A guest article by Alisa Füssel
What you can do if your chakra is blocked
In the first part of the chakra special, I would like to invite you to delve deeper into the world of energies. Because: There is not just black and white. There is not just flesh and blood. We humans, animals and plants, the entire planet and the infinite universe do not only consist of what we can see and touch: but of energy. And all of it arose from energy. Without energy, none of the above could exist or develop further.Everything is energy, everything has energy, everything radiates energy and everything receives energy.
An essential part of the chakra system is the theory of energy. The chakra system is basically the communication system of our energetic body. It is responsible for receiving, processing and storing information. But it also ensures that this can be released again. It has the guiding function of allowing the life energy to flow so that it can be distributed throughout the body. The aim is for each chakra and the physical body to be optimally supplied with life energy.
What exactly are chakras? A definition.
The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and means wheel, discus or circle. There are countless different theories about how chakras work and what they do. I would like to introduce the most well-known one here in more detail: It speaks of seven chakras, i.e. seven energy centers of the body, which are not part of the physical body.Instead, they are rotating energy vortices within the subtle body. Although they have an effect on the physical body, they themselves are not tangible: unlike fascia, muscles or our organs, they are not made of solid matter, but of energy. They line up along the spine from bottom to top and are connected to each other by the energy channel "Shushumna Nadi".
The seven chakras are responsible for supplying the subtle and physical bodies with life energy and for absorbing, processing and releasing information. They thus form the bridge between these two bodies. According to the theory, the chakras ensure physical health, mental well-being and spiritual liberation. They also make a significant contribution to spiritual growth and personal development.
Each chakra is both a communicator and an energetic outlet. Each individual chakra has very specific characteristics, meanings and symptoms and represents a specific area of life. They are arranged along the spine - from the coccyx to the crown - and are each connected to a specific organ and correspond to one of the seven main glands of the endocrine system (our hormone system).
The danger of a blocked chakra: these are the effects.
If a chakra is blocked or unbalanced, the flow of energy is hindered and disrupts the organic flow of our body. This can lead to physical or psychological illnesses in the long term. An imbalance occurs when certain chakra-specific characteristics are too strong or too weak: Often it is emotional issues, negative influences, traumatic experiences or other external factors that bring the chakras out of balance and lead to a blockage.
Even before birth, every person has certain blockages. In addition, the chakras are strongly influenced in the first seven years of life: an enormous amount of information is stored, which can lead to permanent blockages. But later developmental phases, an unfavorable lifestyle and the respective state of consciousness are also crucial for the balance of the chakras.
When a blockage becomes noticeable, it manifests itself in discomfort, physical tension, psychological problems or even illnesses. The reason: a blocked chakra can no longer rotate evenly. This means that the energy cannot flow freely.
The emotional “issues” manifest themselves in different ways and in different degrees of severity depending on the chakra affected, and continue to do so until the blockage and thus the issue is resolved. Resolving the blockage and creating a balanced chakra is therefore essential for health and spiritual development.
What can you do to get the energy flowing again?
Ideally, every chakra is open and the life energy, prana, can flow in and be distributed throughout the body through its rotating movement: prana flows from one chakra to the next. If this is the case, the energy is flowing and all chakras are balanced. The prana is then passed on to the individual energy channels, the so-called nadis. They ensure that the life energy reaches the entire body.The situation is different if one of the chakras is out of balance: Since energy flows from bottom to top, i.e. from the first to the seventh chakra, the blockage of one chakra affects the entire energy flow: the system is out of balance. However, in the event of an imbalance or blockage, you can cleanse your chakras.
Through yoga, meditation, mantras, sound, affirmations, journaling, reflection questions, gemstones, scents, colors and the right diet, you cleanse, support, harmonize and heal your chakras. The goal of healing is to let go of the baggage of the past (in whatever form it has accumulated) through awareness. Becoming aware means sensing and perceiving blockages, accepting them without judgment and accepting what triggers them and finally letting them go. This is the only way the blockage can dissolve and you can move deeper and deeper from level to level of consciousness. Each of the healing methods mentioned can help you with this process.
Brief chakra overview: The 7 energy centers of the body
The first chakra: Muladhara Chakra (root chakra)
Muladhara is made up of "mula", the root, and "adhara", the support. It is located at the lower end of the spine, the coccyx, and is associated with the color red and the element earth. Each chakra is also connected to a gland: in the case of the root chakra, it is the adrenal glands. It also correlates with the sense of smell and stands for vitality, connection and basic trust. This is why our fears, worries and materialism are located there.
The second chakra: Svadhisthana Chakra (sacral chakra)
Svadhisthana means sweetness and represents the joy of life. It is located between the sexual organs and about a hand's breadth below the belly button. The sacral chakra is associated with the color orange and the element water. The ovaries and testicles are the glands that are connected to the second chakra. It represents the sense of taste and encompasses topics such as pleasure, joy, creativity and sexuality. But envy, shame and guilt are also located there.
The third chakra: Manipura chakra (solar plexus chakra)
Manipura means shining jewel. It is located between the navel and the solar plexus, roughly at the level of the stomach, and represents the color yellow. The third chakra is associated with the element fire and the pancreas. It affects the sense of sight and is the seat of the personality and the ego. It is associated with issues such as self-confidence, inner strength and power, as well as the relationship with oneself.
The fourth chakra: Anahata chakra (heart chakra)
Anahata means "unaffected" or "undamaged" and is located near the heart. It is associated with the color green and the element air. It is connected to the thymus gland and the sense of touch. The themes here are love, devotion, compassion, but also grief, pain and rejection.
The fifth chakra: Vishuddha chakra (throat chakra)
Translated from Sanskrit, Vishuddha means purification. It is located in the throat and larynx region and is associated with the color light blue and the element of sound. The throat chakra is associated with the thyroid gland and the sense of hearing. The central theme of this chakra is expression and communication, but self-expression, self-acceptance and the pain of the soul also have their origin here.
The sixth chakra: Ajna Chakra (forehead chakra)
Ajna means to perceive or command. It is located in the middle of the head between the eyebrows and is associated with the color indigo blue and the element of light. The pituitary gland and intuition are associated with the Ajna chakra. Topics such as visions, fantasy, illusion and insight lie there.
The seventh chakra: Sahasrara chakra (crown chakra)
Sahasrara means thousand-petaled or thousandfold. It is located at the highest point of the head and is associated with the color violet. It is connected to the element of thought, as well as to the pineal gland and the sense of empathy. It forms the gateway to your higher self, which is why topics such as awareness, becoming one and dissolving restrictive patterns lie there.
Alisa Fuessel
Alisa is a yoga teacher and spiritual mentor. In 2020, she launched "from heart to toe" to present the many facets of yoga. Her belief: everyone should have the opportunity to choose what they need for their path. Her goal is to give you the support you need on your journey to yourself; in exactly the form that is good for you. Alisa looks at people and yoga holistically and thus builds a bridge between you and yoga, but also between you and your path to healing and a life full of joy and harmony. If you are interested in a Reiki treatment (live or remotely), you can contact Alisa. She is a trained Reiki master, works very intuitively and also carries out Reiki initiations.