Heal Yourself Through Color

The Ancient Indian philosophy of “Chakras” or energy centers of the human body and the colors that represent them are revolutionizing a hot new trend today. Dressing in the colors of the Chakras is said to stimulate our Chakra centers and help cure the imbalances or the problematic area of our bodies. To better understand color therapy here’s a brief look into the 7 Chakras or Energy centers and what they represent.

According to traditional Indian medicine and also noticed in the Greek writings of Plato, it is believed that the body has 7 main energy centers, which are connected to major organs and glands that govern other parts of the body. Each of these main energy centers are referred to as ‘Chakra’ – a Sanskrit word which means wheel and symbolizes a wheel-like spinning vortex of life force energy. For your body to stay healthy, it is said that all the 7 chakras need to be balanced. If our surroundings are healthy and positive, we receive positive energy and feel good. This balance of inner physical, mental and emotional energies can also be achieved through light and its colors which physically affect our glands and hormones and have an influence on our feelings.

The 7 Chakras and their colors are-

1. Root Chakra  - RED

Sanskrit name: Muladhara

Location: Base of spine and in the region of the pubic bone. Includes genitals and reproductive organs.
Symbol, Color and Sound: Muladhara (Root/Base Chakra) is symbolized by a lotus with four petals. Red is the color of energy, vitality and power. Sound “lam”.
Influences: Sexuality, mentally it governs stability, emotionally – sensuality and spiritually it influences a sense of security.

2. Sacral Chakra – ORANGE

Sanskrit name: Swadhisthana, Svadisthana

Location: Sacrum, below the navel near the lower abdomen.
Symbol, Color and Sound: Lotus with six petals. Color orange used to increase immunity. Sound “vam”.
Influences: Physically, Svadisthana is related to reproduction, mentally it governs creativity, emotionally it  is responsible for joy and spiritually influences enthusiasm.

3. The Solar Plexus Chakra – YELLOW

Sanskrit name: Manipura

Location: Above the navel, stomach area
Symbol, Color and Sound: lotus with ten petals. Yellow is the color of intellect and it’s used for mental stimulation. Sound “ram”.
Influences: Physically, Manipura influences digestion, mentally – personal power, emotionally – expansiveness and spiritually- all matters of growth.

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4. The Heart Chakra – GREEN

Sanskrit name: Anahata

Location: Center of chest
Symbol, Color and Sound:Lotus flower with twelve petals. Colour green is the color of balance an healing. Sound “yam”.
Influences: Physically Anahata is related to circulation, emotionally – unconditional love for the self and others, mentally – passion and spiritually – devotion.

5. The Throat Chakra – BLUE

Sanskrit name: Vishuddha, Vishuddhi

Location:Throat region, parallel to the thyroid gland
Symbol, Color and Sound: Lotus with sixteen petals. Color blue helps to communicate your emotions properly. Sound “ham”.
Influences: Physically Vishuddha influences communication, emotionally- independence, mentally – fluent thought and spiritually associated with a sense of security.

6. The Brow Chakra – INDIGO

Sanskrit name: Ajna (also known as the third eye chakra)

Location: Forehead, in between the eyes.
Symbol, Color and Sound: lotus with two petals. Color indigo will help you to connect with spiritual self. Sound “om”.
Influences: Physically Ajna governs co-ordination, emotionally it deals with clarity on an intuitive level, mentally it influences intuition and spiritually it  brings a sense of trust.

7. The Crown Chakra – VIOLET

Sanskrit name: Sahasrara

Location: Top of head. Connects to the central nervous system via the hypothalamus and the thalamus.
Symbol, Color and Sound: Lotus with one thousand petals. Color violet has a cleansing power and inspires the spiritual nature.

Influences: Physically Sahasrara impacts knowingness and wisdom, emotionally it deals with beingnness, mentally  it brings forth universal consciousness and unity.

The trend of wearing colors according to the Chakras to stimulate these energies is more than just a fad. With thousands of years of history many believe that colors help us achieve a balance of mind and body.