Usually if you’re looking to be healthier, you’ll hit the gym more often, you’ll eat more fruits and vegetables. You may even get to bed earlier and get a check-up from your doctor.
But where in the “I Want To Be Healthier” handbook, is there any mention of your chakras? What is a chakra anyway?
Chakras are energy centers, or wheels, that exist in your body. These wheels serve as points of intersection (think: traffic light intersection) in your body for the flow of energy that moves from one part to another, from one organ to another, from one limb to another and so on. When I speak of energy, I am referring to your life force energy, or prana.
Prana may sound familiar if you practice yoga. Another word for prana is chi. While prana is used in the Ayurvedic medicinal system, chi is used in the traditional Chinese medicinal system. Their main essence is the same.
In a healthy, balanced body, prana or chi moves freely. Muscles are powerful and resilient. Joints are mobile and strong. The body itself is steady and moves in one fully functional, cohesive piece. The brain is clear and the emotions are balanced. All systems are a go.
In an unbalanced body, there is tightness, stiffness, lack of flexibility and strength. You may feel a constant brain fuzz or over-emotionalize something you find you normally wouldn’t. You are out of balance, out of alignment and totally out of whack.
This is where, I believe, your chakras come into play.
There are seven major chakras in the human body that run from the base of the tailbone all the way up to the top, or crown, of the head.
Each chakra correlates to a specific part of the body- specific organs, specific set of emotions and also specific mental and physical concerns.
I believe that they and what they stand for are the most important reasons why you should consider them when deciding to become healthier.
Located at the base of your spine, Muladhara or your root chakra, is the first energy center. Your root chakra is related to all of your survival needs and wants. Think of your legs as roots, grounding you into the earth and keeping you supported. Its main concerns are stability, survival and getting its physical needs met. Imbalance can physically manifest as anxiety, fear and adrenal overload as well as lower back pain.
Your second chakra or Svadhishthana, is your sacral energy center. It is related to your reproductive system, your creativity and is directly related to your emotional balance. Its main concerns are around fertility, desire and expressing your creativity. You can physically manifest imbalances here as infertility, allergies, internal power struggles and tightness in the hips and muscles around the hips.
Manipura is your third chakra and is located in your solar plexus. Your digestive system is intimately connected with this power center. Think your gut instincts, your determination and the place where your passion resides. Imbalances here are physically manifested in digestive problems especially with your liver and pancreas. You can also relate stomach acid problems here as well as energy and willpower issues.
Your heart chakra, or Anahata, is your fourth energy center. By already correlating your heart to this chakra, you are hitting its main focus. The cardiac nerve plexus is the physical representation of this chakra. Love, sharing, trust, kindness and acceptance as the relating emotions. Physical manifestations can include slumped shoulders or poor posture, breathing problems and clogged or slow moving lymph, i.e. sluggishness.
Vishuddha is your fifth chakra and is directly related to communication and expression. Its location is the throat. When you are feeling open, expressive and honest, your throat chakra is balanced. When you have throat issues or cannot express yourself or your truth, then you are out of balance. Sore throats, swollen or tight throat glands are all physical manifestations of imbalance here.
Your next chakra is your “Third Eye” or Ajna. Located on the forehead between your eyebrows, this energy center is most closely related to your intuition and imagination. Balance here means clarity of thought, a balanced nervous and endocrine system. Imbalance, however, could manifest as second guessing yourself, nervousness, flighty-ness and headaches.
Finally, your seventh and final chakra is Sahasrara, found at the crown of your head. This is the energy center associated with supreme wisdom, bliss and universal awareness. It is often the one chakra most difficult to logically assimilate. You can’t quite put your finger on it but when you’re out of balance, you just know that you’re missing out on something. Almost like the puzzle is finished but all the pieces don’t quite fit together perfectly. Imbalances here can go as deep as the cellular level, down to your DNA as well as to the most enigmatic bodily function: your metabolism.
Although the above is a very brief description of your seven major chakras, each is intimately involved with the health and functioning of your body.
If you’re open to listening deeper to your body, then the wisdom of the Chakra system will allow you deeper understanding of why your body does what it does.
Allowing greater balance through these energy centers can open up a new dimension of health and can help you eliminate some of your bodily aches and pains, eliminate some unexplainable digestive concerns or even help you get more in touch with the things and people that you love and make you feel truly alive.
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