By Sejal Shah
Keeping the chakras balanced has been linked to physical and mental wellbeing. Try this beautiful guided chakra meditation to uplevel your energies and calm your mind today!
Have you been doing the chakra balancing yoga poses or the chakra cleansing meditation lately in your yoga classes? Probably you are experiencing some benefits and that brings you here to learn more about these age-old practices. After all, what do chakras look like? What is the chakra system? How does chakra balancing meditation work and help you?
From ancient times, for thousands of years, keeping the chakras in balance has been linked to maintaining physical and mental wellbeing. Through chakra meditation, you can balance your whole chakra system, energize your body, and quieten your mind.
Let’s go deeper.
What is the chakra system?
Our physical body is the densest or most obvious aspect of our existence. But life extends beyond what you can physically see with your eyes. When we balance the invisible dimensions of our existence, which includes the subtle energy system consisting of nadis (energy channels) and chakras (energy centers), we experience a lot of healing and growth.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel”, and refers to energy centers in your body. They are thought to be spinning disks of energy that should stay “open”, “balanced” or “aligned” to allow the free flow of prana or chi or life-force energy. Because they are connected to bundles of nerves, major organs and glands, and areas of our energetic body that affect our emotional and physical well-being, they are very important aspects of the subtle body.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shakar says there are 109 different chakras, but out of all of them, there are seven main chakras that run along your spine and are very important. These are the seven chakras that most of us are referring to in yoga classes or meditation sessions. Each chakra is associated with different elements and emotions.
All these chakras are connected with each other through nadis or channels of metaphysical energy through which life force (prana) flows. The nadis are the highway and the chakras are the convergence point/roundabout/intersection where a lot of roads/highways meet.
When the dormant energy (aka kundalini) flows through these centers either in an upward (kundalini awakening) or downward direction, there are different emotions, feelings, or sensations that one experiences.
When the energy moves through different chakras in the upward direction from the base of the spine to the top of the head it is called urdhvagati (upward rising or progression). You experience enthusiasm, then creativity blossoms, there is generosity and contentment, which in turn give rise to love. Love takes you to gratitude, which helps to bring awareness and wisdom (prajna) and ultimately leads you to Bliss. This is the upward flow of energy.
We can also see and experience this flow the other way around. When there is no joy in our life, the energy can move the other way in a downward direction, and then we come to experience anger. From anger springs hatred and aversion. This further leads to a sense of fear. Fear, as it grows, gives rise to jealousy and envy, which in turn gives rise to lust, feverishness, and obsession. And lust and obsession bring us into the trap of inertia and negativity. This is the downward flow of the same consciousness or Kundalini energy. It is called adhogati (retrogression or degeneration).
This upward or downward flow of energy keeps on happening very naturally and spontaneously in life all the time. But when we practice yoga, breathwork, and meditation in its authentic form and maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, we can maintain the upward flow of energy. This is the cornerstone or goal of all yoga practices. This is what the ancient yogis strived for: maintaining the upward flow of energy to experience the ultimate bliss.
The seven main chakras, their locations, and associated elements, and emotions are:
Know more about the chakra system here.
Some of the schools of yoga also associate a specific color and number of flower petals with each chakra. This is more of a modern and western concept. The ancient yoga texts or schools haven’t mentioned associating any colors or number of flower petals with the chakras. Gurudev explains, “Rishis (sages) also depicted each of the seven chakras in the forms of a lotus or different flowers. This is because when you go deeper in meditation, the consciousness becomes very subtle, and your mind becomes fresh like a flower. It becomes fresh, alive, and soft. In such a delicate state of consciousness, you experience the rise of energy in the system.”
What does it mean if a chakra is blocked or imbalanced?
When you are constantly under stress, living an unhealthy lifestyle, and dietary habits, and when you are not breathing appropriately, your energy begins to flow downward, and you may experience more of the negative emotions associated with each chakra (refer to the above chart) than the positive emotions. Some people call this blocked or imbalanced chakra. These terms are somewhat misleading as literally speaking, there may not be any blockage. But it simply indicates that your energy is stuck or not flowing in the right direction. Rather than thinking that a chakra is blocked and that you need to unblock or fix that chakra, it's more accurate to say that the energy is flowing downwards and that it would be helpful to redirect it to a more joyful, upwards direction.
When you are constantly having negative thoughts, experiencing emotional whirlpools and turmoil, a lack of interest or enthusiasm, know that it is a time for chakra meditation to redirect your downward flowing energy upwards.
What is chakra balancing meditation?
As mentioned earlier, any yoga or meditation practice will help in balancing your chakras when properly done. There are, however, specific meditation practices that help balance these 7 main chakras.
Chakra meditation is practiced to raise and maintain the flow of energy upward from the first chakra upward and ultimately to the seventh chakra. This is a delicate and natural practice. If you apply any force, you can potentially unbalance your system. So it is better to practice this under proper guidance or instructions.
Your chakras are part of an intimately connected network. That means if one is out of balance, it affects all the rest. So rather than isolating the individual chakras, it is recommended to meditate on all of them together to gently direct the upward flow of energy. This aligns all of them at once, creating a clear channel for prana and bringing the entire system into balance.
How to practice chakra balancing meditation?
To get started, find a peaceful place where you won’t be disturbed for at least 15-20 minutes.
Sit comfortably on your yoga mat or meditation cushion with your legs folded and crossed in front of you. Keep your spine erect but not tensed. Keep your hands on your knees, palms facing up. Breathe gently and evenly, and relax your whole body.
Breathing in, bring your awareness gently to the base of your spine, the first chakra. And breath out. While keeping your awareness at the chakra, keep breathing evenly, naturally for a couple of minutes. You may (or may not) observe some sensation or vibrations at the base of your spine. Let them be.
Breathing in, move up, bringing your awareness gently to the second chakra behind the genitals, about 4 inches above the base of the spine, breathe out. Stay here for a couple of minutes.
Similarly, attend to the next five chakras, spending a couple of minutes at each one.
Give each chakra calm and patient awareness. Each chakra deserves several minutes of your gentle and caring attention. You may feel some vibrant energy passing through it. It is a very subtle experience. Keeping your body still may help. Even if you don’t experience anything, know that just by your effortless awareness of the chakras, energy starts flowing upward.
By the time you reach the crown chakra, you would feel a subtle shift in your energy and how you feel. You will feel calm and peaceful with a sense of bliss. Stay there for a little more time. You may lie down and rest for a few minutes if you like. Then taking your own time, as you feel complete and ready, gradually open your eyes.
Try this guided chakra meditation today
When you’re first starting to practice chakra meditation, it can be tricky to keep track of the energy centers. This Hari Om guided meditation by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar can help you enormously. Settle down and start meditating now.
You may practice chakra meditation every day or 2-3 times a week to maintain the upward flow of energy.
How to practice individual chakra meditation?
Chakra meditation is best practiced for all chakras together. If you are keen to practice individual chakra meditation, please join our free event—Secrets of the 7 Chakras. It’s a guided chakra meditation journey with the spiritual leader and meditation master, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Each day you’ll receive a new guided meditation, one for each of the seven chakras. Join and experience personal insights into raising and transforming your energy!
How does chakra meditation help?
Meditation has immense benefits on your physical, emotional, mental health. With regular practice of chakra meditation, you should expect a sense of joy, contentment, peace, heightened energy, more creativity, and enthusiasm. You would be able to sleep better and have a greater connection to your sense of self and with others. You will feel less tiredness, exhaustion, scatteredness, and even less physical illness. You will definitely feel an enhanced sense of physical and mental wellbeing.
Does SKY Breath Meditation help with chakra balancing?
Yes!
In fact, once you learn the SKY Breath Meditation, it is much easier to practice and you can also practice on your own, no guide needed. SKY is powerful breathwork that involves different rhythms of breath. After sufficient practice, your teacher will also be able to guide you on how you can upgrade to Sudarshan Chakra Kriya practice. I have been practicing SKY for years now and it is a game-changer. To find out more about SKY, I would recommend you to join a free introductory session
Sejal Shah, E-RYT 500 Sri Sri Yoga Teacher, YACEP, C-IAYT, Meditation Teacher, SKY Instructor, NYU Post Graduate Medical School approved Yoga-CME retreat facilitator, Mind-Body Wellness Writer, Homeopath. She can be followed on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
