Chakra Meditation: Your guide through the 7 chakras

Too bad we can't just kick off our worries and problems when we hit the mat in the yoga studio. After a yoga class, we often get the feeling that we have freed ourselves from worries and conflicts. Some attribute it to the anti-stress bonus after a good yoga class. The ancient yogis and many teachers today also attribute the effects of yoga poses and meditation to the subtle body - the chakras!

The knowledge of the chakras is very old. The first instructions for activating the various chakras can already be found in the Upanishads, the ancient sacred scriptures of India, which were written around 500 BC. were written. When energy blocks a chakra, it triggers physical, mental, or emotional imbalances. Symptoms such as anxiety, lethargy or tachycardia manifest themselves.

What does chakra actually mean?

The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and means something like wheel, circle or vortex. These are energy centers in the body that are located along the spine. At the bottom of the spine lies the Kundalini , a kind of energy reservoir that is depicted in ancient scriptures as a sleeping snake. As this dormant consciousness energy awakens and spirals upward, it fills each chakra with awareness and we can see where there are blockages.

The Path of Kundalini through the Chakras

If you succeed in connecting the energy from the lower end of the spine with the uppermost chakra, this is referred to in yoga as samadhi or the experience of unity. Normally, this ascent happens gradually, so that one can calmly integrate the experiences made for oneself. Anyone who practices yoga too intensively or abuses certain techniques with too much ambition can suddenly change their consciousness, which has the opposite effect and, in the worst case, ends with a psychosis. Therefore, one should always practice mindfully and without ambition with an experienced yoga teacher or meditation master.

Overview of the 7 chakras and their meaning

There are seven chakras or energy centers in the body. Most people have one chakra more pronounced than the others. Corresponding to the seven chakras there are basic types to which certain personality traits are attributed. All chakras are represented with a certain number of petals, which corresponds to the number of nerve and energy channels (nadis) originating there. When Kundalini energy flows through a chakra, it also creates a sound called a mantra.

	Color	localization	main theme	people / profession
root chakra (Muladhara Chakra)	Red	on the pelvic floor or lower end of the spine	stability, material security, Earth connection, rootedness in life	gardener, craftsman, farmer / farmer
sacral chakra (Swadhistana Chakra)	Orange	in the abdomen, three finger widths below belly button	Creative development, love of life Creativity, sensuality, sexual energy	Painter, sculptor, architect
navel chakra (Manipura Chakra)	Yellow	above the abdominal navel on the stomach / solar plexus	willpower, assertiveness, self-consciousness	leaders
heart chakra (Anahata Chakra)	Green	at heart level, in the chest cavity	Openness, tolerance, cordiality	Therapists, educators, too artistic professions; these people radiate warmth
throat chakra (Vishudda Chakra)	Light Blue / Turquoise	in the neck area	communication, language, music	speakers, politicians, singers, Teacher
brow chakra (Ajna Chakra)	dark blue	between the eyebrows, third Eye	imagination, wisdom, visions, ability to distinguish (on what it matters in life)	Humanities scientist, healers, philosophers; these people exude calm
crown chakra (Sahasrara Chakra)	Violet	rear highest point of the head	spirituality, faith, religion, pure consciousness	priests, teachers, monks

Instructions for chakra meditation in the supine position

The following meditation instructions describe the effect on the respective chakra and get you in the mood for it. The instructions are formulated in the "I" form. You can start the meditation from the base, the root chakra, up to the crown chakra and stay here for five minutes. On days when you have less time, you can choose just one chakra and visualize it in the respective body area. Have fun!

Preparation

To meditate, lie comfortably on your back with your arms relaxed beside your body and your palms facing up. To get into a relaxed state, begin by noticing your whole body lying still on the floor.
Feel your breathing : when you breathe in, your abdominal wall rises, when you breathe out, it sinks. Also notice the pauses for breath. With each exhalation, consciously let go of the muscles and sink even deeper into the surface. Feel how the body is charged with new energy with every inhalation and how it relaxes even more deeply with every exhalation.

Root Chakra (Muladhara Chakra)

Effect: Your root chakra is the basis of your life energy. It improves your body awareness, gives you stability and a feeling of inner serenity.
Practice with: physical exhaustion, lethargy, weakness

Tune into your root chakra. I focus on my root chakra at the base of the spine and see it in the fiery red light. I feel my life energy in this area and let it flow as a red, pleasantly warm stream of light into all organs of the abdomen and from there into the whole body.

Sacral Chakra (Svadisthana Chakra)

Effect: Your sacral chakra is the center of female energy, creative life energy and sensuality. If you activate the sacral chakra, you can fully develop your creative potential, develop self-confidence and love of life.
Practice with: fatigue, sad mood

Tune into your sacral chakra and bring your attention to the area of ​​your sacrum . I bring my attention to my sacral chakra and visualize it as a radiant orange blossom of light. I feel a sense of energy and joie de vivre. And allow an ever-expanding orb of healing orange light to emerge in my sacral chakra. This gradually spreads in my abdomen and flows from there into my whole body.

Navel Chakra (Manipura Chakra)

Effect: Your navel chakra is the central storage location for prana, the life energy. It gives you strength, confidence and assertiveness.
Practice with: nervous tension, stress, restlessness

Tune into your navel chakra located in the upper abdomen, above the navel. I feel my navel chakra, it feels warm and is filled with sunny warm yellow. With this warm yellow warmth and peace spreads in my navel chakra. When I breathe in, I absorb energy from the cosmos, when I breathe out, I let a warm ray of light radiate into my abdomen and from there into my whole body, like coming from a sun.

Heart Chakra (Anahata Chakra)

Effect: Your heart chakra is the center of love, compassion and security.
Practice with : depression, loneliness, grief, closed-off

Tune into your heart chakra located in your chest. I concentrate on my heart chakra and perceive a green light there, like a light-flooded green spring meadow. With the green light, a feeling of love and compassion spreads in my heart area. A green, healing ball of energy is created in my chest, and its light gradually radiates through the whole body.

Throat Chakra (Vishudda Chakra)

Impact: Center of communication, sound, words and tones.
Practice with : anger, excitement, shyness, inhibitions

Tune into your throat chakra located at the level of the larynx. I feel my throat chakra and visualize it in light blue light, like the bright blue sky reflected in the crystal clear water. The blue color creates a feeling of clarity and freedom in my throat and neck area. On the inhale I absorb prana and on the exhale let it flow as a healing, light blue ray into the throat area and then into the whole body.

Brow Chakra (Ajna Chakra)

Effect: Opens your access to self-knowledge, enables mindfulness and awareness.
Practice with : vanity, hunger for power, arrogance

Tune into your brow chakra. Draw attention to the area between your eyebrows. I imagine the dark blue night sky and feel the calm, stillness and power of the night. I let a feeling of coolness and alertness rise on my forehead. When I breathe in, I absorb healing life energy and let it flow into my forehead and eyes when I breathe out.

Crown Chakra (Sahasrara Chakra)

Effect: Associated with spirituality and deep peace.
Practicing at: delusions of grandeur

Tune into your crown chakra , the seventh chakra located at the crown of your head. I visualize my crown chakra as a large purple flower of light. This crystal clear light purple light is now expanding into my sacral chakra. Gradually I let this healing light shine through my whole body. A feeling of deep calm, peace and serenity spreads over the whole body.