If you’re interested in holistic health, alternative healing or spiritual wellness practices, you may have heard about the chakras. What exactly are they? And if they exist within our bodies, why can’t we locate them physically?
As it happens, the chakras aren’t body organs per se, like your liver or spleen. You might think of them conceptually as focal points or “psychic nodes” that absorb and release energy within the body.
The chakra system, which is part of what is called energy medicine, has a long and venerated history in Eastern cultures. The word chakra comes from ancient Sanskrit, meaning wheel or disk. The seven-chakra system is a means of addressing holistic wellness, with each chakra governing certain aspects of physical, emotional and spiritual energy, while being tuned in with all the others.
Chakra healing is based on the belief that to reach a state of total well-being, we must act as an integrated whole—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. From that age-old belief system, a visual model was created for these energy centers within us. Imagine a column running up through your body from the base of your spine to the top of your head, with seven points along the way—the chakras.
The idea is that clear, open chakras are conducive to a healthy mind, body and spirit, whereas blockages in one or more chakras can be detrimental to overall wellness.
Once you understand this concept, you may wonder how you can ensure your chakras are open and balanced, enabling you to optimize your energy flow and enhancing overall wellness. There are many ways to work on chakra balancing, from yoga and meditation to using affirmations, crystals and essential oils.
You could start by taking advantage of essential oils. They have science-based wellness benefits to begin with, so you could only benefit by incorporating them into your daily life. You can add them to coconut oil for a body moisturizer or massage oil, mist your rooms with them, enjoy them in aromatic candles, or add them to your bath for a luxurious, healing soak.
So, which essential oils are most useful for the various chakras? Here’s a simple guide to get your started:
1. Root Chakra (Muladhara)
The root chakra, or Muladhara, connects you with the Earth, and is linked to your basic survival needs, from nourishment to emotional and physical security. Essential oils that help heal and balance this chakra include rosemary, ylang-ylang, myrrh, frankincense, patchouli and sandalwood.
2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhishana)
The sacral chakra, Svadhishana, leads us up from basic existence to embrace higher levels of being and helps us tap into our creative life force energy. This chakra is all about your identity as a human and what you do with it. The best oils to support Svadhishana are neroli, orange, rose and jasmine.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)
The solar plexus chakra, Manipura, is where your self-confidence and identity are born—the seat of your personal power, if you will—and concerns “gut feelings” and intuition. Essential oils used to balance and enhance this chakra include chamomile, peppermint, vetiver and marjoram.
4. Heart Chakra (Anahata)
Your heart chakra, Anahata, is your center for love, compassion and kindness for yourself and others, and is also associated with health and healing. You can nurture this important chakra by using essentials oils such as rose, pine, eucalyptus, bergamot and jasmine.
5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)
Vishuddha, the throat chakra, provides a voice for honest expression. On a physical level, it’s the throat, but on an energetic level, this chakra allows you to speak your deepest truth with clarity and conviction. Strengthen and tune it with essentials oils like chamomile, sage, lemongrass and geranium.
6. Third Eye Chakra (Anja)
The sixth chakra, referred to as the Third Eye, is Anja, which translates to “beyond wisdom.” This chakra opens your mind to information beyond the material world and the five senses; you might think of it as your sixth sense. Among the essential oils used to balance Anja are rosemary, lavender, peppermint, frankincense, patchouli and clary sage.
7. Crown Chakra (Sahaswara)
Your crown chakra, Sahaswara, is pure consciousness energy, and connects you to the entire universe. Achieving a balanced crown chakra, which helps to align all the rest, is the goal of every spiritual warrior. It’s similar to the Buddhist concept of achieving nirvana. We derive happiness, good health and wisdom from the journey of seeking this balance. To empower your crown chakra, try frankincense, sandalwood, myrrh, jasmine, neroli and lavender.
You may notice that some of these oils support multiple chakras, which makes blends especially valuable. And again, since each of these essential oils have numerous benefits respectively, you really can’t go wrong. Feel free to use this guide as a jumping off place, and experiment to see what resonates with you. Namaste!
