of the blockage. Once you do, you can work on unlocking your chakras.
There are many different ways to unlock your chakras once you recognize they are blocked. The good news is, it is quite easy to restore balance to your chakras, and you won’t have to perform any unusual rituals. The best way to unlock your chakras is through meditation, mudras, and mantra, or chakra jewelry.
If you’re wondering how do you unlock your chakras fast and efficiently, the answer is with the help of meditation. With powerful awareness and concentrated focus, you can fix symptoms of blocked chakras all on your own.
Mudras and mantras are also an excellent way to unlock a blocked chakra. Mudras are hand postures, and mantras are chants that you use during meditation to help you focus on a specific chakra that you want to restore to balance.
Last but not least, you can try chakra jewelry – pieces of semiprecious stones and minerals that can be used in everyday life and also meditation. The energy of the crystals has an effect on your chakras and helps in opening them.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know so much about chakras, it’s time to answer one last question – can chakra give you powers?
The answer to this question is both yes and no. Words such as “third eye chakra” might lead you to think that some magical superpowers are connected to chakras. Sadly, the answer is no. Unlocking your chakras will not help you read someone’s mind, become invisible, or stop time. However, it might help you with something else.
Learning about your chakras will help you understand your body and mind even better. Knowing your chakras will allow you to specifically target specific points in your body with positive energy and use these tools to recharge your body, mind, and soul. So, even though you might not be granted superpowers, chakras will help you restore balance, positivity, and joy to your life. It doesn’t get better than that, right?
