Chakras: Windows to the Soul
Chakras hold your life story - the good, the bad and the ugly. While all our thoughts and experiences get filtered through the chakras throughout our lives, the early years are when chakras are most significantly imprinted through our childhood experiences.
Keep your Chakras Free and Flowing!
When I work with a client’s chakras it’s like having an opening to their deepest parts; those hidden places where we feel seen for who we truly are. I think of the chakras as the Windows to the Soul, as they have your life experiences recorded in their energies. Every emotionally significant or impactful event you have ever experienced is imprinted in the energies of your chakras. That’s a lot of information! And that’s why keeping your chakras cleansed and balanced is a healthy self-care habit to take on board.
A Brief Journey Through the Chakras
If the world was not a safe place for us in our formative years, the Root Chakra (at the base of the spine) is greatly impacted and will continue to affect us throughout life. Energy may be constricted there, impeding the flow down the legs so we feel ungrounded and unsupported, and the propulsion of life force up the body is weak, so the other chakras are not adequately fueled. The Root Chakra is all about survival and our primal instincts connected to that. It gives valuable information about how we stand in the world. Imbalances in the first chakra show up physically in the feet, knees, hips and legs in general.
The Womb Chakra, between the pubic bone and the navel, is basic to the survival of the spirit, and holds the energy of who we were before the trials and tribulations of life changed us. It is the seat of our emotions, dreams and creative impulse, and is where we experience joy and passion. The second chakra is where our healing ability emanates and where we receive non-linear insights - those gut feelings. Imbalances here manifest in the lower digestive organs (small and large intestines) and the reproductive organs. Many years ago I worked with a young woman whose menses had stopped for seven years and she had been told by her OB/GYN that she would never be able to get pregnant. Her second chakra was out of balance and the energies greatly depleted. We worked together over several sessions to clear out the congestion and all the energies to flow again. Her menses returned and a few months later she discovered she was pregnant!
The Solar Plexus Chakra, between the navel and rib cage, holds the energies that support and maintain our individual identity. Childhood experiences of domineering authority figures (parents, teachers) can quash the third chakra energies so we don’t fully blossom into our authentic self. We become more the person others want us to be rather than who we know we truly are and our self-esteem plummets. This chakra supports the liver, gallbladder, stomach and adrenal glands and we may experience physical symptoms in any of these when the third chakra energy is restricted.
The Heart Chakra lies in the middle of the seven main chakras and as such is the connector between them. If you visualize an infinity symbol going from the Root Chakra to the Crown and back, the place where it crosses is at the Heart Chakra. Positioned in the center of the chest, the fourth chakra is the seat of love and compassion. It’s where we find balance between loving ourselves and loving others. The love we received or didn’t receive as babies and children, and everything we were taught about love has a bearing on the way this chakra developed. Imbalances here may manifest as fear of intimacy or codependency, and physical issues may arise in the lungs, respiratory system, heart and shoulder blades.
The Holy Grail of chakras is the fifth or Throat Chakra, between the collar bones and the mouth, as it holds information from all the chakras and gives us our unique expression in the world. It is the place from where we speak our truth and affords us clear communication. While we may often think of someone with an imbalanced Throat Chakra being shy, quiet and softly spoken, too much energy here can show up in excessive chatter, and loud verbalizations that lack integrity. Any physical issues with the neck, throat, thyroid, tongue, mouth and ears can benefit from working with the fifth chakra.
The Sixth or Third Eye Chakra gets a lot of attention from its connection with psychic abilities. While it’s true that there is a connection between the sixth chakra and clairvoyance, that is not the only purpose of this chakra. Centered at the point between (or just above) the eyebrows, it is the center of thought and abstraction and is from where we draw insight, guidance and wisdom. The sixth chakra represents seeing and gives the ability to see ourselves and the world we encounter with clarity.
The Seventh or Crown Chakra, on the top of the head, is the seat of awareness and consciousness itself. It is where we can come into deep peace and comprehension about life and can experience oneness with the Divine. When this chakra is strong and open, but the lower chakras (one, two and three) are out of balance and disconnected, a person may have lots of interesting other worldly encounters and experiences, but have a hard time being in the world and staying grounded.
Clearing and balancing chakras helps to release old stories that tie us to our past. Instead of repeating experiences over and over, we can move forward in times of change and transition, and live to our highest potential. Healthy chakras connect the rest of our energy systems with the world around us, giving us a balanced experience of life. With the energy of each chakra flowing without hindrance, and all the chakras effectively connecting and communicating with each other, we can weather the storms and move through life with ease and grace.
This article is also published in a shorter format at Sedona Self-Love Retreats.
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