What You Should Know About Chakras

Written by Lauren Arent (Lo Clark)

Owner of Bewitched Esthetics & Licensed Esthetician since 2013

October 7th, 2022

Hello my darlings,

I know you’ve heard of them but I really had the instinct to give an overview of the chakras because I feel like a lot of people blow them off as nonsense these days. But in my opinion they are very significant in your health and wellness.

If you are a client of mine or if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I am a certified level two Reiki initiate. In my lessons, my Reiki master really drove home the importance of our chakras, it’s kind of a big deal when we talk about healing the energy centers in our bodies.

You see there are seven chakras (from a modern conception stand point). All correlate with the energy centers of our bodies. I am going to go over each one of them and explain what blocks them and how the dis-ease or pain you are experiencing may be an energy blockage in one of your chakras.

In fact I am not exaggerating with you when I tell you I just had to clear my throat chakra as I am writing this. Probably because I experience insecurity from time to time as I begin this “blog” wondering if anyone will want to read what I have to say or if they will find value in this. I have to remind myself “My voice matters!” and clear out that negative energy to clear the feeling of swelling in my throat. I swear it still shocks me when I can physically feel the energy blockages. I am not immune to doubt my dears. Each and every time I find myself doubting however, the Universe finds a way to reach out and speak to me.

History

The concept of chakras dates all the way back to around 1500 – 1000 BC where they are first mentioned in the Vedas, ancient sacred texts of spiritual knowledge. (I find it fascinating to study the forgotten knowledge from our past. We can be so arrogant as a species. Living in an incredibly advanced era doesn’t mean we should disregard the beliefs of those who were here before us. It never shocks me to discover our ancestors knew more than we gave them credit for.) The word Chakra translates to cakra in Sanskrit, meaning wheel. I incorporate this concept in clearing my chakras. To clear a chakra, you twirl your fingers in a counterclockwise direction over the energy center, as though wrapping your fingers around the negative energy, then pull and discard. A cleared chakra is believed to flow in a clockwise motion, an energy vortex of sorts.

Each “wheel” or chakra is responsible for an emotional part of us as well as physical. My reiki master taught me that our physical pains and illnesses can be correlated to the closest chakra. If your throat is sore, clear your throat chakra, or if your hands are sore, you might connect these to your heart chakra, etc. There are those that say we have as many as 114 chakras, but the seven main chakras are the ones we will be talking about today.

Chakras, Blockages, Affirmations, & Ways to Heal

Root Chakra (Muladhara)

red

Your foundation & power base

Signs you might be blocked here

Feeling stuck or inactive, insecure about life, overwhelming stress because of external pressures, you feel excluded, persistent financial problems

Affirmations to open

I am safe

I am grounded and centered

I am connected to nature

I am present and aware

I am open to abundance

I love being in my body

I have everything I need

Foods: red apples, strawberries, pomegranate, red pepper, beets

Crystals: red jasper, obsidian, black tourmaline, bloodstone

Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)

orange

Emotions, Creativity, Sexuality & Self Expression

Signs you might be blocked here

you hold negative ideas about physical intimacy, negatively evaluate yourself, feel adequate or insufficient, you feel disconnected from other people

Affirmations to open

I am creative and joyful

I embrace my sexuality

I honor my desires

I am playful

I deserve to enjoy life

I am passionate

I express my emotions

Foods: oranges, orange peppers, carrots, pumpkin, cantelope

Crystals: Orange carnelian, garnet, spessartine, stilbi

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)

yellow

Confidence & personal power

Signs you may be blocked

You always feel the victim, suffer from a lack of self confidence, lack ambition/courage to go after your dreams, trouble defining your decisions to others, always seek external validation

Affirmations to open

I feel my own power

My potential is unlimited

I honor myself

I accomplish tasks easily

I act with courage

I have confidence

I am strong

Foods: banana, lemon, squash, banana pepper, pineapple

Crystals: Citrine, fire opal, amber, golden tiger’s eye

Heart Chakra (Anahata)

green

Love & relationships

Signs you might be blocked here

You have difficulty finding purpose in life, you are bitter and resentful a relationship, you are terrified to commit in a relationship, unsatisfied/unhappy with possessions or achievements, avoid emotional attachment

Affirmations to open

I love myself & others

I am expression of love

I am worthy of love

I forgive myself and others

I follow my heart

I release all fear

I am peaceful

Foods: Broccoli, cucumber, granny smith apples, snap peas, cilantro, limes, pistachios

Crystals: Jade, amazonite malachite, rose quartz

Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)

light blue

Communication & personal truth

Signs you might be blocked here

You are afraid to speak the truth, always try to please others, too quickly or insufficiently express yourself vocally, find it difficult to speak up for yourself, feel misheard or misunderstood

Affirmations to open

I speak the truth

I live an authentic life

My voice matters

My voice is clear

I have integrity

I am open & honest

I speak with love

Foods: Blueberries, wild blue corn, herbal tea, honey, plums

Crystals: Kyanite, Aquamarine, turquoise, blue lace agate

Third Eye Chakra (Ajna)

indigo

Intuition & psychic sense

Signs you might be blocked here

You refuse to listen to your inner voice, fail to trust your intuition, indecisive, overthink constantly about everything

Affirmations to open

I follow my intuition

I am insightful

I see clearly

I think clearly

I trust my decisions

I nurture my spirit

I am aware of my dreams

Foods: Purple potato, blackberries, elderberry, goji berries, raw cacao

Crystals: Azurite, sapphire, dumortierite, lapis, lazuli

Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)

purple

Your connection to the Divine, Universe & Your Soul

Signs you may be blocked here

You avoid guidance, experience feelings of loneliness or worthlessness, suffer from tension headaches or even migraines, focused on obtaining material possessions

Affirmations to open

I am a divine being

I am one with all that is

I am infinite & boundless

I am enlightened

I am a spiritual being

I am at peace

All is well

Foods: Eggplant, huckleberries, Hawaiian sweet potato, grapes, purple cabbage

Crystals: Clear quartz, moonstone, amethyst, labradorite

How to Open & Clear Your Chakras at Home

Every morning I meditate to healing frequencies. I focus on each chakra and say these affirmations out loud. I focus on beautiful light, the color of the chakra filling the energy centers. I get honest with myself to find out where I might need improvement. It’s greatly improved my meditation sessions. I start from my foundation, from my root (although I’ve heard others who start from the crown) and when I finally make it to the crown, I am overcome with such peace and a feeling quite powerful as I affirm, “I am one with all that is.”

I end with prayer hands (there is a theory that the formation of prayer hands amplifies your words) and speak my thanks aloud. I give gratitude for the beautiful day before me, for my relationships, for my business, for my dreams that have come true and for the ones that have yet to come to pass. This is an absolutely wonderful way to set yourself up for the best possible day.

Understanding and clearing my chakras has improved my anxiety is spades and has given me a deeper perspective of myself. I understand this may sound ridiculous but truly, these affirmations will have you questioning who you are, finding where your weaknesses are, and discovering how to change these weaknesses, disposing of them or changing them into strengths. I now pause in situations and reflect on how to handle them, holding discussions with my inner self on the ways I could handle it and the ways I should.

What's Next

If you find yourself curious, you can dip a toe with me, I offer reiki energy in my facials. This will not be a full reiki session, it will be less intense and more relaxing although there may be some emotional release if it is your first time. Click here to book a facial infused with reiki energy.

If you would like to dive deeper into healing yourself in correlation to mental and emotional causes as they relate to physical illnesses, I recommend checking out the book, Heal Your Body by Louise L. Hay (shown to me by my Reiki master).

When it comes to subjects like these, everything can be subject to interpretation. And as always, when I lay these articles out for you to read, I am purely trying to relay information I had to seek out, explore and discover for myself. I’m hoping that I can give you the perspective I wish I had started out with.

Wishing you a life full of beauty and blessings!