To know the secret of the universe we have to start with our own body, what if I told you our body is a big powerhouse of energy if only we knew how to harness it, we can become the best version of ourselves. This vast spiritual energy is focused in our body as chakras; chakras are essentially the centres of the cosmic energy flowing around us.
What are Chakras?
I assume the word chakra is not new to you as nowadays whenever the topic of overall wellbeing comes the chakras are discussed extensively, but the question is do you know what really this “Chakra” word signifies?
Chakra is a Sanskrit word which means wheel, chakras are the spinning discs of energy which affect various aspects of our life, to make it simple let us consider a bicycle, the bicycle has wheels which ensure movement and balance of the bicycle in the same way seven chakras of the body help us in making balance and moving forward in life.
Many people believe there are 114 chakras in our body corresponding to different bundles of nerves and organs of the body. However, there are 7 chakras which have gained prominence over time. These seven chakras of the body are aligned along our spine and are responsible for the entire cosmic prana (energy) dwelling inside us.
Origin of Chakra Philosophy
Around 1500 to 1000 BC, when India was at the peak of intellect and spirituality when the Veda and Puranas were being written, the philosophy of chakra came into being. Thanks to the spread of yoga and awareness in the spiritual field, modern-day philosophies are incorporating the chakra philosophy once again, and that’s the reason we are going back to the knowledge our ancestors possessed.
If you are a beginner then you are at the right place as in this article we will be discussing all the seven Chakras of the body one by one along with their significance.
Blocked, Underactive and Overactive Chakra
You might have heard people talking about blocked chakras, in chakra philosophy it is believed that most of your problems are associated with, overactive, underactive or blocked chakra, the problems one experiences due to chakra imbalance are related to that particular region of the chakra controls. There are yoga and asana to activate and balance chakras. Now without further ado let’s discuss all the 7 chakras in human body and their significance.
1. Root Chakra
- Sanskrit name – Muladhara
- Location – Base of spine
- Element – Earth
- Colour – Red
- Crystal – Red jasper, onyx, hematite
- Yoga pose– Malasana squats, mountain pose
The root chakra is responsible for the basic needs of life such as food, water, and shelter. A balanced root chakra fills you with a sense of safety and security, blockage of the root chakra can lead to fear, nightmares, and lower back and leg issues. Underactive root chakra can make us feel anxious and insecure while overactive chakra can lead to an over-attachment to worldly pleasures.
2. Sacral Chakra
- Sanskrit name – Swadhistana
- Location- Below navel, above the pubic bone
- Element- Water
- Colour – Orange
- Crystal- Carnelian, tiger’s eye, sunstone
- Yoga pose- Goddess pose, warrior II
This chakra is responsible for our emotions and feelings; it is the creative and sexual energy centre of our body. A balanced sacral chakra ensures healthy relationships, a passionate attitude, pleasure and abundance. Blocked sacral chakra can lead to depression or addiction-like behaviours. Underactive sacral chakra can lead to infertility issues while overactive sacral chakra can lead to emotional fluctuations.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra
- Sanskrit name – Manipura
- Location – From navel to the ribcage
- Element – Fire
- Colour – Yellow
- Crystal – Citrine, Pyrite, amber
- Yoga pose – Boat pose, twists
This chakra is the source of your individual power, be it commitment, willpower or resistance. A balanced Solar plexus chakra makes you believe in yourself and gives you positive confidence, its blockage can lead to low self-esteem, anger issues and procrastination.
4. Heart Chakra
- Sanskrit name – Anahata
- Location – The Canter of the chest
- Element – Air
- Colour – Green and pink
- Crystal – Rose Quartz, malachite, jade
- Yoga pose – Reverse plank, upward facing dog, backbends
The heart chakra is all about love, aligned heart chakra sets us free to give and receive love, it makes us compassionate and lively, and we become more accepting and spiritually aware, a blocked heart chakra in turn results in anger, grief and hatred toward self and others. The overactive heart chakra can make you too dependable while the underactive heart chakra makes you jealous, possessive and needy.
5. Throat Chakra
- Sanskrit name – Vishuddha
- Element – Ether
- Location – Near thyroid
- Colour – Blue
- Crystal – Kyanite, aquamarine
- Yoga pose – Fish Pose, shoulder stand
The throat chakra makes us aware of our inner selves, it is responsible for our communication abilities, an aligned throat chakra ensures we articulate our thoughts well and listen to others as well, a blocked throat chakra can create problems in expressing oneself, trouble in speaking truth, overactive throat chakra makes us over judgemental to others, while underactive throat chakra makes it hard to focus on something.
6. Third Eye Chakra
- Sanskrit name – Ajna
- Location – Between eyebrows
- Element – Light
- Colour – Indigo
- Crystal – Amethyst, purple fluorite, labradorite
- Yoga pose – Child’s pose, Dolphin pose
The third eye chakra is also known as the inner eye is responsible for intuition, it serves as a bridge between our physical and spiritual world, and it helps us realize the clear picture, a blocked third eye chakra makes it hard for us to listen to our inner voice, it becomes hard to learn new things, underactive third eye chakra makes us an over-thinker, while overactive it can make us clairvoyant to a level that overwhelms us.
7. Crown Chakra
- Sanskrit name – Sahasrara
- Location – The crown of the head
- Element – None
- Colour – Violet
- Crystal – Selenite, clear quartz, lepidolite
- Yoga pose – Headstand, Tree pose
Crown chakra is the centre of higher consciousness, if it activates we become enlightened beings. With the activation of the crown chakra, you become a part of the vast universal conscience and things start making sense, a blocked crown chakra can make you apathetic, anxious and restless.
Crown chakra is very different from others; its activation needs specific yogic and meditative practices which are quite hard but not impossible.
Bottom Line
All our chakras are interlinked, there are three things which define our existence, mind, body and soul to live life to the fullest, we need to create a balance between them, balancing our chakras serves the same purpose.
Seven chakras of the body activation can heal us from the inside out and we can understand the true purpose of our being, blocked chakras hinder our growth and make us doubt our true potential while chakras in a balanced state can help us know the ultimate truth, as we said, in the beginning, all our secrets are hidden within us, all we need is to explore them.
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Anjani Kumar Shrivastava, a distinguished yoga expert with decades of experience, brings healing and wisdom through yoga therapy, meditation, and Ayurvedic principles. His remarkable Read more