Chances are you’ve heard your yoga teacher say, “Draw your thumbs to your third eye, the center of your brow, the seat of your intuition.”
And chances are you’ve asked yourself, “What does that actually mean?”
Your yoga teacher is referring to one of your chakras, or wheels of energy, that rests in our subtle energetic body. And we have seven of them, each holding energetic power located on a path along our spine within our body.
Chakras, pronounced “chalk-rah”, help direct us to unlock areas in our life that need more balance. Ideally, our energy flows freely without bumps in the road to keep ourselves living a happy and vibrant life.
However, life happens, and we experience detours that block our energetic flow leaving unhealthy routines and thoughts that impact our body and mind. And as life changes, so do our chakra’s energy. Some become blocked, some become overactive, and some are balanced.
Why you should care about your chakras
These wheels of energy have a direct influence over physical parts of our body along with our emotional state of being that correspond to all areas of our lives.
When a certain chakra is blocked, you may feel “off” in certain areas of your life. For instance, if your throat chakra is blocked, you may have a difficult time speaking up for yourself. Or if your heart chakra is blocked, you may feel anger, jealous or hold grudges.
Overactive chakras will have the reverse effect. If your throat chakra is overactive, perhaps you speak over others. Or if your heart chakra is overactive, you may be too codependent or demanding of your partner.
Not to worry though. There are ways to tune into where you might be blocking energy in your body and life and we can apply yoga to help open the pathway back up again. Some even say by chanting each corresponding chant and wearing the affiliated color of the chakra will help to unblock what needs to be set free.
Simply by bringing awareness to where you feel you may have a blocked chakra is the first step toward freeing it. Get clear on what works needs to be done and then set intentions to do the actual work of healing.
The 7 Chakras
1. Root Chakra (Muladara) – The root of basic survival and security
The root chakra is the house for all the things that you need to survive. Such as food, shelter, and safety. Located at the base of our spine, it literally is where we ground ourselves to meet our basic needs. This chakra creates the foundation for the following chakras.
When your root chakra is blocked, you may feel fearful, feel financially unstable, have troubles sleeping or experience anxiety. If your root chakra is overactive, you may have a hard time of letting go of your material things, too habitual or overly practical. When your root chakra is balanced, you will feel grounded, centered, and safe.
- Location: Base of spine, or your pelvic floor
- Color: Red
- Element: Earth
- Chant: Lam or I am
- Daily Affirmation: I have enough. I am grounded and supported.
- Scent: Vetiver, Ylang Ylang
- Suggested Yoga Posture: Easy Pose (Sukhasana) or Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) – The energy of creativity
The sacral chakra is the source of our creativity and intimate passions. Often referred to as the “body” chakra, it is here where we connect our body with our senses and find inspiration and playful. This is why it is encouraged to “play like a child” to tap into your creativity and be open to exploring to create something new.
When blocked, you may have a fear of intimacy, lack of creativity, have reproductive issues and feel scattered. When overactive, your emotions may be high, intense feelings of lust, and trust issues. When your sacral chakra is balanced, passion, creativity, and optimism flow freely.
- Location: Pelvis, above the pubic bone but below the navel
- Color: Orange
- Element: Water
- Chant: Vam or I feel
- Daily Affirmation: I am creative. I honor and care for myself.
- Scent: Orange
- Suggested Yoga Posture: Goddess Pose (Deviasana), Frog Pose (Mandukasana), Seated Straddle Forward Fold (Upavistha Konasana)
3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) – The source of your power
The solar plexus chakra that focuses on our individual willpower, commitment, and confidence in our own presence. This chakra is like your own inner fire. You have clear goals and intentions and you actively move forward toward them.
When the 3rd chakra is unbalanced, we may have low self-esteem, feel powerless, have difficulty making decisions, and may have digestive issues. When overactive, your 3rd chakra may have you feeling greedy, power-hungry and critical of others. When balanced, you’re confident, in control, and can navigate through change effortlessly due to your own sense of grounding.
- Location: Solar Plexus, just above the navel
- Color: Yellow
- Element: Fire
- Chant: Ram or I do
- Daily Affirmation: I am powerful and what I do is enough.
- Scent: Lemon
- Suggested Yoga Posture: Boat Pose (Navasana), Bow Pose (Dhanurasana), Prayer Twist (Parivrtta Utkatasana)
4. Heart Chakra (Anahata) – The essence of love
At the center of the highway of chakras, the heart chakra is where we are able to give and receive love. It is worth noting that this includes others, but also fully loving ourselves. As life situations arise, our heart chakra can help guide us to how we respond to conflicts, how to show and give empathy, and giving ourselves the tools to heal through self-care or welcoming forgiveness.
When the heart chakra is blocked, we may have negative thoughts toward ourselves and/or others, have feelings of jealousy, and have trust issues in relationships. When overactive, we may give too much of ourselves, be codependent, not able to set boundaries and absorb the energy of others too much. When balanced, feelings of compassion, love, and openness flow through us for others.
- Location: Heart center
- Color: Green
- Element: Air
- Chant: Yam or I love
- Daily Affirmation: I am love. I give and receive love effortlessly to others.
- Scent: Eucalyptus
- Suggested Yoga Posture: Camel Pose (Ustrasana), Wheel/Upward Facing Bow (Urdhva Dhanurasana), Wild Thing (Camatkarasana)
5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) – The voice of clear communication
The fifth chakra is where we can communicate and listen effectively in our daily lives. Our words speak our inner truth with confidence and compassion and we listen to others closely. The throat chakra is also the first of the three spiritual chakras. It is here where we can tap into our authentic selves and share it without fear of being accepted by others.
When blocked, the throat chakra can make us feel like we can’t speak our truth for fear of judgment of others, we have difficulty listening, and can physically show up as a sore throat or thyroid issues. When overactive, the throat chakra can show up in our lives as talking over others, gossipy, or using harsh words. When balanced, we feel confident in our words and sharing our stance with others in a polite and meaningful way. Our words deliver clear communication and we actively listen to understand where others are coming from.
- Location: Throat
- Color: Blue
- Element: Sound
- Chant: Ham or I speak
- Daily Affirmation: I speak my authentic true self.
- Scent: Blue Cypress
- Suggested Yoga Posture: Plow Pose (Halasana), Fish Pose (Matsyasana, Shoulder Stand (Salamba Sarvangasana), or Puppy Pose (Shishosana)
6. Third-Eye Chakra (Anja) – The seat of intuition
The third-eye chakra is the second of spiritual chakras. It governs your intuition, the inner voice that guides you toward the “right” decision. Your intuition is also known as your sixth sense and helps give direction to the other chakras. It is this chakra that gives insight as to what actions you should take to move forward in a purposeful way.
When the third-eye is blocked, your lower chakras will most likely be blocked as well. We have a hard time trusting our instincts, lack of confidence lacks focus and imagination. When overactive, we may have nightmares, have headaches, dizziness, and cast judgment. When the third-eye is balanced, we are able to see through drama and have a clear head on things, we’re imaginative and can trust our gut.
- Location: The space between the eyebrows
- Color: Indigo
- Element: Light
- Chant: Om or I see
- Daily Affirmation: I am connected.
- Scent: Chamomile
- Suggested Yoga Posture: Child’s Pose (Balasana), Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana), Sun Salutations with eyes closed (Surya Namaskar A)
7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) – The light
The end of the chakra path is the crown chakra, the third spiritual chakra that connects us to something bigger than ourselves. This crown chakra governs our ability to live a happy and meaningful life through the true awareness of our ability to connect to everything around us.
When the 7th chakra is blocked, our thinking is rattled, we resist new ideas, and feel disconnected to everyone and everything around us. When overactive, the 7th chakra can lead us to judgmental thoughts and that we already have all the answers. When balanced, the 7th chakra gives us the full sense of connectedness around us, intelligence, understanding, and universal love.
- Location: The crown of the head
- Color: Violet
- Element: Thought
- Chant: Silence or I understand
- Daily Affirmation: I am peaceful and whole. I am love.
- Scent: Lavender
- Suggested Yoga Posture: Corpse Pose (Savasana), Head Stand (Sirsasana), Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana), Meditation
What chakra resonates with you right now? Have you felt a certain chakra’s energy blocked or balanced for a good part of your life or just recently?
Just like life ebbs and flows, so do our chakras. It is difficult to have all chakras freely flowing without any blocks. But through awareness of what is going on with our physical body, our minds, and our relationships in our lives, we can tap into what work needs to be done to live the vibrant life we all want.
So, the next time your yoga teacher asks you to draw your thumbs to your third-eye, wink at your intuition and trust that you’re on the right path.
Because after all, your intuition brought you to that yoga class…
