In recent years, the topic of chakras has been circulating more and more across social media and within Western society. However, the chakra system originated thousands of years ago as a focal point of various ancient practices within Eastern cultures. Chakras represent the interconnected centers of energy within our bodies. These metaphysical energy points are believed to govern various aspects of our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Chakras are energy centers within the human body that help to regulate its processes
and well-being 123. They are invisible to the human eye, but can be felt and sensed
with intuition 42. They are also called “wheels” or “disks” of spinning energy, and they correspond to nerve bundles, major organs, and areas of our emotional and physical health 235. The word chakra comes from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient language of India 25.
Understanding and balancing the seven chakras is considered essential for
harmonizing the body, mind and spirit—ultimately leading to a more enriched and fulfilling life. Parade spoke with Cassie Spires about the chakra system to help you better comprehend the profound powers of these energetic gateways.
Spires is a multi-creative free spirit and a long-time enthusiast for self-transformation through the power of sound. She shares content with her 775k+ followers on TikTok.
Chakras play a significant role in both our spiritual and psychological well-being.
Plus, they can personally influence various aspects of our lives. The meaning of chakras may seem like a lot to understand at first, but with expert knowledge
from Cassie Spires, we’ll uncover everything you need to know.
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Again, What Are Chakras?
You may have heard people talking about their chakras being unbalanced, or how
certain healing crystals are better for particular chakras. But what are chakras, exactly?
“Chakra is Sanskrit for ‘wheel of light,'” Spires tells Parade. “It is a thousand of years old term used by Eastern cultures to describe the energy, or subtle body. Some refer to this part of ourselves as an aura, or light body.” Spires continues, “The chakras radiate seven colors: that of the rainbow. Each one governs a different aspect of the human experience.”
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What Do the Seven Chakras Mean?
As Spires mentioned, each of the seven chakras governs a different aspect of the human experience and radiates a color of the rainbow. Here is what the seven chakras mean and represent:
Root = Red: Survival, security, grounding, stability, safety
Sacral = Orange: Pleasure, creativity, inspiration, connection and relationships
Solar Plexus = Yellow: Willpower, determination, confidence, motivation
Heart = Green: Love, compassion, forgiveness
Throat = Blue: Communication and authenticity
Third Eye = Indigo: Vision and imagination; seeing the bigger picture
Crown = Violet: Understanding, divine wisdom, spiritual connection
Where Are the Seven Chakras Located?
Each of the seven chakras is located within a corresponding part of the physical body.
“The human body has hundreds of chakras, but the seven main energy centers begin
at the base of the spine and rise to the crown of the head,” Spires added.
Root: Base of the spine
Sacral: Lower abdomen
Solar Plexus: Between the navel and at the bottom of the rib cage
Heart: Heart area, around the chest
Throat: Base of the throat, coinciding with the thyroid gland
Third Eye: Between the eyebrows
Crown: Top or crown of the head
What Powers Do Chakras Have?
When our chakras are balanced, they can bestow us with a wide array of powers—from roundedness to creativity and confidence. Understanding and nurturing the chakras can be a transformative journey toward a deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us. 7 Mudras for Your 7 Chakras (msn.com)
A guide to keep track of your chakras (msn.com)
Spires explains that some of the benefits of balancing your chakras include mental, physical and emotional coherence, harmony and balance.
“We are better able to align our thoughts, feelings and emotions so that a life we love can manifest,” Spires continues. “It cultivates a deeper awareness of ourselves, helping us to take action in the direction of our best path. It prevents us from being easily swayed by outside influences that would have us unknowingly go against ourselves.”
When our energy is in harmony, we tend to feel more vibrant and excited about life, equipping us with the powerful tool of handling stress gracefully along with other challenges that naturally arise within the human experience.
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What Causes Chakras To Be Blocked?
I never really understood what a blocked Chakra met until someone explained it to me.
Think of anytime you are annoyed with someone and don’t want to tell them anything
and you have that lump in your throat. That can be perceived as a blocked throat chakra.
And until you overcome that feeling your throat chakra will be blocked. Or think of a time
when you were let down by someone and you felt broken hearted et cetera.
We all feel stuck sometimes in life—whether it be in our careers, relationships or hobbies. When we feel stuck, does this mean that our chakras are blocked? Spires says that she doesn’t like to use the term “blocked” when speaking about energy, as it implies energy
has stopped moving. And in reality, energy never stops moving.
Instead, she prefers to use the terms “overactive” or “underactive.”
“The chakras are closely tied to our emotional states,” Spires explains.
“The way we feel is our first clue to the disharmony within our energy field.
The longer we ignore the way we feel, the more likely that energy presents as a physical problem in the body. Over time, the body will develop discomfort near the chakra that is disturbed.”
So, since the chakras correspond to a location within the physical body,
you can gain clues as to which chakras may be more overactive or underactive for you.
But what, exactly, causes chakras to be “blocked”?
Spires provided an example of a physical manifestation that correlates to an over or
under-active chakra. “Headaches often indicate that the third eye is over or under-active,” she says. “The energy of that center is either being ignored and not used or given far too much attention—creating an imbalance between it and the other six chakras.
Someone may lack vision and imagination or may develop confusion and fog
when overusing this center. The body will alert us thru frequent headaches.”
Additionally, Spires informs Parade that many imbalances begin at the root
and affect the upper chakras, so it is important to be attentive to each center.
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How Can You Activate Your Chakras?
The good news is that if you are alive, your chakras are already active.
Seriously! Even if they are under-active or “blocked,” chakras are active for everyone.
If you want your chakras to feel more activated, however, there are plenty of simple
steps you can take within your everyday life.
Spires highly suggests finding fun ways to build a relationship with the subtle nature.
“If you enjoy cooking, you could focus on cooking by the chakras’ colors and consuming the food in awareness of it being prepared for the subtle body’s care,” she shares.
“Root vegetables, for example, will energize the root chakra.”
There are plenty of other ways to further activate your chakras if you don’t fancy yourself
a cook. Fashionistas can choose their outfits of the day by tuning into their feelings and awareness of which chakra needs their attention.
“If you feel a lack of creativity, wearing orange could inspire your creative energies.
If you’re having a good day and hitting all the green lights on the way to work,
send some gratitude into the heart with each green light you drive-thru.”
How Blocked Chakra’s cause dis`ease, – Search (bing.com)
Spires preaches the healing power of sounds, and that also comes into play when activating the chakras. “If you’re like me and you enjoy music, something like tuning
forks and singing bowls are a great way to literally tune the subtle body,” she explains.
“The chakras energy vibrates kind of like that of a guitar string and just like with a guitar, all the strings have to be in tune to strike the harmony necessary for creating beautiful music. Harmony in our chakras is how we create a beautiful life.” Chakra Diseases: Cause, effects and techniques to overcome suffering – Chakra Healing (mychakrahealing.com)
Open Your Chakras with Essential Oils (msn.com)
Meet Cassie Spires
She who {in}Spires beautiful thinking
Beautify your mind 
Beautify your life
Let go of what hurts with hertz 
Cassie Spires is a multi-creative free spirit and long-time enthusiast for self-transformation through the power of sound. She promotes a deeper awareness
of the self through a better understanding of the subtle nature of the human experience.
Spires hosts the spiritual podcast, Love Hertz, is a self-published author with her debut book Believe in Love, a popular influencer on TikTok and enjoys singing/songwriting for the indie duo, Cassie and Mallory.
Spires offered her intuitive guidance and acquired wisdom in metaphysics and shares divinely inspired creativity through her talents in art, writing, music and podcasting to encourage others to love themselves more deeply in the here and now. This simple habit can protect you from stress and burnout, says Harvard-trained psychologist: ‘It only takes 5 minutes’ (msn.com)
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