5 Techniques to Balance Chakras and Unblock Energy Flows

From meditation to yoga to conscious breathing, discover 5 ways to balance chakras, unblock bodily energy flows, realigning body and mind. By Rachel Markowitz. 

 

A few years ago, while working at a yoga retreat center, a guest approached me with concern. An energy healer had told her that her sacral chakra was the size of a peanut, and she felt helpless and upset. Whether the healer truly believed this or not, the incident sticks with me as an example of how chakra-based healing can be confusing, vague, or distorted.

This woman’s “healing” session gave her the sense that something was wrong. However, chakra blockages and imbalances are common and often easy to remedy. 

Signals from the chakras serve as a gateway to understanding our health from a holistic perspective. Thus, by exploring chakra balancing (or realignment) and how to unblock chakras, we can take control of our own healing.

 

What Are the 7 Chakras?

Before we discuss specific balancing techniques, it's important to understand the basics of the major chakras and their qualities.

Chakras are centers of life-force energy located in the subtle (energetic) body. They are not visible or measurable in the physical world. Although different philosophies use various theories to classify and explain these energetic vortexes, most teachings today focus on seven main chakras. These energy centers ascend from the base of the spine to slightly above the crown of the head along our main energetic channel, Sushumna Nadi. 

Learn how to unblock chakras and balance bodily energy flow

 

Each of the major chakras controls the flow of life-force energy (or prana) to specific aspects of our physical, mental, and energetic constitution. Accordingly, balancing the chakra system is believed to create an energetic environment conducive to a healthy, peaceful, joyful life.

 

What is Chakra Alignment?

Chakra alignment refers to a state of balance where each of the main centers is an open, spinning disk of energy serving its purpose to absorb and distribute prana. When our chakras are aligned, each is functioning optimally, and energy can flow without blockages.

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In an energetic body with blockages, chakras can end up overactive or deficient. In this case, various practices and methods can assist with overall chakra realignment. Furthermore, if a specific energy center is blocked with stagnant energy, these same methods can be used to heal energy centers individually. 

 

How to Unblock and Realign Chakras: 5 Techniques

Methods for balancing chakras include traditional practices, self-care routines, and professional healing modalities. Even without specific health issues, these techniques promote well-being by harmonizing energy movement throughout the body.

 

1. Chakra Meditation

Each chakra is associated with a specific location, color, symbol, mantra, sound frequency, and musical note, as follows:
 

Root (Muladhara) – Base of the spine; Red; Lotus flower with 4 petals; Lam; 396 Hz; C

Sacral (Swadhistana) – Below the navel; Orange; Lotus flower with 6 petals; Vam; 417 Hz; D

Solar Plexus (Manipura) – Core, above the navel; Yellow; Lotus flower with 10 petals, Ram; 528 Hz; E

Heart (Anahata) – Center of the chest at heart level; Green; Lotus flower with 12 petals, Yam; 639 Hz; F

Throat (Vishuddha) – Throat; Blue; Lotus flower with 16 petals; Ham; 741 Hz; G

Third Eye (Ajna) – Center of the brain, between the eyebrows; Indigo; Lotus flower with 2 petals; Om; 852 Hz; A

Crown (Sahasrara) – Slightly above the crown of the head; Violet or White; Lotus flower with 1,000 petals; Aum or silence; 963 Hz; B

 

To focus on unblocking or strengthening an individual chakra as part of a meditation practice, we can visualize its symbol, chant its mantra (or its Sanskrit name) silently or aloud, imagine clear light (or a light of its color) radiating throughout your body, or use tuning forks, singing bowls, or digital sound frequencies corresponding to that chakra.
 

“Balancing the chakra system is believed to create an energetic environment conducive to a healthy, peaceful, joyful life.”

 

For overall chakra balancing and realignment, visualize each chakra as a clear white light (or a light of its color) radiating throughout the body. Work your way up from the root to the crown, and end with a visualization of your spine as a column of pure, bright light.

 

2. Yoga Asana

Although typically associated with the physical body, the practice of yoga asana (postures) was originally developed to balance, strengthen, and cleanse the energetic body as preparation for meditation. Essentially, by forming intentional shapes with the body, we can manipulate pranic flow to harness and redirect energy.

Carry gemstones which align with the chakra that needs realignment

 

A quick online search will provide asana classes targeted towards aligning the chakras. However, if you are experienced with basic yoga positions, you can practice on your own by following or adapting the following sequence, holding each posture for about a minute with long, deep breathing.

 

Yoga Practices For Chakra Balancing
 

Standing Postures

Mountain Pose (Root)

Goddess Pose (Sacral)
 

Sitting Postures

Boat Pose (Manipura)

Camel Pose (Heart)
 

Reclined Postures

Plow Pose or Shoulderstand (Throat)
 

Resting postures

Child’s Pose (Third Eye)

Savasana (Crown)

 

3. Pranayama

Conscious breathing practices, called pranayama in yoga, also work to balance and cleanse the subtle body. Two simple pranayama techniques that can assist with overall balancing of the chakras are Spinal Breathing and Nadi Shodana. You can practice each for a few minutes, as often as feels right.

 

Spinal Breathing Inhale slowly, imagining your breath, or life-force energy, rising from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. Exhale completely, visualizing this energy as it returns from the crown of your head to the base of your spine. Keep your inhalations and exhalations of equal length and intensity if possible. 

 

Nadi Shodana (alternate nostril breath) Inhale slowly through your left nostril, using your right thumb to block your right nostril. Pause for a moment and naturally exhale through your right nostril, using your right ring finger to block your left nostril. Continue by inhaling through your right nostril and exhaling through the left to complete a full round. Repeat for several rounds of equal-length breaths to purify nadis (energetic channels).

How to practise Nadi Shodana for chakra and energy balancing

 

4. Intuitive Experimentation

Along with the qualities of each chakra mentioned above, fragrances, herbs, foods, and objects that correspond with a chakra’s color can also realign or unblock chakras. With a basic knowledge of these associations, we can integrate practical chakra healing into daily life. 

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Since most of us aren’t attuned to visualizing or feeling energy, the best way to identify chakra imbalances or blockages is to look at the consistent or recurring aspects of our health that we would like to improve. 

For example, let’s say you experience feeling ungrounded, frequently stub your toes, and struggle with feeling at home in your body – symptoms indicative of an underactive or blocked root chakra. A healing plan for you might include walking barefoot in nature, eating root vegetables, using sandalwood or cedarwood incense or oils, meditating with a chunk of obsidian, or placing a small piece of garnet in your pocket. 

 

“In an energetic body with blockages, chakras can end up overactive or deficient. Various practices can assist with chakra realignment.”

 

Essentially, the body’s wisdom combined with the mind’s creativity can provide limitless opportunities for self-awareness, healing, and growth. 

 

5. Professional Chakra Healing

Although we recommend using discernment when choosing healers, professional healers who truly see and understand the subtle body can identify energetic blockages, balance chakras, and give advice on realigning them in the future.

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A gifted healer will be able to read your energy and may even be able to suggest how to best balance chakras through intuitive or visionary gifts. Professional chakra healing practices often consist of energy work (such as Reiki), but could also include massage, guided meditations, aromatherapy, or sound-based healing.

 

Takeaway: Balancing Chakras 

Everything in life is a manifestation of energy, and the chakras serve to balance and direct our unique energetic flow. When we attune to our inner environment, we begin to understand how the health of each chakra plays a role in our personal strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, by learning how to unblock and balance chakras through practices and therapies, we become aware of how to heal integral aspects of our physical health, mental tendencies, and spiritual journey.

Images: ArtNebula86, vetre

Written by Rachel Markowitz

Rachel recently found herself over a decade deep in a worldwide wander guided by what she feels to be true. She’s been facilitating classes and workshops on yoga, meditation, self-exploration, and alternative ways of living since 2012, mostly in Latin America and Asia. These days, she spends most of her time looking at, walking around, or singing to a sacred mountain in southern India. Read more of her words at her to those who wonder blog.