What is a “blocked chakra” And how do you unblock it?
Chakras play a crucial role in yogic beliefs, and if you are interested in learning more about yourself on a deeper level, then chakras are definitely something you should pay more attention to. But as they are not physical things we can touch or see, it can be difficult to understand or connect with them. Unblocking your chakras to allow proper energy flow, is a step towards enlightenment that we could all benefit from. So in this post, I am going to explain what the chakras are, and how to know if they are blocked + what you can do to unblock them.
What are the chakras?
To explain in brief, the chakras are energy portals that run cohesive to your spine, they are believed to affect our physical and mental wellbeing. In order for them all to correctly channel energy, they need to be working together to provide a good flow of Nadi (energy) throughout the body. Unfortunately in our fast paced, modern day lives, a lot of us are blocked from the 1st or 2nd chakra and therefore cannot connect with the upper energy points. The chakras correspond to major organs and nerves in the body and will often indicate to us when something is not right through physical probelms. The seven chakras are:
Root (Muladhara)
Sacral (Svadhisthana)
Solar Plexus (Manipura)
Heart (Anahata)
Throat (Vishudka)
Third Eye (Ajna)
Crown (Sahasrara)
HOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE BLOCKED IN EACH CHAKRA
1) Root Chakra
Healthy:
Emotional: You are stable and grounded.
Physical: Maintain a healthy weight, regular body temperature.
Underworked:
Emotional: You lack discipline and are restless.
Physical: Underweight, always cold.
Overworked:
Emotional: Sluggish and monotonous.
Physical: Overweight, always hot.
2) Sacral Chakra
Healthy:
Emotional: You have a healthy sex drive and are fluid with your movements and emotions.
Physical: Good sexual health, respectable boundaries with food.
Underworked:
Emotional: Rigid and numb to pleasure.
Physical: Overall numbness/lack of sensation in your genitals.
Overworked:
Emotional: Sex addiction, overly emotional and indulgent.
Physical: Problems with weight, sexual health issues.
3)Solar Plexus Chakra
Healthy:
Emotional: Spontaneous but also purposeful and full of vitality.
Physical: Efficient digestive system.
Underworked:
Emotional: No willpower, passive.
Physical: Diarrhoea/ IBS.
Overworked:
Emotional: Dominating and aggressive.
Physical: Constipation.
4) Heart Chakra
Healthy:
Emotional: Maintain healthy relationships, compassionate.
Physical: Good cardiovascular health.
Underworked:
Emotional: Lonely and ruled by shyness.
Physical: Blood pressure/circulatory issues.
Overworked:
Emotional: Co-dependent on others, ruled by jealousy.
Physical: Blood pressure/circulatory issues.
5) Throat Chakra
Healthy:
Emotional: Clear communicator, creative.
Physical: Strong respiratory health, strong voice.
Underworked:
Emotional: Fear of being heard.
Physical: Lack of voice, short of breath.
Overworked:
Emotional: Inability to listen.
Physical: Sore throat.
6) Third Eye Chakra
Healthy:
Emotional: Imaginative and intuitive
(There are no physical signs for the last two chakras as they are not tied to physical elements of the body)
Underworked:
Emotional: Poor memory and vision.
Overworked:
Emotional: Frequent nightmares and difficulty concentrating.
7)Crown Chakra
Healthy:
Emotional: Wisdom and knowledge.
(There are no physical signs for the last two chakras as they are not tied to physical elements of the body)
Underworked:
Emotional: Learning difficulties and spiritual skepticism.
Overworked:
Emotional: Overly intellectual and addicted to spirituality.
How do you unblock these chakras?
So now you know what to look for in each chakra, you can identify the areas that need more TLC. Chakra healing is a lifelong practice and it is to be noted that one chakra based yoga class is not going to do the trick (sorry!). But bringing your awareness to the spiritual points in your body that need help the most is a great way to start your self healing journey both physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Here are some ways you can start to nurture your chakras:
As stated before, this is not a quick fix, but rather tips to send you in the right direction for your spiritual healing:
Pranayama based on chakras (for instance: grounding breaths like Ujjayi can help bring stability to your root chakra).
Movement to open the chakras (heart opening asanas like fish pose if your heart is blocked).
Meditation (focus on your point of concern and delve into WHY you are the way you are and how you want to change/improve - there are many guided chakra meditations on YouTube).
Chakra activation chants (Each chakra is connected to a sound - incorporate the chants into your daily life to bring your awareness to the energy centre).
Hope this post was interesting and taught you to delve deep and get to know yourself spiritually!🧘🏼♀️
