Chakra Balancing and Wellbeing
Meditation isn’t always for the purpose of moving into quiet states of stillness. We can use meditation practice as a way to check in with ourselves and better direct our energy. Guided meditations are an awareness tool that allows us to be in conscious, present creation with ourselves.
What Are Chakras?
Chakras are points where the energetic and physical bodies meet. Imagine chakras like wheels constantly in motion. If these wheels are “stuck,” energy cannot move and we might feel out of whack. Located in the subtle body, there are hundreds of chakras, although the primary seven from the Muladhara system are where the most focus is given.
These main seven chakras are:
- Root – base of spine – Muladhara – red
- Sacral – below the naval – Svadisthana – orange
- Solar Plexus – above navel – Manipura — yellow
- Heart – heart, center of chest – Anahata — green
- Throat – throat – Visuddha —blue
- 3rd eye — at forehead between the eyes — Ajna — indigo
- Crown— top of head — Sahasrara — violet
Chakra Color Variations
This modern-day chakra color system comes from the cover of a 1977 out-of-print book by Christopher Hills. If this system works for you, go with it. However, if you discover that your root chakra is another color, go with that. When I visualize my root chakra color as red, for instance, I feel antsy and uncomfortable. When I place gold there, I feel peaceful and relaxed. Play with the colors and find that which supports you. It’s also perfectly fine if you don’t see or experience any color at all.
Chakras and the Spine
We need to understand the physical importance of our spine, which is a framework for the nervous system, while giving structure to the body. The spine is also an important facet of spiritual health — many traditions regard the spine with significance, as it is the main channel through which all subtle energies flow.
The spine holds important codes for our soul’s potential, as our latent DNA/RNA pulsates within. When we learn to be in tune with our spinal health, a wealth of information is available, which can help us better masters ourselves.
Sitting with a straight spine is crucial, but it should be exercised at your own level of comfort. When we lengthen the spine, it is easier to connect with cosmic and Earth energies. Do not make yourself uncomfortable by trying to maintain a “straight spine.” Any preoccupation with form will only distract and nullify any healing effects.
Visualization
Seeing chakras is a marvelous gift, but not something all are able to do. When we use the word “visualize,” imagine feeling and experiencing, rather than seeing. Psychic senses are elusive, and many psychics are unable to “see,” but use other methods of perception instead.
Feel the color, shape, and texture of each chakra. Engage other senses to navigate, and don’t get hung up on the word “visualize.”
Chakra Meditation
This is an easy, accessible way to move energy and connect to the subtle body.
How to Align Your Chakras with Meditation
- Sit comfortably with your spine lengthened and begin to breathe deeply but gently. Close your eyes to bless yourself with total presence during this meditation.
- Imagine a brown (or black) ball of energy at your feet. Breathe with it and allow it to expand to the size of a beach ball. This is the Earth Star Chakra and will begin to help you pulsate with the heartbeat of the Earth.
- Moving into your body, bring your attention to your Root Chakra. For some of us, this is at the perineum, for others its between the thighs. Feel and trust your own way!
- See the Root Chakra as a red glowing orb. Feel with it gradually and expand, it to the size of a beach ball.
- Bringing your attention to your Sacral Chakra, feel the warm orange glow, and expand or decrease it to match the size of the other two.
- Continue moving up your body to the Solar Plexus Chakra and allow the warmth of the sun to charge this yellow chakra. Expand its size to be in alignment with those already balanced below.
- Feel the inviting green of your Heart Chakra and breathe into it until it too is a consistent size.
- Bring yourself to the blue of your Throat Chakra, breathing with it until its size matches those below.
- The 3rd Eye Chakra will emit an indigo-colored light, deeper and more powerful than the blue of your throat. This one may take a bit more care and patience or, in the case of highly sensitive people, it may be noticeably out of whack with the others. Be patient as it comes into alignment with the other chakras.
- Drifting upward to the Crown Chakra, feel the vibrant violet that resides there. Effortlessly allow its size to match that of the others.
- The platinum (white or gold) light will be our final place of attention. Residing about six inches above the Crown Chakra, this chakra connects us to the galactic realms, giving us a direct connection with our deeper soul. Be with it until it too reaches the size of the others.
- With all chakras balanced, thank yourself for this loving attention you have just shared. Commit yourself to be more present with these energies.
- Gently open your eyes, and carry on with the ways of feeling more of yourself present in the world!
As you deepen your chakra meditations, you will experience more of your truth. Befriend the wisdom of each energy center, and allow yourself to embody if even for a moment, the frequency you’re perceiving. What may initially be a simple exercise could form the basis of a whole new path of experience.
About the Author
Six Ways to Cleanse Your Aura for Spring
If we are spirits having a human experience, then it is this frequency of spirit which vibrates and creates an energetic field around the human body. This field around our physical body is known as the “aura.” Just like your physical body, your subtle body in the form of you aura may experience and exhibit stress, fragmentation, and a loss of luminosity. Spring is an excellent time to detoxify and regenerate, both body and spirit. Try these steps to cleanse your aura and liberate its highest potential and feel the cascading effects seasons after season.
How to Remove Negative Energy & Cleanse Your Aura
1. Visualize Your Aura
Sit in a quiet, distraction-free zone in your house. Stay seated comfortably in a position you can relax in for about 15 minutes while practicing breathing exercises. Remain conscious of what you’re doing, and aware of your inhales and exhales. You can even meditate. Once you find yourself beginning to totally relax, form a white light in your mind and have it surround you. Allow it to flow throughout you, from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, and visualize it moving up and down your back, near your spine. If you get distracted or thrown off, you can get yourself back on track by re-visualizing the white light and focusing on your breath.
2. Discard Your Negative Energy
Avoid negative people or energy vampires. People affect more than just themselves, so be aware of how others affect your energy and vice versa. One way to protect yourself is to make sure you surround yourself with more positive people than negative ones. Spend less time time (or none at all) with negative people, once you figure who they are. Find positive people who always have a smile to offer and have kind souls. These people can help offset negativity in your aura.
3. Cleanse Your Own Negative Thoughts
Still have negative energy wafting around? Try looking inward. Start paying attention to your thoughts. Are there a lot of negative ones? Take a look at them. Are they untrue, delusional, or paranoid? All the more reason to chuck them out. Focus on the bright side of things. If you are having a really bad day, it’s okay to express your feelings, but don’t wallow in that place. Make your day a good one by treating yourself to your favorite tea. Play your favorite song. Find a friend to hang out with. If you notice that a negative thought is trying to creep in, confront it with a positive one. If you keep practicing this, you will be able to conquer the effects of negative thinking.
4. Create a Protection Bubble
This is the most commonly practiced ways of protecting the aura. Practitioners praise it as a beautiful way to connect them to the divine energy, and when it’s done in the mornings, it’s a defining start to the day. Imagine white light coming down from the sky, divine, cosmos, universe, whatever higher power resonates with you. Connect this light to the crown of your head, and then let it spill out over you and down under your feet. You are now surrounded by a white light bubble. White is pure and highly protective. You are in control of what enters and exits your white bubble of protection.
5. Get Energy Healings
Sometimes you just need a realignment: energy healings can help clean blockages or balance misalignments. Healers also check for negative entities or emotional cords that may need to be cut. Don’t underestimate the power of these energy checkups. You might find that your mood swings and imbalanced emotions improve drastically with a little help.
6. Smudge Your Aura Regularly
Smudging is a Native American practice using white sage to cleanse any negative energy. You can cleanse your house, people and things. Try smudging after you’ve had a lot of people in your home or if you feel particularly drained. Focus your intention on clearing negative energy to allow room for positive energy in your space and life.
