Understanding and exploring chakras in meditation is a great way to reduce stress, experience more joy, and boost your physical, mental, and emotional health. Balancing your chakras with meditation is a widespread exercise that can accomplish all that and more. Chakra meditation helps you clear, cleanse, and balance your flow of energy. Maintaining the free flow of your energy promotes holistic well-being – bodily, psychologically, and spiritually.
The chakra energy system derives from Eastern philosophy, dating back to the period between 1500 and 500 BC in India. It appears to have originated in ancient religious Hindu texts called the Vedas. Though modern Indian yogis and Western New Age practitioners have since adopted and substantially transformed the practice.
The English translation of the Sanskrit word chakra (cakraI) is wheel or spinning disk. It refers to orbs of energy that are present all over your body and connected to channels along which our life energy flows. However, the main meditative concentration is on seven key chakras positioned along your spine – starting at the tailbone and ending at the top of the head. These are the major chakras that you hear referenced most frequently.
For our optimal psychic and material wellbeing, energy must be permitted to flow freely through our chakras. If blocked, an insufficient amount of energy may deplete the positive physical and emotional influence of one or more of your chakras. Conversely, that destabilization can overload some of your other chakras. Too much energy also generates unwelcome consequences.
Therefore, it’s vital that we keep our seven major chakras open and maintain a balance of energy throughout. Meditation is an excellent tool for addressing blocked chakras, stabilizing our energy centers, and safeguarding this healthy equilibrium.
There are many meditation practices, differing methods, and a variety of ways to focus when meditating. So, you should be aware that there really is no “right” way to perform chakra balancing meditation. Instead, try many different ways and then concentrate on what works best for you. To do that, you need to familiarize yourself with the seven major chakras. Let’s get to that now.
Remember, our seven chakras are positioned all along the spine. Each one is associated with specific organs or regions of your body. The lower first through third chakras are related to the physical world and earthly matters. The higher fifth through seventh chakras are tied to the divine, spiritual knowledge, and awareness. The middle heart chakra - number four - brings them together, connecting heaven and earth, spirit and matter.
Moreover, each chakra has a corresponding element, color, and mantra. These details can help you focus on individual chakras while meditating. Let’s review them now, along with information about how chakras can impact your health, spirituality, happiness, and wellbeing.
The root chakra helps anchor the other six chakras and is primarily focused around your emotional and spiritual needs. A balanced root chakra will bring feelings of safety, commitment, and strength. It's an emotional foundation that will help you feel grounded and protected.
Most people equate the sacral chakra with sexuality, but it's much more than that. It's your passion and pleasure center that's tied to your creativity and acceptance of yourself and others. A sense of adventure and craving for new experiences often accompanies this chakra.
This is where the soul of your identity resides, which is directly tied to your self-confidence, motivation, personality, and identity. Connecting to your true and amazing self lives here.
Rightly so, your heart chakra centers around love for yourself and others. From compassion and empathy towards others, to your personal trustfulness, connectedness, peace, and gratitude. Your ability to transform, set healthy boundaries and deepen relationships comes from this chakra.
The fifth through seventh chakras are the most spiritual. This chakra located in the neck and is the force behind your individual expression (both inside and outside yourself). When your throat chakra is balanced you free yourself from worries of judgement or need for approval from others. This chakra works closely with the sacral chakra to allow yourself to express your creativity without the fear of what others might think or say.
The third eye is the energy point for your wisdom and ascending to higher consciousness. The term "sixth sense" is directly tied to this chakra and governs our higher wisdom, self-awareness, and discernment (to name just a few). When this chakra is balanced and aligned you will typically see how we are all interconnected and less in black-and-white or me versus them attitudes.
Being the most spiritual of all the chakras, the crown chakra isn't located directly on your body. It's found just above the crown of your head. It is your center of spirit, universal consciousness, and connection to higher guidance. This is your bridge to the heavens and universe, and connection to your divine heritage. It's responsible for a spiritually healthy life full of divine guidance and devotion to your higher calling.
When you work on balancing your chakras, start with the lower, earthly ones. Build a foundation to create stability and establish a sense of security and safety. Begin with your root chakra. Slowly work your way up to the higher, spiritual, and intuitive chakras.
The meditation aides we discuss here can provide more focused attention on your chakras and promote a more powerful flow of energy to open blocked energy centers.
Color visualization can enhance your efforts during meditation. Use each chakra’s associated color as a focal point as you work through chakra meditation. Alternatively, apply internal color visualization techniques with your eyes closed. Be sure to incorporate breathwork (deep controlled breathing).
Because your chakras are related to areas of your body, they’re perfect for integrating physical touch into your meditation sessions. Place one or both hands over the area on your body associated with the chakra you’re focusing on to help you visualize and connect with your energy centers. More advanced practitioners may want to explore some of these other methods. If you are new to meditation then I recommend starting with EFT Tapping Meditation (add link).
Each of our fingers represents one of the five elements during meditation:
Note that the third eye element is light, and the crown element is spirit – there is no single physical counterpart. Yet, there are mudras to address these chakras.
Mudras are a more complex way of using your hands, fingers, and gestures to facilitate your life-energy flow. When used with meditation, mudras can help open your chakras and support balance and healing.
There are numerous other mudras that can help you balance your chakras. With a bit of research and practice, you can find what helps you open yours.
The energy of certain stones and crystals interacts with your energy to help boost the vitality of flow through your chakras. Additionally, essential oils have soothing and healing properties that promote open chakra alignment. Try adding one or both tools to your chakra balancing meditation sessions.
Chakra candles have several properties that are beneficial for chakra meditation. Aroma, fire, light, color, essential oil infusion, and focal points are key examples. They can help you concentrate and focus your energy on each of your chakras while meditating.
Whether you’re new to meditation or just to chakra meditation, audio guidance is an excellent aid for beginners. These tools are available from many sources, like YouTube, audio books, and smartphone apps. They help you focus and familiarize you with your chakras and how to work on aligning them.
Clear, balanced, freely flowing chakras benefit you on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. Productive chakra work gives you emotional strength and resilience, supporting healthy, loving relationships. You’ll feel grounded, confident, at ease in your own body, and comfortable with your sexuality.
So, don’t be afraid to give chakra meditation a try. Take your time and experiment with various methods and approaches until you find the techniques that work best for you. Professional help can enhance your efforts.
