What Are Chakra Blockages?
And How Do You Fix Them?
Chakras can’t be seen with the naked eye. According to yogic philosophy, they are energetic bundles or centers in the etheric body.
“chakras (pronounced “chuhk-ruhs” and often translated as “circle” or “wheel”) refer to centralized locations where subtle energy channels, known as nadis, converge.
Many yoga systems consider there to be seven main chakras…They are said to run along the length of the spine, from the pelvic floor to the crown of the head.”
Each of the seven chakras is represented by a different color and element. Each is said to impact how we’re embodied in the world; they help bring us into greater balance within ourselves and into greater flow with the Universe (or the Divine).
One chakra being out of balance or blocked — meaning energy does not flow easily, but somehow stagnates in that center — can seem like no big deal.
But the chakras are integrated; they don’t work in isolation from one another. If one chakra is blocked for an extended period of time, the chakras connected to it will often overactivate to compensate for the weakness.
This is how we end up with blockages and imbalances throughout our entire energetic system.
So, how do we know if a chakra is blocked?
There are many ways that these imbalances can show up; I’ll share the ways I’ve learned to recognize blocks in my own system. Chakra by chakra, I’ll explain what a blockage or overactivation could look like and how one chakra can throw the whole system off.
Root
The root chakra is the center of security. When it’s in balance, we feel safe, held, and protected. We know our needs are and will be met. (I’ve found that developing this kind of surety in my security, regardless of my physical circumstances, has been a large part of my spiritual journey.)
An overactivated root chakra might look like an obsession with developing financial stability, sometimes to the exclusion of other kinds of self-development. It also could show up more subtly as overdependence on the material to provide one with a sense of security. As in, you don’t feel safe without familiar things, places, and people around you.
Blockages, however, might show up as an inability to manifest material abundance into one’s life at all. Perhaps you have limiting beliefs about what you can create or what you deserve. It could also be a scarcity mindset that makes you feel no matter how much wealth you accrue, you will never have enough.
When the root chakra is overactive, it could make the sacral chakra weak. For example, the fear that a project wouldn’t make us money keeps us from pursuing it, even though it inspires and excites us.
Sacral
The sacral chakra is the center of creativity, desire, and emotions. When it’s in balance, we feel deeply connected to our creative ability. Whatever we feel inspired to bring into reality comes into form easily; there is flow.
Our emotions are present, but not destabilizing. They’re also not suppressed. We feel them, express them healthily and allow them to move through our system freely.
We let ourselves experience pleasure without guilt.
When the sacral chakra is overactive, we could overindulge in pleasure-seeking in order to escape ourselves. Things like overeating, drinking to excess, etc. However, when the sacral chakra is blocked, one is likely to have stunted emotions, creative blocks, and/or restricted sexuality.
In the long term, a blocked sacral chakra would mean the chakras on either side (the root and solar plexus) become overactive to compensate for the weakness in the sacral. We’ve just discussed what an overactive root chakra looks like. Let’s discuss overactivation in the solar plexus.
Solar Plexus
The solar plexus chakra governs our sense of self and personal power. When it’s in balance we feel confident in who we are and how we show up in the world.
When it’s blocked, we could struggle with low self-esteem.
When it’s overactive, we could be too grounded in our personal will, leaving no room for the Divine to co-create with us. This would be an inflation of the ego where we try to exercise relentless control (over others, ourselves, our life paths, etc.).
These dynamics feedback on each other very nicely. To cover our low self-esteem, we act overly confident, but it’s confidence in a false sense of self. Eventually, this makes us feel like an imposter. And the low self-esteem comes back in to haunt us.
It’s a vicious cycle of imbalance, flip-flopping from blocked energy to overactivation. In the long term, this could lead to imbalances in the sacral and heart chakras.
Now, you see how it becomes a cascade. Even if we’re constantly working to create balance in our system holistically, if just one energy center is neglected, we risk everything being thrown out of sync.
Heart Chakra
The heart chakra is the seat of unconditional love. It’s also the energetic center of the entire system. Its importance cannot be overstated.
If this chakra is blocked, energy can’t flow properly from the higher chakras to the lower chakras and vice versa. Your energy is bifurcated, and you’re likely to have a significantly imbalanced approach to life.
When this chakra is blocked, we’re closed to genuine heart-centered connections with other human beings. And we’re cut off from the blissful experience of Oneness that a fully engaged and open heart chakra can bring us.
An overactive heart chakra is rare. I would venture to say, we almost always are dealing with hearts being too closed off. I don’t know that a heart can be too open, perhaps just not tempered with reason or discernment, which would come from a balanced third eye.
Without that balance, we wouldn’t have clear boundaries. We’d be at risk of overextending ourselves and being taken advantage of. But again, this is not because a heart chakra is too open, this is because it’s not being balanced by the other energies in our system.
Throat Chakra
The throat chakra is the center of our truth, our authentic self-expression. When it’s in balance, we can speak honestly and openly.
When this chakra is blocked we struggle to have clear communication and show up as our authentic selves. We may feel we’re wearing a mask everywhere or struggle with imposter syndrome.
When the throat chakra is overactive, we may be saying a lot, but it’s a whole lot of nothing. Whatever we’re sharing with others has little substance.
It’s not uncommon for an overactive throat chakra to be combined with a blocked third eye — being blind to deeper truths, but speaking as if we have clarity.
Third-Eye Chakra
The third-eye chakra is where our intuition lies. It’s where we receive visions, inspired ideas, and knowledge beyond what the mind alone can capture.
When it’s in balance, we have clear insight and discernment. Our clarity isn’t clouded by our ego, our wounded inner child, or a triggered emotional state. We may experience these things (they are always part of us, after all), but we see them just as clearly for what they are and we don’t let them rule us.
When it’s blocked, we’re incredibly disconnected from our intuition. This isn’t uncommon.
An overactive third eye may bring hallucinations or something that looks, to the outside world, like psychosis. We might have confusing nightmares about past or parallel lives. A third eye that is too quickly opened can be overwhelming to our system, even scary at times.
Crown Chakra
Finally, the crown chakra is our connection to our higher selves and to the Divine. When this chakra is balanced, very simply, we are connected to greater consciousness.
When it’s blocked, we’re cut off from union with that higher consciousness and we likely only recognize ourselves as human and nothing else. We don’t see ourselves as the Divine in form. We don’t experience ourselves in our true nature. We’re likely to feel fragmented if we’re in tune enough to realize it.
When it’s overactive we might just be very detached from our day-to-day lives, feeling ungrounded, like we’re floating above it all. Of course, we are human too. And we have to live human lives. We chose this experience. If we’re not grounded enough, we miss out on the embodied exploration that catalyzes our soul’s evolution.
How do I bring my chakras back into balance?
People use many different techniques to bring their energetic systems into balance. You have to find the method that works best for your unique body and energetic system. Here are a few of the methods that I’ve used and have known others to use.
- Yoga: Both yoga asana and pranayama can work wonders to balance our energetic systems. It is the oldest known tradition to specifically target the esoteric body.
- Meditation: Of course, a large part of yoga is meditation, but for those who don’t like the yogic tradition, there are other traditions (Buddist, for example) that use meditation alone to settle the mind and body.
- Reiki: Reiki, meaning “universal energy”, is a Japanese healing technique. The practitioner uses their palms to flow energy through the body and promote healing.
- Massage, Acupuncture, and other kinds of bodywork: These techniques manipulate the gross body, usually causing relaxation and releasing toxins from the system, aiding both the physical and energetic bodies.
- Exercise: Movement, I’ve found, is the easiest way to release negative energy from my system if it’s become stagnant. I can do something as simple as dance, take a walk, or jump up and down and immediately feel a shift.
- Soundbaths: It’s scientifically proven that sound affects our systems. We’re constantly inundated with all kinds of harsh noises and frequencies. Soundbaths, in my experience, are a great way to recalibrate the energetic body.
- Cleansing Rituals: I’ve found salt baths to be incredible for cleansing my system. Showers will do in a pinch. The ocean is especially potent. Basically, get wet! Even drinking more water is likely to help. We’re made of mostly water and it’s a powerful energetic cleanser.
- Burning: Some (like me!) prefer to burn sage or incense. Others might prefer a scented candle. People in many indigenous cultures have long used smoke to clear out the energy in a space and within the body.
- Grounding: You might prefer to bring the earth to you by surrounding yourself with crystals. However, another easy way to connect with the earth is to walk on grass with your bare feet. When I’m feeling detached or chaotic, this has made me feel way more grounded and centered.
In addition to any or all of these methods, I’ve found it’s just as important to simply be aware of oneself. This may sound very simple, but if you’re not aware of your own wounds, your avoidance tactics, your ego’s tricks, and your self-limiting beliefs, it’s very easy for chakras to stay blocked.
Yes, the block is in the energetic body, but we’re dealing with a holistic system, here. You can do all the energetic work in the world, but if you’re actively resistant to opening your heart, your heart chakra will stay closed. If you’re refusing to accept truths that scare you, your third eye will stay shut. And if you suppress your emotions, my friend, your sacral is going to be blocked.
We are both energetic and physical beings and we have to marry the two to see any sustainable evolution.
I hope this proved helpful and I wish you well in finding balance!
❤
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