This particular post will explore my favourite yoga poses that help to re-balance the 7 chakras.
Some days, I may feel like I have no drive to get anything done. Other days I might feel that I can’t seem to communicate what I want – I am lost for words. Occasionally, I can get quite stressed out about things and this paralyses me into getting anything done. Sound familiar at all?
This is simply stuck energy. The chakra system along with our movement practice can really help you out here. It doesn’t take long either.
If you are unfamiliar with the chakra system you can find out more here
The guide below can be used in two ways. Firstly, if you know exactly what you need in terms of unsticking a certain energy vibe, then you can simply target the chakra which will help you most. For example, if you are finding yourself having a minor meltdown, it would be useful to work on your root chakra.
Secondly, if you don’t really know what you need (i.e. you just know that you are not feeling 100%) this would be a good time to choose poses that will work on all of the chakras. It doesn’t have to be a long practice; you could just choose a pose per chakra for instance.
Prefer to get straight into the practice? Join me for a 20-minute yoga flow below.
Muladhara (root)
This chakra is all about helping us to reconnect to the Earth, so we find a sense of stability and grounding. All standing poses, including balances, are good for the root chakra.
Poses which allow us to connect to the ground are also helpful like childs pose. Whatever you choose to focus on grounding down through the parts of the body which are in contact with the floor/mat.
For example, if you are practising tree pose focus on the foot of the standing leg, hugging into the earth, providing you with the strong foundation and sense of safety and security that this chakra brings.
On a side note, if you are having a day where you are in true survival mode, a balancing pose is the perfect way of switching this off. Let’s face it, it is very difficult to dwell on stuff if you are focusing on trying not to fall over.
Sacral (Svadhisthana)
This chakra is all about enabling us to tap into our creative, playful selves and flow through the ups and downs of life with grace and ease. It is also the chakra of emotions.
Any feelings which we hold inside tend to reside around the area of the pelvis. To help rebalance this chakra try poses which mobilise the hip area. My favourite 3 are lizard, bound angle, any version of pigeon.
In fact, most yoga poses help with the hip area so you can’t really go wrong!
Also, think about flowing from movement to movement. This helps to tap into our inner creative genius and frees up blockages that might be getting in the way.
For example, you can flow from lizard into prone pigeon. From pigeon, you can flow into down-dog and then repeat lizard on the other side.
Another way to get unstuck is to move in the poses whilst you are holding them. Your hips will love it and feel so much better with a bit of playtime and creativity.
Solar Plexus (Manipura)
Manipura is our Duracell battery support. It helps us to bring our dreams into reality.
It is the sheer strength and willpower that will help us live the life that we desire. Because this chakra is all about drawing our power from our centre so poses that involve twisting the body or working the core is helpful.
You want to develop some good heat and inner fire. This is going to help you tap into that inner drive.
Core work is very challenging so as far as I’m concerned if you can hold a good plank for a minute or two you can nail that work project or complete that couch to 5km.
Good poses which stimulate this chakra include boat pose, abdominal twists, revolved standing postures, any twists, plank pose, wild thing, side plank
Heat Chakra (Anahata)
We are halfway through our guide to yoga poses that help to re-balance the 7 chakras.
The heart chakra is the energetic centre of the body and the bridge between the lower and upper chakras. It is the chakra of love. Any pose which opens the chest area and stimulates the breath will help rebalance and open up this chakra.
Some of my favourites include cobra (or up-dog), bow pose, camel, wheel and bridge pose. If you really want to work on this chakra, hold the poses for longer than you normally would.
Backbends provide a good lesson in developing our ability to soften through the body (it is easy to feel tense in a backbend). Find softness in the body; find softness in the heart.
As this chakra is all about developing a loving relationship with yourself and others, we need this. Being hard and cold is not helpful (but a sign of an unhappy heart).
Throat (Vishuddha)
This chakra is all about fostering good communication so any pose which will stimulate the throat area is helpful. There are a few poses that qualify for this.
Examples of poses include lion’s pose, camel, shoulder stand, fish pose, bridge pose, rabbit pose. Note that some of these close the throat and some provide the opposite. This really helps to rebalance this chakra beautifully.
Third Eye (Ajna)
The chakra of intuition requires yoga poses that will stimulate the third eye area (or forehead). Good ones to try include childs pose or puppy with a block under the forehead. Any inversion (including down-dog) will give you the opportunity to go inwards.
Eye yoga is also good for this chakra too. If you want to see this in action, click here for my quick one pose for each chakra yoga flow.
Crown (Sahasrara)
The crown chakra is often hard the hardest to access. It is the least tangible of the 7.
We are seeking to move outside ourselves and connect to something bigger. The Sahasrara chakra allows us to reach an insight beyond our personal vision and preoccupation.
This is the chakra for our soul and our spiritual wellbeing. Any yoga tool which moves us invitingly into stillness is the key.
Examples of poses include balances (like tree pose), calming inversions like legs up the wall and of course poses that encourage us to become still and calm – yoga relaxation, yoga nidra, visualisations and meditation.
Yoga Poses that Help To Re-balance the 7 Chakras -Closing Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed this quick guide to yoga poses that help to re-balance the 7 chakras.
(Just pick one favourite pose from each and then knock them together for a quick yoga session).
Check in with how you feel before and after and I am certain that you will notice a big difference.
Interested in finding out more? Judith Anodea’s book on Chakra Yoga is one of my favourite reads on the chakras and yoga.
We are exploring the chakras in all of my scheduled yoga classes too so check out the class schedule and come and join me for some energy re-balancing.
