mizzparkerLearn how the 7 chakras affect your life
Peace and blessings everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by. This is the 7 Chakras: Ultimate Beginner’s Guide for all your chakra needs.
Now there’s a lot of naysayers about chakras who might think it’s all pseudo. But I really think these are just uninformed people who think that way.
If you do your research, you will see how the seven chakra system is not only real but is also a vital aspect to our existence on earth. Read on as we dive deep into what the chakra system really means and how it relates to your life.
If you haven’t listened to the podcast, this is the point where we “go within” and get into our 5-minute Focused Shift guided meditation. You should definitely check that out because it will be the most relaxing five minutes of your day!
What Are the 7 Chakras?
Now back to the topic at hand, chakras. You’ve probably heard talk of aligning the chakras or something along those lines. But what the heck does that even mean? And what is a chakra really anyway?
Many people don’t believe in chakras or even understand that literally everything is energy. Ancient cultures have different names for energy like chi, prana, life force. etc.
Also, we need to understand that energy flows by way of frequencies and harmonics. So when we think of the chakras they are simply the harmonic, vortex energy centers that spin like a wheel to help regulate the flow of energy through the body.
The word chakra is Sanskrit for “wheel” which describes the spinning motion. The knowledge of chakras is best known for dating back 2000 years in ancient Hindu texts.
But there are also other cultures who have a chakra model as well, like the Tibetan six chakra system, the Tsalagi system, the Incan energy system, and of course the ancient Egyptians and African chakra and tree of Life system.
Side note, you have to really search to find the truth about ancient Kemet because egyptology has been hijacked by academia. They have a standard story about ancient Egypt and they don’t like anyone deviating from that story. But the truth is out there.
You can start with books by Sebai Dr. Muata Ashby like Egyptian Yoga and go from there. Check out his books on Amazon.
Anyway, all of the cultures agree that the chakras are a link between the energy flowing through us or spirit and our physical realities and that they totally affect our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
So yea, it’s just laughable when people say it’s pseudo because it’s pretty important. They just don’t know or read or go within for the inner knowsis.
Here’s an amazing explanation by author Anodea Judith, from her book, Creating on Purpose.
Chakras are organizational centers for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of life-force energy. They are the stepping-stones between heaven and earth. “
Powerfully worded! She goes on to say,
The chakras act as portals between the inner world of your experience and the outer world of your environment. When your chakras are aligned and open, your mind and bodywork in harmony, making your actions more effective in the world. “
Now that is so key! We want to bring all of this down to earth so we can apply it in practical application.
Energy is Everything
Honestly, I think it’s pretty difficult to really comprehend yourself as being made of energy. Most people don’t really think of anything outside of their own physical world. If they can’t use their five senses to confirm something then it must be bullshit. Right?
Plus, we’re all just here trying to survive for the most part right. The majority of people don’t want to go that deep in thinking about the abstract. So when it comes to having to think about something outside of our physical environment, I would guess that most people only do that kind of thinking maybe at church.
You go to church, well some churches and you can get in the “spirit”, you feel the spirit within you and get the upliftment and positive vibes of the spirit. And then once the church activities are over, you might still feel the residuals of it for a while until it fades away.
Maybe later in the day when something throws you off and makes you mad. Or maybe for some as soon as you step out of the church building. Whatever the case, you truly felt uplifted, the spirit touched you.
But what is that spirit if not energy? There is no form to it, there is nothing you can see or touch but you definitely feel it and it uplifts everyone in the room. Whether you believe that it is God, Jesus, source or not, the energy is still there, it’s palpable.
If you’ve experienced this or anything similar, we can agree that there is something that we cannot see, touch or smell, has no form and can uplift. We can only feel it through emotions and perceive it with our intuition. And science also agrees that there is a natural force of energy that is no thing that flows through everyone and every thing.
Basic physics tells us that everything is energy. Like we talked about in episode 13 about quantum jumping, we are made of energy light particles. And at the anatomical level, those particles aren’t even touching one another.
Particles that can be at more than one place at a time, particles that only appear and change when observed, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. And I think most people don’t know that quantum physics is now taken as the top theories.
And they are advancing in the testing of these theories at places like CERN with the hadron collider and Google with its race for quantum supremacy.
There are scientific studies of the chakras. Check out Dr. Valerie Hunt, who was a professor of kinesiology at UCLA who measured human electromagnetic output with an electromyograph and found radiation emanating from the body at the chakra points.
Of course, the study goes way deeper, so definitely check that out and just search up the scientific proof for chakras and you will find more science-based articles if you’d like.
The 7 Chakras
I mean, I’m not really here to try to make anyone believe in chakras, everyone is on their own path. I just want to sort of break it down to show why it makes sense.
So anyway, if we are all energy, it makes sense that we would have an energy mechanism within us to organically help conduct the energy swirling through us. Again physics.
You can think of chakras as energy conductors within the body. Just as the heart rhythmically contracts and relaxes to circulate the correct blood flow to the different areas of the circulatory and cardiovascular system, the chakras, help disperse the energy flow to the different organs and parts of the body.
For the most part, everyone agrees that there are 7 chakras within the subtle body energy. However, there are many intuits who perceive more than 7 chakras.
According to spiritual masters Amit Ray & Sadhguru teachings, there are actually 114 chakras and 72,000 nadis. Nadis are the pathways of the life energy flow, like the veins of the system, while the 7 chakras are like a distribution center for the energy flow. For this discussion, we will only focus on the seven main chakras.
Each chakra is located in a certain area of the body and corresponds to colors, symbols, frequencies, glands, organs, emotions and so much more. All of these associations are important for diagnosing which chakra is out of balance.
We’ll go through each one in more detail plus talk about what could cause blockages and ways to keep the chakras spinning in balance and harmony.
Each layer represents the level of consciousness, starting at the base of the spine up to the crown of the head.
- Root Chakra – Muladhara
-Meaning: root support
-Location: genital area
-Color: red
-Symbol: four-petal lotus
-Principle: gravity, solidity
-Statement: I am
-Element: earth – the material world, matter
-Gland: adrenals
The root chakra is responsible for our physicality, survival instincts, our will to live, our urge toward security, money, and possessions. It is our foundation for physical life and is ruled by our primitive “flight or fight” instinct.
When this chakra is balanced a person will feel safe, secure, stable and comfortable in their own skin. And they are able to stay grounded and practical in order to deal with whatever comes their way. When it’s blocked a person might feel unstable and insecure about their life.
Common physical signs of imbalance are sleeping issues, poor circulation, reproductive problems, and metabolism issues.
- Sacral Chakra – Svadhishthana
-Meaning: one’s own place
-Location: abdomen
-Color: orange
-Symbol: six-petal lotus
-Principle: polarity
-Statement: I feel
-Element: water – ebb & flow
-Gland: ovaries/testes
The sacral chakra is associated with expressions through our sexuality, creativity, emotions, sense of abundance, pleasure, and well-being. In a balanced state, a person will feel the excitement and passionate love for life itself.
When blocked a person might feel a lack of control of their life. Moral shame and the pain of disappointment can cause blockages here.
Common physical signs of imbalance are lower back pain, infertility/PMS, digestive problems, low energy, kidney & gallbladder problems.
- Solar Plexus Chakra- Manipura
-Meaning: lustrous gem
-Location: abdomen
-Color: yellow
-Symbol: 10 petal lotus
-Principle: combustion
-Statement: I do
-Element: fire
-Gland: pancreas
The solar plexus is considered the power center of the chakras. The solar plexus chakra makes up the third of the lower body chakras and is the key to distributing the proper amount of vital energy to the body being the starting point for the 72,000 nadis briefly mentioned earlier.
This area is responsible for self-esteem, confidence, courage and personal power.
In a balanced state, a person has a clear sense of self, is confident and free to express their true selves. If blocked, a person may have fears of failure, rejection, and humiliation.
Common physical signs of imbalance are high blood pressure, panic attacks, indigestion, liver problems, and frequent illness.
It is said that the majority of people will live their entire lives in the three lower physical chakra areas. This is why religions and spirituality teach enlightenment in a sense of rising above the lower energy levels of man to the spiritual aspects.
However, I think we know now the true calling for us all is to live through the full spectrum of self by truly integrating the spiritual with the physical.
It reminds me of the standing yoga poses, like an extended mountain pose or Tadasana when you have to press down with your lower body and stretch up with your upper body. Like Anodea Judith says, “you are the bridge between heaven and earth.”
- Heart Chakra – Anahata
-Meaning: unstruck, unhurt
-Location: heart center
-Color: green
-Symbol: 12 petal lotus
-Principle: equilibrium
-Statement: I love
-Element: air
-Gland: thymus glands
The heart chakra is associated with love, tenderness, compassion, empathy and uniting the masculine and feminine. It is considered the bridge between the lower chakras, associated with physicality and the material world and the upper chakras, associated with spirituality.
A balanced heart chakra has the ability to truly love themselves and others, to forgive unconditionally, to feel genuine compassion for others and maintain healthy relationships. When the heart chakra is open, you feel a deep sense of connection to everything around you.
When it is blocked or out of balance a person might have problems opening up to others, a fear of being betrayed or uncontrolled self-criticism.
Common physical signs of imbalance are anxiety/depression, upper back pain, respiratory problems, chronic fatigue, and heart-related issues.
- Throat Chakra – Vishuddha
-Meaning: purification
-Location: throat
-Color: blue
-Symbol: 16 petal lotus
-Principle: sympathetic vibration
-Statement: I speak
-Element: sound/ether
-Gland: thyroid
The throat chakra is considered the first spiritual energy center of the upper body and gives voice to the heart chakra. It’s associated with communication, self-expression, maturity, and truth.
In balance, a person is able to freely express their inner truth and freely flow between inner and outer worlds.
When blocked a person might have trouble finding the words to say how they truly feel, feeling of unexpressed emotions, and fear to show their creativity to the world.
Common physical signs of imbalance are cold symptoms, throat problems, stiff neck, thyroid imbalance, and issues with breathing.
- Third Eye – Anja
-Meaning: perceive, command
-Location: between brow in center of forehead
-Color: indigo
-Symbol: two petal lotus
-Principle: luminescence, illumination
-Statement: I see
-Element: light
-Gland: pituitary gland
The third eye chakra controls our ability to see the big picture and represents intuition, imagination, wisdom and decision making. When balanced a person can tap into subtle energies more easily and has the power to unlock psychic abilities like clairvoyance and clairaudience.
When blocked or out of balance a person can be disconnected and cynical or spacey, confused and out of touch with reality.
Common physical signs of imbalance are ear and eye issues, sleep paralysis, learning disabilities, hormone dysfunction, and balance issues.
- Crown Chakra – Sahasrara
-Meaning: thousandfold lotus
-Location: crown of head
-Color: purple
-Symbol: 1000 petal lotus
-Principle: omnipresence, omniscience, truth, -consciousness, bliss
-Statement: I understand
-Element: consciousness, thought
-Gland: pineal gland – nervous system, brain
The crown chakra represents enlightenment and the absolute realization of self, the embodiment of cosmic consciousness, peace and bliss.
A person with a balanced crown chakra will have a strong connection to the infinite source of life and consciousness, or God, a sense of oneness and unity with all and be enlightened.
Of course, not many people on earth have reached this level. We would think of someone like Jesus or Krishna when thinking of someone who has reached full self-actualization.
Imbalances in the crown chakra can cause spiritual addiction, feeling disconnected from source, depression, and fear of dying.
Common physical signs of imbalance are vision issues, cognitive issues, dizziness, nervous system imbalances, and memory problems.
That’s the short of it. It actually goes way deeper than I have time to explain here. But you get the gist of it. The 7 chakras are paramount to how our bodies function and how we function in life.
Aligning the Chakras
Source energy is the current flowing through us, it’s always there, of course, animating us through life. But we have to truly work on clearing the blockages we’ve collected from the past or even past lives. Identifying what they are and where they are in the body is key.
And there are many ways to help clear your chakras of blockages, like yoga which the chakra system is based from. There are yoga poses that help open each chakra center.
Anodith Judith has a really amazing book called Chakra Yoga where she gives yoga poses for each chakra.
And you know what else I’m going to say, meditation helps! Seriously, when you start meditating on a regular basis, you will start to clear the blockages by default.
The thing is that it’s not all bliss. That’s one of the things most people don’t mention when it comes to meditation. In helping you clear out these blockages, old emotions can pop up out of nowhere and you’ll feel like shit. We really have to peel the layers away and it can sometimes be painful.
I mentioned in another episode that I had been doing mindful meditating every day since 2012. I’ve missed less than five days in that time.
But about a year and a half ago, I started a technique called Transcendental Meditation and I’ve had some serious emotional breakthroughs.
And the synchronicities are crazy. To the point where I don’t really talk about it to anyone because they will think I’m insane. But it hasn’t been all bliss and roses. There have been some really dark times where I’ve felt irritated and upset, especially in the first few months.
In TM, they call this unstressing because the meditation is releasing deep stresses embedded in your physiology. Most of the time the release is relaxing but sometimes it may manifest in the physical body as pain or sadness or whatever the feeling depending on what the stress being released is about.
Most people aren’t ready to sit still and deal with all the blockages because it’s too painful to face. We don’t want to relive the pain, so we bury it and it becomes a block or imbalance. The truth is that meditation makes you face yourself and once you do, ultimately you feel better. It is a cumulative process.
Although there is some instant gratification in a quick relaxation boost, the long term effect is much more about real shift happening in your life. If you’re ready to advance your meditation practice, you can give Transcendental Meditation or Vedic meditation a try. It will cost a fee to learn from a licensed practitioner but it’s very much worth it.
Also, Transcendental meditation is a topic for another episode that will be upcoming very soon.
And on that note, I think I will wrap it up here. And until next time, what do we do? We must do the inner work and create a shift in our own consciousness which will create a shift in the collective consciousness. That is the goal.
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You can also drop us a message on anchor.fm/realshifthappens. We’d love to hear from you or hear your thoughts on the chakra system.
In the next episode, we’re talking about the kundalini awakening in terms of how it affects your chakras. So if you have any comments to add about a kundalini awakening that you’ve experienced then let us know.
And don’t forget to sign up for the Real Shi(f)t Bookclub and read or listen to February’s selection, Infinite Self: 33 Steps to Reclaiming Your Inner Power by Stuart Wilde. And we’ll talk about the book in the last week of February.
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Until next week, Real Shifters, go within and make real shift happen.
Peace.