Chakras - what are they?

Here in the west we tend to think of ourselves as solid, physical bodies with physical needs and physical problems with physical causes. In eastern thinking not only do they acknowledge our physical state of being, but they also acknowledge our energetic self. They see us as not only a physical body, but also something more ethereal and energetic. They also see our 7 main energetic centres and the areas of our bodies and lives that each of these centres governs.

Our energetic centres govern every area of our spiritual and psychic lives from our emotional foundation in the world, to the way we give an receive love, our psychic awareness, personal vision and our ability to connect with our creator. When all these energy centres are in balance with each other we feel grounded and safe, secure in our environment, emotionally secure and are able to express ourselves creatively. We are aware of ourselves as connected to the universe.

When one or more of our energy centres falls out of balance with the others, some part of our spiritual expression becomes also unbalanced and doesn’t function as efficiently as it should.

The English word chakra is derived from the sanskrit ‘cakram’ meaning wheel or circle. The chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. In New Age practices, each chakra is often associated with a certain colour. In various traditions chakras are associated with multiple physiological functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element, and other distinguishing characteristics.

There are many chakras located throughout the body, but there are 7 main ones, all relating to the endocrine system of the physical body. They are energy centres, through which physical life force energy and spiritual energy flow. They relate to various areas of the physical body and conditions associated with those areas. They also relate to ones emotional, mental and spiritual growth.

THE CHAKRAS

The base chakra is located behind the pubic bone. It vibrates at the same frequency as the colour red and relates to the inner adrenal glands which are responsible for the fight or flight response. It regulates the sense of smell, and is associated with will power, it is also ascribed to the planet mars. The vertebral column, hips and legs are also areas related to this chakra. Some associated problems relating to the base chakra are:- constipation, diarrhoea, piles, colitis, Crohn's disease, cold fingers and toes, frequency of urination, hypertension (high blood pressure), kidney stones, impotence, problems with hips, legs and feet. This chakra relates to self awareness. It is the area of survival and stability and your place on this earth and security issues. It governs the way are able to satisfy our basic survival needs and the ease with which we face these demands. It governs our sense of security and personal safety and helps us avoid the “I can’t” “I’m too afraid” mentality. It gives us our sense of belonging and being wanted.

If you don’t worry about these issues very much, then your base chakra is well balanced. If you find yourself worrying about these issues, then this chakra is out of balance. The things that can upset the balance of the base chakra are more often than not, based in your childhood environment.

There are many ways to help overcome an imbalance in the base chakra. You should pay attention to how you nurture your physical needs such as nutrition etc. Eat well and healthily, exercise your body to keep it fit and strong. Keep living things in your home, plants or pets and nurture them also. Also necessary to a healthy base chakra is your relationship with your family and friends. If there are any estrangements within any of these relationships, do all you can to bridge these gaps and mend the emotional fences. Realise that you are worthy of giving and receiving love without negativity. Wear red jewellery or carry a smoky quartz crystal with you. Get out into nature as often as you can or take up gardening. You could also take up some kind of formal counselling in order to help you overcome serious childhood trauma that may be still affecting you.

The sacral chakra is located at about navel level and vibrates to the colour orange. The organs to which this chakra relates are uterus, large bowel, prostate and the reproductive organs. Some of the associated problems relating to the sacral chakra are:- pre-menstrual syndrome, problems with menstrual flow, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, irritable bowel syndrome, endometriosis, testicular disease, prostatic disease, low back pain. It corresponds to the testicles and overies.

Orange relates to our self respect, our emotional and sensual well being and our appetite for life. It governs the way we enjoy our earthly existence, through emotion, desire and sexuality and it activates all of our physical senses as well as our intuition and emotional feelings. Having the ability to give ourselves the freedom to be ourselves, to have and respect our own boundaries and therefore, be able to respect those of others. Orange relates to our ability to "give and take" within our relationships with others. It relates to base emotion, sexuality and creativity. When inbalanced, we might neglect our bodies needs, pushing it beyond it’s limits and refuse to nurture it in any way. We might lose our sense of spontaneity and joy in life. If it is imbalanced enough, one can become anorexic, bullimic, suffer from addictions, sexual dysfunction or depression.

There are many ways to rebalance your sacral chakra. For instance pamper yourself for a day. Make your home into a spa for the day and give yourself all the luxurious treats you can. Have regular massages. Give yourself a longed for beautiful gift, even if it’s not your birthday. If you do something good, say so. Say out loud “wasn’t I brilliant”? Don’t hold your feelings in, if you feel bad, pile up some cushions and punch them. Wear sensual underwear. If you feel good underneath, it shows. You could wear something orange around your navel area or carry an Amethyst wand crystal.

The solar plexus chakra is located underneath the bottom of the ribcage and vibrates to the colour yellow. Associated organs are the liver, spleen, stomach and small intestine. The endocrine gland is the pancreas. Some of the associated problems with this area are:- diabetes, pancreatitis, liver disease, peptic ulcer, Coeliac's disease, gall stones.

Yellow relates to self worth. How we feel about ourselves and how we feel others perceive us. This is the area of the personality, the ego and the intellect.It is related to the transition from base to higher emotion, energy, assimilation and digestion. It governs our self esteem and personal authority over our lives, our personal will and self control. When balanced, we can stay true to our cause and captain of our own ship. It is through this chakra that we develop our personality, assume our character and choose how we meet the world. When balanced we feel confident and worthy, we can stand up against oppressors and fight for what we feel is right.

There are things you can do to help balance your solar plexus. For instance, place a hand just under the ribs, on the solar plexus and imaging a golden disk covering the area. This will deflect any harmful energy that may be directed at you and will protect you from upset. A variation on this is to fold the hands lightly over this area when in contact with a person you fear or who affects you in a negative way.

Another good way to help this chakra is laughter. Watch comedy films and have a really good belly laugh. You might like to try another technique that works when dealing with someone you don’t know. When talking to them, assume the character of someone you have always wanted to be. Take yourself on a luxurious holiday, hire a personal trainer, put a lock on your bedroom door or take an assertiveness course. Try wearing something yellow or carry a citrine crystal.

The heart chakra is located in the centre of the chest at the level of the heart and vibrates to the colour green. Associated organs to this chakra are the heart and breasts. . The endocrine gland is the thymus gland situated within the chest. Some associated problems relating to the heart chakra are:- heart diseases , diseases of the Immune System for example, Aids and ME (myalgia encephalomyelitis, sometimes referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome or post viral syndrome); other problems related to the immune system, allergies and cancer of the breast.

It is concerned with balance at all levels and also the balance between the lower 3 physical chakras and the higher 3 spiritual chakras It is concerned with higher emotions of love, compassion, equilibrium and well being. This chakra relates to love / self love. The ability to give and take unconditionally. When balanced we are able to give this love and also to love and nurture ourselves, warts and all.

The heart is the centre of intimacy, compassion, empathy, caring and love. It activates within our feelings of affection, nurturing and friendship and share these joys with others around us. It stimulates in us, the desire to strive for not only our own good, but the good of the world at large. When balanced, we care how we affect our fellow men, family, lovers and even our animals and we want to touch their lives in a loving and nurturing manner. When unbalanced we may have difficulty in giving and receiving love and nurture, we may withdraw from intimacy and personal closeness and become isolated from everyone around us. We may feel threatened or unprotected emotionally and resort to scheming, secrecy and betrayal.

To open up and rebalance your heart chakra try any of the following: when meeting family, friends and loved ones, embrace them warmly, carry a photo of yourself as a baby in your wallet and look at it often, take a long bath containing a few drops of Rose essential oil, apologise for anything you’ve done to hurt someone, put up lots of photos of family and loved ones around your home, give someone you hold a grudge against, forgiveness, get a puppy or kitten to nurture. You could also wear something green or wear a pendant of Malachite crystal.

The throat chakra is situated in the neck and vibrates to the colour blue. Associated organs to this chakra are the throat, lungs and the endocrine gland is the thyroid gland. The upper digestive tract can be affected by imbalance in this area. Some associated problems relating to the throat chakra are:- Thyroid problems - over active/ under-active; Anorexia nervosa - this is a multi-chakra problem, but has a strong connection to the throat chakra; asthma, bronchitis, hearing problems, tinnitus (tinnitus may also be connected to problems with the brow chakra); problems of the upper digestive tract, mouth ulcers, sore throats, tonsillitis.

Blue relates to self expression, speech, communication, the ability to communicate our needs and requirements, and the spirit of truth and purpose. It relates to communication and speaking your own truth, as well as clairaudience. This chakra is the mouthpiece for the heart and allows us to convey our feelings to the world. When balanced we understand the power of our words and communicate only that which is uplifting and healing. We no longer say yes when we mean no and no longer supress our true feelings. When unbalanced we may speak harshly to others or supress our true feelings for fear of upsetting others.

Practice being silent for a few minutes a day. In this way you will become more aware of what you are saying to yourself, within your mind and therefore you will be more aware of what you say to others. When you are talking with someone, pay attention to your breathing and make sure you don’t hold your breathe. For one day, speak only good news to people. Before going to bed, write down your feelings, wishes and desires. Go somewhere completely remote and scream, rant and rave or sing, chant and laugh. You could take a course in public speaking or hire a speech therapist. Take singing lessons. You could also wear a sky blue scarf or a necklace with a Lapis Lazuli crystal.

The third eye chakra is located in the centre of the forehead and vibrates to the colour indigo. The related organs to this chakra are the eyes, lower head and sinuses and the endocrine gland is the pituitary gland. Some of the associated problems relating to the brow chakra are:- tension headache, migraine, visual defects, short-sightedness, long-sightedness, glaucoma, cataracts, catarrh, sinus problems, some ear problems.

Indigo relates to our ability to analyse, think, reason and perceive and also our ability to visualize and imagine. It is concerned with trusting one's own intuition. The ability to see things from a 'higher' viewpoint rather than purely for satisfaction of the ego or one's material comfort. Intuitive messages are unique to you and are for your own personal growth and differ from the gut feelings. It is concerned with clairvoyance. When balanced, we can look at life with creativity and with a positive outlook. It sharpens our concentration and encourages us to look for accurate information rather than simply accepting the opinions of others as fact. It stimulates our concern for others and makes us more aware of injustice and ignorance. It is this chakra that we use to interpret our dreams.

To help balance the third eye chakra, try some of the following: get together with a couple of friends and take turns being models for each other. Take lots of pictures of each other, then swap with your friends and make the pictures into a work of art. Next time you watch a film or read a book, compare notes with your friends, did you experience it in the same way as they did? Put beautiful pieces of art around your home, go to an art gallery, keep a dream journal, you could wear something indigo or carry a Kunzite crystal.

The crown chakra is the chakra that connects us with spiritual consciousness and it vibrates to the colour white, although some people think of it as purple. The related organ to this chakra is the brain and the endocrine gland is the pineal gland. Some of the associated problems relating to the crown chakra are Depression, Parkinson's disease, Schizophrenia, Epilepsy, Senile dementia, Alzheimer's , many mental disorders, confusion, dizziness, and even just feeling as if one has a muzzy head.

Violet relates to self knowledge/ spiritual awareness. It is the union with your higher self, with spirituality, and your higher consciousness. It brings to our attention the spiritual nature of life and when balanced we are compassionate and free from anxiety. It governs our faith, in life, the universe and god. The opening of this chakra is a natural development of the correct balancing of the other 6 chakras. It is through this chakra that we connect with our creator and the universe and through which they connect with us.

The best way to help this chakra open and balance is to ensure all your other chakras are properly balanced. You can help this process by committing to some form of spiritual practice regulary. Wether it be going to church, meditation, praying, or offering your services to the community, it will help orient you towards the spiritual.

When developing psychically, one should have an awareness of the chakras. They can be opened at will to enable communication with the spirit world to take place, and closed down after communication is finished. An awareness of the state of your chakras is an aid to self awareness and can assist in self healing of emotional and mental blocks. The chakra colours will be present within the persons aura and the depth and tone of the colour can give an indication of the state of the chakra concerned.

Awareness of your chakras can be done by guided visualisations, which take you through a process of checking your own chakras and the knowledge gained can give you an indication of areas of your life that may need healing.