A Beginner’s Guide to the Chakras

Have you heard the phrase “blocked chakra?” Ever wonder why you get butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous? Why do you feel tightness in your throat if you’re trying to keep from crying? 

I practiced medicine for several years before I learned about the Chakra system. During my Yoga studies, I learned how certain poses aimed to open certain Chakras. During my Reiki training I learned more about the energy centers. I was surprised at how much ancient knowledge from Hinduism and Ayurevda correlated with medical science. 

Many of my patients seek to understand their physical symptoms and why they occur with certain emotions. Examples are having anxiety and diarrhea at the same time. 

The Chakra system can help to explain some of these hard-to-understand emotions and feelings. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore what a chakra is, the physical structures associated with each Chakra, and the emotions associated with each Chakra.

Medical sciences are based on anatomical structures visible to the human eye and accessible by dissection. Anatomy and physiology aim to locate structures and their function within the body. Healing systems such as allopathic medicine, osteopathy, and even chiropractic medicine focus on the body’s anatomical structure. In anatomy, physical structures are described by their relationship to the body’s midline. 

Traditional medicine focuses only on physical structures and quantifies their functioning with labs and radiographic imaging. Anatomical studies map the body’s organs but do not locate emotions, feelings, or memories.

Allopathic medicine attempts to address emotions by giving diagnostic weight to negative emotional experiences such as depression or anxiety. Allopathic medicine does not address positive emotions, such as love or gratitude.

The Chakra System, a combination of knowledge from the ancient healing systems of Ayurveda and Hinduism¹, attributes emotions and spiritual experiences to certain locations in the body.

What Are Chakras?

“Chakras are subtle energy organs that manage the flow of energy related to all parts of our lives; they are our personal power systems.  They are similar to physical organs in the body, such as our heart or liver, except that they operate at a higher frequency-one that is not visible to the human eye or measurable by current scientific means.”

Dale, C. (2019). The Subtle Body Practice Manual. Sounds True.

Chakras describe the subtle energy of our bodies anatomically. They integrate organs, nerves, muscles, and bones with emotions and experiences. The Chakra system maps emotions and experiences to organs within the body. 

According to Dr. Gerber (author of Vibrational Medicine), “anatomically, each major chakra is associated with a major nerve plexus and a major endocrine gland².”

The Chakras and The Associated Endocrine Glands

The human body includes seven important chakras and also many minor chakras. These seven chakras start from the bottom of the tailbone and finish on the top of the head. The root (1st chakra) has the slowest revolving speed, while the crown (7th chakra) rotates the fastest. When these chakras are unhealthy, unbalanced, or clogged up, illness and disease can develop more easily. This leads to overall poor mental and physical health

Stimulation for each chakra comes from its individual and complimentary color. These chakra colors consist of the 7 colors of the rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  The theory is that each chakra is in constant motion. They chakras are wheel of light rotating at various frequencies. These frequencies correspond to different colors. 

Chakras

Chakras have a clear connection among themselves and also the condition of their corresponding organs. The following are the 7 main Chakras and their related organs in the body:

• 1^st chakra (root) – connected to large intestines, anus, has some effects on kidney functioning; Blockages can cause hemorrhoids, back pain
• 2^nd chakra (naval) – connected to the reproduction system, sex gland, testicles, urinary system, bladder and kidneys. Blockages here can cause urinary tract infections, infertility, and sexual dysfunction.
• The third chakra (solar plexus) is connected to the gall bladder, spleen, liver, small intestine, and stomach. Blockages here can cause digestive issues such as heartburn, ulcers, abdominal pain, and gallbladder disease.
• 4^th chakra (heart) – associated with the heart and arms. Blockages in the heart chakra heart disease, asthma, and autoimmune disease.
• 5^th chakra (throat) – associated with throat and lung area. A blocked throat chakra can lead to frequent colds and thyroid disease.
• 6^th chakra (3^rd eye) – associated with the face, nose area, eyes and brains. Blockages of the third eye chakra can cause migraines, sinus problems, and tinnitus.
• 7^th chakra (crown) – related to the whole being, not corresponding to any particular organ. Blockages in the 7th chakra can lead to insomnia, fatigue, and depression.

According to Dr. Gerber, “anatomically, each major chakra is associated with a major nerve plexus and a major endocrine gland.”^1.

Learn more about the Heart Chakra in the program Vibrational Healing

The Chakras and Spiritual Experience

Understanding the Chakra system maps common human experiences and emotions to locations in the body. This chart describes the feelings and emotions when each chakra is optimized and when it is blocked.

Chakra	Open Chakra	Blocked/Closed Chakra
Root Chakra	Feeling grounded, secure and stable	Addiction, feeling unsafe, anxiety
Sacral Chakra	Creativity, Fertility, Healthy Sexuality	Blocked creativity, Trouble in relationships
Solar Plexus Chakra	Feeling empowered, motivation, clear thinking	Weak person boundaries, victimization, low motivation, poor focus
Throat Chakra	Excellent communication, personal expression, voicing your personal truth	Poor communication, talking too much, lying
Third Eye Chakra	Intuition, Psychic abilities, good vision, hearing, sensitivity to taste	lack of intuition, not hearing inner guidance
Crown Chakra	Spritually Enlightened, Making peace with God, Psychic Ability	Dementia, forgetfulness, Fatigue, insomnia, Mood Disorders

The Chakra System helps us understand our bodies and symptoms just as much as explanations from science. Learn more about how chakra blocks can cause symptoms with these resources:

• Insomnia and The Chakras
• Your Energy Body and Your Immune System
• Chronic Pain and the Chakras

According to Dr. Gerber, “anatomically, each major chakra is associated with a major nerve plexus and a major endocrine gland.”^.

Gerber, R., & M.D., G. R. (2001). Vibrational Medicine: The #1 Handbook of Subtle-Energy Therapies (3rd ed.). Bear & Company.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra
2. Weber, R. (2000). Vibrational Medicine. Bear & Company.

Gerber, R., & M.D., G. R. (2001). Vibrational Medicine: The #1 Handbook of Subtle-Energy Therapies (3rd ed.). Bear & Company.