YOGA CHAKRAS AND CHANNELS OF ENERGY

Sanskrit defines chakra as a “wheel.” All of us have chakras, which are energy hubs or vortices. Everything has its vibrational frequency and is made of energy, and the human energy field outside of the physical body is known as the energy body. 

Our bodies have intricate energy pathways called chakras, which are thought to be the pathways for the life force. It is sometimes referred to as the body’s spiritual nervous system.

THE SEVEN CHAKRAS

The chakras are sometimes depicted as rotating, colored energy wheels. The seven primary chakras, traditionally located on the spine, are supposed to be supported by 114 other chakras and 72,000 nadis, or energy channels, through which the prana, or life force, travels. 

The chakras can be actively used in our yoga practice to improve our health, self-awareness, and spiritual insight. Our physical, energetic, and mental/emotional imbalances can be discovered and subsequently treated by various yoga practices. This helps to increase awareness of these levels of consciousness while minimizing and removing barriers to self-realization. 

Affirmations to help balance the chakras:

• Root – I shall love my life
• Sacral – I shall express my feelings in a healthy way
• Solar plexus – My body shall be strong and healthy
• Heart – I shall allow myself to feel my tender heart
• Throat – I shall speak my truth
• Third eye – My life shall move with grace
• Crown – I shall know, and I shall understand

1. MULADHARA

• Sanskrit – “root support.”
• Location – the base of the spine
• Color – Red
• Element – Earth
• Governs- Four primal urges: food, sleep, sex, survival and self-preservation
• Energetic function – maintains a sense of inner stability, feel safe and secure in a space

It can be found at the spine’s base. This chakra gives us the firm base we need to have a stable body and mind. When this chakra is open, the person has a strong sense of self-worth and the ability to overcome obstacles. 

But when it is obstructed, we feel threatened and are typically uneasy about our daily activities. It controls matters like money and food, which are closely tied to having a high sense of confidence in oneself. Every time you meditate and experience smell, it is said that the muladhara chakra is responsible.

Yoga poses to balance the root chakra 

• Mountain Pose
• Warrior Pose

2. SVADHISTHAN

• Sanskrit – “her abode.”
• Location – the pelvis
• Color – Orange
• Element – water
• Governs – fluidity, adaptability, creativity, emotions, the s
• Energetic function – regulate our feelings and desires

It can be found two inches below the naval in the lower abdomen. It affects our feelings toward ourselves and others, sexual arousal, and perception of abundance.

It affects how satisfied one feels with pleasure, sex, and overall emotional well-being. When we overthink, this center becomes depleted of energy, and when it is entirely out of balance, conditions like diabetes or blood cancer can develop.

Yoga poses to balance the sacral chakra 

• Standing Wide Forward Bend
• Bound Angle Pose

3. MAINPURA

• Sanskrit – “city of jewels”
• Location – navel center
• Color – Yellow
• Element – fire
• Governs – strong inner fire (Agni) can help us digest our food and life experiences.
• Energetic Function – optimizes personal power to navigate the lives with strength and determination

This is present in the stomach area of the upper abdomen. It significantly affects our ability to handle life confidently and take charge of every circumstance. People with this chakra block frequently experience guilt and self-doubt and cannot express themselves adequately.

When this chakra is open, people can enjoy life and feel completely at ease in their own flesh. It looks after the liver, which is the organ of attention and ability to concentrate, located on the right side.

Yoga poses to balance solar plexus chakra 

• Boat Pose
• Spinal Twist Pose

4. ANHATA

• Sanskrit – “unstruck”
• Location – the heart center
• Color – Green
• Element – air
• Governs – emotions such as peace, love, liberty
• Energetic Function – helps tap into unconditional love, express compassion and connection with self and others

This is located in the area of the chest directly above the heart. In yoga, the upper chakras are linked to spirituality, while the lower chakras are linked to material advantages. When it comes to harmony, this chakra is crucial. 

When this chakra is blocked, people find it difficult to communicate with their loved ones and recognize other people’s profound empathy. By using this core, we can free ourselves of bad habits, complacency, filthy attachments, and anything else that holds us captive.

Yoga poses to balance the heart chakra 

• Cobra Pose
• Camel pose

5. VISHUDDHA

• Sanskrit – “to purify”
• Location – the base of the throat
• Color -Light Blue
• Element – space
• Governs – strength of will, personal expression
• Energetic Function – help find authentic self-expression, speak and receive the truth

It is situated towards the throat. It has an impact on our capacity for successful communication and concept presentation. Being able to fully and freely express ourselves when it is opened makes it the pinnacle of self-expression and truth. 

When this chakra is blocked, people find it challenging to communicate their feelings at the appropriate moments and often find it tough to confide in others. This chakra provides us with a sense of unity and the knowledge that we are all intrinsically a part of the whole, allowing us to feel connected to the universe.

Yoga poses to balance the throat chakra 

• Plow Pose
• Fish Pose

6. AJNA

• Sanskrit – “command center.”
• Location – between the eyebrows
• Color – Indigo
• Element – ether beyond physical elements
• Governs – the center of intuition,imagination, inner knowing, and self-assurance vision, prophecy,
• Energetic Function – help us learn to know ourselves

It is also known as brow chakra and is situated in the forehead between the eyes. The higher we go, the closer we are to having contact with divinity since the upper chakras are related to the spiritual side of existence.

Consider it to be the soul’s eye. It is related to intuition and the ability to delve deeper into knowledge. The third eye chakra’s intuitive abilities are what people mistakenly refer to as the sixth sense.

It serves as the foundation for all creativity, insight, and foresight. It is the one that eliminates all of our racial stereotypes, false conceptions of racialism, indoctrination, habits, and misidentifications.

Yoga poses to balance third-eye chakra 

• Seated Yoga Mudra
• Meditation

7. SAHASRARA

• Sanskrit – “thousand-petaled lotus.”
• Location – just above the crown of the head
• Color – Violet to White
• Element – none
• Governs – connecting to divine energy and is associated with our highest self, Experience God/the Divine, Meaning of life.
• Energetic Function – helps us function in a more enlightened way.
• Affirmation – I know.

The uppermost chakra, Sahasrara, or the crown chakra, is located at the top of the head and symbolizes our capacity for complete spiritual connection. You can reach a higher awareness when you fully open your head chakra, which is something very few people ever do.

Yoga poses to balance the crown chakra

• Savasana

CONCLUSION:

The chakra paradigm is used in chakra yoga, which strives to advance spiritual knowledge, self-awareness, and physical well-being. Furthermore, Chakra yoga deepens your body’s connection to you, enabling you to recognize when you require more concentration, stability, or resolve and tailor your yoga practice to meet those requirements to achieve harmony and balance in your life.