Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning spinning wheel.
These are a system of seven main energy centers located along the spine. There are many practices that can help to align your chakras and get the wheels spinning in the same direction, at the same speed, including yoga and meditation. Shiatsu and reiki can help immensely. Understanding how to fine tune your chakras through your own daily practice, such as mindfulness, can help bring balance and peace to your mind, body and spirit. For me personally, I carry out daily reiki self-healing treatments, and I also have a wonderful chakra cleanse that I practice regularly.
The seven main chakras are located along the spine from the perineum to the crown of your head.
Each chakra corresponds to an area of the body, a set of behavioural characteristics and stages of spiritual growth. Each chakra has a colour and sound association, amongst many other interesting characteristics, including personal aspects like identity and personal goals.
The seven chakras and their locations are:
- Muladhara (Root) – base of the spine, in the tailbone area.
- Svadhisthana (Sacral) – lower abdomen, just below the belly button and above the pubic bone.
- Manipura (Solar Plexus) – upper abdomen, in the stomach area.
- Anahata (Heart) – the center of the chest.
- Vishuddha (Throat) – located at the throat.
- Ajna (Third Eye) – between the eyebrows, on the forehead.
- Sahasrara (Crown) – the very top of head.
Chakras can be treated
Through the movements within shiatsu treatment and the mindful stillness of reiki treatment, your body can learn to focus energy on the various chakras in your body, and create deep self-healing. This can allow you to compensate for areas that may be out of sync with the rest of your body. Working on the energy within each chakra can be of great benefit to your overall physical and emotional health and wellbeing.