The Sanskrit word Chakra literally means ‘wheel’ and is the name of the energy centres in our body. There are 7 main Chakras in the human body and each one has a different function and vibrational frequency (vibrational frequency is a fancy way of describing how active each Chakra is).
It’s believed that when one of our Chakras becomes blocked, energy can’t flow properly through our bodies and therefore we suffer illness or emotional/physical upsets. To keep our Chakras open and un-blocked, we can do a variety of things, one of the most popular being yoga, in particular, Transformational or Kundalini styles.
Root Chakra (Muladhara) – represents our foundations and feelings of being grounded. Found in the base of the spine, this Chakra links to our survival instincts.
Sacral Chakra (Svadhishthana) – found in our lower abdomen, our Sacral Chakra controls our ability to accept and connect with others. It gives us a sense of abundance, well-being and pleasure.
Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) – our confidence, self-worth and self-esteem are factors influenced by this Chakra. When in balance, we are able to control our lives and feelings.
Heart Chakra (Anahata) – our centre of love, joy and inner peace. An open heart Chakra means we are open to both giving and receiving love.
Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) – everything to do with our communication, specifically our ability to verbally communicate, be assertive, use our power of speech and say what we really mean. It’s believed that if we are unable to say something or we’re telling lies, our Vishuddha becomes blocked and this can cause sore throats, swollen glands or mouth infections. One ‘yogi rule’ is always to be truthful and this is why.
Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) – our ability to focus and see the big picture. Our Ajna Chakra is commonly accepted as being our centre for intuition, imagination and wisdom.
Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) – The highest point in our body, the Sahasrara Chakra allows us to be fully enlightened and spiritually aligned. It’s said few people ever achieve true enlightenment but those who have describe it as pure bliss.
Chakras are a very in-depth topic and this is a very brief overview, however, we encourage you to research more and become familiar with them if it’s an area you’re interested in. We also invite you to join us on our Transformational Yoga weekend workshop to get some advice from Master Yogis and Gurus as well as learning how yoga can help you achieve balanced Chakras. Prices start from just $250 and tickets are available here.
Written by Regan Spencer.