There’s an awful lot of talk these days about chakras and you aren’t alone if you’re wondering what they are and what they are all about. How do you know whether they’re closed or open and what do you do about it?! It doesn’t matter if you’re experienced in chakra work or new to it; everyone can use a tuneup. It’s just good body maintenance! Chakra alignment and maintenance is the topic of our question this week.

　　Working with chakra energy is a lot easier than you might believe. My favorite tool when it comes to working with chakras are reiki stones. Even if you don’t have these, there are still many things you can do to ensure your chakras are healthy and spinning to your advantage! Let’s start with some basic information about chakra health:

　　Your chakras are always open to some extent, otherwise, you’d not exist.Blocked chakras don’t always manifest as a physical imbalance.Chakras reflect what’s going on in your esoteric body as well as your physical body.Chakras are said to be ‘blocked’ when they’re too open, or not open enough.Emotional upsets are reflections of blocked chakras.Your environment plays a big part on the alignment of your chakras.Mental anguish is often a sign of chakra imbalance.It’s always best to start at the bottom and work up through the chakras. What follows is the short meditation that I do every morning as part of my daily routine to aid my chakra alignment. It brings my awareness to my energy centers and allows me to stimulate and balance all of my chakras in one short exercise. It can become a habit, like brushing your teeth, and it lets you start the day off as balanced and centered as possible.

　　Turn off your phone and move away from any electronic devices. If you have music playing, make sure it is quiet and soothing. This is best done away from bright lights because they stimulate the brain, and you’re supposed to be relaxing!Sit in a comfortable but alert position (no legs or arms crossed) with your spine straight. You want to be comfortable, but not so much so that you fall asleep! Keeping your spine straight helps the energy flow; if you cross your limbs, you block it.Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Your breath should be full and deep, right down to your diaphragm. The yogis call this prana. You’re breathing in and out the breath of life, enriching and feeding your own life force.As you breathe in, envision your breath going right down your spine all the way to your tailbone. Breathe in so deeply you can feel it, then gently let your breath out again. Keep doing this throughout the exercise, full breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Opening the Root Chakra

During your morning chakra meditation, breathe in and take your awareness to your root chakra. It’s located at the base of your tailbone and is represented by the color red. See it as a swirling pinwheel of red light, spinning and shining, vibrant and full of energy. This energy is helping you feel safe and secure. It enables you to look after your basic needs such as food, shelter, and sleep.

　　The root chakra allows you to find and embrace your self-identity. It grounds you with what you have to do in your life. With each breath, know that you’re strong and independent. You should reflect on feelings of safety and security and remind yourself that the world is a safe place.

　　Carnelian, hematite, and bloodstone are excellent stones for the root chakra.Hold the stones as you visualize the red energy center spinning freely and balanced.Aromatherapy oils for the root chakra are cloves, black pepper, and ginger.Use the oils in a neutral carrier such as black seed oil and apply to your heels and anklesMeditate on the color red, and envision all of your basic needs being met.

Opening the Sacral Chakra

Now move onto your sacral chakra. It’s just above your root chakra. Its color is orange and it influences your emotions and your relationships. Keep breathing in, deep breaths that go all the way down your spine, and take your awareness to your sacral chakra. A spinning orange orb, radiant and glowing.

　　You’re balancing your emotions, you’re setting good intentions for the relationships in your life, you’re appreciating the joy of intimacy, and you’re stimulating your creativity. This energy balances how you interact with others. With each breath, know that you’re interesting and full of vitality.

　　Orange calcite, citrine, and aventurine are great stones for the sacral chakraHold the stones and visualize the orange spiral of energy swirling openly and with grace.Aromatherapy oils for the sacral chakra are jasmine, ylang-ylang, and clary sage.Dilute the oils in a carrier like apricot kernel, and apply them to your foot arches.Using the color orange in your life will stimulate this chakra, and help the relationships in your life to go well.

Opening the Solar Plexus Chakra

Continue to take deep, rhythmic breaths, and take your focus to your solar plexus chakra. This is above your sacral chakra and its the spinning yellow energy bringing light and warmth into your life. You’re confident about what you want and how to get it. You believe that you are capable of reaching your goals.

　　Your physical energy is strong; your mind is clear. Your relationships with others are harmonious and fulfilling. With every breath you take, fill every cell of your being with confidence and clarity. All chakras have stones and oils and other helpers, and this one is no exception.

　　Amber, yellow jasper, and tiger’s eye assist the balancing of the solar plexus chakra.Hold the stones, and see them enhancing the yellow swirling energy.Solar plexus aromatherapy oils are cypress, juniper, and peppermint.Sweet almond oil makes a good carrier for these oils, before applying them between the foot arches and the balls of the foot.Your confidence and mental clarity will increase when you wear yellow, surround yourself in yellow and eat yellow foods.

　　Related Article: 3 Stress-Reducing Chakra Healing Exercises

　　

Opening the Heart Chakra

Move up to the heart chakra. It’s above your solar plexus chakra, in the center of your chest next to your heart. Its color is green, and it brings compassion and understanding to your life. It’s the bridge to the upper and lower chakras. You’re breathing in peace, gratitude, and fulfillment, and exhaling anything that stands in your way of manifesting that.

　　You’re loving and loved when this chakra is functioning properly. You’re kind to yourself and others. You love yourself just as you are, and accept others for who they are. You’re wise enough to know when to trust, and when to walk away. It also has stones, oils, and other means of enhancing its performance.

　　Rose quartz, jade, and green aventurine are excellent choices for the heart chakra.Hold the stones over your heart, and let their healing energy penetrate your being.Heart chakra oils are gentle, like rose, melissa, and chamomile.Dilute the oils in a gentle carrier such as almond oil, and massage the balls of your feet.Meditating on love and compassion will stimulate the heart chakra in a positive way.

Opening the Throat Chakra

Next, it’s time to focus on your throat chakra. It is located above your heart chakra, and its color is a vibrant blue. Your breath is favorably stimulating the way that you communicate with others. Your words are kind, and you think about them before speaking them into being. You take the time to listen and really hear others.

　　Every word you speak, every action you take, edifies your spirit, and creates a positive message. It’s associated with all forms of communication. Speaking, listening, acting, even singing are all ways that we convey messages. This area is not limited only to what you say. It’s associated with blue stones and gentle oils.

　　Suitable stones for the throat chakra are chrysocolla, turquoise, and sodalite.Hold the stones over your throat or wear them in ‘choker’ type necklaces.Frankincense, neroli, and bergamot are excellent throat chakra oils.Add a few drops of the pure essential oil to an argon oil carrier and massage the base of your toes, where they join the foot.Wearing blue, blue jewelry, and sleeping on blue bedding will all help to balance the throat chakra.

Opening the Third Eye / Brow Chakra

Above your throat chakra is your third eye, or brow, chakra. It’s located between your eyes, and its color is indigo. You might want to spend a bit of extra time on this chakra because it’s been my experience that it has the most easily upset and unbalanced energy.

　　Keep breathing in the life-force, and breathing out any negativity or anything that’s inhibiting you from being all you can be. You’re feeding your spirit and growing your soul. You’re developing your powers of insight and intuition. You see the truth and recognize illusion and deception. You see and understand what’s happening in your life, and you make ethical decisions when it is operating optimally.

　　It’s easy to overstimulate this chakra so use gentle stones like labradorite, lapis lazuli, and blue agate.Hold the stones between your brows as you focus on finding clarity in your life.Patchouli is a popular third eye essential oil, as are helichrysum and cypress.Place just a drop of the essential oil in a coconut carrier oil, and thoroughly massage into the individual toes.Meditating with music in the key of A can be soothing to this chakra.

Opening the Crown Chakra

Finally, we get to the crown chakra at the top of your head. Its color is violet. Keep breathing in deeply, seeing your breath pull all the energy centers up from the bottom into alignment, one by one. You’re connecting with the energy of whatever divinity you believe in.

　　You know that your spirit guides and helpers will lead you through the day when you work on this chakra. Whatever happens, they’re there to support you. You feel the pulse of the Universe in your heartbeat and feel the lifeblood of all your ancestors flowing through your veins.

　　Amethyst, celestine, and selenite are all awesome stones to use when working with the crown chakra.Place the stones on the top of your head, or sleep with them at the top of your pillow.Three popular essential oils for this chakra are myrrh, lavender, and sandalwood.Add the essential oils to your favorite conditioner, and massage into the scalp to stimulate the chakra and the hair follicles.Meditate on a lilac scented purple candle to call your guides and ancestors to assist you. As you continue your deep breathing, focus less on the chakras and more on your surroundings. Take one more deep breath, as an affirmation that this day is a gift, and you will be able to handle whatever life brings to you. Now, slowly open your eyes, and stretch out your limbs. Gently leave the meditation and take the time to appreciate it, and get into the right mindset for the rest of the day.

　　

Conclusion

It sounds like a lot to remember to keep your chakras open, but once you have done it a few times, it becomes second nature. Aligning your chakras isn’t as hard as it sounds; it’s not letting other people with their petty ideas undermine your good work! Life’s a lot easier than we try to make it.

　　The main thing I’d advise, though, is to do them all in sequence, starting with the root or the base chakra, and working up. Envision it as starting at the bottom and pulling up a tight string, from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to indigo to violet.

　　Then, when you’ve got them all spinning and shimmering, revisit the one you want to work on the most. Healthy chakras make for a happy life. Let go of what’s not uplifting and dismiss the things that bring you down. Choose to surround yourself with people who inspire you. We’re all in this together, so let’s try to make life a joyful ride!

　　Related Article: How to Give Your Chakras Some Love Using Reiki Stones