Practical Ways to Work with Your Chakras

Reading Note: This post is an excerpt from my current understanding and experience with the chakras. It’s important to recognize that what I share here is not absolute truth but rather a personal exploration. The traditional school of thought surrounding the chakra system is vast and varied, and my approach may diverge from it. I believe spirituality is a fluid, evolving journey—one that is deeply personal and unique to each individual. When spirituality becomes rigid, it loses its magic. For me, it’s about sinking deeper into self-awareness, like falling through the rabbit hole of Alice in Wonderland, uncovering the illusory nature of consciousness. It’s about tuning into the subtle layers of life, the small nuances, and the vast energetic body.

The chakra system is a widely known framework for understanding the body’s energy centers. While it generally follows the concept of seven main energy centers, interpretations can vary, with some traditions recognizing more or fewer chakras.

Recently, I created a series of herbal tea blends designed to match the energy of each chakra. Each chakra holds a unique energetic signature—a distinct feeling state, much like different colors each evoke their own emotions and expressions.

Getting Started with Chakras

A simple way to begin working with the chakras is to explore your intuitive connection to each one. When you focus on a specific chakra, what images, feelings, colors, sounds, or symbols arise? Try drawing, writing, or creating art while contemplating each one.

The Seven Chakras & Their Energetic Signatures

Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)

Openness, expansion, connection.The crown chakra represents unity with the greater whole—the feeling of being connected to Source, God, or the infinite intelligence of the universe.

Third Eye Chakra (Ajna)

Insight, imagination, prophecy.This is the center of intuition and vision. It is the place where destiny can be envisioned and clarity of path can emerge.

Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)

Expression, truth, manifestation.The throat chakra governs our ability to speak our existence into reality. It reminds us that words hold power, and what we put into the world will return to us.

Heart Chakra (Anahata)

Love, grief, alignment.The heart is where emotions like grief and love reside. If we suppress our truth or ignore our soul’s calling, the heart feels the burden. It is the gateway to living in full alignment.

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)

Action, willpower, digestion.This energy center is the seat of personal power, where intuition meets action. It helps us process the world and determine our next steps.

Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana)

Creativity, transformation, passion.This is the chakra of rebirth, artistic expression, and the lust for life. It fuels passion and ingenuity, keeping our inner fire alive.

Root Chakra (Muladhara)

Stability, grounding, trust.The root chakra embodies security and connection to the earth’s natural cycles. It holds space for transformation while keeping us firmly anchored in the present.

Working with Chakras in Everyday Life

Your understanding of the chakras will deepen as you begin to engage with them. One practice I love is automatic writing:

Choose a chakra.
Place your hand over the corresponding energy center.
Ask your body to reveal the essence of this chakra.
Free-write about whatever comes up, without judgment.

The chakras often communicate imbalances through the body. For example, the other day, I was torn between staying at the park or going home. I felt tightness in my chest—a familiar sensation I experience when I overanalyze decisions (an overreliance on the third eye chakra). By recognizing these patterns, I can navigate my energy more consciously.

An Ode to Duality: A Personal Reflection

Right now, my body is aching. Transitions are hard, and I’m in the thick of one. Spiritually, I feel like a shepherd wandering an endless field with imaginary sheep.

I recently started weightlifting again after months off, and my right arm can barely move.

Today, I went duck hunting—but not in the traditional sense. My friends and I ran around the farm with fishing nets, chasing them like fools (don’t worry, no ducks were harmed).

As I move through this time, old patterns resurface. Memories float in and out, brief glimpses of the past revisiting me before dissolving again.

Time is linear, but memories are forever.

My mind is somewhere between nostalgia and quiet satisfaction, ebbing and flowing with the tides of emotional release. This is a transitionary period.

And it is not for the faint of heart.

I knew taking this leap into the unknown would change everything. But I never realized just how slow, long, and drawn-out this unraveling would be. This in-between phase, where I’m shedding layers and stepping into something new, feels like an almost delusional pursuit of freedom—but I know deep down, it’s the right kind of delusion. The kind that leads to something extraordinary.