Before attempting to practice Reiki, or to perform any other form of energy work, it is first necessary to have an understanding of the energy centers of the body, which are also the spiritual centers of the soul. Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning whirling vortices of light. They bring together the energy body and the physical body.
Your soul has seven spiritual centers (also known as chakras) that control your physical, emotional, and psychological life. When each of them is in balance, your life flows smoothly. When any one of them is out of balance, the imbalance can show up as a physical symptom affecting a particular area of your body, or as an emotional or psychological symptom affecting your outlook.
The first chakra is our foundation. When it is balanced, we have a solid foundation in life. We know that we will be taken care of no matter what. We trust in life.
1st Chakra: Root or base chakra
Location: base of spine
Function:gives vitality to the physical body (life-force)
Affects: adrenals, kidneys, spinal column, colon, legs, bones. Material success, mastery of the body, grounding, individuality, stability, courage, patience.
Color: red
Crystals: ruby, garnet, hematite (magnet), obsidian, smoky quartz
Essential oils: those oils which come from root or trunk (juniper, frankincense, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, tea tree, rosewood)
The second chakra is our vitality. This is the "pleasure center". It teaches us what we like and what makes us feel good. It's about what stimulates you, what moves you, what excites and inspires you. It activates your imagination and shows you what it's like to feel fully alive through your senses.
2nd chakra: spleen, sacral, or navel chakra
Location: lower abdomen
Function: birth, assimilation of food, sexuality
Affects: ovaries, testicles, prostate, genitals, spleen, womb, bladder, emotions. Desire, pleasure, change, health, family, tolerance, surrender.
Color: orange
Crystals: coral, amber, citrine, gold topaz
Essential oils: those oils which come from the seed (spices and herbs such as cumin, fennel, coriander, sage, clary sage, marjoram)
The third chakra represents personal power. We create our own destiny. This is the center of decision and choice--your ability to say "I can" or "I will". It enables you to take full responsibility for yourself and to assume personal authority in your life. An unbalanced third chakra can lead to low self-esteem and problems with your stomach. Laughter is the best medicine. With a third chakra imbalance, a little laughter goes a long way, or if you suffer from the "poor me" syndrome and sometimes feel as if you have no choice, you may need to work on the third chakra.
3rd chakra: solar plexus chakra
Location: midsection
Function: sympathetic nervous system, digestive processes, metabolism, emotions.
Affects: pancreas, adrenals, stomach, liver, gallbladder, nervous system, muscles. Will, personal power, energy, self-control, humor, laughter
Color: yellow
Crystals: citrine, gold topaz, amber, tiger eye.
Essential oils: those that come from the fruit (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit), lavender, chamomile
Note: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd=lower chakras----these form a foundation of physical and emotional well-being. Grounding techniques will open all of these lower chakras evenly.
The fourth chakra is the heart. This center governs your feelings of compassion, forgiveness, understanding, empathy, caring, and love. It is the center point of your spiritual anatomy. An unbalanced fourth chakra is associated with having difficulties opening up to others and with a weak heart. An open heart chakra enables you to give and not just take.
4th chakra: heart chakra
Location: center of chest
Function: the point where the higher, more spiritual chakras join with the lower, more physical chakras
Affects: heart, thymus gland, circulatory system, arms, hands, lungs. Unconditional love, forgiveness, compassion, understanding, balance, oneness with life, acceptance, contentment.
Color: green or rose
Crystals: emerald, malachite, green jade, green aventurine, rose quartz, ruby
Essential oils: those which come from the leaves of the plant (peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, pettigrain, lavender)
The fifth chakra is at the throat and is our place of communication and self-expression. It is the center that tells the world who you are and allows the world to connect back with you. When your fifth chakra is balanced, what is in your heart is aligned with what is in your head. You are inspired to communicate messages that heal, are loving, and are full of good will.
5th chakra: throat chakra
Location: throat
Functions: speech, sound, vibration, communication
Affects: thyroid, parathyroid, hypothalamus, throat, mouth. Power of the spoken word, creative expression, truth, gentleness, kindness, reliability.
Color: blue
Crystals: turquoise, blue topaz, sodalite, lapis, aquamarine, azurite
Essential oils: geranium, frankincense, cypress, tea tree, lavender
The sixth chakra is our vision. This center governs our ability to see life accurately. It is the center of our personal vision and encompasses our ability to analyze, think, reason, understand, remember, and discern. Known as the "third eye", this is our center for clairvoyance, insight, and our ability to perceive truth in the world.
6th chakra: brow chakra, or "third eye"
Location: center of forehead
Functions: vitalizes lower brain (cerebellum) and central nervous system. Vision.
Affects: pituitary gland, pineal gland, left eye, nose, ears. Intuition, imagination, insight, wisdom, peace of mind.
Color: indigo
Crystals: lapis, azurite, quartz, sapphire
Essential oils: florals (lavender, vanilla, chamomile, neroli, ylang ylang)
Note: tobacco and alcohol impair this chakra
The seventh chakra represents our unity with all that is. This is the center for your highest spiritual consciousness and personal expression. It connects you to your source of love, to God, and opens you to becoming a bearer of light to the world. The way you experience God and the goodness of the world begins here. This chakra, also known as your crown center, focuses your attention on the spiritual meaning of life.
7th chakra: crown chakra
Location: top of the head
Functions: vitalizes the upper brain (cerebrum), and unites the Higher Self with the human personality.
Affects: pineal gland, cerebral cortex, central nervous system, right eye. Spiritual will, inspiration, unity, divine wisdom and understanding.
Color: violet (purple), gold, or white
Crystals: amethyst, diamond, purple fluorite, clear quartz crystal, tanzanite
Essential oils: highest evolved florals (rose, jasmine)
(Note: these are the fragrances which most often accompany miracles)"When you balance your seven spiritual centers, you begin to undo the damage caused by living your life backward, from head first, forgetting the body and spirit altogether. If your life isn't supported by a grounded source of energy, it will wither and lose its vitality. As you learn about chakras, you'll discover that balancing them isn't particularly hard, especially if you think of it as a process of not just living your life, but actually loving your life."
--Sonia Choquette
It is our responsibility as energy workers and healing facilitators, to help our clients in balancing their chakras. In so doing we also help them to balance their lives, and balance our own in the process.