A beginner’s guide to Chakra Meditation

Chakra meditation is a free and easy way to bring more positive energy into your world. It helps you disconnect from the busy-ness of life. Find more emotional balance and mental silence. Connect with your subtle body. It can even help boost your physical wellbeing.

Want to know more about this form of meditation?

Let’s take a colourful journey to discover how chakra meditation could benefit you.

What is Chakra Meditation?

Chakra meditation enhances the connection between you and your individual chakras. It’s been used since ancient times, as the concept of chakras has been understood since about 500 BC.

Many practices focus only on the 7 major chakras, or primary chakras. But, some spiritual traditions also incorporate additional chakras. This could include foot chakras, knee chakras, shoulder chakras, etc.

This ancient meditation practice helps you develop conscious awareness of your chakra centres. Plus, how they impact your wellbeing – physical and emotional.

The term chakra literally means wheel or cycle in Sanskrit.

Every chakra connects with nerve bundles, organs and glands, depending on their location. The 7 core chakras run along the midline of your body. They start at the base of your spine and travel all the way up to the top of your head. Each chakra represents aspects of your own human experience and the unconscious world within you.

Doing chakra meditation helps you recognise the health of these energy centres. Tune in and you can notice the colour of each individual chakra, how it feels and (potentially) the physical symptoms related to it.

The Seven Chakras

Root Chakra (Muladhara)

Your RED base chakra grounds you in your physical body. It relates to the Earth element and its at the base of your spine. This chakra impacts your ability to meet challenges and feel safe in the world. If you perceive a threat to your finances or survival, this chakra may be blocked. You can use specialised root chakra meditation practices to help clear this.

When imbalanced…

An imbalanced root chakra can cause you to feel anxious or insecure, even without reason. You may also suffer from lower back pain, hip pain, or reproductive issues.

Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)

Your ORANGE sacral chakra connects with sexuality, emotional intelligence and the creative process. It relates to the Water element and lives in your lower abdomen. Tantric traditions may focus heavily on activating this chakra. If it’s blocked, you may feel you have no control of your life.

When imbalanced…

An imbalanced sacral can make it hard for you to enjoy the pleasures of life. You may experience feelings of isolation and be prone to depression. It’s also common to have a low sex drive, hormone imbalances and indulge in addictions.

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)

Your YELLOW solar plexus chakra is your abdominal chakra. It represents your confidence and self-worth. When you feel nervous or ashamed, this chakra may be blocked.

When imbalanced…

An imbalanced manipura may impact your confidence. If overactive, you may be fast to anger or lack empathy. If it’s underactive, you may have self doubt or feel timid about taking decisions. Physical disturbances include digestive issues, or liver, kidneys or pancreas problems.

Heart Chakra (Anahata)

Your GREEN heart chakra connects your lower chakras with your upper chakras. It’s located in the centre of your chest, in the centre of your sternum. Balanced heart chakra energy gives and receives love easily. If it’s blocked, you may be unable to open up to others. Or, maybe you avoid intimacy in your relationships. It’s located at your heart centre.

When imbalanced…

An underachieve heart chakra makes it hard for you to live an authentic life. It also interferes with your ability to feel compassion. If overactive, you may prioritise love for others, rather than yourself. Physical symptoms include high or low blood pressure, palpitations and circulation problems. You can do specific heart chakra meditation practices to bring more love into their life. Visualise an emerald green light in the centre of your chest to get this process started.

Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)

Your BLUE vishuddha lives in the centre of your throat. Balanced throat chakra energy helps you express yourself honestly. It gives confidence to your communication, in all forms. If it’s blocked, you may feel unable to say how you feel.

When imbalanced…

People who speak with very loud voices or who interrupt others may have this overactive. If you have an underactive throat energy, you may be shy or quiet. You could also avoid difficult conversations. Physical symptoms include digestive trouble, throat pain, mouth ulcers or cavities.

Third Eye Chakra (Ajna)

Your INDIGO ajna chakra is located in your forehead between your eyes. It’s deeply connected to your intuition and spiritual energy. People with a blocked third eye may feel unimaginative or not understand intangible concepts.

When imbalanced…

An overactive third eye chakra may result in obsession with the spiritual or paranormal world. If underactive, you may feel disconnected from the spiritual side of life. Physically, you could experience headaches, allergies, or sinus trouble. Visualising an indigo or deep purple light in the centre of your forehead helps active your ajna.

Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)

Your VIOLET crown chakra impacts your spiritual connection to the universe. It’s not tied to religious beliefs, so your system of faith is not a factor here. It’s located at the very top of your head and is the highest chakra in the human body. This chakra takes the most effort to open, but when open it can bring inner peace and beauty.

This chakra is usually not possible to work on. Being able to control or balance it is likened to achieving ‘nirvana’ or complete spiritual understanding, which is rare. If you want to activate it, first spend time working on the other chakras to gain more physical balance. You can also do crown chakra meditations if you feel called.

How can I start Chakra Meditation?

Chakra Meditation asks you to focus on each major chakra for a period of time. Hold the intention of clearing and balancing each one, and you will. Be mindful of the arrangements of chakras as you go. If you notice a chakra feels blocked, give it more time and attention. Eventually, you’ll feel balanced chakra energy rising.

There are many ways to practice this alternative wellness practice. Some are geared towards spiritual awakening. Others are more about healing and relaxation.

Mantras and mudras can serve as tools to bring your focus on these energy centers within the body. It is advised to begin a chakra meditation practice with the help of a qualified and able teacher or guru. They can guide you and make you aware of the energy flow and imbalances within your chakras. However, if you would like to try a form of chakra meditation at home, read on.

Guided chakra meditation for home practice

Before you begin the ancient practice of chakra meditation at home, refer to a guide online to understand the exact location of each chakra. This is important because you will later need to visualise each chakra.

Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and relaxed. Breathe naturally and deeply, drawing breath from your belly, not your chest. Now, relax into this breathing exercise for a minute or two before moving on.

Next, visualise each chakra and focus on it for a few moments. Start with your red root chakra and progress upwards. Imagine energy coiling up within each chakra, shimmering into a glowing ball of vibrant heat. Now imagine that heat melting away. Allow it to flow freely through your body, opening up blockages and releasing any spots of tension.

Don’t lose heart if you feel scattered or lost at first. Remember to keep drawing your attention back to the chakra and focusing on it again. As you get better at it, your mind feels clear, aware and relaxed.

Once you have gone through a few sessions, the benefits will become obvious to you. You’ll realise your intuition naturally drifts towards the chakras that need the most attention. This allows you to realign your energy centers and bring about a state of well-being.

If you would like to join a guided meditation class, Avaana can help you find an instructor near you. You might also like to check out our post on Guided Morning Meditation.