What Does A Chakra Do?
If you are interested in New Age Spirituality or Self-Help, you have probably heard about the Chakras - the 7 energy centers that run from the base of the spine to the top of the head that is said to connect our physical existence with the realm of the emotional, mental, and spiritual. According to Author and Yoga teacher Anodea Judith (whose books inspired this blog post), each Chakra represents a certain developmental stage, holds certain conscious and unconscious core beliefs (schemas), and is associated with a certain realm of human existence.
What Are The 7 Main Chakras?
· Root chakra - survival
· Sacral Chakra - pleasure and emotion
· Solar Plexus Chakra - power and control
· Heart Chakra - relationship to self and others
· Throat Chakra - communication
· Third Eye Chakra - perception and insight
· Crown Chakra - thought and consciousness
One goal in working with the Chakras is to gradually become aware of the schemas held at each Chakra level. Some of these schemas are conscious, while others hide beneath the surface of our conscious awareness, directing our attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors behind the scenes.
Another goal in working with the Chakras is to cultivate wellness at each Chakra level. In this first post, I'll introduce the first three Chakras and discuss how to find balance within each.
Photo by Danielle Barnes via Unsplash
What Is The Root Chakra Responsible For?
The Root Chakra is located at the base of the spine, anchors us into the physical world, and is most commonly associated with the element Earth. The Root Chakra is the first to unfold during human development, and it is concerned with survival, safety, and attachment. The Root Chakra is also said to hold the schemas we’ve developed about survival and safety throughout our lives.
How Can I Focus On My Root Chakra?
One way to explore the schemas held in the Root Chakra is to consider how the circumstances of your early life may have influenced your perceived sense of safety and grounding in the world. Think of the household you grew up in, the people you were surrounded by, and the experiences you had. Note anything that comes up for you relative to your health, your body, your safety, and your survival.
How Do I Unblock My Root Chakra?
To find balance in the Root Chakra, take special care of your body. Practice noticing and honoring your body’s cues for food, rest, exercise, and water. Make an effort to settle into a regular sleep schedule, and see a doctor regularly, if you have the access to do so.
Root Chakra Affirmations
You can also use the following affirmations to begin to reprogram the schemas of the Root Chakra:
· I am here and I am safe.
· The Earth supports and nourishes me.
· I love and accept my body as it is.
· I am grateful for everything my body does.
· I release my fear and welcome safety and protection.
Additionally, get curious about the sources of your chronic stress and anxiety. Being in a chronic state of flight or flight causes your body to release stress hormones that cause inflammation. Over time, this chronic stress can actually start to harm your body. Stress can contribute to the development of certain diseases and conditions and make you more likely to get sick. Therefore, do everything in your power to reduce your stress by either changing the situation or changing your reaction to it. Easier said than done of course, but if your job has you absolutely and chronically burned out, for example, it’s seriously worth considering whether that job is worth your health.
Photo by Yoann Boyer via Unsplash
What is the Sacral Chakra responsible for?
The Sacral Chakra is most often associated with the element of Water, and is said to govern our emotions, pleasure, and sexuality. The developmental stage of this Chakra is from 6 months - toddlerhood, and the goal of this Charka is to feel. During this developmental stage, we learn to move towards pleasure and away from pain. We also begin to form our core beliefs surrounding our emotions, pleasure and sexuality.
If you feel comfortable to dive deeper into your inner schemas surrounding sexuality, consider using journal prompts like these to get started:
· What were you taught about sex growing up? What attitudes and beliefs were conveyed to you by your parents and religious influences? Which of these attitudes and beliefs did you internalize?
· Perform a word association exercise with the word “sex.” Write a poem using the keywords and images that arose.
· In what ways do you nurture your personal sense of sexuality, and/or sexual relationships?
To further explore your relationship to your emotions, consider these questions:
· How emotions were treated in your household growing up?
· Were emotions noticed? Acknowledged?
· Which emotions you were permitted to express and which you were not?
· Were you taught about your emotions or modeled how to work through them?
How do I unblock my sacral chakra?
To find balance in this Chakra, practice meditating on and accepting your physical sensations, feelings, and emotions. As you gradually permit yourself to become aware of more and more emotional experiences, you will expand your window of tolerance (the amount of “difficult” emotions you are able to tolerate skillfully).
Additionally, start to pay attention to the strategies that you use to soothe yourself when you're feeling difficult emotions. Investigate each behavior one by one. Take an honest inventory of what is working for you, and what is not. You may find that some of your coping strategies were once helpful for you, but no longer serve you. This may be especially true for coping mechanisms that you developed in response to a traumatic experience or situation.
For example, dissociation is a useful trick when growing up in an unsafe or abusive household. However, it's not as useful at school, work, and with friends. Consider adding other soothing strategies into your toolbox, like vocal modulation, controlled breathing, and "kind eye" gazing. These strategies allow us to soothe ourselves in the moment, while staying connected to the people we are with and staying anchored in the present moment.
Photo by Mohamed Nohassi via Unsplash
What is the Solar Plexus Chakra responsible for?
The Solar Plexus Chakra is most commonly associated with the element of Fire. This Chakra is located in our core, just behind and above our belly button. The developmental period of this Chakra is from 18 months to 3-4 years old and is instrumental in ego development. As a result, the Solar Plexus Chakra becomes programmed with core beliefs surrounding personal power, self-esteem, ego, impulse control, and autonomy.
To uncover the core beliefs stored within the Solar Plexus Chakra, consider your relationship to power, control, autonomy, authority, and your own impulses. Ask yourself:
· Was I encouraged to practice autonomy growing up?
· Were there any systemic or societal forces that may have affected my sense of personal power?
· Was I allowed to gain mastery over developmental tasks and build self-esteem?
· What parenting style did my caregivers use? What is my orientation toward authority?
· Do I feel able to affect change in my life?
· Do I set boundaries and stick to them?
What does imbalance in the Solar Plexus Chakra feel like? It could show up as lack of will power, low self-esteem, impulsivity, lack of or overly rigid boundaries. Additionally, being overly controlling or passive with others may be another sign of Solar Plexus imbalance.
How do I unblock My solar plexus chakra?
Infographic via Woodburn Press
One way to find balance in this Chakra is to create trust in your ability to complete what you set out to do. Build up confidence in your willpower by setting SMART goals. Smart goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
These goals can be as small as you'd like and ideally are things you can do every day to work towards your bigger goals.
For example, a writer who may feel hindered by writer’s block could set an intention to write for just ten minutes each morning, with no expectations for what comes out. A student feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities may first aim to break the work into smaller, more manageable chunks, and then plan when to work on each chunk. A young man trying to get into shape for the first time in his life may set a goal to take three 15-minute walks per week, just to get the ball rolling.
The important thing is that the goals you set must be realistic and attainable. By setting and meeting these SMART goals, you remind yourself of your personal power, and will start to build trust in your ability to manifest your desires.
Compassion First
As you embark on your journey of self-discovery and transformation through the Chakras, remember to always prioritize acceptance and compassion above all else. Becoming self-aware involves seeing ourselves not as we wish we were, but as we truly are. It’s imperative that we accept the things we cannot change, while compassionately changing the things we can. Pace yourself in this process. Allow yourself to tackle one Chakra or one issue at a time. Deepen your self-inquiry at a pace that feels right for you and consider working with at therapist to help support you through the process.
Meet the Author: Sarah Miles, Graduate Student Intern
Sarah is a graduate student intern at Space Between Counseling Services who specializes in anxiety, depression, life transitions, perfectionism, and body image. Her immediate goal is to work with clients as they foster self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-love. She believes that it’s important for clients to discover and build upon their unique strengths, cultivate self-acceptance, and create meaning for themselves despite the barriers, labels, or diagnoses that have been placed on them by society. She aims to create a supportive, inclusive, LGBTQIA+ affirming environment for clients to engage in self-discovery and find their own unique path to wellness.
While she is not in school and working with clients, Sarah spends her time listening to and playing music, reading, walking outside, watching her favorite shows, and spending time with family.