Chakra Meditation
For thousands of years, balancing the chakras has been linked to improved mental and physical wellbeing. Chakra meditation is an ancient form of prevention, one which regulates the balance of key energy centres throughout different parts of the body.
Ancient cultures throughout the world spoke of a life force energy that was thought to be the foundation and essence of all life. It is the energy and vitality that permeates our entire universe, flowing through the meridians in our body, known in Hindu philosophy as Prana, and as Qi in Chinese medicine.
Your body has seven main chakra centres that need to stay open in order to maintain the balance of flow. When these points become blocked it can lead to physical and emotional problems. Chakra meditation seeks to clear blocked chakras and harness the energy of these points located throughout the body.
Anxiety and depression are mental health disorders that can benefit tremendously through energy balancing. Symptoms can be reduced dramatically if you are able to unblock the sacral chakra, responsible for feelings of fear and loss of control.
Chakra meditation improves your focus and sets a new default, one which is calm and relaxed. When your energy moves in balance as it should, you will be able to tune in to your emotions easier and make better sense of your gut feelings instead of letting them go unnoticed. Read on and learn how to unblock your energy centres and allow your Qi to move freely through your body.
How Does Chakra Meditation Work?
Chakra meditation aims to cleanse and balance energies within your chakra system. Its primary goal is to promote the flow of energy through your chakra points and prevent them from becoming blocked. When they become interrupted, your physical and mental well-being can become affected. There are many means to work this energy, but your most important objective is to focus all of your attention on your seven most important chakra points. These are all positioned between your root chakra at the base of your spine, and your crown chakra at the top of your head.
Essentially, when you break it down, chakra meditation works like all other meditation, using thought to transform the body within. If you have never meditated before, starting out with this practice is a good way to improve your focus and concentration. It is much like a body scanning meditation, in the sense that you are paying attention to specific parts of your anatomy.
Chakra meditation goes further than this and uses a multitude of techniques to balance the flow of energy through your seven major chakra points. Colour visualisation and mantras are some examples of this, which exist at specific frequencies that correspond with your chakra points. Yoga, healthy eating, and crystal work also aim to promote an unrestricted flow of energy.
Understanding the nature of a chakra will really benefit you when it comes to visualisation.
A chakra literally means a wheel, but what we are referencing are the junction points of the energy pathways in your body. These pathways always meet in the form of a triangle but are characterized as a circle, because anything that radiates always appears in circular form. For example, if you were to throw a triangular-shaped stone into a lake, the ripples will always appear circular. This works in the same way as the radiance coming from your chakras.
Restoring balance to your body will not only bring you a newfound sense of peace and calm, but it will also improve your mental and physical wellbeing. Gaining an understanding of the true nature of your body and its energy system will help you to achieve a harmonious balance of flow.
Benefits To Chakra Meditation
There are seven major junctions of energy in your body, and each chakra has its own set of functions. According to the chakra system, connections between the body and mind aren’t purely physical, and these major junction points exist in order for you to improve your mind-body connection.
There are countless benefits to chakra meditation, which can improve both your physical and mental wellbeing. Balanced chakras can encourage positive changes in your perception, especially in behaviours, as it enables you to process your thoughts in a more rational manner.
With persistent practice, you will overcome anxiety, depression, and negative self-talk. By invoking a positive outlook towards life, you will process your thoughts and emotions in a much healthier way. With lower stress and anxiety levels, your blood pressure and sugars will follow, reducing your chances of contracting diabetes or heart disease.
You will notice that your memory, focus, and awareness will all improve over time. Your patience levels will increase as you become less judgmental, and instead more compassionate. You will start achieving improved levels of sleep with an increasingly relaxed mindset, enabling you to get the correct amount of rest.
With regular practice, chakra meditation can even enhance your intuition as you tune in with your emotions and gut instinct more effectively. Once your chakras are cleared you will start to notice the benefits almost instantaneously. It does not require much input, just a little time and dedication and you can start to direct your life in a far more positive direction.
Blocked Chakras Affect Physical & Mental Wellbeing
In a healthy body, life force energy known to Indian and Chinese cultures as Prana or Qi flows to all parts of the body without obstruction. It is only when an organ is no longer supplied with such sufficient energy that illness arises. This happens when the respected chakra centre associated with that organ is blocked.
Your mind-body connection works best when your energy channels are open. Blockages in your energy can be a result of poor mental and physical wellbeing. Mental blocks have a range of causes including emotional stress, stored feelings, or other issues such as anxiety, depression, or addiction.
Physical blockages can be the result of poor dietary choices, lack of exercise, overexertion, and lifestyle choices such as overwork, recreational drug use and lack of sleep.
Negative attitudes can also influence your energy flow and create blockages in your chakra points. If you act out in a selfish, self-centred way, you will force such negative behaviours to enter your chakra system as burdens. These negative thoughts overshadow your consciousness centres and prevent your energy from flowing freely to the places that need it.
If you are having recurring problems with a particular part of your body, such as aches, pains or stiffness, its associated chakra is more than likely blocked. It is important to learn as much as you can about each chakra and look at what it represents so that you can watch out for signs of imbalance.
The Seven Main Chakras & How To Identify Them
Your seven major energy junctions are positioned along the axis of your spine, ranging from your tailbone to the crown of your head. Each of the chakras are associated with different parts of your body, in both a physical and emotional sense that regulate the balance of energy to those areas.
They work in unison and each one has its own symbol, colour and meaning. Colours have a resonant frequency that corresponds to vibrational energy in each of your chakras. Each energy hub correlates to the same colours in a rainbow in the exact same order.
The first chakra is known as the root chakra, positioned at the base of the spine. When working correctly, you will feel grounded, centred, strong and secure. It is associated with the colour red and resonates with essential oils such as cedarwood and patchouli. When this chakra is blocked you might notice physical pains in your legs, feet, or tailbone. Emotional imbalances can leave you feeling hopeless, anxious, ungrounded, and lonely.
The sacral chakra is located just below the belly button and correlates with the colour orange. It has vibrational energy similar to that of carnelian stone and regulates basic emotional and sexual needs as well as creativity and confidence. When this chakra is blocked you can be left feeling emotionally imbalanced, struggling more so with addiction and dependence. You might also lack inspiration and notice uterine and bladder issues.
Just above the sacral is where the solar plexus chakra is positioned, between the ribcage and the naval. The solar plexus is what connects you to your individual power, regulating fear and gut feeling. When balanced, you will feel confident, productive, and energised, but when it is blocked you might feel fearful, anxious and insecure. It is associated with the colour yellow and resonates with such stones as citrine and pyrite.
The fourth chakra is the heart chakra, located in the centre of the chest. It is positioned directly in the middle of all seven chakras and unites the top three with the lower three. It resonates with the colour green, and stones such as labradorite and jade. It is the source of love, emotion, and connection encouraging forgiveness, awareness, and compassion when balanced. Warning signs of an imbalanced heart chakra include chest pains, circulatory problems, hatred and disconnection.
The next energy junction is called the throat chakra, which regulates expression, communication, and truth. It is associated with the colour blue, resonating with such stones as kyanite and aquamarine. When this chakra is blocked you can feel anxious, insecure and unable to listen or express yourself. Physical warnings can present themselves as a sore throat, thyroid issues and tension headaches.
The sixth chakra is known as the third eye and is positioned in the centre of the forehead. It is your source of intuition, divine wisdom, and insight into the spirit world. It is closely associated with the pineal gland and central nervous system. A healthy third eye chakra is linked with extra-sensory perceptive abilities, consciousness, and imagination. It resonates with the colour indigo, lavender oil, and stones such as lapis lazuli and sodalite. When this chakra is blocked you may have difficulty sleeping, feel anxious, depressed, or judgemental.
The crown chakra is the final energy centre and is located at the top of your head. It is associated with the colour violet and stones such as amethyst and clear quartz. It is connected to the pituitary gland and is your direct connection with the universe, inner wisdom, and enlightenment. A blocked crown chakra can lead to feelings of depression, disconnection, and confusion.
Learning about each of your chakras will give you that extra edge when you meditate and work on them. Having a reference point as to which colours and characteristics associate with which chakras will boost your visualisation skills, making your meditation far more effective.
Five Ways To Prepare Yourself For Chakra Meditation
There are several physical, mental and spiritual reasons why preparing for meditation is a helpful habit. It is a practice that you should aim to fit into your routine, as it will certainly help to improve the effectiveness of your meditation. Chakra work requires a great deal of focus, so why not create a pre-meditation ritual that will prime your mind to shift easily into a state of mental concentration.
Prepare your space. Simple things like lighting a candle, switching off your phone, or burning sage can support your meditation practice. Find somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed. It is important that your environment is clean and organised. Try to avoid clutter and too much chaos as these things will affect your state of mind.
Prepare your body. Just like having a clean environment, it is important that your physical body is clean too. You should prepare yourself with a warm shower or bath to help you relax, and it is important to be well-rested beforehand so that you don’t fall asleep during the meditation. Wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes. It is also helpful that you haven’t eaten too much. Avoid caffeine, and chocolate as you need to be clear and focussed throughout the meditation.
Set your seat. Posture is very important during chakra meditation. Most of your seven main energy centres are arranged up and around your spine, so it is important to keep it straight in order for the energy to flow correctly. Sit cross-legged with your palms facing up and lay cushions down if you feel uncomfortable sitting directly on the floor. You can use a wall or chair to support your back if you feel that you need to.
Set your intention. Setting an intention before meditating is a great way to remind yourself of what you are trying to achieve and a powerful way to encourage success. It is important to stay mindful and point out that you wish to clear any blockages in your chakras points and increase the energy flow through them. You might want to strengthen your intuition and receptiveness, so say this out loud beforehand.
Write down your distractions. Chakra meditation requires your mind to focus on specific things like colour, mantras, and emotion, so it is important that you don’t allow wandering thoughts to distract you. If you find yourself thinking about something else, write it down on a piece of paper and free your awareness to move on to your chakra meditation.
Leading yourself into meditation in this way should really help with its quality. Now that you have worked through these steps, you should feel ready to begin.