Chakra Health: How are the chakras related to each other and what can cause a blockage or an imbalance?
Hopefully you have read my first blog, Blog # 1: Discovering the Chakras in which I write about the chakras and their components. If not, I invite you to do that. These blog posts will be teaching you about your chakras in a systematic way, so that you can develop a deeper understanding of their components, how they work together and how you can work with them for optimum health.
How are the Chakras Related?
It’s important to understand how your chakras function in relation to how you feel.
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 indicating that you are not feeling so good and 10 indicating that you are feeling great. How do you feel?
If you are keeping a journal or notes, this would be a great place to draw in a scale, like this: (circle 1)
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1(feeling bad) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (feeling great)
Now, Imagine this (get comfortable and take your time):
“Your chakra system is a tube that runs from the base of your spine to the top of your head. Visualize seven valves or gateways along that tube. Energy is now flowing up and down that tube as all the gateways are open to allow an optimum amount of flow.
Visualize that one gateway is closed just a bit, which affects the diameter of the pipeline in area in that it becomes more narrow.
Check in with what that could feel or look like. Take a few deep breaths and allow that breath to fully open the gateways to allow your energy to flow easily and fluidly throughout the tube.“
That little adjustment changes the whole flow of energy as the other gateways are affected and have to compensate for that imbalance.
How do you feel?
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1(feeling bad) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (feeling great)
Now that you have a basic understanding, let’s delve into what it means when someone thinks they have a “chakra that is blocked.”
What is a “Blocked Chakra”
First, let’s remember that chakras are always interacting with each other and so they are always affected by the other chakras and their flow of energy. “A blocked chakra,” often means that the energy of the chakra is not flowing optimally.
It can be underactive (decreased flow energy), which means that the flow is lacking or not very strong.
It can be overactive (over abundant flow of energy), which means that there is too much energy in one chakra which creates an imbalance in the others.
Think back to the image of the diameter of the pipeline being narrow in one place. Imagine that there was a “blockage” in your heart chakra (4th chakra) and there was a smaller amount of energy that could flow through there. How do you think that would affect the energy of the chakras above or below it? There might be a build up of energy in the solar plexus (3rd chakra), which could manifest as overly trying to gain control of situations and then a lack of flow to the throat chakra (5th chakra), possibly manifesting in not being able to speak up for your own needs.
Reason #1 for a chakra imbalance
One way that blockages could occur is when our thoughts, emotions and actions are out of alignment with our deeper truth and integrity. When we act, or are treated in a manner that is not in alignment with our belief system, the impact reverberates throughout our chakra system. This happens all the time, we can not control what is happening to us, we can only control how we respond and react to it.
Our reactions impact our ability to access the energy from the chakras. That is a major way that “blockages” can occur in our chakras. And that is why it is paramount to understand ourselves and to uncover our own truths. The more we live a life that is authentic to who we really are, the healthier we will be.
Personal examples: Every family has certain belief systems. Tribal beliefs, as discussed in my first blog, often build the foundation for our own beliefs.
There was a very strong tribal belief on the maternal side of my family that the people who were mentally well and stable, should care for the people that were not, no matter what the personal cost. It was both a spoken and unspoken rule that was firmly believed and acted upon by most of my family members. It gave way to many instances of attempted and successful coercion and conflict that lead to feelings of anger, guilt and shame.
There was a very strong tribal belief on the paternal side of my family that everybody takes care of each other. This belief seems to have come from feelings of compassion and loyalty. From my experience, it was often delivered with love and respect.
I was actively a part of and entrenched in the scenario from my maternal side. I also had the experience of the benefits from the belief system from my paternal side. After years of exploration, I have come to understand that my inner integrity comes from the tribal belief from my paternal side. When that type of scenario occurs, there is conflict between inner beliefs and the belief system of the “tribe”. That conflict impacts the natural flow of a chakra system which gets reflected in the emotional, mental and physical bodies. Let’s review the chakras and how this scenario could affect some of them.
1st chakra: Governs feel safe and secure in the world and in my family. Can a child feel safe and secure in the world with the messaging that someone who is mentally/emotionally unstable can override what is best for you?
3rd chakra: Governs self esteem and empowerment. Can a child feel empowered when their needs are not met or respected?
5th chakra: Communication. Ability to speak your truth. Will a child be able to speak their truth, when they are not listened to.
The energetic patterns that occur in childhood, often continue in adulthood even though the names and faces change. That pattern still sometimes plays out in my life to this day. I still have a tendency to subjugate my own needs to support someone else, who I perceive has “more needs” than me. The difference now is that I have awareness and perspective about it, which allows me the opportunity to make better, healthier decisions. When you are living by the codes of your inner integrity, you have access to much more internal energy. That provides you with much more freedom to share it.
We all have different scenarios in our lives that have defined us. Some of those scenarios, tribal beliefs are accurate to who we are and our chakras are flowing well. That gives us a feeling of well being, inner peace and balance.
Some of those scenarios impact us in a negative way and create pain, grief and suffering. We try to escape those feelings by distracting ourselves by creating stories in our heads and engaging in addictive, unhealthy patterns. The way through to the other side is with knowledge and a deeper understanding of yourself, your needs, and your own inner integrity. That is the goal. Life is the process!
Scenario:
You are walking down the street after getting a new hairstyle (that you like) and you run into a friend who comments on how good you look. Take a moment and imagine that scenario.
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1(feeling bad) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (feeling great)
You now walk into a store and run into another friend who comments that they really liked your old hair cut, insinuating that they don’t like your new haircut. Take a moment and imagine that scenario.
How do you feel?
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1(feeling bad) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (feeling great)
Did you feel different in those two different scenarios? You and your hairstyle did not change, the only thing that changed was two different people’s two different perspectives and how they affect you.
Reason #2: Chakras for Sale! Another Way to Lose or Gain Energy!
I often hear “He took my energy” or “She stole my energy.” How does that happen?
Everybody has their own personal energy system. It is our inherent right to maintain our own energy and not try to take others or give away ours. The giving and taking of energy creates not only imbalance in ourselves, but in the person with whom we have that energetic exchange.
Typically energy flows between people all the time. There are some scenarios in which we give up our own personal energy or power because we were either “trained” to do that from childhood or because we think that if we give our energy away we can get something back from that person.
Maybe it is for them to love us, hire us, include us in their group, etc. It is most often an unconscious act or pattern. If we tend to give our energy away, then we will most likely attract people who will want our energy. It is a magnetic attraction. We know we are doing this if we always feel tired or out of balance when we are with someone. We might also be the person who is trying to get extra energy from someone else.
It’s Like an Ongoing Dance
You want to give away your power, you will dance with someone who is lacking in their own energy, so they will need to get it from somewhere else. This can play out in a scenario where someone puts you down, so that they seem “better.” You can be the person who tries to overpower and take. If you are, you might attract someone who is willing to give you some of theirs. It goes on and on and around and around until you learn to manage your own energy system. Navigating the dance is another one of those life long journeys.
Reason # 3: Environmental Factors
Environmental factors affect our energy field and chakras all the time. What we ingest: food, information, exposure to chemicals, the list goes on and on. All that we ingest, we also ingest on an energetic level.
Personal Example: I cannot watch horror movies. If I try to watch for any length of time, I can feel my energy start to retract and I close up like a turtle, hiding in a shell.
So now that you understand some ways that your energy can get unbalanced and your chakras can become blocked, how do you even know if your chakras are blocked or not? There are countless ways. Here are a few:
1. Each chakra relates to different parts of the body.
- So, if you have an ongoing sore throat, that could indicate there could be an issue with your 6th chakra, or your ability to communicate.
- If you had stomach issues, that could indicate that there could be an issue with your 5th chakra, or your ability to stick up for yourself.
2. Think about your issues and patterns in your life.
- You feel unsafe a lot and have trust issues, that could indicate an issue in the first chakra.
- You have difficulty accepting love, that could indicate an issue in your heart chakra.
3. Take a few moments and imagine that you are breathing into each chakra. Which ones seem easier to breathe into, which are harder?
4. Draw what you think each chakra looks like, don’t think too much about color or design, just draw. When you are finished, look at each picture. What clues do your drawings give you?.
5. Write about each chakra. Write about its story. Don’t analyze when you are writing, just free flow. Then read what you wrote. What clues do your stories give you?
6. Think about what colors you are drawn to and what colors you tend to wear. Remember each chakra relates to a color.
7. You can use a pendulum to test them. (Sneak peek – blog 3 which will focus on ways to balance and clear your chakras).
Key Points to Remember:
- Chakras are interactive and changes in one will impact the energy flow in others.
- It is key to understanding your chakra system and your belief system so that you are living a life that is in alignment with yourself. Your chakra system is the truth teller.
- We all have underlying beliefs that are integral to who we are and how we relate to the world. When the life we are living is in harmony with our belief system, we have the greatest chance for being peaceful, calm and healthy.
- You have the power to explore that through knowledge, curiosity and inter inquiry.
Until the next time.
With Peace, Love and Gratitude,
Rona
Popular Blogs
Discovering the Chakras – link to blog
Chakra Maintenance: Unblock, Clear and Energize Your Chakras – link to blog