Chakras Part II
Welcome to Part Two of the three-part series on Chakras. This series of three posts will present 2 to 3 chakras, what issues may relate to their imbalance, and some tips for holistically restoring balance within that chakra. Thank you to The Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda by Sahara Rose Ketabi for collecting this information and printing it in an easy to follow guide. Let’s continue learning with the solar plexus, heart, and throat chakras.
Solar Plexus Chakra (Color: Yellow)
This chakra is just below your rib cage. It is your power center, your energy and action, determining your identity and passions. It contains your identity and personality, as well as self-esteem and willpower. All your digestive organs and abdominal muscles are here.
When this chakra is depleted, you don’t know yourself and your identity well. You may have a low self-esteem, or often feel like a victim. You may experience a lot of fatigue, bodily chills, stiff muscles, digestive issues, poor posture, or back aches. Too much solar plexus energy leads to obsession with money or power. It can also express as control issues or anger and competition. These may cause stress, high blood pressure, ulcers, and excess hunger.
To restore balance in the solar plexus chakra:
Meditate twice a day (focus on the fire in your core)
Strengthen your core
Use the oil neroli or rosemary
Touch yellow calcite, amber and tiger eye crystals
Spend time in direct sunlight daily
Heart Chakra (Color: Green)
This chakra is in the center of your chest, close to your heart. Your heart speaks truth in love and has an intelligence separate from the mind. This chakra allows love, compassion, empathy, peace and kindness to flourish. When balanced, you can both give and receive love. You must love yourself to be able to love others. In balance, you deeply feel love for what is around you and make heart-centered decisions.
When this chakra is out of balance, you don’t feel loved or loving. You feel hurt and close your heart chakra, cutting yourself off from relationships and with new people. You might present with breathing problems or even a heart attack. If you did not receive unconditional love as a child, you may have a heart blockage. The only help is keeping your heart open, even with pain present.
To restore balance in the heart chakra:
Practice self-care rituals like oil massages or bubble baths
Spend time with animals or children
Do heart-opener poses in yoga like backbends
Use the oil chamomile orange or marjoan
Touch a rose quartz, malachite, or green aventurine crystal
Throat Chakra (Color: Light blue/turquoise)
This chakra is in your throat. It is in charge of communication, speaking your truth, manifesting, and standing up for yourself. It allows you to be expressive and vocal. It is part of your intuitive body. A strong throat chakra is a good speaker and listener. An open throat chakra helps to read between the lines and pick up on cues with good perception. Balanced throat chakras are often musically gifted.
When this chakra is out of balance, you may have trouble expressing how you feel or fear speaking in public. An imbalance may present as a lump in the throat, a tight jaw, a stiff neck or strep throat. Depletion can lead to thyroid dysfunction.
To restore balance in the throat chakra:
Sing out loud!
Write daily
Practice public speaking
Listen with attentiveness
Use peppermint, sage or chamomile oil
Touch aquamarine or lapis lazuli crystals
Take a few minutes to sit and meditate on your solar plexus, heart and throat chakras, at separate times. As you do, ask: What is your body telling you about the energy you hold in these spaces? Which of these holistic healing modalities feels like it could bring you closer to restoring balance in these chakras?
Next week we will look at two more chakras: third eye and crown chakras.