What Everybody Ought to Know About

Chakra Balancing
Knowing the Body and the Energies Within

Our bodies are fascinating things. Not

only do they contain a vast array of organs, each with a highly specialized and complex job
to do, but they also contain a delicate balance of energies which drive us to undertake
everything from simple everyday tasks, to vital survival skills and all manner of things in
between. We are constantly changing, growing and adapting in many different ways, and we
need our physical bodies to be in good working order, just as we need our energies to flow
comfortably throughout our form, uniting our bodies with our minds, and our wishes,
desires and ambitions.
It is well understood how important it is to keep our bodies fit and healthy – ask any
schoolchild what is required from them to live a healthy and happy life, and they will list a
wide range of important habits and activities, which would probably include eating a healthy
diet, undertaking some physical exercise, and getting a good night of sleep each night.
There is no question that such things are massively important in maintaining our physical
bodies, yet the western world is only relatively recently coming to terms with the subtler
sides of good health and happiness, and in particular those aspects which involve energy
and good spiritual and mental health.

The eastern world, on the other hand, have millennia of knowledge, practice and writing on
the subject, with subcontinental Asia, and much of China having in depth knowledge of the
body’s energy cycle as a fundamental and engrained part of their culture. As we move
forward in the twenty first century, we are beginning to look once more to ancient wisdoms
and ancient cultures for inspiration into how to solve our deep-rooted problems. Our lives
are becoming ever more complex, ever more busy and stressful and detached from the
reality of the world around us. As such, it should come as little surprise that people are once
more looking east to uncover ancient wisdoms and techniques for solving their difficulties
which hail from simpler times, and from cultures with a stronger connection with the
spiritual and ethereal – something which has slipped through our fingers over centuries of
industrialization and materialism. More and more people are turning to Hindu practices such
as yoga in order to relieve their stress, or ancient Chinese medical arts for their health and
relaxation, and are becoming more and more interested in not only the inner workings of
their physical bodies, but also in the powerful energies which our bodies can produce and
harness in order to make our lives simpler, happier, healthier and more successful.

The Effects of Energy

 

We all feel the effects of energy on our bodies, and all of us have experienced the wonderful
feelings of inspiration, confidence and independence, as well as the effects of negative or
blocked energies. These might include laziness, crises of identity, or frustration with our
abilities to connect with others, either socially or emotionally. There is no doubt to any
logically minded person that we are affected constantly by own our energies sources and
supplies, just as we are effected by the positive and negative energy of others. There are
many reasons for this, but one of the most important to keep in mind is that our bodies
contain hundreds of energy centers, each pulsing the energy we need throughout our
bodies, and transmitted it into us from our environment, and outwards from ourselves to
those around us. Although there are indeed hundreds of these energy centers within our
bodies, there are only seven key ones – our primary chakras, which run in a straight line
from our crown to our tail-bone (connecting us with both the sky and the firmament
beneath us, when sitting in a cross legged position) are our key to empowerment, good
health and success. By determining which chakras are blocked, then balancing, opening, and
maximizing the abilities of our seven chakras, we can ensure that we are energized in every
positive way, and are capable of achieving our dreams and goals, whilst living in good
physical and mental health.
 

 
What Are Chakras?
 

However, in order to balance our chakras, we must develop an

understanding of what they are, and how the energy that flows and pulses through our
bodies works. Essentially, ‘chakra’ translates as vortex, or wheel, and is a spinning cycle of
energy which pumps that which we need throughout all of our body. Each chakra presides
over a particular area of the physical body, and can positively or negatively affect both the
physical, mental and spiritual aspects of that area. For example, the throat chakra – situated in
the back of the neck – gives us the energy to speak with our true voice. It allows us to
express our opinions, and formulate and express our personality through the things we say
and the way we connect with those around us. Energy from the throat chakra can drive us to
express ourselves artistically, or find our assertiveness at work or in our romantic and family
lives. However, the throat chakra, when closed, can result in problems not only associated
with communication and formulating our vocal opinions, but a wide range of physical
ailments relating to this part of the body too. In all parts of the body, a blockage or leakage
of energy from our chakras can manifest itself in a wide range of ailments or difficulties.
When our energy supplies are drained or depleted, we begin to feel heavy, depressed, and
lacking the willpower to function as normal, happy or healthy people. We can struggle to
come to terms with our emotions, we can lose our footing on the path of our lives, or lose a
sense of harmony in all aspects of our life. As such, it is vitally important to know how to
balance your chakras, how to cleanse them, and keep them all whirling and open, happily
spreading positive and motivational energy through our bodies. This form of holistic healing
focuses on many different aspects of the physical and spiritual body, and has been practiced
in the eastern world for many thousands of years. Even if you have very little prior
knowledge of chakras and chakra healing, if you feel as though you are losing energy, or
have a blockage or imbalance in your chakras, there are several simple and free techniques
you can try in order to get your body back in harmony once again. To do so is to look after
your entire body, and understand and respect that you are far more than simply the sum of
your various parts.

 
Healing Imbalances and Leakages
 

It isn’t difficult to lose your energy. Our chakras

are not necessarily responsible for containing our energy within our bodies – they simply
produce and accentuate it, and spread it around the area they are located in. Leakages and
imbalances of energy come about from a lack of awareness of how our bodies and the
energy within them work, or a lack of faith in the abilities of the human body and mind. As
we now spend so much time working, or thinking about work, or worrying about material
possessions or gains, it comes as no surprise that we have developed a sense of distance
from the truth about our bodies. More and more people have lost their link not only with the
divine forces that exist within us, but also have lost the link between their minds, souls and
physical forms. As such, energy is quickly and easily lost through the root chakra, the first of
the seven chakras, and this leads to an imbalance in all of the chakras. Thankfully, this issue
is not a particularly difficult or taxing one to amend and correct, and we all have the ability
to simply and easily heal leakages and imbalances through simple meditation and
visualization techniques.
Next time you feel drained, sluggish, weak or depleted of energy, spend a bit of time sitting
cross legged on the floor (so your tail bone, where the root chakra is located, is in contact
with the ground) and breathe deeply through your nose, exhaling through your mouth. Try
to empty your mind of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and get into a thoroughly
relaxed state. This may take some time if you are not practiced in meditation, but persevere,
keep breathing and concentrating on nothing but your body. As you do so, imagine you can
see the energy ‘leaking’ from your tail bone. Imagine you can see inside yourself, to where
your first chakra resides, and imagine you can see it trying to turn, trying to open. Now,
visualize that the breach in your body is closed and sealed, and concentrate on visualizing
that escaping energy returning into your body. Breathe in deeply, and each time you inhale,
pull the energy back into yourself, and concentrate on the sensation of energy and feeling
returning to your body, and moving up inside you. Visualize your chakra, see it lighting up
once more in a beautiful, burning red color, and see it beginning to turn. Continue to
breathe, to relax, and to visualize for as long as you feel is necessary, and tell yourself how
easy and pleasurable it is to keep your energy within you, and how easy and pleasurable it is
to become energized and positive once more.
 

Find a Sense of Direction in Life

 

We can also tell when we have an imbalance in our

chakras when we lose a sense of direction in our lives. People with balanced, open and
working chakras have the confidence and willpower to make positive choices, to use their
judgment to make the right decisions for themselves, and do not get weighed down with the
problems or frustrations of others. Frustration with oneself or ones choices and place in life
is a sure sign that the chakras are imbalanced, and can easily and quickly create a vicious
cycle which is far from easy to escape from. The sense of frustration arises from one’s
inability to solve one’s problems, and these problems begin to appear unsolvable as a result
of the frustration felt. We can begin to feel lost, powerless, out of our depth. This can lead
to more poor judgment, and most commonly, we can begin to look in all the wrong places
for answers. This may manifest in many ways – some people with imbalanced chakras begin
to act selfishly or arrogantly to cover their insecurities, others turn to overindulgence,
slovenly behavior or addictive substances. We all respond differently to the sensation of
being lost in this world, and whether you begin to partake in destructive behavior, or simply
turn to other people for advice instead of relying on your innate sense of judgment and
spiritual compass, these problems call out for solutions.

By concentrating on our crown chakras, the seventh and final of our energy centers, we can
quickly begin to trust once more in our sense of direction and balance all of our body’s
energies. We don’t only lose energy through our root, but also through our crown, and
our seventh chakra is one of the most important to keep open and healthy, as it embraces
energies from the world around us and from divine sources also. As such, our crown chakra
will, if turning healthily, give us the energy to find our feet, reset our moral and spiritual
compasses, and give us the power to make our way in the world and feel special, balanced,
and imbued with the divine qualities we all have as our birthright. Again, the crown chakra
can be opened and energized through the process of meditation, except this time, instead
of relying on visualizations, you can use affirmations to heal and open it. As you slip into
your state of deep relaxation, say to yourself over and over again, in a mantra fashion,
affirmations such as ‘I am never alone’, ‘I am a spiritual being’ and ‘I have the power to
make the best choices for myself’. You can adapt your own affirmations depending on your
worries or problems, and by combining this with a light massage around your temples and
the back of the head, you can quickly begin to heal this chakra and put your other energy
centers in balance and harmony.
 

Identifying and Healing Problems

 

Of course, balancing the chakras is all about being aware of where you have an imbalance,
and how best to solve that problem. It is highly unlikely that all of your chakras are suffering
or struggling at once in an equal amount, rather that one or two are malfunctioning or not
spinning as they should, thus knocking the others out of sync, or causing blockages which
are having an adverse effect on your whole body. There are many ways of identifying which
of your chakras is blocked – you can take a detailed online test, or examine your symptoms
and problems and researching which chakra they associate with. Once you have done this,
you can then go about healing it through meditation, or through mindful activities, or
massage, aromatherapy, affirmations… the list is endless, and you’ll always be able to find
something which is both enjoyable and simple for you to undertake and make a positive
difference to your life.