What Is a Chakra & How Are They Linked to Our Overall Wellbeing?

The Sanskrit word Chakra literally translates to wheel or disk. In yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda, this term refers to wheels of energy throughout the body. There are seven main chakras, which align the spine, starting from the base of the spine through to the crown of the head. To visualize a chakra in the body, imagine a swirling wheel of energy where matter and consciousness meet. This invisible energy, called Prana, is vital life force, which keeps us vibrant, healthy, and alive.

We are more powerful than we ever realized and the wisdom that we have stored is limitless. I’d like to help you uncover the wisdom that is locked away in your body, mind, and energy system so that you can shine your light and brilliance in all areas of your life!

We have 7 main energy centers (or chakras) that run through our body. They begin in our sacrum and run up our spine ending just outside the top of our head. Each chakra represents life issues, corresponds to specific areas of our body. Each of the associated body parts hold information about us and our life.

In this series of blog posts, we will explore these energy centres and see what nuggets of gold are stored there waiting for your discovery. The most beautiful thing about life is that we have choice, and if we do not like how our life is shaping up, we can examine our thoughts and beliefs to see where we can shift and make different choices.

Your seven energy centres are:

• Root Chakra – Instinctual Need for Survival

• Sacral Chakra – Pleasure Seeker

• Solar Chakra – Power Driver

• Heart Chakra – Searching for Love

• Throat Chakra – Expressing Your Truth

• Brow Chakra – Transcending Beyond Ego

• Crown Chakra – Spiritual Awakening

Understanding the information that your chakras have for you allows you to make choices to keep things as they are and do nothing different, or clear, balance and heal your chakras and the issues associated with them and then make empowered choices to support the pursuit of your goals.

The Importance of the Main Chakras in the Body

These swirling wheels of energy correspond to massive nerve centers in the body. Each of the seven main chakras contains bundles of nerves and major organs as well as our psychological, emotional, and spiritual states of being. Since everything is moving, it’s essential that our seven main chakras stay open, aligned, and fluid. If there is a blockage, energy cannot flow. Think of something as simple as your bathtub drain. If you allow too much hair to go into the drain, the bathtub will back up with water, stagnate and eventually bacteria and mold will grow. So is too with our bodies and the chakras. A bathtub is simple; it’s physical so the fix is easy.

Keeping a chakra open is a bit more of a challenge, but not so difficult when you have awareness. Since mind, body, soul, and spirit are intimately connected, awareness of an imbalance in one area will help bring the others back into balance. Take for example, a wife, who has recently lost her husband. She develops acute bronchitis, which remains in the chest, and then gets chest pains each time she coughs. The whole heart chakra is affected in this case. If she realizes the connection between the loss and the bronchitis, healing will occur much faster if she honors the grieving process and treats that as well as the physical ailment.

The first three chakras, starting at the base of the spine are chakras of matter. They are more physical in nature. Let's begin with the very first one:

YOUR ROOT CHAKRA – SURVIVAL, TRUST, SAFETY, AND FAMILY LOYALTY

The first chakra, the Muladhara (in sanskrit) is the chakra of stability, security, and our basic needs. It encompasses the first three vertebrae, the bladder, and the colon. When this chakra is open, we feel safe and fearless. The Root Chakra is found at the base of your spine. This is your foundation. The basic issues associated with the root chakra are instinct, safety, survival, grounding, family, security, boundaries, and new beginnings. The body parts associated with the root chakra are coccyx, anus, large intestine, adrenal glands, back, leg, feet and bones.

You will find family wounds and tribal beliefs are stored in the body in this area. Health of this chakra is associated with your upbringing and early life. Inheritance of tribal programming of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants to the US is prevalent here.

You can change your life by looking at the wisdom in your first chakra and seeing where you may be blocked or held back by beliefs tied to family loyalty or expectations but that are not serving your highest good. Perhaps your body is showing you that fear is stopping you. Often time, I help my clients discover where they are not feeling safe in their life.

Often we can clear issues associated with the above body areas or help facilitate the healing by tapping on those issues and clearing, balancing, and healing the root chakra.

If you are struggling in your relationships especially with issues of trust this is a first chakra issue. Some people just never feel safe at some level, in their jobs, or they feel there is never enough money, or no matter what they do they can never get ahead – these are all first chakra issues.

Fortunately this can be cleared, and you can shift your thinking, beliefs and actions so that you are experiencing the safety you deserve. It begins at the unconscious and energetic level and that is where we are working in the chakras.

Often, I find working with my clients that many people, women in particular never feel supported. They have this belief that in order for things to get done right, they have to do it themselves. This is a huge problem and I see it every day and how it insinuates itself into every aspect of your life.

This too can be cleared and changed as so many other challenges and issues that are related to the root chakra can be.

Since your energy flows up, if your energy is blocked in this chakra it is limiting the flow of energy in your body potentially impacting your health, success in relationships or with money or in your career.

Here are some questions to ask yourself, answer them honestly to see if you are blocked in your first chakra:

1. In what areas do you not feel safe? 2. In what areas do you feel there is not enough? 3. In what areas do you feel like you have no control or choice? 4. Where are you missing healthy boundaries? 5. Do you trust that life supports you? 6. Do you trust yourself to make supportive, healthy decisions? 7. Are you able to easily make decisions?

Next we will explore the second chakra – your Sacral Chakra

#Chakras #Prana