A quick look at the chakras
What are chakra systems?
In Sanskrit, the word “chakra” means “disc” or “wheel” and refers to the energy centres in your body. These wheels or discs of spinning energy each correspond to certain nerve bundles, endocrine systems and major organs.
To function at their best, your chakras must remain open, or balanced. If they are blocked, you may experience physical or emotional symptoms related to a particular chakra.
There are seven main chakras along your spine. They start at the root, or base, of your spine and extend to the top of your head.
Chakras are energy points in our ethereal or *subtle body. They are part of our energy (etheric) body, not the physical body. As such, they are the meeting points of etheric energy channels called meridians in Chinese medicine.
The 12 chakra system includes the 7 primary chakras inside the body and 5 transpersonal chakras outside the body. Here we will focus on the 7 primary chakras.
The 7 main chakras
👉 1 – Root… connection with the earth
👉 2 – Sacrum… creativity and joy of life
👉 3 – Solar plexus… self-confidence
👉 4 – Heart… love for oneself and for all that surrounds us
👉 5 – Throat… communication
👉 6 – Third eye… the ability to see clearly / intuition / discernment
👉 7 – Crown… connection with one’s spirituality
Cells and tissues actively generate electric fields that are detectable on the surface of your skin. Any electric current also generates a corresponding magnetic field in the surrounding space. This is a law of physics. All organs and tissues produce specific frequencies and the biomagnetic fields gather in energy vortexes in our body. These energy vortexes are called chakras. Chakras emit and receive energy
For our body to function optimally, all 7 chakras must be balanced, allowing energy to flow harmoniously throughout the body. If one energy centre is not functioning well, the others do not function as well as they should. Some of them may even overcompensate and work too hard or too long. Our body and emotions then go into free fall.
Each chakra has its own vibrational frequency, colour and sound that it is in harmony with. Chakras can be thrown off balance by many factors including stress, trauma, grief, toxins and even time.
The 7 chakras in more detail
Why is it important to keep the chakras in balance?
When the chakras are not in harmony with each other, there may be a depletion of energy flow or too much energy activity in one chakra – each will manifest with different results.
When a chakra is low in energy, you will find it difficult to express the particular qualities associated with that chakra.
When a chakra is overactive, the qualities are a dominant force in the person’s life. This can have physical and emotional effects.
For example, the first chakra is about security, survival and the foundation of our lives.
If it is underactive, this can manifest as depression and insecurity. If there is too much energy, it can manifest itself as fearlessness without caution, or by accumulating possessions because we need more to feel secure.
Can a blocked chakra affect your health?
In general, the location of the chakra that is out of balance can affect the parts of your body near that chakra.
This includes the organs, bones, joints and tissues near that area.
On a psychological level, chakra imbalances can cause emotional imbalance.
This can lead to increased anger, sadness, fear or indecision.
Excessive stress – physical or mental – can unbalance one or more chakras.
Personal habits such as poor physical alignment or posture, unhealthy eating or self-destructive behaviour can unbalance a chakra.
Prolonged imbalance can lead to physical illness, musculoskeletal problems and mental health problems such as depression or anxiety.
