Chakras: What They Are and How To Start Using Them

by Rachel Erazo of Modron Lotus Garden

chakra-blogtitle-mlg

There are centers of energy within your body called chakras. These spheres are constantly in movement, moving energy throughout your body.

When aligned and balanced, you physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually feel at peace. But, as energy is constantly shifting, your chakras can move out of alignment. This post will teach you about chakras and how to achieve optimal alignment for spiritual and overall well being.

What are chakras?

To put it simply, chakras are energy centers within our bodies. They’re constantly moving and shifting.

To explain a little further, check out this scene from Avatar: The Last Airbender:

**Note: Yes, the video doesn’t explain in depth what each chakra is but it’s a great introduction, especially for teaching children. I highly recommend watching Avatar for it’s introductory take on the elements, different forms of martial arts, and the use of meditation and energy work.**

There’s many different chakra areas in your body but there’s seven major ones that we’ll focus on.

Root (Earth) Chakra – Muladhara
This is located at the base of the spine and is our foundation. We use this chakra to be grounded and stable. It also deals with our instincts, security, and survivability.

When its out of balance we may feel anxiety, hopelessness, or instability.

Sacral (Water) Chakra – Svadhisthana
This energy center is located in the pelvis. It involves our sexuality, creativity, confidence, and ability to accept others/new experiences.

When out of balance, there may be issues of addiction, emotional imbalance, a lack of well-being, and feelings of loneliness.

Solar Plexus (Fire) Chakra – Maripura
This area deals with out self-esteem, self-love, willpower, energy, and vitality.

Problems with gas, stomach ulcers, procrastination, or a lack of confidence can occur when this chakra is out of alignment.

Heart Chakra – Anahata
This chakra is located in the center of the chest.

​It’s considered the connection between mind, body, and spirit; it connects the lower chakras to the upper within our body and acts as a bridge between the two.

This energy center deals with love, inner peace, and connection.

There’s guilt and a fear of intimacy, along with asthma, heart conditions, or allergies, when this center is unbalanced.

Throat Chakra – Vishuddha
This chakra is located in the throat, governing truth, verbal expression, and self-expression.

Feelings of confinement, difficulty expressing your feelings, sore throats, and thyroid problems are signs of an imbalance.

Third-Eye Chakra – Ajna
Located between the eyebrows, our third eye is the center of our intuition and focusing abilities.

Problems with eyesight, lack of intuition, and hormone imbalances can occur when this chakra needs to be reopened or realigned.

Crown Chakra – Sahaswara
This chakra connects us to our higher self, Guides, deities, and universal energy and spiritual sources. It’s at the crown of the head.

When unbalanced, you can experience problems with meditation, sleep deprivation, and generally feeling disconnected.

How do I know my chakras are out of balance?

It depends on how bad the shift is.

Sometimes it’s very slight; you can’t tell that much of a difference. Maybe your pelvis feels slightly off or you’ve had to pop your knuckles today. Something small and unnoticed.

But let’s say you get really sick. Your throats is burning, your eyes are watery, nose is dripping, and you’re running a fever. Although it may not be the cause, chances are your throat and crown chakras are out of alignment. Re-balancing them will help you recover quicker.

When can go our whole lives without being realigned; the energy within our bodies can shift back into place. However, when we take initiative and realign our own energy, we’re taking our complete health and well-being into our own hands.
You don’t have to go to a guru and have your chakras worked on for over an hour to be realigned (although that is a viable option).

Re-balancing your energy can can easily be done from the comfort of your own home or while you’re going about your day. Here’s some ways you can change it!

Food

Yes, eating food can realign your chakras. But don’t break out the Ding Dongs yet!

You have to eat:
Food that nourishing for your body
Corresponds to the different chakras

An easy way to do this is just with the color of the food you’re eating. But here’s a sample list of foods you can use:

Chakras and Food

Essential Oils

Using essential oils for balancing your chakras is one of my favorite ways to realign! But I also love smelly things like candles and oils.

You can make your own perfume, candles, hair mist, or anything you can think of with these oils to rebalance yourself. Bath bombs are my favorite; plus it’s bath magic! Woo!

Here’s a list of oils you can use:

Chakras and Oils

*If you are looking to purchase essential oils, please look no further than Danielle’s doTERRA page where you will receive personalized guidance to choosing the best essential oils for your lifestyle and well-being. Please click here to shop and e-mail Danielle at realmofvibesdg@gmail.com to get started!

Crystals

One of the more popular methods amongst the witchy community, crystals can be used to realign your chakras or increase their vibration.

All you have to do is place the properly corresponded crystal on the energy center and meditate/relax for awhile. Here’s a list to help get you started:

Chakras and Crystals

Tarot readings

Tarot can be used to tell you the current status of your chakras and what you can do to realign yourself. This method can be incredibly personal, which is very good for realigning your chakras in everyday ways.

Picture

Picture

Picture

I do offer a reading for identifying the state of your chakras and offering advice on how to fix them on my shop. It uses the lovely Dreams of Gaia tarot (as you can see above).

Pendulums

My absolutely FAVORITE way to balance my chakras: using my pendulum. I do this after I take a long, bubble bath and boy do I sleep great.

One way you can use a pendulum is to stand over someone who needs their chakras balanced, place the pendulum over each center, and ask it to realign that chakra. It will take a minute to do this; as one chakra moves into position another may move out. So be super diligent.

Another way is to simply have your hand out with your pendulum over it. Ask it to realign or balance your chakras. Done! The downside to this method: you don’t know what’s out of alignment because it’s so general.

My personal favorite is to make a pendulum board specifically for your chakras and have your pendulum tell you which is unbalanced and let it work on each one individually. I made one in my personal witchy journal and it works fantastic! Very much a sketch, but it works for me.

Picture
And voila! There’s your introductory guide to chakras, what they are, and how to realign them in everyday ways!

If you liked this article and want to share your thoughts, hop over to the Facebook group for witchlings.

What do you think about chakras? What other ways can you align them?  Leave a comment below!

​Until next time, stay balanced!

Namaste.

 

Chakras-Pinterest

If you are interested in guest posting on Realm of Vibes, please visit the Contact page and fill out the form. Or, e-mail realmofvibesdg@gmail.com 

Red Jasper: Protection & Passion

Whatever I write about Red Jasper would not give it the amount of respect it deserves. One of the reasons why I wanted to become a Seeking OM ambassador was to further my education about crystals and integrate them into my life to promote good energy and vibes. I chose to write about my Red Jasper gemstone bracelet last because my mind kept racing about which life topics to integrate into my post…

Let’s begin with the details about Red Jasper:

  • Red Jasper: red with orange, yellow or tan undertones
  • Aides: gently stimulating, grounds energy, rectifies unjust situations, calms the emotions, stone of protection, supreme nurturer, balances and stabilizes
  • Chakra: Root, first Chakra, responsible for fight or flight, governs sexuality, stability, sensuality, and security
  • Buddha: Indian God bringing enlightenment and wisdom

20170307_144633

And if you don’t already know about Seeking OM:

  • They are a Boston based artisan company
  • They create men and women’s jewelry which can heal the 7 chakras
  • You can customize your own jewelry by
    • stone (Howlite, Tiger’s Eye, Moonstone, Kyanite),
    • style (plain, Buddha, Ganesh, Sandalwood, Lava stone)
    • size (small, medium, large)

I’m Italian, and I have a Cornicello (little horn) and Mano Cornuto (index and pinky fingers extended, thumb on top of middle and ring fingers). They are worn in Italian culture to ward away evil. The Red Jasper gemstone bracelet reminds me of my cultural jewelry, ready to protect me from lifes curveballs and craziness.

20170307_144519

I typically wear Red Jasper:

  • when I feel “off”
  • when I have days where I think, “Is it you, or is it me?”
  • when I feel like I am going to walk into a vulnerable situation
  • when my anxiety creeps up
  • when I need energy, and/or a metabolism boost
  • when I am having trouble making decisions

Red Jasper is my support stone. It protects from evil energy, relieves stress, clears the mind, guards against physical threats, stimulates passion, and promotes healing energies.

Red Jasper has come into my life during a period of change and uncertainty. All the Seeking OM gemstone bracelets serve as reminders for their intended purposes. My mind, heart, and hands are open; ready to receive Red Jasper’s guidance and protection.

Namaste.

Be sure to check out my other Seeking OM posts:

Disclosure:  I received gemstone jewelry from Seeking OM in return for a featured post on Realm of Vibes and social media platforms. All opinions and views within are authentic. Have you considered featuring your business or service on Realm of Vibes? Please visit my Collaborate page or e-mail realmofvibesdg@gmail.com to get started. 

Adobe Spark (46)

Real Men Wear Beads

It’s unfortunate that most men in my family can’t wear jewelry to work, not even a wrist watch. My husband, a law enforcement officer, wears an indestructible watch and his wedding ring. My dad and uncles are mechanics so jewelry is not an option. On special occasions, however, the men in my life break out the jewelry, whether it be a fancy wrist watch, chain, or bracelet.

20170212_130453

When Seeking OM sent me two men’s gemstone bracelets, I was chuckling at thought of telling my husband about the concept of gemstone jewelry. He doesn’t understand chakras or crystals. It’s too abstract for him as he is a concrete, black-or-white kind of person. He has never taken a yoga class. He looked at me with one eyebrow raised as I explained to him the impact of the jewelry and the energy it releases. He jokingly said, “If I wear that thing, will it send us the energy to win a million dollars? Let me get this straight, Danielle, you have to CHARGE your bracelet under a Full Moon? Why don’t you just use that sage thing that you whirl around the house with and clean it that way?” Who knew I married a comedian?

20170209_135131

The first gemstone bracelet is the Dumortierite and Lava Stone. Seeking OM hit the nail on the head with this bracelet, as my husband’s favorite colors, black and blue (reminding us of the thin blue line).

  • Dumortierite: promotes self-discipline, clarity and enhances focus and organizational abilities. It assists in standing up for yourself, offering patience and courage.
  • Lava Stone: stone of strength, courage and fertility
  • Chakra: Throat, fifth, expression of feelings via communication

These qualities could relate to my husband being in law enforcement. He has a lot of self-discipline, requires focus to do his job, he must stand up for himself to face criminality, and needs a lot of courage and patience to deal with what he encounters daily. Communication is very easy for him; he articulates his thoughts professionally and kindly, and is often my rock of strength. This is the perfect gemstone bracelet for him.

20170209_135007

The second gemstone bracelet by Seeking OM is Tiger’s Eye. I am giving the Tiger’s Eye bracelet to my dad. He has been surrounded by three women who believe in alternative, complimentary healing methods, so he is accepting and open to trying new things.

  • Color: browns and blacks
  • Aides: Tiger’s Eye is grounding, balancing, earthy, and promotes optimism
  • Chakra: Solar Plexus and Third Eye: The solar plexus is related to the metabolic and digestive systems. The Third Eye provides perception before ordinary sight.

My dad always tries to look at the bright side of things, even when I am having a bad day. Living with three women for most of his life, he provides balance, and is the grounding force in our family, bringing us all where we need to be to live peacefully.

20170212_130600

If you didn’t know by my previous posts, Seeking OM, is a Boston based artisan company. Their jewelry, for both men and women, can heal the 7 chakras and can empower you to be the best version of yourself. When you visit the Seeking OM website, you will be able to customize your own jewelry by stone (Howlite, Tiger’s Eye, Moonstone, Kyanite), style (plain, Buddha, Ganesh, Sandalwood, Lava stone) and size (small, medium, large). The options are endless!

Although the men in my life can’t wear jewelry daily due to their professions, they can still take advantage of the benefits of crystals and gemstone jewelry when they are home or on special occasions. At the end of the day, real men wear beads.

Namaste.

My other Seeking OM posts:

Disclosure:  I received gemstone jewelry from Seeking OM in return for a featured post on Realm of Vibes and social media platforms. All opinions and views within are authentic. Have you considered featuring your business or service on Realm of Vibes? Please visit my Collaborate page or e-mail realmofvibesdg@gmail.com to get started. Namaste.

adobe-spark-31

seekingom

Calm, Patient, and Seeking OM

I had a Buddha of Abundance break into a million pieces on my desk. It was the topic of the day. I was the laughing stock. Buddha couldn’t handle my stress. He wasn’t feeling my vibe. You could imagine how I felt when I received the Howlite and Ganesh gemstone bracelet from Seeking OM. I wasn’t sure if it was going to shatter as soon as I donned it on my wrist. I chuckled as I read the description:

  • Color: white with grey veining
  • Aides: a calming stone, antidote to insomnia due to an overactive mind, formulates ambitions, both spiritual and material, and aids in achieving them. Teaches patience, eliminates rage and uncontrolled anger.
  • Chakra: Crown, located at the top of the head, is the state of pure consciousness
  • Ganesh: Hindu God, Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles, both material and spiritual

howlite

When I was a child, I was an insomniac. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and play Sega Genesis into the wee hours of the morning. When I was done playing video games, I would read and write for hours. Mornings were terrible. As I got older, different stresses made sleeping even more impossible. It wasn’t until I got married, had a stable job, and moved into the middle of nowhere that I was finally able to sleep through the night. On occasion, I will toss and turn, become restless and antsy, causing my husband to turn over and say, “Turn it off, Danielle!” He means my mind. He knows I am thinking about my to-do list, or the foster dog, or my blog, or work. What I discovered from receiving this gemstone bracelet is that Howlite is a calming stone, that can be placed under the pillow to help insomnia. Next time I can’t sleep, this gemstone bracelet will be my new best friend.

Scott and Kae, owners of Seeking OM, read my mind. I often wear the Howlite and Ganesh gemstone bracelet to work, where my patience can be tested by the non-compliant patient, the disgruntled nurse, or the unhappy doctor. Any profession where you interact with people can be trying. I joke with my coworkers, “I have no patience for my patients.” The Howlite and Ganesh bracelet serves as a reminder to be cool, calm and collected.

20170203_172434

For those of you that don’t know, Seeking OM, is a Boston based artisan company. Their jewelry, for both men and women, can heal the 7 chakras and can empower you to be the best version of yourself. Seeking OM’s bracelets range from $25-33 USD, and can be customized by stone, style, and size. Seeking OM also sells malas and candles.

The detailing in the Howlite and Ganesh gemstone bracelet is exquisite. I loved the marbled look, the gorgeous Swarovski crystals, and the Ganesh pendant, which I enjoy dangling from my wrist, knowing that he helps remove obstacles from my path. I wear it on my left wrist, because it picks up the bling from my engagement ring and wedding band. (Don’t mind my pasty white hand and unmanicured nails!)

20170203_172635

In case you were wondering, Seeking OM’s Howlite and Ganesh bracelet didn’t shatter when I donned it on my wrist. In fact, it spoke to me. It gave me relief and a calming cue; “Take a deep breath, this too shall pass.”

Read my last Seeking OM post – Amethyst & Ganesh

Visit Seeking OM to explore more gemstone jewelry, malas, and candles. Like them on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram, and Pinterest. Shop small, live large.

Disclosure:  I received gemstone jewelry from Seeking OM in return for a featured post on Realm of Vibes and social media platforms. All opinions and views within are authentic. Have you considered featuring your business or service on Realm of Vibes? Please visit my Collaborate page or e-mail realmofvibesdg@gmail.com to get started. Namaste.

seekingom

 

 

Meditation, Peace & Strength

I have practiced yoga since I was thirteen years old. I accompanied my mom to work at a nearby YMCA, where I would take a ninety-minute beginner yoga class with a short, brunette instructor named Mary. I was the youngest person in the class, surrounded by an encouraging, experienced group of yogis. I left before Shavasana every class. One Sunday, before class started, Mary asked to speak with me privately. She asked me to stay for Shavasana and explained the importance of meditation and fully surrendering both my mind and body after a yoga practice. I obliged, but I felt uncomfortable. “I’m just laying here!” I thought. “I could be on the treadmill!” I didn’t know how to meditate. Mary would gently press her index and middle fingers on my temples and quietly whispered, “Relax your mind. Think of nothing.”

I am so honored, and proud to announce, that Seeking OM, a Boston based artisan company, acquired yours truly as a brand ambassador to promote their exquisite crystal & gemstone jewelry. Their jewelry, for both men and women, can heal the 7 chakras and can empower you to be the best version of yourself. When you visit the Seeking OM website, you will be able to customize your own jewelry by stone (Howlite, Tiger’s Eye, Moonstone, Kyanite), style (plain, Buddha, Ganesh, sandalwood, lava stone) and size (small, medium, large). Seeking OM has a great motto: find your journey, find your true self. Their mission is to guide you to find a way of healing your chakra, physical and mental body.

20170131_105222

My Amethyst and Ganesh gemstone bracelet has many shades of purple. The crystals absorb, conserve, focus, and emit energy for the set intention. A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal, used for making jewelry. With consistent use, crystals may become saturated with negative energy. It is recommended you re-energize the crystals every four days. To re-energize, you can rest the jewelry under a full moon, under Sun rays, or in brown rice or Himalayan salt. (Dispose of the rice or salt after use.) To clean your jewelry (recommended every two weeks), use a damp cloth (water only), and dry completely. Never submerge your gemstone jewelry, or spray colognes/perfumes, as that will not only damage the crystal/stone, but congest it.

20170131_104737

What I love about Seeking OM’s gemstone jewelry is the complexity. Here are the components of the Amethyst and Ganesh gemstone bracelet:

·      Amethyst: protective and powerful stone, purple in color

·      Aides: protects from psychic attacks, turns energy into love, balances highs and lows, excellent for meditation, peace, and strength

·      Chakra: Crown, located at the top of the head, is the state of pure consciousness

·      Ganesh pendant: Hindu God, Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles, both material and spiritual

amethystganesh

The Amethyst and Ganesh gemstone bracelet brought me back to my early years as a teenage yogi. Before I donned the bracelet on my wrist, I allowed myself to reflect on my personal growth and development regarding meditation and finding inner peace. My thirteen-year-old self didn’t value Shavasana. Her mind ran wild and she didn’t know how to let her thoughts go. Almost 18 years later, the woman typing this blog values her guided meditation apps, and allocates a few minutes each day to meditate. Before I leave for yoga class, I slip on Seeking OM’s Amethyst and Ganesh gemstone bracelet to serve as a reminder to let it go. And for Shavasana, well, that’s become my favorite pose.

seekingom

Visit Seeking OM to explore more gemstone jewelry, malas, and candles. Like them on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram, and Pinterest. Shop small, live large.

Disclosure:  I received gemstone jewelry from Seeking OM in return for a featured post on Realm of Vibes and social media platforms. All opinions and views within are authentic. Have you considered featuring your business or service on Realm of Vibes? Please visit my Collaborate page or e-mail realmofvibesdg@gmail.com to get started. Namaste.