Chakras 101: A Simple Guide to Your Body's Energy Centers
Chakra is a word people throw around a lot without ever getting a straight answer about what it actually means. So let's talk about it plainly, the way I would if you were sitting across from me instead of reading this on a screen.
What a chakra is
Chakra comes from Sanskrit, an ancient language from India that many spiritual and yogic traditions are rooted in. The word translates roughly to wheel or disk. That name doesn't describe how the chakras are arranged in the body, which is in a straight line up the spine. It describes the shape of each individual chakra on its own, pictured as its own small spinning disk of energy, like a wheel turning in place or a lotus flower with petals rotating around a center point.
The tradition holds that the body has seven main energy centers running from the base of the spine to the top of the head, each associated with a different part of physical, emotional, and spiritual life. Each one also carries its own color, symbol, and petal count, which we'll go through below. In my own work, I treat the aura as an eighth chakra, which I'll explain after we go through the traditional seven.
The body's energy itself is well documented. Your heart, brain, and nervous system all run on measurable electrical activity, and that field of research continues to grow. The chakra system as a map of energy points is an older tradition, one that many people, myself included, find genuinely useful, even though it hasn't been studied and confirmed the same way clinical science operates. I want to be upfront about that distinction rather than blur it, because I'd rather you trust what I tell you than be impressed by it.
Here's the line I actually want you to remember: your body has been trying to talk to you since long before you had words for any of this, and learning your chakras is just finally agreeing to listen.
The seven chakras
Root chakra, called Muladhara in Sanskrit, sits at the base of the spine. Its color is red, and its traditional symbol is a four-petaled lotus. In the tradition, it's associated with a sense of safety, stability, and belonging. For example, someone going through a move, a job loss, or any major life shift might notice this is the chakra that feels most unsettled.
Sacral chakra, or Svadhisthana, sits just below the navel. Its color is orange, and its symbol is a six-petaled lotus. It's traditionally associated with creativity, pleasure, and emotional flow. For example, someone who feels creatively stuck, or numb to things they used to genuinely enjoy, might connect that to this chakra.
Solar plexus chakra, or Manipura, sits in the upper abdomen. Its color is yellow, and its symbol is a ten-petaled lotus. It's traditionally linked to confidence, willpower, and a sense of personal agency. For example, someone who struggles to set boundaries or often feels overlooked in their own decisions might trace that back here.
Heart chakra, or Anahata, sits at the center of the chest. Its color is green, and its symbol is a twelve-petaled lotus. It's traditionally connected to love, compassion, and connection to others and to yourself. For example, someone moving through grief, heartbreak, or a habit of guarding themselves from closeness might look to this chakra.
Throat chakra, or Vishuddha, sits at the throat. Its color is blue, and its symbol is a sixteen-petaled lotus. It's traditionally associated with communication and speaking one's truth. For example, someone who avoids conflict or tends to hold back what they actually want to say might see this chakra as the one worth exploring.
Third eye chakra, or Ajna, sits between the eyebrows. Its color is indigo, and its symbol is a two-petaled lotus. It's traditionally linked to intuition, insight, and inner clarity. For example, someone who feels foggy, indecisive, or disconnected from their own instincts might associate that with this chakra.
Crown chakra, or Sahasrara, sits at the top of the head. Its color is violet or white, and its symbol is a thousand-petaled lotus. It's traditionally associated with a sense of connection to something larger than oneself. For example, someone questioning their sense of purpose, or feeling spiritually adrift, might connect that search to this chakra.
Why the petal count changes
Each petal is traditionally tied to a Sanskrit sound, and the count grows as you move up the body because each higher chakra is said to hold the sound-energy of every chakra beneath it, along with its own. The root's four petals represent the smallest, most basic set of these sounds. By the time you reach the crown's thousand petals, the number stops being literal and becomes symbolic, essentially meaning infinite, representing the crown as the point where everything from the chakras below it is gathered up. The petals aren't ranking the chakras by importance. They're marking how much each one is said to contain and integrate from the ones that came before it.
The eighth chakra, the aura
This is where my own approach goes a step further than the traditional seven. I treat the aura, the energy field that surrounds the entire body rather than sitting at one point on it, as an eighth chakra in its own right. Unlike the other seven, it isn't tied to a single color. It carries all of them at once, shifting constantly based on what a person is feeling, what they're carrying, and what's happening around them in the moment. Where the first seven chakras are more like individual instruments, I think of the aura as the whole field they're playing into, changing shape and tone as everything else moves through it.
Signs a chakra may be out of balance
People who work with this system often look for patterns rather than single moments. A repeating theme in relationships, a recurring worry, or a feeling that keeps resurfacing in the same area of life could be worth paying attention to, though there are usually many possible explanations for any single feeling, and chakra imbalance is only one lens among several people use to make sense of what they're experiencing.
Ways people work with their chakras
There's no single required ritual here. Some people use quiet breathing, focusing attention on the part of the body connected to a particular chakra. Others journal about a pattern they keep noticing, or simply try to name what they're feeling instead of moving past it. Color visualization, using the traditional color tied to each chakra, is another common practice.
For some people, working through a pattern on their own is enough. Others prefer guided support, especially around something as significant as grief or a long-standing emotional pattern.
That's the space my Soul Connection Healing sessions work in. If you're not local to Woodstock.
My Remote Soul Connection Healing sessions offer the same guided energy work from anywhere.
A note on accuracy
The body's energy is real and measurable, and the chakra system is a belief tradition with centuries of history built around it. I use it in my own work, and many people find it meaningful, but it isn't a substitute for medical or mental health care. If something feels physically or emotionally serious, please see a qualified doctor or therapist.
Frequently asked questions
How many chakras are there?
Most traditions describe seven main chakras running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, though some systems include additional minor energy points elsewhere in the body. In my own work, I also treat the aura, the field surrounding the body, as an eighth chakra.
Why is chakra translated as wheel?
The name refers to the shape of each individual chakra, pictured as a small spinning disk of energy, rather than to how the seven are arranged in the body, which is in a straight line along the spine.
Why do the chakras have different numbers of petals?
Each petal is tied to a Sanskrit sound, and the count grows as you move up the body because each chakra is said to carry the sounds of every chakra below it, along with its own. The crown's thousand petals is a symbolic number representing infinite, boundless consciousness rather than a literal count.
What do the colors of the chakras mean?
Each of the seven main chakras is traditionally associated with a specific color, starting with red at the root and moving through orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet or white at the crown. These colors are sometimes used in visualization practices tied to each energy center.
What's the difference between chakras and auras?
Chakras are traditionally described as specific energy centers within the body, while an aura is described as the broader energy field said to surround the body. Most systems describe the aura as generated by the seven chakras beneath it. In my own approach, I treat the aura itself as an eighth chakra, one that carries every color at once and shifts constantly rather than holding a single fixed one.
Do I need to believe in chakras for this to be useful?
That's a personal choice. Some people find value in the framework as a tool for paying closer attention to their own patterns, whether or not they view it literally.
Is there a right way to start learning about my chakras?
There's no single correct starting point. Reading about each chakra, trying simple breathing or color visualization, or working with someone experienced in energy work are all reasonable ways to begin, depending on what feels right to you.
If you're ready to work through this with support, you can book a session with me here.
