The Chakra System
The Chakra System is comprised of seven chakras which are massive nerve centers within our body.
Like the Universe, the chakras are always speaking to us. Chakras provide us with insight as to what is going on within us; they ignite signals within our body alerting us to pay attention, feel and listen. I often incorporate chakra work into my soul coaching sessions. When I educate my clients on the chakras and how it pertains to their life challenges and patterns, it often leads to many Aha moments.
The Chakra System, in its essence, is all about the mind/body connection. It’s important to understand how the system works so we can understand ourselves in a deeper, more profound way.
The Sanskrit word Chakra means wheel or disk. In yoga and meditation, Chakra refers to wheels of energy throughout the body.
There are seven main chakras within the body; they begin at the base of the spine and continue up to the crown of the head.
To imagine a chakra in your body, imagine a pinwheel, or a swirling wheel of energy where consciousness (the mind) and matter meet. This energy, also called Prana, is our life force that keeps us healthy, vibrant, and alive.
Each chakra within our body houses bundles of nerves and major organs as well as our psychological, emotional, and spiritual states of being. With that, can you imagine for a moment the significant role chakras play in helping to ensure we remain healthy and well!
Let’s take a moment to learn about each chakra.
Root Chakra
Root Chakra is the first chakra, and it is located at the base of your spine. It is the foundation of emotional and mental health, and its function is concerned with earthly grounding and physical survival. Your connection to family helps form your identity and a sense of belonging to a group/tribe.
When all is well with this chakra, you’ll feel secure, calm, and anchored in reality. This Chakra is associated with your legs, feet, bones, large intestine, and adrenal glands. It controls your fight or flight response. Blockage may manifest as paranoia, fear, procrastination, and defensiveness.
The Sacral Chakra
The Sacral chakra is the second chakra, and it is located in the center of your abdomen, a couple inches below your navel. This chakra is related to everything about you that is tied to creation. This means not only your artistic output but also your sex drive, imagination, finances, and potential for personal growth.
This chakra is associated with your lower abdomen, kidneys, bladder, circulatory system, your reproductive organs, and glands, and it is concerned with emotion. A blockage may manifest when problems arise such as emotional, compulsive, or obsessive behaviors or sexual guilt. Issues of physical survival, control, and one-on-one relationships are at the core of this energy center.
The Solar Plexus Chakra
The Solar Plexus is the third chakra. It furthers the development of self-esteem and personality, separate from your tribal identity. It is located a few inches above the navel in the solar plexus area. This is where you learn to draw and maintain strong boundaries and a strong internal compass; it’s your relationship with yourself.
This chakra is concerned with your digestive system, muscles, pancreas, and adrenals. Feelings of personal power, laughter, joy, and anger are associated with this chakra. Your sensitivity, ambition, and ability to achieve are stored here. Blockage may manifest as anger, frustration, lack of direction or a sense of victimization.
The Heart Chakra
The Heart Chakra is the fourth chakra, and it is the powerhouse of the human energy system. It is located within your heart. This chakra mediates between the body and spirit and determines your health, strength, and balance. It is your capacity to give and receive unconditional love, compassion, and affection. It is the center of love, compassion, harmony, and peace.
This chakra is associated with your lungs, heart, arms, hands, and thymus gland. Blockage can show itself as immune system, lung and heart problems, or manifest as inhumanity, lack of compassion or unprincipled behavior.
Throat Chakra
The Throat Chakra is fifth chakra and is for communication and expression. It is located within the throat. It is the center of balancing your personal choices with trusting the Universe and knowing you are Divinely guided. It is the chakra of communication, creativity, self-expression and judgement. It is associated with your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, thyroid, and parathyroid glands. It is concerned with the senses of inner and outer hearing, the manifesting of ideas, healing, transformation, and purification. Blockage can show up as creative blocks, dishonesty, or general problems in communicating ones needs to others.
The Third Eye / Brow Chakra
The Third Eye/Brow Chakra is the sixth chakra, and it is used to question the spiritual nature of our life. It is located within the center of your forehead at eye level or slightly above. It is the chakra of questioning, perception and knowing. It is concerned with inner vision, intuition, and wisdom. Your dreams for this life and recollections of other lifetimes are held in this chakra. Blockage may manifest as problems surface like lack of foresight, mental rigidity, ‘selective’ memory, or depression. It involves our mental abilities and our psychological skill at evaluating our beliefs and attitudes.
The Crown Chakra
The Crown Chakra is the seventh chakra and is associated with the cerebral cortex, central nervous system, and the pituitary gland. It is located at the top of your head. It. It is concerned with information, understanding, acceptance and bliss. This chakra is our connection to our spiritual nature and capacity to allow spirituality into our lives. It is the chakra of Divine purpose and personal destiny. Blockage can manifest as psychological problems