Have you ever heard someone refer to his or her chakras and wondered what they were talking about? I remember when I was younger a friend had a crystal on a sting. She told me to lay on the floor and she held the crystal above certain points of my body. When she reached these certain points that she referred to as the chakras, the crystal would spin in different directions. At first I thought she was manipulating the string until it was my turn to hold it. To my surprise, it moved all on its own! So what’s the meaning of all of this? Chakras are energy points within the body. While there are many interpretations, here is a brief explanation of each of the seven chakras and their associated meanings.

Root Chakra

 The root chakra is located at the base of the spine. A lotus with four petals and the color red symbolizes the root chakra, also known as Muladhara. It is related to instinct, security, survival and to basic human potentiality.* It is also said to be associated with prosperity, abundance, and financial wealth.

Sacral Chakra

The sacral chakra is located in the sacrum, and also referred to as Svadhishthana. It is symbolized by a white lotus within which is a crescent moon, with orange petals. Svadhishthana has been linked to key issues involving relationships, violence, addictions, basic emotional needs, and pleasure. It has also been associated with reproduction, creativity, joy and enthusiasm.*

Solar Plexus/Navel Chakra

The solar plexus is located at the navel and is symbolized by a downward pointing triangle surrounded by ten petals with yellow coloring. Solar plexus is also referred to as Manipura and related to the metabolic and digestive systems. Personal power, fear, anxiety, opinion formation, introversion, and transition from simple or base emotions to complex are all key issues governed by Manipura.

Heart Chakra

Also known as Anahata, the heart chakra is symbolized by a circular flower with twelve green petals. This chakra is located in the chest and related to the thymus, which is an element of the immune system. Anahata’s key issues involve complex emotions, compassion, tenderness, unconditional love, equilibrium, rejection and well-being.* Circulation and emotions are physical elements while passion, and devotion are mental elements of the heart chakra.

Throat Chakra

Also known as Vishuddha, the throat chakra relates to expression and communication. It is represented by the color turquoise and depicted as a silver crescent within a white circle with 16 petals. It governs independence, fluent thought and a sense of security.*

 Third-eye Chakra

Indigo is the color associated with the Anja, or third-eye chakra. This chakra is located between the eyes and is linked to the pineal gland. The pineal gland is known for producing melatonin, which regulates sleep and waking up. The key issues linked to this chakra are balancing the higher and lower selves, trusting inner guidance or intuition, visual consciousness, and spirituality.

Crown Chakra

A lotus with one thousand violet petals symbolizes the crown chakra, or Sahasrara. Located at the top of the head, Sahasrara’s deals with the release of karma, meditation, universal consciousness and unity, and emotional action with “beingness". *

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra