Chakra Healing

Muladhara: we are disconnected from Mother Earth, abusing her resources, consuming
denatured food, and most have forgotten the sacredness of the land

Svadisthana: sex is advertized as a commodity, shamed, suppressed, and exploited; we are

not taught how to process our emotions or channel our creativity in healthy ways

Manipura: we are exposed to wars, violence, manipulation, control and greed, while our
personal power is repressed

Anahata: we love others conditionally because self-love is not valued; our breathing is
shallow (which inhibits fresh prana from rejuvenating our beings)

Vishuddha: we are surrounded with lies and massive overuse of technology; we are “lost” in
the ethers, with no stable ground to support us, and thus we are unable to express our true and
highest selves

Ajna: society provides little encouragement to go within or develop our intuition; we are
unaware of our true abilities to visualize, manifest, and create the reality we truly desire
Sahasrara: many religions and belief systems are skewed, enforcing fear and placing power
outside of the self; hence we are disconnected from Oneness

With such surroundings and teachings as these to shape us, it is no surprise that most
individuals have deep-seated imbalances in the chakras. However, through awareness, we
can understand our own set of blockages and work through them to establish inner
balance. Despite living in a tumultuous world, we are blessed with a multitude of tools to
guide us on the healing journey, including aroma, touch, light, color, sound, crystals, herbs,
flowers, foods, affirmations, yoga, meditation, breath work, and the list is essentially
endless. As the chakras are an interconnected network, any healing technique can affect any
or all of the chakras. However, using their related element and sense can provide more
specific healing. The following is a small introduction to the plethora of chakra healing
techniques:

Earth : Muladhara : Smell

Aromatherapy: Scents, especially pure essential oils (abbreviated as EOs) of plants and
flowers, have profound healing effects. Studies show that EOs decrease anxiety,138 promote
relaxation, relieve stress, “have an effect on brainwaves and can also alter behavior.”139 Just
as every human emits their own energy, so do plants, and thus, each type of essential oil has a
particular gift to offer our chakras. Ways to incorporate include: putting EO drops into base
oil (like sesame, sunflower, etc.) and massaging onto the chakra points, bathing with drops of
EO in water, spraying aromatherapy mister on/around the body, using an aromatherapy
diffuser in the home, etc.
Gem Therapy: “[Crystals] have been used for centuries to act as catalysts and to assist one
in becoming re-united with [the universal source of perfection].”140 Taking millions of
years to form “out of the elements of […] Mother Earth, [crystals] connect us with the
protecting, fortifying and nourishing energy of this earth.”141 Again, like people, plants, and
all that exists, each crystal carries a unique energy, and thus certain types can be used to help
heal different imbalances. Ways to incorporate include: lying down and placing crystals on
the chakra points (this allows the crystal to clear blockages and re-harmonize one’s energy),
holding them, meditating with them, wearing crystals as jewelry, etc.
Time in Nature: “Nature operates…via relationships…, constantly communicating,
balancing, altering, merging, evolving, creating, and transmuting. When aligned, and not
resistant, to the nature of Nature, we enter into the dynamic creative flow of
life.”142 Therefore, when we commune with the flowers, the grasses, the mud, the birds, the
leaves, the branches, the roots, and all the wonders of the earth, we allow our energy bodies
to realign with the harmonic resonance of the Universe. Ways to incorporate include:
walking in nature, camping/backpacking, hiking, gardening, etc.

Water : Svadisthana : Taste

Diet / Food: We are what we eat. Many roots of imbalance come from the mass produced,
packaged, denatured food we habitually consume. How can our chakras vibrate at their
highest frequency if we feed ourselves low frequency food? Ayurveda strongly values both
what we eat and how we eat. Shifting our diet to embrace whole, local, organic foods
prepared and consumed with gratitude and LOVE is a key factor in balancing the chakras.
Water Therapy: Studies prove that water retains and responds to our thoughts and
intentions,143 and thus can be an incredibly powerful tool in healing. Ways to incorporate
include: drinking water that we infuse with a positive intention/affirmation (ie. ‘Thank you’
or ‘I love you’), cleansing in oceans or rivers, setting intentions at the time of the new moon
and full moon, using flower essences, gem essences, etc.

Fire : Manipura : Sight

Chromotherapy: “Chromotheraphy provides colors to the electromagnetic body or the aura
(energy field) around the body, which in turn transfers energy to the physical body.” Thus,
“colors have a profound effect on us at all levels—physical, mental, and
emotional.”145 According to the “Rainbow System,” the colors of the visible light spectrum
relate to the chakras: muladhara / red, svadisthana / orange, manipura / yellow, anahata /
green, vishuddha / blue, ajna / indigo, and sahasrara / violet. The specific vibrational
frequency of each color can be used to treat imbalance. For instance, “when the first chakra
has excess energy it manifests in conditions that we associate […] with red, such as
inflammation, […] body heat, anger, jealousy, and rage. Blue […] can be used to calm and
cool the energy.”145 Ways to incorporate include: colored lamps/light bulbs directed onto
the body, wearing a certain color, color meditation, drinking color-charged water, wearing
colored sunglasses, choosing foods based on color, exposure to sunlight, candle-gazing
(trataka), spending time in nature, etc.
 Air : Anahata : Touch
Touch Therapies: Countless methods of touch therapy (massage, marma, shirodhara, reiki,
reflexology, etc.) can be of great assistance in balancing mind, body, and spirit. The
Ayurvedic treatment known as Chakra Basti can be especially beneficial, as it works directly
with the chakra points and allows for the “release of deep seated emotions”146 that may be
causing blockages in the subtle body.
Breathing / Pranayama: Breath is the bridge between the body and the mind;147 “[it] is
one of our most powerful tools for transforming ourselves: for burning up toxins, releasing
stored emotions, changing body structure and changing consciousness.”148 As said in the
ancient text, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, “[A] person who only half breathes, only half lives. He
who breathes correctly acquires control of the whole being.”149 Most of us breathe on
autopilot, allowing shallow breaths to guide us through life. By bringing awareness to the
breath, whether through the various yogic techniques of pranayama (breath control) or by
simply taking conscious and complete inhalations and exhalations, we can create a space of
great harmony within.

Yoga Asana (Body Postures): There are many forms of yoga asana practice (Kundalini,
Hatha, Iyengar, Vinyasa, etc.), but their basic principle is the same. “Asanas aim at
influencing [body, mind, and consciousness] and molding and yoking them into one
harmonious whole…Asanas loosen up the joints of the body, stretch and tone the muscles[,]
remove [accumulated] poisons[,] harmonize the nervous [and endocrine] system[s]
and…improve the functioning of all the internal organs…As such the uninhibited flow of
prana brought about by asanas, leads to mental equilibrium and calmness…When the aches
and pains and ailments of the body are removed and one is emotionally and mentally relaxed,
then…the fetters of individuality can be released and one’s true nature – pure, infinite, all
pervasive consciousness – can be realized.”150

Ether : Vishuddha : Sound

Sound Therapies: “Scientific findings confirm that all the particles in the universe…are
determined by musical structures, frequencies and patterns.”151 “Everything has a peak
range of vibration, and that range is known as resonance. When we are in balance, we are in
resonance.”152 To relate, we can think of the common phrase, ‘that resonates with me;’
when we say this, we are indicating that our frequency is in harmony with that frequency, and
it ‘feels right.’ Thus, we can use resonant sound frequencies to bring our chakras into
alignment. Sound healing techniques include: chanting bija mantras (elemental seed sounds:
Lum, Vum, Rum, Yum, Hum, Aum), repeating positive affirmations, listening to harmonious
music such as classical, Indian ragas or nature sounds, singing, using singing bowls, tuning
forks, etc.

Subtle and Causal Ether : Ajna and

Sahasrara
Meditation: “People wander all over the world trying to find themselves, not realizing that
the greatest marvel lies within…It is only by knowing the depths of the mind that we can
really know ourselves as well as the world around us.”153 The purpose of meditation is to
“enhance, soothe, and harmonize the vibrational aspects of the mind and body, cleansing the
mind of its habitual clutter,” and ultimately, to attain self-realization—“the…act through
which consciousness realizes itself.”154 While there are countless techniques of meditation
(ie. Transcendental Meditation, creative visualization, chakra meditations, color meditation,
yoga nidra, etc.), the true state of meditation cannot be taught. “It is only the personal
experience of mediation, even if it is the faintest glimmer, that can make us realize the power,
knowledge and joy that are our heritage.”155

Collectively, it is apparent that we have a great deal of growth and healing to do. But in
nurturance of our heart chakras, it is wise to remember that all is perfect just as it is, right
now. And through awareness, intention, and love, we each hold the power to realign with the
Oneness that binds us all. As each of us journey further within, taking responsibility for our
own selves, working to harmonize our inner chakra centers, we will find the strength to assist
our fellow beings along the healing journey; and some day, the chakra system of the
collective consciousness will begin to shine in its True state of Pure, Blissful Harmony.