Chakras

​There is a lot of talk about chakras, energy and energy healing these days. I wanted to touch on chakras today. While I will just be going over a basic introduction to them if you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Chakras by Cyndi Dale. It is a (possibly) daunting 1006 pages, but I have yet to find a more comprehensive guide to this most interesting topic.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “cycle”. They are basically little vortexes of energy located in/on the body that regulate energy. A healthy chakra spins freely and has a bright clear colour. If the chakra is unbalanced, this is where issues can happen, and one’s health may be compromised. When we think about chakras, we generally refer to the most commonly known 7 main chakras of the Hindu system (there are so many more chakras located all over the body).
 
Muladhara – Root – Survival – Base of Spine – Red – “I AM”
Svadhisthana – Sacral – Emotions – Below Navel – Orange – “I FEEL”
Manipura – Solar Plexus – Power – Above Navel/Below Breast Bone – Yellow – “I DO”
Anahata – Heart – Love – Center of Chest – Green – “I LOVE”
Vishuddha – Throat – Communication - Neck/ Above Collar Bone – Light Blue – “I TALK”
Ajna – Third Eye – Vision - Centered Above Eyebrows – Indigo (Sometimes Purple) – “ I SEE”
Sahasrara – Crown – Spirituality - Top of Head – Purple (Sometimes White) – “I UNDERSTAND”
 
Each one has other correspondences to elements, sounds, body parts, body systems,  and so on. A large part of becoming aware of and working with  chakras has to do with healing. These spinning vortexes of energy correspond to different parts of self on all levels. So, whether you need healing on a spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical level, you can work with your chakras to help facilitate your healing needs. This work may include meditation/journeying, or personal energy work. You may seek outside help, such as energy workers, Reiki healers, sound healers, etc.. You can employ all  sorts of tools as well, such as crystals, coloured glass, tuning forks/singing bowls, food, and much more.
While the above Hindu system is the most commonly known (at least here in North America), many cultures have their own similar systems as well. These include, but are not limited to, Egyptian, Celtic, Greek, Korean, and even Native American (such as Hopi, Sioux, Mayan, Incan, and Iroquois).
Regardless of what system you are drawn to/works best for you, they are all interesting to learn about. I also find it interesting how so many cultures, with little to no contact between them, developed similar ideas about our energy bodies/systems throughout the centuries. Once again showing that we are all connected to each other in ways we may not realize or understand…yet.
Have you/do you work with your chakras? Have you ever had energy work done? If so, how did it feel? If not, would you be open to it?