The reasons for many of the issues we have about how we relate to ourselves and the world around us are rooted in our chakras. When they are not in balance, many things can go awry. That’s why it’s well worth taking the time to look into your chakra system and see what needs mending. We’ve created this guide for you to help you understand how to unblock and balance your chakras.
Chakras are energy points which are essential for both our physical and mental well-being. They have strong relationships to our spinal cord, nervous system, organs, and other important bodily systems and functions. The best way to unblock and balance each of your chakras is through using the right food, essential oils, crystals and yoga poses.
Each chakra has its role in our healthy functioning and being. Let’s take a look into each of them and how to balance them.
Table Of Contents
- What are Chakras?
- Four Ways to Unblock Chakras – Foods, Oils, Crystals, and Yoga!
- Root Chakra
- Sacral Chakra
- Solar Plexus Chakra
- Heart Chakra
- Throat Chakra
- Third Eye Chakra
- Crown Chakra
- Conclusion
1. What are Chakras?
The word chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit. We wrote a beginner’s guide to chakras here. In that article you can learn all there is to learn about them. In short, the body contains seven different chakras that represent free flowing disks of energy. These energy points are essential for both our physical and mental well-being. They have strong relationships to our spinal cord, nervous system, organs, and other important bodily systems and functions. It is important our seven chakras are both open, as well as in alignment.
While Chakras have their root in Eastern traditions, especially yoga, it should be noted that today there are increasing efforts in Western medicine to understand, categorize, and measure the impact of energy surrounding the body.
To learn more about the Indian vs. Western approach to yoga and which one is better for you, check this article.
The scientific discipline of integral physiology studies the “subtle energy” which represents the healing energy that flows through the body through our body’s chakras.
Now that we have established the validity of chakras and the importance of having our chakras open and in alignment, let’s start unblocking them today!
2. Four Ways to Unblock Chakras – Foods, Oils, Crystals, and Yoga
While there are also additional techniques and exercises to unblock chakras, we found that the four most important are diet, yoga, oil, and crystals. We have separated each of those categories BY chakra and have taken out the guesswork! Additionally, although not always precise and varying from region to region, we have also done our best to explain WHY specific foods, oils, crystals, and yoga poses are relevant for each chakra.
Food
Focus on clean, whole, and colorful eating with lots of fruits, vegetables, and water! One of the simplest ways to unblock your chakras quickly is through a proper diet. Now when I say “simple” I don’t mean easy! However, my point here is that making a significant change in your diet is something that you can do TODAY. And you will both notice and FEEL the difference quickly! Eating to unblock your chakras also is healthy eating in general, with a strong emphasis on whole fruits, vegetables, roots and spices. In addition to being unblocked and realigned, you may also lose weight, feel more energy, and have clearer skin! Start by eliminating as many processed foods from your diet as possible. This especially includes added sugars, alcohol, and “Frankenstein” chemically altered packaged and processed foods with ingredients labels as long as a bibliography of a chemistry PhD thesis paper.
Essential Oils
Essential oils, either applied gently through massage or diffused in the air have been used for centuries, alongside yoga and other mediation techniques, to help open up chakras, balance energy centers, and realign the body. Apply directly on or nearby the chakra you are trying to unblock and/or rebalance, or in the air through a diffuser.
Crystals
Crystals are another technique to unblock chakras. Also known as healing stones, practitioners and mediators have used specific stones for specific chakras. It is believed that these stones are able to hold and store energy. This energy can in turn stabilize and unblock the associated chakra.
Yoga Positions
Yoga has been used for centuries to realign and unblock chakras through a combination of poses which increase strength and flexibility in the body. Increased core strength and overall body flexibility creates better body stabilization and balance. This helps align the spine, and improves function of the central nervous system. Moreover, it increases free flowing subtle energy throughout the body and the seven chakras.
Now let’s break it down by each of the seven specific chakras. Here are some of the best foods, oils, crystals, and yoga positions for unblocking each chakra!
3. Root Chakra
The root chakra is located at the base of the spine. It is linked to general well-being and being centered, grounded and in touch with the earth.
Symptoms of This Blocked Chakra: Instability, depression, stress, feeling sluggish, financial issues, lack of self-esteem, anxiety.
Check this article to learn how yoga and meditation can affect your brain waves to help you calm down and let go of anxiety.
The root chakra has to do with grounding and a foundation. If blocked, you are likely to feel disconnected from the Earth and your environment.
Food: Get grounded with “root vegetables”. Also, look for red colored food as a guide to match the chakra color (although the colors are just a guide). To unblock the root chakra, look for tomatoes, chilies, beets, radishes, strawberries, garlic, onions, carrots, parsnips, carrots and carrots.
Oils: Massage gently on feet with nutmeg to unblock this chakra. Use patchouli and vetiver to calm if overactive. And use bergamot to maintain healthy functioning.
Crystals: Look for crystals that are black or red in color to help unblock the root chakra. Place a small crystal over your root chakra on lower back or soles of feet while resting, mediating, or bathing. Look for crystals such as ruby, red jasper, obsidian.
Yoga poses: Look for positions that ground you and bring you back to the earth and in realignment with the root chakra. Poses and positions include Child’s pose, standing forward bend, bridge pose, and reclining bound angle pose.
4. Sacral Chakra
Located about two inches below the navel, the sacral chakra is linked with connection and sexuality.
Symptoms of This Blocked Chakra: Sexual dysfunction, difficulty with relationships, lack of joy, inability to be creative, extreme fatigue. The sacral chakra pertains to human relationships. Any blockage here is likely to reduce your levels of joy socially. This goes especially when expressed in a creative or sexual context.
We wrote more about healthy sexuality here. Check this article to understand why healthy sexuality is so important in everything we do and how to develop it.
Foods: Unblock this chakra with bright orange foods such as oranges, pumpkins, mangoes, papaya, honey, and cantaloupe
Oils: Massage on the lower back with oils such as spicy cardamom to unblock this chakra. Use ylang ylang and neroli to calm if overactive. And use sweet orange and sandalwood to maintain healthy functioning
Crystals: Look for crystals that are orange or red in color to help unblock the sacral chakra, and place a small crystal near or around this chakra below your navel while resting, mediating, or bathing. Look for crystals such as bloodstone, garnet, orange calcite, and carnelian
Yoga poses: Find poses that express openness, sexuality, and creativity that will help reconnect and unblock the sacral chakra. Poses include Cobra pose, Hip Opener positions, Pigeon pose, and Frog pose.
5. Solar Plexus Chakra
Located in the stomach area, this chakra is linked to self-worth, self-esteem, and confidence.
To learn more about how to balance this chakra for healthy self-esteem, go here.
In that article we covered this topic in greater detail and offered a step-by-step guide for achieving healthy self-esteem.
Symptoms of This Blocked Chakra: When blocked, you may feel powerless, worthless, and low in confidence. This may be attributed to pain in the stomach with accompanying weakness and anxiety.
Food: Unblock this chakra with yellow foods such as bananas, pineapple, apricots, corn, and cheese (usually we keep our list to primarily fruits and vegetables, but we just couldn’t pass up CHEESE!)
Oils: Massage gently on stomach area with oils such as eucalyptus and juniper berry to unblock chakra, vetiver or helichrysum to calm overactive, and grapefruit and lemon to maintain healthy functioning
Crystals: Look for crystals that are gold or yellow in color to help unblock the solar plexus chakra, and place a small crystal near or around this chakra around the tummy while resting, mediating, or bathing. The location of the solar plexus chakra and the bright yellow or gold also allows these crystals to be worn on the body throughout the day. Look for crystals such as yellow calcite, yellow quartz, citrine, and gold tiger’s eye.
Yoga position: The Solar plexus chakra represents the stomach, core and digestive system. Poses that help unblock this chakra are the Warrior pose, Bow pose, Boar pose, Spine twists, back bends
6. Heart Chakra
Located around, you guessed it, the heart! The heart chakra is responsible for feelings of joy, love, compassion, and empathy.
Symptoms of This Blocked Chakra: When blocked, you may feel empty, lost, or have difficulty letting go. It may be difficult to feel, especially fully, the most powerful human emotions of deep love, kindness, and forgiveness.
Foods: Unblock this chakra with GREENS! Broccoli, kale, Brussel sprouts, lettuce, spinach and lentils.
Oils: Massage gently on the breastbone or the middle of the back with oils such as palmarossa to unblock chakra, lavender and sweet marjoram to calm overactive, and geranium essential oil to maintain healthy functioning.
Crystals: Look for crystals that are pink or green in color to help unblock the heart chakra, and place a small crystal near or around this chakra around the center of chest while resting, mediating, or bathing. The location of the heart chakra also allows these crystals to be worn on the body throughout the day. Look for crystals such as jade, emerald, rose quartz, peridot, green calcite watermelon tourmaline
Yoga position: Expressing love and joy, look for poses that open up the body and also strengthen the core, lungs, rib cage, and arms/hands such as the Eagle pose, Camel pose, back bends, shoulder stretches.
7. Throat Chakra
Located in and around the throat, this chakra is responsible for communication as well listen to other people, animals, nature, and especially to your own gut, intuition, and higher self.
Symptoms of This Blocked Chakra: The throat chakra is connected deeply to communication, and when blocked, you may be dishonest or shy, and may also be related to underlying physical conditions like a sore throat or thyroid problems.
Foods: This chakra is associated with the color blue and to unblock, we recommend colorful foods such as blueberries, blackberries, kelp, dragon fruit, ginseng, and wheatgrass
Oils: Spray on chest and neck area with oils such as lemon to unblock chakra, vanilla or Roman chamomile to calm overactive, and coriander seed to maintain healthy functioning
Crystals: Look for crystals that blue in color to help unblock the heart chakra, and place a small crystal near or around this chakra and is best worn as a necklace throughout the day. Look for crystals such as turquoise, blue calcite, sodalite, and angelite
Yoga position: The throat chakra represents communication, and look for poses that strengthen the shoulders, neck, and jaw such as the Bridge pose, Plow pose, Fish pose, Shoulder stand,
8. Third Eye Chakra
Located directly in the middle of the forehead and representing the pineal gland and its association with visualizations, dreaming, higher consciousness, perception, and oneness.
Symptoms of This Blocked Chakra: Dizziness, confusion, gullibility, difficulty making decisions. Strongly correlated with visions, imagery, and dream like states and perception, a blocked third eye chakra may also create physical conditions like blurred vision or sinus headaches.
To learn more about how this chakra related to your nervous system and 10 ways to open it, go here.
Foods: This chakra has a deep indigo and violet color, so look for bright purple foods such as eggplant, grapes, plums, purple lettuce, and purple carrots.
Oils: Apply to forehead with oil such as rosemary to unblock chakra, German chamomile to calm overactive, and frankincense and sandalwood to maintain healthy functioning
Crystals: Look for crystals that blue or purple in color to help unblock the third eye chakra and place a small crystal directly between eyes on forehead while lying down and meditating. Look for crystals such as amethyst, sapphire, lapis lazuli, and sugilite
Yoga: Focus on positive visualizations, imagery, and affirmative imagery while practicing the pose supported forward bends by adding a blanket to press upon.
9. Crown Chakra
Located at the crown and above the head, this chakra is responsible for inner wisdom, spiritual awakening, and enlightenment.
In this article we wrote about 10 ways to open it. Learn more about it.
Symptoms of This Blocked Chakra: Normal healthy function will create spiritual awakening and enlightenment, but a blocked crown chakra may cause one to feel abandoned or out of place with God, a higher power, or the spiritual world. It may also cause one to become too obsessive over material things. Accompanying physical conditions include tension headaches and migraines.
Foods: Interesting enough here, the best foods for unblocking this chakra may be NO food. Try fasting with plenty of fluids, as well as exposure to nature outdoors and fresh air. After 48 hours of fasting, the body begins the process of autophagy which will allows the body to clean itself at a CELLULAR level.
Oils: Simply diffuse the room nearby with oils such as spicy sweet lavandin to unblock chakra, neroli or vanilla to calm overactive, and frankincense to maintain healthy functioning
Crystals: Look for crystals that are either white, clear, or purple in color to help unblock the crown chakra and place a small crystal on the top of your head while lying down and meditating. Look for crystals such as clear quartz, diamond, amethyst, moonstone, and selenite
10. Conclusion
The seven chakras are universal to each of us, yet both our internal and external environment can cause blocked chakras for many over time. This is normal as we deal with stresses of life, whether they be familial relationships, romantic relationships, professional challenges, and changes in our bodies as we age. Yet despite these challenges, we can identify any specific blocked chakra or chakras and correct them through proper diet, yoga, and accompanying oils and crystals. Although success will vary from person to person, these techniques and traditions have stood the test of time for millennia. They will continue to do so, especially as science crosses one of its final frontiers through the exploration of subtle energies, energy medicine, and resonance theory which are crucial to better understanding of both our outer and inner worlds.
“The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.” – Nikola Tesla
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6396053/
https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/asanas-for-the-chakra-system
https://earthfamilycrystals.com/blogs/default-blog/unblock-your-chakras-with-crystals
https://www.aromaweb.com/essentialoilschakras/chakraessentialoilrecipes.asp
https://otherworldlyoracle.com/how-to-unblock-chakras-crystals/
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-are-chakras#how-to-unblock-a-chakra
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-are-chakras#how-to-unblock-a-chakra
Shanti Arunkumar, Senior Contributor At L’Aquila Active
Learn more about Shanti by reading her bio below.
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