6 Ways to Balance Your Chakras

6 Ways to Balance Your Chakras

Our bodies are energy.

And sometimes, this energy runs smoothly and we feel great physically, mentally, and emotionally. But there are other times when we feel out of whack, tired, insecure, and maybe we are even dealing with disorders and dis-eases. So long as we’re living, we will go through imbalances in our gross and subtle systems. The strongest indicator that you may be (over)due for a chakra reboot is if you’re living with a state of dis-ease, either physical or mental or perhaps both.  

Literally meaning “wheel,” chakras are pictured as spinning wheels spaced throughout the upper body.  These wheels are understood in terms of gross anatomy (aka the physical body orAnnamayakosha) as well as in energetic terms (aka the subtle, spiritual body or Pranamayakosha’).  

At different times in our lives, some chakras may have slowed down and become sluggish while others are whirling with overzealous activity. Either way creates disturbances in our daily life.  

Just as we take our bodies – and cars –  to get checked out and tuned up, part of our healthy maintenance should also involve some energetic balancing.    

Let’s take a look at the chakras to understand their features and common imbalances.   

Now that you’ve explored them and observed which ones resonate with you, let’s get to how to balance the chakras in need of some TLC:

1. Toning

Mantras are healing, not necessarily for the meaning of their words, but for the words tonal quality. Sound is energy and a sound’s vibration can help to both awaken a numbed chakra center and it can also help calm an overly active one.

To practice toning, start with your first chakra, find your lowest register of voice and chant the respective sound. Gradually move higher in your vocal register as you move upward through the chakras. You also may find your own unique sound that resonates with you more than the archetypal one listed.  

2. Gems and stones

Each chakra has respective stones and/or gems which harmonize the center. For instance, garnet, a deep red stone, helps to ground, which connects to the First Chakra, and rose quartz is the stone for love and peace, which corresponds with the Heart Chakra, and so on. See above for suggestions of chakra stones. Whether you create a bracelet or necklace or simply carry individual stones with you, the stones’ healing properties will affect you energetically.  

3. Yoga Rx

One reason the asanas are powerful is that they help to balance the chakras. From squatting, which grounds one’s first chakra to bridge, which opens the Fourth Chakra, there are postures that access and balance the 6 wheels. See above for suggested genre of poses.  

4. Meditation

Each chakra has a corresponding color, and the color scheme most often corresponds with the rainbow. So, the First Chakra is red, the second is orange, and so on.

Try this visual meditation: after moving through postures that are associated with the chakras, lie down and establish smooth, even breathing. Then bring your awareness to the root chakra and visualize a bright brilliant color red glowing at the base of your spine.  Maybe you visualize the light pulsing with your breath  Moving upward, visualize a bright, true orange, glowing from your Second Chakra. Continue moving upward through the chakras with this rainbow meditation. For the Seventh Chakra, visualize the thousand-petaled white lotus flower hovering just above your head.  

5. Scents

Once you have discovered which chakras are unbalanced, explore the scents associated with the chakras, and create a perfume or a spray from these respective oils (there are plenty more to choose from). Keep in mind that the scents that are least appealing may be the very ones that help balance.      

6. Affirmations

After discovering which chakras you want to focus on, create an affirmation unique to each one. For instance, if I discover that I want to work on my First Chakra, my affirmation might be,“I am grounded and secure. I have everything I need to be healthy and to thrive. I am able to navigate my life with ease and grace.”

Our lives and states of health are constantly evolving and shifting, and so are our chakras. Neither balance, nor imbalance, are permanent states, so with awareness of ourselves and tools in our toolbox, we can accommodate and adjust as we need to in order to live the healthiest most harmonious lives imaginable. 

by

k.jagadeesh