Demystifying the Chakras
“Balancing your chakras” is one of those things you hear all the time, even if you’re just dipping your toes into the world of spirituality or yoga. But what does it really mean?
What is a Chakra?
Chakras (pronounced CHUCK-ruh) are a way to conceptualize our vital life force energy, our Prana, as separate concentrated energy centers, each holding a specific vibrational essence. Lacking a physical form or set location, they can be visualized as lotus flowers or spinning wheels of color along the spine. Visualization and general understanding of the chakras can help us to connect deeper with our Self and the divine in so many different ways! In short, checking in with these energy centers is a huge part of many people’s spiritual hygiene routine.
For the purpose of this series, I’m going to reference the chakra system that everyone is familiar with- the one with 7 energy centers- but it should be noted this is not the only chakra system! It’s a common misconception so here’s a little historical perceptive: As yoga practices began to flourish and spread around Northern India some 5,000 years ago, the work in the original sacred Vedic texts was elaborated on, beginning the formation of the many different yogic and religious subsets to come from this time.
The development of Tantra yoga is actually the first time that we see chakra described as a subtle energy body. This idea was then adopted widely by yogis of many lineages, though the number and location of the chakras varies from 5-12 or more depending on your personal practice and study. For the past 4 or 5 centuries, the 7 chakra system has been dominant, but it’s important to understand that the ancient texts left it up to interpretation on purpose. As a result, you will see a much less homogenized depiction of the chakras, stepping outside of the western yoga sphere.
HOw does it get out of balance?
Sometimes a chakra is thrown out of whack temporarily, given a situation or environment we’re experiencing. Sometimes we’re prone to a chakra being over/under active due to years of conditioning, a traumatic experience, or a deeper karmic energy. For example, being in the city makes your throat chakra blocked: you feel overwhelmed by all the stimulation and have trouble communicating or expressing yourself. While that’s more of a temporary occurrence, a more karmic example is the sacral and solar plexus blocks many womxn face forever after being raised in a patriarchal society that conditions us to have a wounded relationship with the divine feminine.
So How do we balance it?
While I wish it was as simple as meditating with a specific crystal or doing a yoga pose- these & similar practices are done simply to create space for and catalyze the energy shift that occurs when we do the work to identify the core cause of energy instability in the first place. No amount of red crystals under your pillow will open your Root chakra if you do not also work through your addiction to consumerism, for example. But daily movement meditation with some Root chakra focused yoga postures may begin to give you headspace and awareness surrounding that relationship with consumerism.
There are different approaches to tapping into the energy of each chakra so we can identify the core issue; based on their unique vibration, everything from crystals to candles to colors to plants have come to be associated with particular energy centers. I will detail more specifically as we go through them!
But remember that talking about chakras as “opened vs blocked” or “stable vs unstable,” are just ways of bringing awareness to and simplifying the many different ways of suffering we experience as human beings. These labels aren’t meant to over complicate it more, or make you feel like there is another thing “wrong” with you that you need to “fix,” as new age spirituality tends to come off as. If you do find conceptualizing the chakras in this way an insightful healing modality, I’m honored to be your introductory guide!
