Chakras are vortex of energy in our bodies which are of vital importance for our physical and psychological qualities. There are known to be over 80,000 chakras, but in the western world we tend to focus mostly in the 7 chakras located in the vertical line that goes from the base of our spine to the crown of our head.

Each of the Chakras has governance over a particular part of our body. The 7 chakras interact with our body through two major vehicles, the endocrine system and the nervous system.

The endocrine system is made up of glands that produce and secrete hormones that regulate the activity of the cells and organs in your body. Each of the chakras discussed here are associated with one of seven endocrine glands and also with a particular group of nerves called a plexus.

One of the strongest associations to affect your health and wellbeing is that form with your endocrine system. Understanding the 7 chakras leads you to a huge healing potential, body balance and emotional stability.

The link between the chakras and endocrine glands emphasises the holistic nature of our health. It is important to become aware of the 7 chakras, know how to activate them, balance them and be able to scan them to understand what is happening to us at a mental, emotional and physical level.

The 7 chakras

The Muladhara (root chakra)

This is the first chakra. It is found at the base of the spine, at the perineum. It is the seat of the Kundalini energy. This root chakra also plays a vital role in absorbing telluric energy (energy coming from the Earth). It is powerfully related to our contact with the Earth, providing us with the ability to be grounded. The root chakra also provides us our ability to manifest security and stability. Our basic survival needs are affected by the state of our root chakra. It is also related to the basic sexual energy.

Endocrine gland: Adrenal (suprarenal)

The two adrenal glands are triangular-shaped located on top of each kidney.They regulate: the body metabolism, immune system, sexual function. Adrenal glands also help the body to cope with physical and emotional stress by increasing the heart rate and blood pressure.

Body parts: sexual organs,  pelvis, anus, hips, legs and kidneys.

Colour: Red

Element: Earth

Verb: Have

Emotion: Serenity

Related to: Realism

Mantra: Lam

Balanced: Well grounded, feeling safe and secure, stability, ability to relax.

Over-active: Lazy, tired, monotony, obesity, materialism, greed, addiction to security.

Under-active: Fear, insecurity, financial difficulty, disorganization, lack of discipline, restless, underweight.

Health issues: Arthritis, constipation, challenges with feet, knees and hips.

Healing tips: Physical activity, contact with nature, barefoot, yoga earth sequence.

Healing affirmation: I am safe in the world around me. I belong in this world. I am at peace with my surroundings, with the people and the events that occur.

The Svadhisthana (sacral chakra)

The second chakra is located three inches below the navel. This energetic centre governs our capacity to build and maintain relationships with the world. This chakra is about friendliness, emotions, creativity and erotic sexuality. The sacral chakra is the pleasure seeker. It is this chakra that allows us to experience our true desires. It governs our self worth and our relationship with others.

Endocrine gland: Gonad glands.

In males, the testes secrete hormones like testosterone. These hormones affect the male characteristics such as sexual development and growth of facial and pubic hair. In females, the ovaries produce estrogens and progesterone as well as eggs. These hormones also control the development of female characteristics, for example breast growth.

Body parts: reproductive system, spleen, abdomen, bladder and large intestine.

Colour: Orange

Element: Water

Verb: Feel

Emotion: Cry

Related to: Sexuality

Mantra: Vam

Balanced: Emotional intelligence, flexible, ability to experience pleasure, nurtures self and others.

Over-active: Pleasure addiction, excessively sensitive and strong emotions, obsessive attachment, seductive manipulation, emotional dependency.

Under-active: Poor social skills, frigidity, fear of sex, lack of desire, and denial of pleasure, emotionally distant, rigidity in attitudes.

Health Issues: Migraines, allergies, PMS, irregular menstrual cycles, ovarian cysts, testicular or prostate disease, cystitis

Healing tips: Hip-opening yoga postures, emotional release, inner child work, boundary work, assign healthy pleasures, dance like no one’s watching.

Healing affirmation: I live life passionately, with good health and vitality. I am unafraid to be myself. I allow myself to experience my healthy desires.

The Manipura (solar plexus) 

The third chakra is also known as solar plexus. This is located two inches below the breastbone in the middle of the diaphragm. The solar plexus is the centre of personal power and inner strength. It is also a place of ego, impulses and anger. From the solar plexus we get the ability to say: No! It is also related to systematical and practical thinking, and our capacity of management.

Endocrine gland: The pancreas

The pancreas has digestive and hormonal functions. One part of the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes. The other part of the pancreas secretes hormones called insulin and glucagons. These hormones regulate the level of glucose in the blood,

Body parts: Stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas and small intestine.

Colour: Yellow

Element: Fire

Verb: Can

Emotion: Laughter and anger

Related to: Power

Mantra: Ram

Balanced: Self confident, feeling tranquillity and inner harmony, respect for other’s opinions and emotions, dynamic, good planner, able to meet challenges, reliable and responsible.

Over-active: Excessively ambitious, arrogant, dominating, controlling, blaming, manipulative, stubborn, workaholic, overly aggressive and power hungry.

Under-active: Poor self-esteem, weak will, low self-discipline, insecure, passive, fearful, unreliable, victim mentality, blaming others, emotionally cold.

Health issues: Digestive disorders, ulcers, diabetes, hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, intestinal tumours, colon disease, fatigue, challenges with liver.

Healing tips: Salutations to the Sun, sit ups, risk taking, stress control.

Healing affirmation: I am confident and successful in all I do. I feel tranquil and in harmony with my reality.

The Anahata (heart chakra)

The heart chakra is located in the middle of your chest, between the breasts. This is the centre for love, compassion and spirituality. The heart chakra directs one’s ability to love oneself and others, to give and receive love. The heart chakra is the first of the upper chakras. Some called it the bridge between the lower and upper chakras. This chakra connects body, mind and spirit.

Endocrine gland: Thymus

The thymus gland is also closely associated with the immune system. The thymus is vital in the production of T-lymphocytes or T-cells, an extremely important type of white blood cell. T cells defend the body from bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Body parts: Lungs, heart, circulatory system, upper limbs and upper back.

Colour: Green and/or Pink

Element: Air

Verb: Love

Emotion: Compassion

Related to: Balance

Mantra: Yam

Balanced: Kind, compassionate, loving, self-loving, empathetic, peaceful, helps others make the best of themselves.

Over-active: Demanding, jealous, possessive, poor boundaries, co-dependency, manipulative, sadness.

Under-active: Anti-social, shy, cold, critical, judgemental, intolerant, depression, lack of empathy, narcissism, bitter, unloved and unappreciated feeling.

Health issues: Heart and circulatory problems, heart palpitations, breathing disorders, upper back pain, chest pain.

Healing tips: Forgiveness work to oneself and to others, arms exercises, hugging people and trees, reaching out/taking in, breathing exercises, self-discovery, inner guidance meditation.

Healing affirmation: Love is the answer to everything. I am an infinitive being full of Love, which I give freely and openly accept from others.

The Vishuddha (throat chakra)

The throat chakra is located in the V of the collarbone at the lower neck. It is the centre of communication on all levels, including creative self-expression (painting, netting, gardening, baking, etc.) The ability to speak your mind softly, precisely and truthfully is directed by this chakra. To express ourselves in the most truthful manner and to receive and assimilate information is related to the throat chakra. It is through this chakra that we speak our choices and through this, we discover that our choices, no matter how small or unimportant they may seem, have consequences.

Endocrine gland: Thyroids

The sole function of the thyroid is to make thyroid hormone. This hormone has an effect on nearly all tissues of the body where it increases cellular activity. The function of the thyroid is to regulate the body’s metabolism.

Body parts: Throat, neck, mouth, ears, lungs.

Colour: Light blue

Element: Ether

Verb: Say

Emotion: Connexion

Related to: Creativity

Mantra: Ham

Balanced: Good listener, creative, makes effective choices, excellent networking skills, clear communication, ability to communicate with impact.

Over-active: Too much talking, over-opinionated, talking as a defence, inability to listen, gossiping.

Under-active: Fear of speaking, weak voice, difficulty putting feelings into words, shyness, tone deaf, poor rhythm, difficulty to be interpreted or understood.

Health issues: Thyroids problems, metabolism going too fast or too slow, neck and shoulder pain, laryngitis, sinus infection, sore throat, mouth ulcers, cold sores, gum or tooth problems, voice problems.

Healing tips: Singing, chanting, learn communication skills, letter or story writing, story telling, practise silence, loose neck and shoulders.

Healing affirmation: I speak freely, softly and with confidence. It is safe to express my feelings and to create the life I desire. All my choices are an expression of love.

The Ajna (third eye chakra)

The sixth chakra is also known as the third eye. It is located in the middle of the forehead, between the eyebrows. It is the centre of understanding and our avenue to wisdom –learning from our experiences and putting them into perspective. Its development can lead to psychic abilities and higher intuition. The third eye is also related in finding your purpose in life. It is your guidance and intuitive centre. This chakra is also responsible for combining the functions of all parts of our being in a constructive and harmonious way with each other (organs, cells, etc.)

Endocrine gland: Pituitary gland

This gland is located at the base of the brain beneath the hypothalamus and in no larger than a pea. It is also known as the master gland because it produces hormones that control many functions of other endocrine glands.

It is said that the joining essences of the pituitary and pineal glands in the third ventricle of the brain is what opens the third eye.

Body parts: Sympathetic nervous system, eyes, epithalamus

Colour: Indigo

Element: Light

Verb: See

Emotion: Day dream

Related to: Imagination

Mantra: Om

Balanced: Great memory, perceptive, intuitive, imaginative, clear purpose in life, able to visualize, think symbolically and to remember dreams.

Over-active: Hallucinations, nightmares, obsessions, confused, not clear purpose, difficulty in concentrating.

Under-active: difficulty visualizing and seeing the future, can’t remember dreams, denial, learning difficulties.

Health issues: Poor eyesight and memory, headaches, insomnia, nervous system problems, brain cysts, tumours, strokes.

Healing tips: Meditation, visual stimulation, colouring, drawing, memory games, dream work, guided visual meditation.

Healing affirmation: I can see and think clearly. I see that all is well in my world. I am the creator of my reality and all my dreams come true.

The Sahasrara (crown chakra)

The seventh chakra is located on top of our skull, also referred to as the Crown. It is the same spot of the frontal fontanels –babies are born with membranous gaps on the skull that will harden over the first months of life. The Crown chakra is the centre of spirituality, enlightenment, dynamic thought and energy. Its development increases your awareness of being in complete resonance to every part of the whole universe. This chakra will not open if the rest have not developed. The soul comes into the body through the crown at birth and leaves from the crown at death.

Endocrine gland: Pineal gland

It is located in the middle of the brain. It secretes a hormone called melatonin, which help regulate the sleep patterns in both seasonal and circadian cycles. The pineal gland connects the endocrine system with the nervous system. It also influences sexual development.

Body parts: Skull, skin, upper brain

Colour: Purple (also white and gold)

Element: Thought

Verb: Know

Emotion: Happiness

Related to: Consciousness

Mantra: Silence

Balanced: Sense of spiritual connection, open-minded, wisdom and mastery, broad understanding, intelligent, thoughtful, aware, ability to perceive, analyse and assimilate information.

Over-active: over-intellectualization, spiritual addiction, confusion, trouble grounding yourself.

Under-active: spiritual cynicism, learning difficulties, rigid belief systems.

Health issues: Headaches, frustrations.

Healing tips: Meditation, spiritual discipline, examine belief system, goal setting, re-establish physical, emotional and spiritual connection.

Healing affirmation: I trust my inner knowing to guide me through life. I am part of the universe and connected to everything. I am part of the Divine and in balance with myself.

I would like to finish with this video that I found online. Its music and colours will help you through your chakra meditation.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about the 7 chakras and their relationship with the physical body just leave a comment or contact me here.