There’s no denying that mindfulness and wellbeing have become hot topics in recent years – with more people placing emphasis on looking after both their physical and mental health.
Of course, regular exercise and a healthy diet can be a good place to start, but for those looking to go deeper into nurturing their emotional wellbeing, meditation could offer the perfect remedy.
Meditation is far from a new concept, but with figures showing that 14.2% of adults in the US now practice meditation, it’s clearly a growing trend.
There are also numerous types and ways to practice meditation, but in today’s post, we’ll be looking specifically at chakra meditation, offering a beginner’s guide on what it is, how to do it and its benefits.
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What is Chakra Meditation?
For the uninitiated, we thought it best to start by explaining exactly what chakra meditation is to help you gain a better understanding.
Chakra is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning wheels or discs, which is a spiritual sense that depicts circular balls of energy within the body that connect to a person’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Chakra meditation can be used in different ways – for some, it’s about spiritual enlightenment, while for others it’s about emotional and physical healing or pure relaxation.
The basis of chakra meditation is centered around seven core chakras that run from the base of the spine up to the top of the head.
It’s believed that these energy wheels represent different aspects of the human experience and should be aligned and open to allow the free-flow of energy through the body to promote healthy physical and emotional wellbeing.
In some instances, these energy flows can become blocked, which causes the remaining chakras to become imbalanced – as a result, this leads to emotional, and in some cases, physical problems and symptoms.
Through the right meditation methods though, theses chakras can be realigned helping to restore the correct flow between one another.
See Also: Chakra Mantras: Everything You Need To Know
The 7 Chakras and
What Each Chakra Represent
Before you begin practicing chakra mediation you should fully understand what each one represents and how to recognize if a chakra is blocked and needs realigning.
Below, we’ve outlined each chakra separately, so you’ll know what they stand for, where they’re located and how to keep the invisible energy, also known as Prana, flowing through them to remain healthy and vibrant.
1. Muladhara – The Root Chakra
The root chakra, also known in Sanskrit as Muladhara, is located at the base of the spine.
It represents our connection with the outside world and unsurprisingly relates to stability, strength, and the basic human need for food, shelter, and security.
Each chakra is associated with a different color and in the case of the root chakra, the color it allies with is red.
An imbalance in your root chakra will inevitably have a knock-on effect on others and can take the form of physical and emotional symptoms such as lower back pain, general fatigue, depression, digestive problems, and cold feet and hands.
Some suggestions for fixing an imbalance in your root chakra include exercise, eating red foods and more restful sleep to help promote a positive flow of energy.
2. Svadhisthana – The Sacral Chakra
Just below the navel, the sacral chakra, also known as Svadhisthana, is believed to control our creativity, sexuality, and emotions.
An open, well-balanced sacral chakra allows you to embrace new experiences, your sexuality and find pleasure in the world – so it’s an important one to keep in check.
A blocked or imbalanced sacral chakra could lead to emotional symptoms such as depression and anxiety, as well as physical ailments like urinary infections and sexual problems.
Its associated color is orange, so part of nurturing your sacral chakra and correcting imbalances should be about sensory activities like massage, wearing orange clothing and even eating orange foods.
3. Manipura – The Solar Plexus Chakra
Known in Sanskrit as Manipura that literally translates as ‘city of jewels’, the solar plexus chakra can be found between the navel and rib cage.
This chakra plays an important role in both physical and spiritual wellbeing and is associated with yellow.
On a physical level, it’s believed to aid in healthy digestion, while mentally it’s connected to self-esteem, personal power, self-control, and intellect – helping us to understand new experiences and our place within the outside world.
With these in mind, blockages or imbalances may present themselves in the form of digestive problems, low self-confidence and a lack of self-worth or motivation.
Some cures to re-open the flow of energy could include mental stimulation through learning and problem-solving exercises, detox programs and consuming yellow food and drinks.
4. Anahata – The Heart chakra
Its Sanskrit name is Anahata and it’s positioned in the center of the spine, just above the heart, representing love, happiness, and contentment – and is, of course, connected to the physical wellbeing of the heart and lungs, too.
In terms of physical signs, the heart chakra may be out of sync, look out for respiratory or heart issues and high blood pressure.
From an emotional perspective, if this chakra is blocked, you may find it harder to make emotional connections with other people.
It’s associated color is green, which ties in with nature, calmness, and serenity. This natural connection can also be part of the restorative process by spending time outdoors and close to nature it can work to instill inner peace.
In addition, spending quality time with loved ones and focusing on eating green foods and wearing green clothing can help improve its energy flow.
5. Vishuddha – The Throat Vhakra
The throat chakra, Vishuddha, is rather obviously located on the throat near the thyroid glands and is associated with the color blue.
Naturally, it governs the physical health of the throat, mouth, and tongue, but on a spiritual level, it also affects how we communicate and express ourselves.
A block in the throat chakra can make you more susceptible to infections, hormone imbalances, and thyroid problems, but in an emotional context, it can also leave you feeling isolated and unable to express yourself properly.
Possible healing solutions could include singing and conversation, as well as embracing blue hues into your daily life through your diet, clothing and surroundings.
6. Ajna – The Brow or The Third Eye Chakra
Also known as Ajna in Sanskrit or the Brow chakra, the third eye chakra is positioned on the forehead, between the eyes and is thought to be intimately linked to our spiritual and physical insight and intuition.
A well-balanced third eye chakra will allow you to see beyond the obvious connections in the material world, giving you a deeper understanding and knowledge of interconnections, as well as your role within them.
It’s represented by the color indigo and is often associated with learning disabilities, sleep disorders and dizziness if there’s a block in the chakra.
These are thought to be remedied through meditation to improve your inner sight, stargazing and again surrounding yourself indigo tones in your everyday life.
7. Sahasrara – The Crown chakra
Thought to have the most spiritual significance of all the chakras, the crown chakra on the top of the head is also known in Sanskrit as Sahasrara or the ‘thousand petal lotus’.
It’s believed to govern our spiritual consciousness and lead to a higher state-of-being.
A well-maintained crown chakra has the potential to promote inner peace, contentedness and overall self-confidence in all aspects of life.
However, imbalances can show themselves through headaches, mental illness, forgetfulness and an inability to concentrate.
To realign a crown chakra, it’s believed meditation and utilizing the power of its associated color violet, can help to restore healthy energy flow and alleviate blockages.
See Also: The Best Chakra Necklaces And Jewellery To Wear Right Now
How to Harness the Power of Each Chakra
With a greater understanding of what each chakra does, it’s now time to delve deeper into how to harness their power through meditation.
Firstly, it’s important to identify any blocked chakras before you begin, as this will inform which areas you focus on during your meditation sessions.
When chakras become blocked, they restrict the energy flowing to that particular one and redirect the flow to the more functional ones.
As a result, this will inevitably cause an imbalance as the other chakras may also become blocked or over-active with too much energy flowing through them.
It sounds complicated, but with the right meditation methods, you can cleanse and balance each chakra individually or holistically to bring them all into a harmonious state.
Getting Started on Chakra Meditation
Starting on your chakra meditation journey doesn’t have to be daunting and thankfully doesn’t require any specialist equipment either.
Of course, you can seek guidance from a chakra meditation specialist if you prefer, but it’s also possible to carry out self-meditation within your own home if that better suits your circumstances.
It goes without saying that self-meditation is the more cost-effective solution and there are plenty of online resources available that can help with things like identifying blocked chakras – an essential part of successful meditation and chakra alignment.
Once you’ve pinpointed any imbalances within your chakras, the next stage is to find a quiet and peaceful place to begin your meditation.
You chosen meditation space should also be clean and clutter-free to minimize potential distractions that could hinder your meditation efforts.
Whether this is your garden (weather permitting, of course), living room, bedroom or even your bathroom, just make sure there’s enough space to sit with your legs crossed on the floor – you can even add a little comfort with a cushion if necessary.
Once you’re in a comfortable sitting position, place your hands loosely on your knees and sit up so your back is straight but not strained or uncomfortable.
In this position, give yourself a few minutes to breathe deeply and evenly – allowing your mind to become more in tune with your body. This state of mindfulness and self-awareness will build the foundation for positive mental health and physical wellbeing through chakra meditation.
With your mind fully concentrated, imagine each individual chakra positioned on your spine, starting from the root and working up to the crown.
Be sure to focus on one chakra at a time, allowing a few minutes to feel and visualize its energy flow and connectivity between each one.
Projecting positive energy and thoughts to each chakra should, by the end, leave you feeling more energized and invigorated with your chakras in harmony with one another.
As your experience and insight into your individual chakra flows increases over time, you should be able to find it easier to visualize them and focus on different chakras for different things.
For instance, if you’ve been suffering from lower back pain, you may want to spend a little more time on your root chakra in a meditation session to help bring it back into alignment with the others.
However, we’d always recommend taking a holistic approach and spending some time on each chakra during these more focused sessions to ensure they remain well-balanced, too.
See Also: Gong Meditation: The Ultimate Guide To Gong Meditation For Inner Peace & Healing
Tracking Your Progress
With any meditation, the aim should be to see or feel an improvement to the physical and emotional wellbeing of your body and mind.
One way to really get a gauge on these improvements is to keep a mindfulness journal.
This doesn’t have to be an in-depth write up of each session.
But often keeping a physical account of possible emotional and physical ailments and how they’ve changed over time can give you a greater insight into the impacts of your meditation sessions.
A meditation journal may also highlight any patterns or recurring problems that may make them easier to address further down the line, too.
The key to any meditation is to allow your mind to be more focused and self-aware, which will have a more positive impact on your mental health.
Pair your meditation with other mindfulness rituals in your daily life like a long, relaxing soak in the bath, a well-balanced diet, and regular exercise.
You’ll be well on your way to boosting your emotional wellbeing and mastering chakra meditation once and for all.
Author bio:
Alex Jones is a content writer for Jaquar, who specialize in complete luxury bathroom solutions – delivering everyday luxury to a global market.
