Chakra balancing is an ancient practice that has gained popularity in recent years. It is a form of energy therapy used in holistic health practice and related exercises are often incorporated into other holistic health practices such as yoga, crystal healing and acupuncture. Chakra balancing exercises have a number of benefits. Consult a holistic health practitioner for specific chakra balancing exercises.
About Chakras
Chakras are cone-shaped vortices of energy. According to the Massage Therapy 101 website, chakra balancing exercises are centered on the seven main energy centers, called chakras, which are located along the central spine. Caroline Shola Arewa writes in “Way of Chakras” that the word chakra means wheel in Sanskrit and this is the reason they are often depicted as spinning wheels when displayed diagrammatically.
Seven Chakras
The seven main chakras are the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, brow and crown. According to Arewa, each individual chakra affects the endocrine glands, different nerve plexuses and other parts of the body. If one or more chakras are out of balance, the body is affected both emotionally and physically. If all the chakras are in balance, the body is operating at optimum capacity.
Balancing
Each of the chakras relate to a specific function of the body and governs how the body deals with both physical and emotional issues related to it. Massage Therapy 101 gives an example of what this means in relation to the solar plexus chakra; the solar plexus chakra relates to digestion and therefore can be blocked by stress which in turn leads to digestive problems. Arewa writes that if energy is blocked in the solar plexus chakra, both the heart and sacral chakras can be affected too. Chakra balancing therefore usually involves balancing of more than one chakra center.
Exercises
Chakra balancing is complex and there are many exercises to balance the chakras, depending on your individual imbalances and problems. Chakra balancing exercises can be incorporated into one of several holistic therapies including color and light therapy, aromatherapy, homeopathy, shiatsu and several other therapies. Most forms of chakra balancing exercises include breathing exercises, meditation and bending or stretching exercises.
Benefits
Chakra balancing exercises have several benefits. The overall benefit of chakra balancing is that the body is in balance both physically and emotionally. However, other benefits include inner peace, spiritual growth and increased confidence levels. Consult an experienced holistic health practitioner for a specific chakra balancing program.
References
- “Way of Chakras”; Caroline Shola Arewa; 2001
- Massage Therapy 101: Chakra Balancing
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