Balancing The First Three Chakras
Chakras are, as you probably know, centres of energy located at various points throughout your body. The word ‘chakra’ literally translates as ‘wheel’ or ‘disc’. Your chakras are, according to ayurvedic thought, the spinning centres where Prana - your life force energy - meets and interacts with the matter of your body. Your chakras are essential for maintaining the healthy, vital flow of Prana throughout your being - ensuring good physical, mental, and spiritual health. However, chakras are a two way street. In order to look after you properly, your chakras need you to look after them. Poor lifestyle choices, problems, and other issues may ‘block’ or misalign your chakras, causing the distribution of Prana to become unbalanced. This in turn leads to health and emotional issues for you.
The first three chakras are often neglected, as many who work with chakras are seeking spiritual enlightenment, and thus tend to concentrate on the higher chakras - those concerned with more cerebral and spiritual matters. However, the first three chakras - which are concerned with more ‘basic’ matters - are incredibly important. If your first three chakras are unbalanced, the upwards flow of Prana is effectively ‘cut off’ at the base, and you will have no foundation upon which to build the spiritual life you wish for. Here, therefore, is a quick guide to working with the first three chakras:
Root Chakra
Your root chakra is associated with your basic survival instincts, and the fundamentals of existence. It is located at the base of your tailbone and, if working correctly, should keep you grounded, and imbue you with a sense of security. As the ‘first’ chakra, a balanced root chakra also enables the chakras above it to be opened, and the flow of Prana to begin its upwards journey through your being. If your root chakra is overactive, you may find yourself placing an overemphasis on the materials of survival. Food addictions, obesity, and bowel issues may result from an overactive root chakra. An under active root chakra can cause issues with your ‘fight or flight’ mechanisms, resulting in stress, anxiety, paranoia and so forth. It is very important to balance the root chakra in order to provide a good foundation for building physical, spiritual, and mental health.
Opening And Balancing Your Root Chakra
Your root chakra, as a very earthly chakra, responds well to your sense of smell. Concentrating on the scents you experience in your everyday life will stimulate your root chakra and help to bring it into alignment. Your root chakra energies will also respond to meditation on the colour red, or surrounding yourself with red light and decor. Chakras respond well to vibrational energies such as those which are released with chants. To open your root chakra, a chant of ‘Lam’ will prove very effective. On a physical level, sitting with your knees pulled into your chest, or putting your head to your knees will help to open and balance your root chakra. On the other hand, should your root chakra be overactive, focusing on the ‘higher’ and less basic aspects of existence can help. A short fast, a good detox (should you have been overindulging in food or alcohol), or an engagement with spiritual or philosophical topics may calm the chakra and help redistribute the energy it is hoarding.
Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra is located in your pelvis - just above your pubic bone, and just below your navel. It is associated with sensual experience. A lot of emotion is generated by our sacral chakra, particularly emotion associated with lust and human intimacy. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the inspiration which many artists have drawn from sensual and sensory sources, the sacral chakra is strongly associated with creativity. If you seek a greater creative life, it is the sacral rather than the ‘higher’ chakras to which you should be paying heed. Sadly, as society conditions many of us to hide our feelings and to be wary of strong emotion, many people have an underactive or ‘blocked’ sacral chakra. This can result in sexual dysfunction, mood disorders, and general feelings of ‘disconnection’. The modern concept of the mind-body disconnect has wrought havoc upon the sacral chakra, as the sacral chakra is so strongly associated with the interplay between physical, sensory experiences and emotional response. Opening the sacral chakra will allow you to be open, passionate, able to experience pure joy, and translate that joy into creative works. The sacral chakra, in short, allows us to feel happy and creatively fulfilled.
Opening And Balancing Your Sacral Chakra
A wonderful way to open the sacral chakra is to play. Do things you enjoy, creatively, without over analyzing or worrying about how skilled your efforts are. Simply play, and let yourself experience joy without criticism. Play is a fantastic way to stimulate your creative energies and thus get your sacral chakra spinning as it should. The sacral chakra also responds well to the colour orange, and the chant ‘vam’. Physically, the yogic butterfly pose will help to open and align your sacral chakra. This is not a particularly difficult pose, and improves with practice! One simple places the soles of the feet together, lets the knees drop outwards, and brings the heels in towards the pelvis. To enhance the position, one can then slowly lean forward, lengthening the torso. Treating your body with respect, honouring it, and maintaining healthy, fulfilling sexual relationships will also keep your sacral chakra in good condition.
Solar Plexus Chakra
The solar plexus chakra, located between your navel and your breastbone, is where you hold the core of your identity. It’s where willpower and ego reside. An overactive solar plexus chakra, therefore, can result in egotism, arrogance, and the aggression which naturally comes from such things. A properly balanced solar plexus chakra, however, allows for a well controlled use of your personal power, a strong, realistic sense of identity, and sustained motivation to achieve one’s personal goals. The chakra is also associated with digestion and metabolism, so metabolic and digestive problems could be solved by cleansing and balancing the solar plexus chakra. Should your solar plexus chakra be underactive or unbalanced, you may well find yourself lacking motivation, self confidence, and ‘drive’.
Opening And Balancing Your Solar Plexus Chakra
Your solar plexus chakra responds well to the colour yellow, and the chant ‘Ram’. Setting yourself clearly defined goals, and working on your personal focus will also help the solar plexus chakra to unblock and align itself correctly. Building confidence and self-esteem will also help your solar plexus chakra to work as it should. If you have an overactive solar plexus chakra, try eating or drinking soothing, calming foods. This may relax you, release you from the ‘drive’ that the solar plexus chakra provides, and perhaps help with the all-important sense of perspective that an overactive solar plexus chakra can obliterate.
Post Written by Anne Farns
