Balancing Your Chakras

Why is chakra balancing important? We need to keep our physical body alive, healthy and functioning well is a complex exercise in balancing. This is called homeostasis, and it keeps all the chemicals, hormones, and the processes of our body in harmony with each other. If our body happens deviates from a state of homeostasis, we’re in trouble. In the same way, our chakras must be in balance and aligned with each other. When our chakras (or any aspect of our energy system) are out of balance, it can have a profound impact on our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. When they are out of balance/alignment, both our bodies and our lives are likely to be out of balance as well. We may find that we are illness- or accident-prone, or that our lives are unhappy, unsatisfying, or chaotic. Sound healing expert Jonathan Goldman compares the body to a musical orchestra, where the individual players represent physical or energetic organs. If one “instrument” (like a chakra) gets off tune or out of balance, the sound of the entire orchestra (the health of your entire body) is off, and pretty soon the other players (other part of your physical or energetic system) start to veer off-tune, too. ha

Chakras in Balance and Alignment

Energetically, what characterizes a chakra system that is in balance? Energy flows through the chakra system in two ways. First, it flows up and down along your central channel, base of spine to top of head, connecting the chakras. Second, it flows horizontally, in an exchange of energy with the cosmos. In a balanced chakra system:

Energy flows freely vertically, reaching all the chakras: none of the chakras are blocked.
Energy flows freely horizontally: each chakra exchanges energy freely with the cosmos.
None of the chakras is substantially more open or spinning faster/slower than the others: none is significantly overactive or underactive in comparison to the rest.
Each of the chakras is opened to the degree needed to support your health and spiritual development: none of the seven chakras is open too wide, or closed down too tight.
Neither the upper chakras nor the lower chakras is over-emphasized

Many energy healers will be able to perceive your chakras and whether they are balanced, open, and healthy. But it’s not really necessary to be able to perceive them in order to evaluate them and their state of balance, because when there is an imbalance in your chakra system, it will eventually manifest in your body, emotions, thoughts, or your life. In other words, it will show up clearly in the physical world at some point. How would a person with a healthy, balanced chakra system most likely look?

body is healthy enough to support individual spiritual journey/fulfillment of life purpose
well grounded, secure, confident, in touch with own body
in touch with their emotions, but not overwhelmed by them
comfortable with their own sexuality
self-confident, able to manifest their desires without dominating others
compassionate, loving, healthy relationships; in touch with nature
able to express own truth, to listen as well as speak, to create
intellect balanced with wisdom, in touch with intuition
sense of connection with the divine

Complete Balance and Alignment Not Necessary

It’s not necessary, however, for our chakras to be perfectly, completely balanced, all at the same level of open-ness and activation. For most people, one or more chakras stand out as being stronger than the others. This is normal and not at all undesirable. It’s only necessary that the chakras not be wildly out of alignment, such as one chakra that is nearly shut down, or one that is blown wide open in comparison to the others. Your body and your life will give you the information you need to know if your chakras need balancing.

Imbalance in the Chakras

Sometimes people on a path of spiritual development will over-emphasize the top chakras, believing that this is the way to become enlightened. In my personal view, this is a mistake. The body is not less holy than the spirit. They are both aspects of energy, and need to be balanced in order for us to make the most of our physical incarnation. Indeed, someone with a top-heavy chakra system–the top three or four chakras overactive in relation to the three bottom chakras–might be spacy and ungrounded, have difficulty finishing things, have difficulty concentrating, lack “common sense,” be “out of touch,” and just generally have difficulty living in the world. On the other hand, sometimes people are out of balance with the lower three chakras overactive in comparison to the entire system. Such individuals might lack imagination and creativity, lack vision, lack higher dreams, feel unconnected to the divine, be overly sexual, lack higher reasoning power, be overbearing and unsubtle, be “plodding,” get trapped in the minutiae or the drama of life, and generally have a hard time rising above the basic physicality of life.

Methods for Chakra Balancing

It’s very common for one or more chakras to become blocked or imbalanced. To be healthy and happy and continuing to develop spiritually, it’s important to keep all the chakras fairly balanced, smoothly exchanging energy with the cosmic energy and with each other. Chakra balancing, in concert with other techniques, often provides a great deal of emotional healing and spiritual healing for the patient, and helps prevent physical disease, too. (Of course, if you have a serious physical or mental health concern you should seek the care of a physician or mental health professional.) Many energy healers will spend a considerable amount of their time with you healing the chakras: opening, balancing, and energizing them. A professional energy healing can be good not only for balancing the chakras, but also for you to get a feel for your own chakras. But there are also many techniques that you yourself can use as chakra balancers. Any of the methods on this page about healing the chakras will be beneficial. On that page you’ll find links to other pages teaching you how to do chakra balancing and healing through vocal toning, chakra stones, essential oils, meditation, and fun, everyday activities. Keep in mind that the way to make any energy-work method effective is to do it mindfully, with sacred intention to heal. In other words, it’s the intention rather than the exact method that’s important. Here are some more methods to balance chakras that you might try

Singing Bowl Chakra Balancer

This something that I have never done but I am trying to learn how to do it correctly to have the right effect. When I meditate I get this feeling of calm and all my worries will seem less important. Starting with the first chakra, you sound the bowl once. As the singing bowl resonates, you hold your awareness on the first chakra and lets the sound resonate in for a while. After a while, you will sounds the bowl for the second chakra, holding your awareness on it and letting the sound resonate in it for a while. And so on, up the chakras.

Hands-On Chakra Balancer

This is a traditional, hands-on energy-healing method for chakra balancing. You can do it with your hands directly on your body, or a few inches above your body.

Lie down in a comfortable place where you will not be disturbed.
Spend some time belly-breathing and take a few minutes to ground and center.
Set an intention for balancing and aligning your chakras.
Place one hand on your first chakra (you can put your hand either on or in the air above your groin), and one hand on your second chakra.
Hold your hands in this position until you feel the energy equalize or until you start to feel it pulse in a patterned way (e.g. in unison or regularly back and forth), or until you get some other indication (such as just knowing) that the two chakras are balanced. Don’t worry if you don’t feel anything or don’t get some other indication that the chakras are balanced. Just hold your hands on the two chakras for a minute or so, or until you feel that it’s time to move on. Your intention to balance them will do the work.
Move your hands to your second and third chakras and repeat the balancing.
Move your hands to the third and fourth and repeat. And so on.
After you’ve balanced the last two chakras, take a little while to enjoy the feeling. Being familiar with the feeling of having your chakras in balance will help you recreate the state whenever you need to throughout the day.
Get up and drink a glass of water. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Physical Methods to Balance Chakras

Of course, there are always less esoteric ways to shift and balance energy. Here are some suggestions for simple, ordinary physical activities that you can do to help balance your chakras. (Of course, feel free to think of your own!)
First Chakra Balancing:
Overactive: Walk, off-pavement if possible (walking a labyrinth would be fantastic); meditate; create an altar; be still; secretly do something nice for someone; give something away; eat sensibly: Walk, off- pavement if possible; garden; get your finances in order; go someplace/visit someone where you feel like you belong; secure your belongings
Second Chakra Balancing:
Overactive: Introduce more structure into your life; read a challenging book; learn to play a musical instrument, do tai chi, or something else that takes sustained practice and discipline: Dance; swim; surround yourself with beauty; do something spontaneous and fun; forgive yourself; change something in your life or surroundings; notice your feelings; take a luxurious bath
Third Chakra Balancing:
Overactive: Belly breathe; clear your schedule and rest; at work or in the community, take on a task that will help the whole but for which you will likely not receive credit or recognition; give credit to someone else; let someone else decide; practice gratitude; laugh; learn non-violent conflict resolution techniques; join a group that makes decisions by consensus; rest: Belly breathe; complete a task that you’ve been putting off; commit to a goal and see it through to the end; step into the limelight; get a great new haircut; wear something that you look great in; assert yourself; take responsibility; laugh; let people know immediately when they’ve stepped on your toes
Fourth Chakra Balancing:
Overactive: Spend time in nature; say no to an overly needy friend; take time for yourself; set a limit and stick to it; take a break from TV news; watch a comedy; meditate to get in touch with your “witness” aspect; get a massage; let someone else take care of you; take the biggest piece; receive a healing; accept a compliment: Spend time in nature; spend time with small children; reach out to a friend; take your dog for a walk; volunteer at a food bank, pet shelter, homeless shelter, etc.; smile at people; do something genuinely nice for your spouse or significant other (or someone else) without expecting payback; receive a healing; express appreciation
Fifth Chakra Balancing:
Overactive: Sing, chant, or tone; listen to someone without expecting them to listen to you; allow yourself an extended time in silence; speak only if what you have to say is necessary, fair, kind, and just; give someone else some air-time; take a break; take an art or writing class and just let yourself play: Speak up; sing, chant, or tone; create something and share/display it; write in your journal; break a silence; share a truth; take an art or writing class and just let yourself play; spend time listening closely to all the sounds in your environment
Sixth Chakra Balancing:
Overactive: Ground; focus on daily life: walk, cook, take care of animals and children, and do things mindfully and with presence; be fully present; spend time in nature; do something practical; deeply relax your eyes; get a foot massage; pay attention to your physical body; take up a physical practice such as tai chi: Let someone else take care of the practical things for a while; listen for your intuition and follow it; meditate; watch the world closely; draw or do other art that requires close observation; go star-gazing; read an inspiring or spiritual book; go on a retreat; do something that builds concentration; focus on the big picture
Seventh Chakra Balancing:
Overactive: Walk; be mindful and present in doing the activities of your daily life; reach out to others; eat regular, nourishing meals; get a pet; get involved in something: Meditate, pray; cut back on your activities and just be; spend time in stillness and silence; practice gratitude; create an altar; do anything that makes you feel peaceful and harmonious; surrender a problem to your higher power; spend time alone
Whatever you do, do it with intention for chakra balancing.