A guide to the 7 Chakras for beginners

The Root Chakra is our ground, energetically speaking. It’s our foundation, our ability to stand on our two feet. It governs our ability to survive and to feel safe in the physical world. Because the root chakra is developed in early infancy, it is formed first. It contains all the information in those early months where the challenge is to be here, as a physical being. As a physical being, we experience hunger, discomfort and pain. The questions we answer are: ” Is this a safe place?” “Am I welcome here?” Everything in our surroundings pertaining to these questions gets stored in the root chakra. As we grow older, this sense of security manifests in the way we take care of ourselves. It plays out in our relationships with food, with shelter, with money – the things we need to survive. The root chakra lies at the basis of our sense of security and ability to feel safe. When it is balanced, we are solidly anchored in the material world and able to feel safe in our environment.

The Sacral Chakra connects us to the flow of life. It dictates how comfortable we are with inevitable change and how much pleasure we have in living. Emotions, sexuality, creativity, & flexibility are all reigned by our second chakra. When the Scaral Chakra is balanced, we are able to connect with sensual (and sexual) plesure easily. It does not take up all the room, but it is present. The Scaral Chakra also governs our needs. It speaks through emotion.

The Solar Plexus Chakra governs your ability to get from a point A to a point B with gusto. It’s your center of confidence, vitality, will-power & direction. With a healthy third chakra, you get your projects done, you enjoy challenges and you generally have a lot of energy. You exert control on your environment, but you also know when to let go. It develops with the terrible twos, when you discover how much power you have and that you can manipulate your environment to obtain what you want. The Solar Plexus Chakra determines how much energy we radiate into the world. When it’s bananced, we navigate te world easily and control and let go easily. Things are “Easy”. It is a great source of power.

The heart chakra is your center of acceptance. It’s the middle chakra and integrates your more human concerns (Chakras 1, 2 & 3) with your spiritual concerns (Chakras 5, 6 & 7). It is a center for healing and integration. When it’s healthy, you enjoy your relationships with others. There is a balanced give and take. You protect your limits, but are also able to open up and be vulnerable with people you trust. The heart chakra recognizes the perfection in all things and is full of an all-encompassing, compassionate love. The Heart Chakra is the bridge between the spiritual and the material chakras. It’s where healing and integration happens, through whether or not we are able to take care of ourselves and others. It is related to boundaries.

The Throat Chakra governs your ability to express. It is the bridge between your inner world and the outer world. When the Throat Chakra is balanced, you express who you truly are in all your thoughts, words, and actions. You are able to be in the flow of life, expressing your needs and wants and interacting creatively with the world. We all have a different reflection of reality in us. The throat allows us to share that truth through the voice, expressing emotions, thoughts and ideas, our boundaries, our needs. It also allows us to connect to a creative flow.

The Third Eye Chakra governs your ability to perceive accurately: Do you see what’s truly there or are you interpreting it through your own filters? When it is balanced, you are both grounded and connected to your intuition, perceiving accurately. Your mind is frequently clear and you are also able to imagine things differently than they are. The Third Eye governs out ability to see reality as it is. A person with a balanced third eye is mentally flexible, clear, open-minded, intuitive and able to imagine things differently.

The Crown Chakra governs your ability to be connected to something bigger than you – God, the Universe, Allah, Source, whatever you’d like to call it – but also each other and higher concepts. When The Crown Chakra is balanced, you are able to trust life, doing your part, and leaving the rest up to the divine. You are easily able to grasp the bigger picture, and have a sense of understanding of the world around you. Essentially, you are connected to the wisest you. The Crown Chakra governs our ability to connect with the divine. With a balanced crown, we’re able to learn our spritual lessons, have faith, and live in harmony with our surroundings.