Chakras 101

Odds are, you’ve heard the word ‘Chakra’ thrown around in your yoga practice, but what on earth does that actually mean?

Let’s break it down. There are all of these channels flowing through your body, carrying ‘prana’ or energy from one point to another and intersecting at different points. Where these channels or ‘nadis’ connect, we find a centre of energy called a Chakra.

Chakra translates from Sanskrit to wheel or disc, but they are so much more than this.

There are more than 100 Chakras within the human body, but we focus on the seven main Chakras that run along the mid-line of the body. From base to crown, these are your:

• Root Chakra or Muladhara

• Sacral Chakra or Svadhisthana

• Solar Plexus Chakra or Manipura

• Heart Chakra or Anahata

• Throat Chakra or Vishuddha

• Third Eye Chakra or Ajna

• Crown Chakra or Sahasrara

Each Chakra has an associated colour, sound and mudra (hand position) which we can use in balancing, meditative practices.

These energy centres affect our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, so if your Chakras are blocked, over-active or imbalanced, things can feel a little out of whack both mentally and physically. There are different ways you can balance your Chakras, including with crystals, meditations, colour therapy and yoga. There are also practitioners who work with balancing energy, using ancient practices such as Reiki.

Ready to balance your chakras? Book in for yoga today!