Signs of Chakra Imbalance: Have you checked in with your chakras lately?

Have you ever felt frazzled, burnt our or overwhelmed by the stresses of busy life? Or found yourself stuck in the same types of bad relationships, jobs or friendships feeling drained, lost or unfulfilled? Can you relate to feeling like you are pouring from an empty cup – with little energy or motivation to follow through on your plans and goals?

What if I told you these were really common signs of imbalance and blockages in your chakras – the core energy systems that influence our mind, body and soul?

But what exactly are chakras?

If you are a Reiki practitioner, you will already have heard about these amazing energy centres. You also may have come across chakras in the context of meditation, yoga or the emotional healing of heartache or anxiety. Knowledge of this energy system isn’t new. In fact, humans have known about chakras and the ways they can influence all areas of our lives for many millennia, with the first references to chakras appearing in the most ancient Hindu scriptures more than 2000 years ago.

Put simply, the chakras are centres of energy that exist within our bodies. They are concentrations of the life force (or Ki energy) that flows through, revitalise and connect every living thing in the universe!

There are seven main chakras:

1. The Root Chakra
2. The Sacral Chakra
3. The Solar Plexus Chakra
4. The Heart Chakra
5. The Throat Chakra
6. The Third Eye Chakra
7. The Crown Chakra

What do these chakras look like? They are spinning wheels of energy. In fact ‘Chakra’ is a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel.”

So how do these brilliant energy centres work?

The chakras provide an incredible formula for wellness across mind, body, and spirit. The energy in our chakras wants to flow freely, feeding the physical body, the mind, and our emotional wellbeing with nourishing and positive goodness, whilst removing any negative, stifling or blocking energy.

The chakras each have their own vibrational frequency and associations to the physical body, mind and soul.

The goal really is to have strong balanced open chakras – so we can let more positive Ki energy flow through our energy systems.

Common Signs of Chakra Imbalance

Let’s take a closer look at each of these 7 chakras and the energy realms they govern, as well as some common signs of imbalance.

Root Chakra

This chakra is found at the Base of the spine and is associated with our physical health, fitness and our survival needs – that is our basic ability to get food and shelter and an income to survive. It governs our sense of stability and connects us to the physical world around us and our familial and ancestral roots so we can feel at home and safe.

Imbalances in this chakra can manifest as:

• A lack of physical energy
• Anxiety and fearfulness towards the world
• Issues with our financial and job security
• We can feel lost and disconnected
• We can become greedy and materialistic

Sacral Chakra

This chakra is found in the pelvic region below the belly button and governs our wellbeing, emotions, desires and sexuality. It is the centre of joy and pleasure, intimacy, creativity and sensuality. It allows us to feel good and enjoy our bodies, and seek out new experiences and things that will bring us happiness and satisfaction. When this chakra is balanced we are friendly, playful, creative, more connected to others and just more able to express our feelings and experiences and go with the flow of life. This chakra is all about our ability to respond to new experiences and how much we are willing to feel and embrace our desires.

Imbalances in this chakra can manifest as:

• Discontentment with life
• Feeling flat, bored or dispassionate
• Feeling overwhelmed by emotions, mood swings and feeling a lot of guilt
• Experiencing creative blocks
• Embarrassment and shyness around sexuality and pleasure

Solar Plexus Chakra

This is the power chakra and is found above the belly button and below the ribs – it governs that fire in our belly to go for the things we want. It is the centre of our willpower, ambition, self-esteem, self-worth and sense of purpose. When our Solar Plexus Chakra is balanced, we radiate confidence and shine with our own unique personality. We don’t just talk about our dreams and ambitions, we actually go for them and hold ourselves accountable, setting plans and targets to actively work towards our goals. We have a strong will and take action.

Imbalances in this chakra can manifest as:

• Low confidence, willpower and drive
• Lacking the self-discipline to get things done – we procrastinate, we make excuses, we blame others
• A little too much ego – we may be overly competitive, dominant or critical of ourselves and others
• Working too much to the point we burn ourselves out

Heart Chakra

This energy centre is unsurprisingly found in the centre of the chest, by our hearts and is responsible for love, compassion and relationships. The energy in the chakra enables us to love deeply and unconditionally and empathise with the feelings and emotions of others. It allows us to forgive and grieve and find balance and peace again, so it is an important chakra for healing.

Imbalances in this chakra can manifest as:

• Unhealthy, unbalanced, or toxic relationships
• Issues trusting others
• Not feeling enough self-love
• Holding onto past relationships and heartbreak
• Struggling to deal with and heal from grief

Throat Chakra

Found in the throat, this chakra is all about our ability to express ourselves and communicate who we really are and all our ideas out to the world. It’s all about finding our voice and true life’s purpose. When we listen to this guiding inner voice we can make the decisions that align with our goals and values. This chakra gives us the vehicle to express all the energies of the other chakras.

Imbalances in this chakra can manifest as:

• We find ourselves unable to express ourselves
• We are not confident when speaking to others
• We don’t speak our own unique truth
• We hide from our true life’s purpose and calling
• We don’t stand up for ourselves

Third Eye Chakra

This chakra is found between the eyes in middle of the forehead, just above the eyebrows. It governs our intuition, higher reasoning, imagination, wisdom, clarity of sight and our ability to think and make decisions. It allows us to see the bigger picture of what really is important to us.

Imbalances in this chakra can manifest as:

• Getting stuck in the same negative thought patterns and habits
• Feeling stuck in a rut
• Ignoring our gut feelings
• Not seeing the bigger picture and worrying too much about the everyday
• Struggle with making key life decisions

Crown Chakra

Right at the top of the chakra ladder is the Crown Chakra, the seventh chakra. It is found at the top of the head and represents our ability to be fully connected to a higher source – to god, to the universe to whatever this means for you. It governs self-knowledge, enlightenment and our spirituality.

Imbalances in this chakra can manifest as:

• Difficulty meditating
• Unable to feel at peace and mindfulness
• Struggling to feel connected to something bigger
• Lost on your spiritual journey

Want happier and healthier chakras?

There are a number of simple and powerful ways to take action and heal your chakra system. Have you discovered the power of Chakra healing yet? More and more people are discovering how they can change their life by balancing their energy systems and translate these skills into their energy healing practices. Find out more here