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7 Benefits of Balancing Your Chakras, and How to Do It

If you feel like you never have enough energy, making an effort to tone out distractions and tune into your body may be the first step to feeling better.

Balancing your chakras is an excellent way to find balance within your body and mind. While chakra meditation may seem too “out there” for many people, it can be beneficial and easy to practice in a modern context. This ancient practice is now getting support from modern science, with evidence showing that energy healing may help fight cancer.

Here is a quick intro to chakras, a number of benefits of a chakra-related practice, plus how to fit it into daily life.

What are chakras?

The chakra system is an ancient way of viewing the body. It is divided into seven zones, with each area having energy that must flow freely. When the chakras are balanced, the whole body works in harmony and we feel elevated, energized and whole.

If the concept of “energy” feels too new-agey for you, just think of the seven points along the body as different organ systems. All of your organs must be in good working order for the body and mind to be healthy.

An introduction to the seven chakras

So what are these seven zones of energy, or function, within the body? Here is a quick rundown of each chakra.

Root chakra

Color: Red

Element: Earth

Location: Base of the spine, tailbone

Related Body Functions: Elimination of waste and toxins, core balance, pelvic floor

Purpose: Feeling of being grounded, safe and secure.

Sacral or pelvic chakra

Color: Orange

Element: Water

Location: Two inches below the belly button in the lower abdomen

Related Body Functions: Lower digestion and absorption, immune system, sexual organs

Purpose: Feeling pleasurable, accepting, creative and abundant

Solar plexus chakra

Color: Yellow

Element: Fire

Location: Around the point where the ribs meet in the middle of your abdomen

Related Body Functions: Upper digestion, stomach, diaphragm

Purpose: Feeling confident and in control, self-worth

Heart chakra

Color: Green

Element: Air

Location: Center of the chest, on the breast bone

Related Body Functions: Breathing, cardiovascular function

Purpose: Feeling loved and giving love, inner peace

Throat chakra

Color: Blue

Element: Ether or space

Location: In the throat in the Adam’s apple area

Related Body Functions: Taste, swallowing, speaking, jaw tightness

Purpose: Being able to communicate and express, both inwardly and outwardly

Third eye chakra

Color: Indigo (blue-violet)

Element: Light

Location: In the forehead, between the eyes

Related Body Functions: Sight, decision-making, perception

Purpose: Feeling able to understand life situations and perceive meaning

Crown chakra

Color: Violet

Element: Cosmic energy

Location: On top of or just above the head

Related Body Functions: Mental peace and connectedness

Purpose: Feeling beautiful, connected and purposeful

Benefits of balancing the chakras

Now that you know the basics about each of the seven chakras, how can you use them for holistic health?

The benefits of chakra balancing are closely tied with the philosophy of yoga. If you have taken a yoga class or practiced on your own, you will know the feeling of full-body integration that comes after completing a session. Yoga experts will explain that this is due to the movement of life energy, also called prana or chi, that comes from practicing yoga.

It is believed that blocked energy in a particular chakra or chakras can lead to illness in those areas of the body. Taking the time to shift this energy using yoga and/or chakra meditation can help clear these issues. This is something you can do consciously so that you can take control of your state of well-being.

Simple practices to help balance your chakras

There are many ways you might integrate a chakra balancing into your regular self-care routine. This is a basic summary, although you may wish to do more research into particular techniques.

Meditation: Visualize glowing spheres corresponding to the color of the chakras, starting with the root chakra and moving up. Tune into each part of the body as you move through the chakras and feel any sensations you might notice there.

Acupuncture: If you visit an acupuncturist, they may stimulate points corresponding to the chakras to help stimulate or open underactive chakras and bring them into balance with each other.

Yoga: Specific poses work in conjunction with different chakras. For example, tree pose helps you to feel grounded, corresponding with the root chakra. Camel pose helps to open your heart chakra to the sky. You may wish to use yoga as an active yet meditative way to stimulate and balance your chakras.

Meditation is scientifically proven to support overall health and may even slow brain aging! Basing your practice around chakras is a great way to stay mindful, tuned in and connected to your body.

Check out some health-boosting morning drinks to sip in accompaniment with your meditation practice.

—The Alternative Daily

Sources:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016747818990105X
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304394099007703
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/chakras-yoga-for-beginners/beginners-guide-chakras
http://www.modernchakra.com/chakra-science.html
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/what-is-chakra-yoga.html#b
http://eocinstitute.org/meditation/third-eye-chakra-opening
http://blisslotus.com/chakra-meditation.html
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/chakra-101-a-beginners-guide.html

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