Whether you practice yoga or are into holistic living, you may already know something about energy healing or how to balance chakras. Chakras, meaning "wheels" in Sanskrit, are energy centers spread all over your body. They are connected to specific organs and body parts and play a significant role in your emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
Your chakra system consists of 114 energy centers and 72,000 channels (or nadis) where prana (your life force) flows. Among these 114 centers are seven main chakras where energy is denser and stronger.
When you're born, you come to this world with fully open chakras, and everything you subsequently experience throughout your life — and most importantly, how you deal with these experiences — has an effect on these pools of energy. Yogi tradition states that when a chakra is blocked, overactive, or underactive for an extended time, illnesses start to occur.
Therefore, it’s vital to keep all seven chakras well-nourished with positive and steady energy flow. The best way to ensure your chakra energy is functioning properly is to learn about the symptoms associated with blockages, so you can identify them in your body.
There are plenty of chakra balancing techniques like reiki, chakra meditation, or Tibetan singing bowls, just to name a few. But there are also some simple tools you can include in your everyday life to support your intention of healing energetic misalignments.
Below, you'll find a comprehensive but straightforward guide about each chakra, how to identify potential imbalances, and most importantly, how to balance chakras using natural methods like essential oils and chakra stones.
Healing Crystals and Essential Oils to Balance Your Chakras
Chakra healing is all about cleansing and releasing stagnant and potentially harmful energies created by emotions, thoughts, and everyday habits. Even though chakra healing bracelets, healing crystals, and other holistic tools can be beneficial, the most critical part of this process is mindfulness. Be mindful of how you speak to yourself and try to identify recurring patterns in your life so you can break through any barriers.
How to Balance Your Root Chakra
The first chakra on the chakra chart is the Muladhara — the root chakra. It’s located at the base of the spine and is commonly represented by the color red. The root is where your survival instincts are stored, where you connect with your basic needs of security and stability, and where you create a bond with your physical body.
Signs of an underactive root chakra include:
- Feeling stuck
- Sense of disconnection from your body
- Low vitality
- Feeling drained and unmotivated about life
- Lack of desire
An overactive root chakra may manifest from:
- Excessive amounts of energy
- Anger and quick temper
- Anxiety and an inability to relax
- Greediness
- Eating disorders
- Lack of focus
Activities, Crystals, and Essential Oils for Balancing the Root Chakra
The Muladhara is the center that keeps you grounded to the earth, in the present moment, and aware of your physical body. Therefore, things like taking a walk in nature, engaging your body in physical activities, gardening, or even getting organized at work or home (to give you a sense of structure) are all great ways to balance your first chakra.
If you're interested in adding crystals to your energy healing journey, carry one of these root chakra stones with you:
- Red Jasper: Balances the root, sacral, and solar plexus chakras; encourages connection to the earth
- Onyx: Highly grounding stone; an excellent crystal to prevent energy draining
- Hematite: A great companion for travelers as it helps dispel harmful energies and alleviate motion sickness
The best way to harmonize the first chakra is to indulge in a foot massage with essential oils. Just dilute one of the following in some coconut oil or any other carrier oil of your choice, and enjoy.
- To activate a sluggish root chakra: Nutmeg
- To soothe your root chakra: Patchouli or vetiver
- Other root chakra harmonizing oils: Clove, ginger, cinnamon, bergamot, and myrrh
How to Balance Your Sacral Chakra
The second chakra is also known as the Svadhisthana, represented by the color orange. Located around your navel region, this center is energetically linked to your emotional side. It’s also where your sexual and creative energy is stored.
When your sacral chakra is underactive you may experience:
- Low sex drive
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Lack of creativity
- Fear of change
- Jealousy
When your second center is overactive, you might:
- Indulge in pleasure-seeking behaviors that are not healthy for your mind, body, or soul
- Develop hormone imbalances
- Struggle with obesity
- Feel restless
Activities, Gemstones, and Essential Oils for Balancing the Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra can benefit from activities that awaken your creative, curious, and spontaneous side. Dancing, starting a new art project (painting, drawing, sewing, etc.), getting out of your comfort zone, and saying yes to things that make you happy and healthy are all fantastic ways to balance your second chakra.
If you get a chakra healing bracelet, make sure it includes one of these sacral balancing gemstones:
- Carnelian: Stimulates creativity and promotes healthy choices
- Orange jade: Encourages you to see the best in people; brings prosperity and joyfulness
- Tiger's eye: Promotes clarity of mind and dispels anxiety and fear
Mix a few drops of sacral healing essential oils with your favorite base oil and give yourself a lower back massage. Better yet, ask your partner to do it, creating a moment of intimacy and passion.
- Best essential oil to wake a sleepy sacral chakra: Cardamom
- To calm an overactive second center: Ylang-ylang or neroli
- Second-chakra balancing oils include: Jasmine, sandalwood, citrus oils
How to Balance Your Solar Plexus Chakra
The third chakra is the Manipura, the energetic seat of your personal power and will. Located in your belly button area, it’s where your intuition resides. The solar plexus chakra's themes include understanding your gifts and taking control of your destiny.
An underactive solar plexus chakra may lead to:
- Timidness
- Feelings of unworthiness
- Low self-esteem
- Neediness and codependency
- Lack of confidence
- A hard time making and sticking by your decisions
When your solar plexus is overactive, you may feel:
- Desire to control others
- Lack of empathy
- Arrogance
- Exacerbated competitiveness
Activities, Gemstones, and Essential Oils for Balancing the Solar Plexus Chakra
Since the solar plexus chakra is closely related to the sun's energy, any activities conducted in direct sunlight are excellent third chakra activators. Exercising, pursuing a hobby, or anything that might boost your self-confidence are among the best ways to nourish your solar plexus. Learning how to listen to your intuition and accepting the spontaneity of life are all part of mindful practices to align this energy center.
Carry one of these yellow-hued stones as an energetic tool to harmonize the third chakra's vibrations:
- Citrine: Boosts the immune system and attracts prosperity
- Sunstone: Stimulates positive thoughts and increases vitality
- Rutilated quartz: Encourages self-reflection and helps you release anxiety
Indulge in a belly massage using the following essential oils:
- To boost a sleepy third chakra: Eucalyptus or juniper berry
- To soothe an overactive Manipura: Vetiver or helichrysum
- Harmonizing essential oils also include: Cardamom, orange, lemon, grapefruit
How to Balance Your Heart Chakra
Anahata, the heart chakra, is at the center of your chest. It's represented by the color green, although it's also commonly associated with pink. The fourth chakra is the seat of unconditional love for yourself and others. Its vibration is connected to your sense of self-worth and teaches you to take care of yourself first, then serve others.
You may experience some of the following issues when your heart chakra is underactive:
- Suspicion and a hard time trusting other people
- Fear of love or of opening your heart
- Fear of commitment
- Inability to let people in
- Always finding yourself in challenging relationships
An overactive Anahata can lead to:
- Loss of personal boundaries
- Putting other people's needs ahead of your own
- A judgmental and overly critical attitude
- A controlling personality
- Possessiveness
Activities, Gemstones, and Essential Oils for Balancing the Heart Chakra
Some of the best activities to balance your heart chakra include connecting with yourself and those who surround you. Starting a gratitude journal and practicing random acts of kindness are lovely and thoughtful ways to balance your Anahata.
Volunteering your time for a cause that is close to your heart is a wonderful gesture to embrace unconditional love. Work on self-acceptance and those who are part of your life.
Wear a necklace or pendant with one of these soothing heart chakra stones to encourage more compassionate and kind energy:
- Rose quartz: Restores trust in relationships and supports deep emotional healing
- Malachite: Encourages you to let go of your doubts and accept the past
- Green agate: Promotes compassion and helps in decision-making
Mix a few drops of these essential oils with your favorite massage oil, and apply to your breast bone or middle back area for a heartwarming practice:
- To activate a blocked heart chakra: Palmarosa
- To inspire peace on a hurting heart: Lavender or sweet marjoram
- Other essential oils: Rosewood, jasmine, rose, geranium, rosemary, peppermint
How to Balance Your Throat Chakra
The Vishuddha, or fifth chakra, is also called the communication center. It's represented by the color blue and comprises the shoulders, chest, and throat area. It’s believed to be the center of self-expression, helping you speak your truth and showing your true self to the world.
Some signs of an underactive throat chakra are:
- Timidity
- Distant demeanor
- Difficulty in expressing yourself or struggling to find the right words
- Lack of confidence to speak up
- Feeling lost or disconnected from your purpose
If your Vishuddha is overactive, you might:
- Have a hard time listening to others
- Tend to interrupt others while they're speaking
- Come across as arrogant
- Be overly critical of yourself and others
- Love gossiping
Activities, Gemstones, and Essential Oils for Balancing the Throat Chakra
Activities to balance the throat chakra involve honest communication with yourself and others. Keep a journal where you write your emotions and thoughts, or have a go at public speaking. In social situations, take the first step and engage in conversation with someone. Speak your truth gently, and when someone reaches out to you, hold space so they can freely express themselves.
Pick and carry one of these beautiful blue stones to balance and nourish your throat chakra:
- Apatite: Imparts confidence to speak honestly and keep you motivated to reach your goals
- Sodalite: Empowers you to express your truth and awakens your selfless self
- Turquoise: Promotes self-reflection and stimulates creative problem-solving
Dilute a few drops of these chakra-balancing essential oils in filtered water and spray around your home. You can also use it as a body spray on your chest and neck areas for a balancing effect:
- To activate a shy communication center: Lemon
- To calm an overactive blue chakra: Vanilla or Roman chamomile
- Other harmonizing essential oils: Eucalyptus, coriander seed
How to Balance Your Third Eye Chakra
The third eye chakra, also known as Ajna, is the sixth chakra on the energetic chart. Located between your brows, it's commonly represented by indigo, although sometimes it’s represented by purple. The Ajna is where your inner and outer worlds meet, the center that bridges the gap between conscious and unconscious minds.
An underactive third eye chakra can result in:
- Inability to connect with your spiritual wisdom and higher self
- Hard time self-reflecting and reaching deep within
- Inability to see past the physical world
- Lack of concentration
You might have an overactive sixth chakra if you have continual:
- Indecisiveness
- Mental exhaustion
- Difficulty in distinguishing between fantasy and reality
Activities, Gemstones, and Essential Oils for Balancing the Third Eye Chakra Chakra
Balancing your indigo chakra requires a lot of inner work and spiritual growth. Keeping a dream journal and regularly setting intentions are some of the practical routines you can adopt to balance this center. Being patient with yourself and accepting the growth process will also nourish the Ajna.
Wearing chakra healing jewelry is an easy and beautiful way to support the third eye chakra's vibration. Keep an eye out for these Ajna energizing gemstones when you're selecting your accessories:
- Amethyst: Balances mood swings and activates intuition and spiritual awareness
- Fluorite: Helps to organize your thoughts and supports mental flexibility
- Lapis lazuli: Enhances focus and promotes self-awareness
Apply a few drops of one of these essential oils to your forehead, or use a diffuser to balance the vibrations of the sixth chakra. Another practical option is to carry an essential oil diffuser bracelet:
- To unblock an underactive third eye: Rosemary
- To quiet an overactive Ajna center: German chamomile
- Other third eye chakra aromas include: Sandalwood, vanilla, frankincense
How to Balance Your Crown Chakra
Last but not least comes the Sahasrara, the seventh chakra. It's located at the top of your head and is often depicted as violet or a combination of all the chakra colors. The crown chakra's vibration is the portal that connects you to universal energy, helping you realize that we're all bonded together in this life.
An underactive crown chakra may lead you to experience:
- An inability to see anything but the physical body
- An overactive survival mentality
- Detachment from the divine
- Feelings of abandonment
- Materialism and entitlement
On the other hand, an overactive Sahasrara can trigger:
- Lack of purpose
- Disconnection from your physical body
- Obsession over spiritual matters that leads to disconnection from other people
Activities, Gemstones, and Essential Oils for Balancing the Crown Chakra
Due to its spiritual and holistic quality, the actions that help balance the crown chakra are also spiritual and holistic. Prayer — no matter what divine power you believe in (God, the Universe, etc.) — will nourish the last chakra.
Another crown chakra-balancing activity is volunteering and serving those who need help. Engaging in altruistic acts raises your awareness that you belong to something bigger than yourself.
Carrying a crown chakra healing stone is a simple and vibrant way to energize this center. When you're on the lookout for chakra crystals, keep these options in mind:
- Clear quartz: Repels negative energies and magnifies your intentions
- Rainbow labradorite: Encourages strength and perseverance; raises consciousness
- Amethyst: Dispels anxiety and deepens meditative states
Use a room diffuser with one of these fragrances to harmonize the crown chakra:
- To activate a sluggish seventh chakra: Lavender or Frankincense incense
- To soothe an overactive crown center: Neroli or vanilla
- Other balancing aromas include: Jasmine or rose
How to Balance Chakras: Feel More Vibrant and Aligned With Your True Self
Being able to identify signs and symptoms of misaligned chakras is the first step to harmonizing your energy. You can use this guide and follow these tips to improve your overall well-being on a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual level.
By harnessing the power of stones and using the timeless wisdom of plants, you can take your energetic health into your own hands and be your own energetic healer.
