Chakras, the energy centers within our body, are vital to our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Though there are hundreds of smaller chakras throughout our body, seven main chakras form the core of this energetic system. These chakras are believed to influence everything from our mental clarity to our physical health, shaping how we interact with ourselves and the world around us. Rooted in ancient traditions like Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and Buddhism, the concept of chakras extends far beyond mere metaphysical belief, connecting mind, body, and spirit in a harmonious flow of energy.
In Ayurveda, the chakras are seen as energy points that govern the balance between our internal constitution and the external environment. Chinese medicine views these centers through the lens of Qi, the life force energy, and emphasizes how blockages or imbalances in these energy pathways can manifest as illness. Meanwhile, Buddhism teaches that cultivating balance in these energy centers is essential for enlightenment and self-realization, helping to awaken higher consciousness.
This article explores the seven main chakras, how they influence our lives, and how understanding and balancing these energy centers can support our overall health and healing journey.
Root Chakra - Muladhara
Location: base of the spine
Color: red
Mantra: LAM
Affirmation: I am
Element: Earth
Our root chakra relates to our feelings of safety and being grounded. It represents the foundation of our emotional, physical and mental health.
When the root chakra is balanced, you feel safe, grounded, stable and calm. When it is unbalanced, anxiety and fear can arise more easily and you can feel unstable.
Many yoga poses are great to balance and activate this chakra, especially in Hatha Yoga. Chair pose, the warrior poses (I, II, III and reverse) and Mountain pose work wonders for the root chakra. You can also wear red clothes and eat red foods to activate this chakra. Grounding meditations also very work very well if you feel that it is unbalanced. A very popular grounding meditation is a visualization of your feet on the ground being encircled by roots, as if you were a tree. Even more simply, walking in nature is one of the best things you can do to activate and balance your Muladhara chakra, even better if you can do it barefoot.
Sacral Chakra - Svadhisthana
Location: below the navel
Color: orange
Mantra: VAM
Affirmation: I feel
Element: Water
The sacral chakra is related to our sensual expression, our feminine energy, our creativity and our flow.
If this chakra is balanced and healthy, you feel in touch with your creativity, you give yourself permission to rest and express your sensuality freely, and you feel like you are just flowing with life.
When your sacral chakra is out balance, you can easily experience feelings of guilt, an unbalanced expression of your emotions and sensuality and out of touch with your creative side.
Yin Yoga is a wonderful practice to activate and balance your sacral chakra, as this yoga style is all about stepping into your feminine energy. In general, any hip opening asana (posture) is great to activate this chakra. Other poses such as goddess pose and crescent pose work very well too. Another option to balance Svadhisthana is to eat orange foods and wear orange clothes. Any connection with element of water will also help opening the sacral chakra (sitting by the ocean or a river, swimming, having a shower or a bath, etc.).
Solar Plexus Chakra - Manipura
Location: solar plexus
Color: yellow
Mantra: RAM
Affirmation: I do
Element: Fire
The solar plexus chakra refers to our self-confidence and personal power.
When it is in balance, you feel energetic, strong, confident, active and eager to move forward and take initiative.
An out of balance solar plexus chakra will make you feel drained, powerless and low self-esteem.
Downward facing dog, boat pose and triangle pose will help activating this chakra, as well as yellow foods and clothing. Another great option is to spend some time in the sun, which is also associated to our solar plexus chakra (it’s even in the name). Spending only 5-10mn a day in direct sunlight will work wonders for your body and mind. It’s usually better to do so in the morning or late afternoon, as the sun rays are less strong at this time of day.
Heart Chakra - Anahata
Location: chest
Color: green
Mantra: YAM
Affirmation: I love
Element: Air
Anahata (heart chakra in sanskrit) is associated with our love, compassion, authenticity and acceptance.
If this chakra is balanced, you will feel loving, empathetic, tolerant, open-hearted and trustful. If it is out of balance, you will feel lonely, overly critical, jealous and probably with an overactive mind.
Lord Shiva’s dancing pose, standing backbend and Cobra pose, as long as any chest opening poses are great yoga asanas to balance this chakra. Eating green foods and wearing green clothing can also help in activating the heart chakra.
Since this chakra is all about love, anything which connects to what you love is simply amazing to balance and activate it. It can be doing an activity that you absolutely love, spending time with loved ones, but also allocating more time for self-care, which is an act of self-love.
Throat Chakra - Vishuddha
Location: throat
Color: light blue
Mantra: HAM
Affirmation: I speak
Element: Ether, Space
Our throat chakra is home to our self-expression, our truth and our communication.
When it is healthy and balanced, you communicate your feelings and ideas easily, you feel truthful and peaceful.
When your Vishuddha chakra is out of balance, you have a hard time expressing yourself and speaking your truth, you can feel very shy and unable to listen.
Any throat opening yoga poses will be great to activate this chakra. You can try to incorporate Lion pose, Cat-Cow and Fish pose into your practice. Wearing blue clothes and eating blue foods (blueberries, blue corn, spirulina, red cabbage, etc.) will also contribute to opening this chakra. Any type of voice activation will work wonders with your throat chakra. Allow yourself to speak, to sing, to sound, whatever it is that you connect to on the moment.
Third Eye Chakra - Ajna
Location: forehead, the space in-between the eyebrows
Color: deep blue, indigo
Mantra: OM
Affirmation: I see
Element: Light
Ajna, our third eye chakra, is associated with our intuition, our perception of what is visible but also what isn’t.
When our Ajna is fully balanced and healthy, we feel very intuitive, perceptive, connected to the spiritual world and mentally strong.
When it is out of balance, we feel fearful and out of touch with our intuition and the spiritual world.
Lotus pose, Child’s pose and Head-to-Knee pose can all be incorporated into your yoga practice to open your third eye. Wearing deep blue clothing and eating blue foods can also help in activating this chakra. Almost every meditation practice will contribute to opening and balancing this chakra, especially the ones relying on visualization.
Crown Chakra - Sahasrara
Location: top of the head
Color: purple
Mantra: OM
Affirmation: I know
Element: Conscience
The crown chakra represents your connection to the Universe and to your higher-self, as well as your connection to eternal love and all living beings.
When the 7th chakra is balanced and open, you feel spiritual, very connected to yourself and everything around you, open-minded and peaceful.
When it is out of balance, you feel fearful, disconnected, narrow-minded and in constant fight and flight.
Savasana (corpse pose) is one of the best yoga postures to develop your crown chakra, along with rabbit pose and tree pose. Eating purple foods and wearing purple clothing will also help opening it. Meditation is a great way to activate your Sahasrara chakra, as it reinforces the connection you have with yourself and with the Universe. Pranayama (breathing) practices are also wonderful, especially Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing). Diffusing certain essential oils or burning incense and herbs are also a great idea as scent is a great way to connect to your spirit. Typically sandalwood, sage, lotus and palo Santo work very well here.
Our chakras are powerful conduits of energy, each influencing different aspects of our lives. By understanding the characteristics and imbalances of the seven main chakras, we gain insight into the ways our body and mind communicate their needs. Whether it's the grounding energy of the Root Chakra or the intuitive wisdom of the Third Eye, each energy center offers us a unique pathway to healing, growth, and self-awareness.
Through practices like meditation, breathwork, yoga, and mindful self-care, we can activate and balance our chakras, allowing energy to flow freely throughout our body. When in harmony, these energy centers support not only our physical health but also our emotional and spiritual well-being, creating a sense of peace and alignment with ourselves.
As you explore the transformative power of the chakras, remember that balance is a dynamic process, ever-evolving and deeply personal. By continually nurturing your energy centers, you can unlock greater vitality, resilience, and a deeper connection to the world around you.
For more chakra balancing practices, book a private yoga or meditation session with me, or attend one of my retreats!
In Harmony,
Elodie