How to Balance Your Chakras
Many ancient civilizations believed there is an energy force that lives in us and outside of us. In ancient Egypt/Kemet it was referred to as the soul or “Ka. In traditional Chinese culture this is referred to as Chi (Qi or Ki). And in Indian Ayurveda, it’s referred to as Prana.
Ayurveda means "the knowledge of life", is a holistic theory of wellness and includes vegetarianism, yoga, breathing exercises, meditation and massage. When incorporating Ayurveda into your life, the goal is to find balance physically, mentally and spiritually. Some of the key components of Ayurveda along with Prana, are five elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether (space), the three Doshas (energies believed to circulate in the body) and Chakras, energy centers in the body.
There are 88,000 chakras mentioned in traditional writings but 7 main Chakras that run from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Chakras receive, transform and distribute prana (energy) so they are extremely important when it comes to maintaining mental, spiritual and physical health. Chakras can become blocked and this is bad for business. We should keep our Chakras open and aligned in order to stay balanced. Each of the 7 main chakras corresponds to a particular part of the body and area of your life as explained below.
1st Chakra: Root or Base Chakra
Gift of the Nile Mood Mist: AIR | NUT
Egyptian Essential Oil: Frankincense
Location: Base of Spine
Color Association: Red
Associated Element: Earth
Associated Zodiac Signs: Aries, Taurus, Scorpio & Capricorn
What it's all about: Staying Grounded, survival, materialism & the physical world, security.
What happens when it's Unbalanced: Fatigue, lower back pain, depression, colds, cold hands & feet
2nd Chakra: Sacral Chakra
Gift of the Nile Mood Mist: WATER | HAPI
Egyptian Essential Oil: Myrrh
Location: Above genitals
Color Association: Orange
Associated Element: Water
Associated Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Libra & Scorpio
What it's all about: Creativity, creation, feelings, intimacy
What happens when it's Unbalanced: Lower back pain, depression, eating disorders, sensuality issues
3rd Chakra: Solar Plexus Chakra
Gift of the Nile Mood Mist: FIRE | AMUN-RA
Egyptian Essential Oil: Sandalwood
Location: Above the naval
Color Association: Yellow
Associated Element: Fire
Associated Zodiac Signs: Leo, Sagittarius, Virgo
What it's all about: Personal power, confidence, self-control, humor
What happens when it's Unbalanced: digestive issues, nervousness, ulcers, poor memory
4th Chakra: Heart Chakra
Gift of the Nile Mood Mists: AIR | NUT, FIRE | AMUN-RA
Egyptian Essential Oil: Ylang Ylang
Location: Center of Chest
Color Association: Green
Associated Element: Air
Associated Zodiac Signs: Leo, Libra
What it's all about: Love, relationships, self-love, forgiveness
What happens when it's Unbalanced: Heart and breathing disorders, Chest pain
5th Chakra: Throat Chakra
Gift of the Nile Mood Mist: AIR | NUT
Egyptian Essential Oil: Egyptian Papyrus
Location: Throat
Color Association: Pale Blue
Associated Element: Ether
Associated Zodiac Signs: Gemini, Taurus, Aquarius
What it's all about: Communication & self expression, speaking your truth
What happens when it's Unbalanced: Thyroid issues, fevers, mouth and neck problems.
6th Chakra: Third Eye Chakra
Gift of the Nile Mood Mist: WATER | HAPI
Egyptian Essential Oil: Royal Amber
Location: In between the eyes
Color Association: Indigo
Associated Element: All elements
Associated Zodiac Signs: Sagittarius, Aquarius, Pisces
What it's all about: Intuition & Insight, self-awareness, subconscious
What happens when it's Unbalanced: Sleep disorders, vision impairment, forgetfulness
7th Chakra: Crown Chakra
Gift of the Nile Mood Mists: AIR | NUT, WATER | HAPI
Egyptian Essential Oil: Blue Lotus
Location: Top of head
Color Association: Violet
Associated Element: space/cosmic energy
Associated Zodiac Signs: Capricorn, Pisces
What it's all about: Spirituality, mental clarity, knowingness
What happens when it's Unbalanced: Confusion, headaches, mental illness
How Chakras Become Blocked and How to Balance Them
Chakra blockages are tied to our emotional, spiritual and physical well-being so it's important to work on all three of these areas in your life. No one is perfect so most of us have some sort of chakra imbalance going on at all times. Let's say you had a job interview that didn't go well and now you're scared to go on interviews because you fear repeating that one bad interview. Your self-confidence is low so you may have a block in your Solar Plexus chakra. Or perhaps you went through a bad breakup and you're afraid to give your heart to someone new. Your heart chakra is blocked. So how do you clear chakra blocks?? There are several things you can do to keep your chakras as balanced as possible.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the use of natural oils (essential oils) to uplift the spirit and improve your psychological and/or physical well-being. I absolutely love essential oils and they have been a part of my daily routine for a very long time. I use them topically and also diffuse them. You can even digest some of them (make sure to do your research before trying!) Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils tied to relaxation and is used in both Earth/Geb and Water/Hapi Mood Mists. If you're having issues sleeping and/or dreaming, your third eye chakra may be imbalanced and lavender is excellent for promoting healthy sleep. Or let's say you've been feeling sad and down, your sacral chakra may be blocked in which case uplifting peppermint oil or Eucalyptus, in the Air/Nut mood mist would be good to use. Gift of the Nile Aromatherapy mood mists were designed to nourish your soul (Ka) and will help to keep your Chakras in balance.
Crystal / Gemstone Therapy
Crystals and gemstones have become mainstream (once they hit TJ Maxx HomeGoods, that was it!) but they have been used for thousands of years and by ancient civilizations for energy healing. Crystal therapy involves wearing, surrounding yourself and/or meditating with crystals/gemstones to help heal yourself emotionally and physically. According to Walter Schumann's Gemstones of the World, there are about 200 different varieties of natural gemstones. Some popular ones are Rose Quartz, Amethyst and Citrine. If you feel that you have a Chakra imbalance I recommend you visitwww.crystaldictionary.com (there's a hard copy book as well) and type in the chakra you want to clear. For example, if you type in "heart chakra" a list of crystals that help keep your heart chakra balanced will appear. Rose Quartz is excellent for heart chakra imbalances by the way!
Reiki
Reiki is a Japanese healing technique that involves a reiki practitioner channeling energy to a person through their hands. The Reiki practitioner is able to feel blockages in your chakras and through their hands, help to clear those blockages to promote well-being. I became a Reiki II practitioner in 2018 after much contemplation and it’s been a great tool for providing healing to others and myself. Reiki can also be used on animals and even inanimate objects like food! Gift of the Nile aromatherapy mood mists are charged with healing reiki energy when they are made.
Color Therapy
Since each of the 7 chakras is tied to a specific color, surrounding yourself with and/or wearing that color can help strengthen that chakra. So if you're feeling scattered and your life is out of control, try wearing or surrounding yourself with the color red to help you feel more grounded and stable.
Meditation
Meditation has become more and more mainstream thanks to people like Russell Simmons, Deepak Chopra and Gabrielle Bernstein. Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or as an end in itself. The term meditation refers to abroad variety of practices that includes techniques designed to promote relaxation, build internal energy or life force and develop compassion, love, patience, generosity and forgiveness. A daily meditation practice is excellent for keeping chakras balanced. Kick it up a notch by holding crystals that correspond to the chakra you want to work on, diffuse essential oils or spray a Mood Mist around your aura before starting.
Diet & Exercise
It's no secret that diet and exercise are tied to your emotional and physical well-being but there is also a spiritual component to eating and exercising. Earlier in this article I mentioned the three doshas in Ayurveda which are energies that dominate in the body. Similar to zodiac signs, we all have a primary dosha which will tell you a lot about your personality and physical makeup. Once you know your primary dosha you can figure our what foods you should eat and/eliminate from your diet to promote well-being and in turn help keep your chakras balanced. You can take this quiz to find out your primary dosha. Exercise, specifically Yoga is also excellent for chakra balancing. The spiritual benefits and focus on stretching and breathing help to promote overall wellness.
I hope you now have enough information about chakras to help you live an overall better life. I'm always striving for balance and the use of crystals, aromatherapy, color therapy, reiki and meditation has drastically helped improve my life and overall wellness. I hope you too can incorporate some of these wellness lifestyle tips into your daily routine if you haven’t already.