What are the Seven Main Chakras?
If you’re new to the chakra system, you may have heard people talk about the seven main chakras and wondered what they actually are.
Chakras are part of an energy system with roots in Indian spiritual and yogic traditions. The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and is commonly translated as wheel. Chakras have been described and understood in different ways across traditions, and the seven-chakra system commonly used in modern Western energy practices is one framework for exploring them.
The seven main chakras are generally described as running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Each is associated with different qualities, symbols and themes, including colour and the elements.
You may also come across the Sanskrit terms Sushumna, Ida and Pingala when learning about the chakra system. In yogic traditions, these are described as nadis, or subtle channels through which vital energy, or prana, moves. Sushumna is the central channel, while Ida and Pingala traditionally move alongside it.
I find the chakra system a useful framework for exploration.
Rather than using it to diagnose what is ‘wrong’ or deciding that a particular chakra must be blocked, we can explore the qualities traditionally associated with each chakra and become curious about what they bring to our attention.
Let’s look at the seven main chakras.
Do Chakras Need to Be Balanced?
You’ve probably heard phrases such as blocked chakra, open chakra, closed chakra or balanced chakra.
These terms are commonly used within modern chakra and energy-healing practices, but I don’t think you need to approach your chakra system as something that constantly needs fixing.
Instead, I prefer to use the chakras as an invitation to explore.
For example, the Base Chakra may invite reflection around grounding, belonging and stability. The Sacral Chakra can bring our attention to creativity, pleasure and change. The Solar Plexus can give us a framework for exploring confidence, agency and personal power.
This shifts the question from:
‘Which of my chakras is blocked?‘
to something more useful:
‘What does exploring this chakra bring to my attention?‘
You can then use meditation, journalling, Reiki, movement or other practices to explore what arises without needing to decide whether your energy is functioning correctly.
An Overview of the Seven Chakras
Here’s a simple overview of the seven main chakras and some of the associations I use in my own work and teaching.
| Chakras | Meaning | Location | Colour | Element | Common Themes | Areas for Reflection |
| Base Chakra (Sanskrit: Muladhara) | Root/Support | Base of spine | Red | Earth | Physical needs and basic human survival | Belonging, stability, support and your relationship with the physical world |
| Sacral Chakra (Sanskrit: Svadisthana): | Sweetness | Just below the navel | Orange | Water | Pleasure, sensuality, nurturing, movement, and change | Creativity, pleasure, relationships, boundaries and change |
| Solar Plexus Chakra (Sanskrit: Manipura) | Lustrous gem | Between the navel and ribcage | Yellow | Fire | Personal power, confidence, agency and self-belief | Confidence, personal power, choice, agency and self-approval |
| Heart Chakra (Sanskrit: Anahata) | A sound made by two things: striking or unstuck | Chest | Green or Pink | Air | Love, compassion, acceptance and connection | Love, compassion, acceptance, connection, giving and receiving |
| Throat Chakra (Sanskrit: Vishuddha) | Purification | Throat | Blue | Space | Communication, listening, creativity and self-expression | Communication, listening, truth, creativity and self-expression |
| Third Eye Chakra (Sanskrit: Ajna) | Perceive or know | Centre of forehead | Indigo | Light | Intuition, perception, insight and reflection | Intuition, perception, insight, imagination and perspective |
| Crown Chakra (Sanskrit: Sahasrara): | Thousandfold | Top of head | Violet | Thought | Consciousness, spirituality, interconnectedness and awareness | Spirituality, consciousness, interconnectedness and your relationship with something beyond yourself |
1. Base or Root Chakra — Muladhara
The Base Chakra, also known as the Root Chakra or Muladhara, is located around the base of the spine and is associated with the element of Earth.
Within the chakra system, it is commonly explored through themes of grounding, stability, physicality, belonging and our foundations.
Earth gives us a useful way to understand these qualities. We can think about solid ground beneath our feet, roots growing into the earth or the physical support underneath us.
Exploring the Base Chakra might invite questions such as:
What helps me feel grounded? What creates stability in my life? What does support mean to me?
2. Sacral Chakra — Svadhisthana
The Sacral Chakra, or Svadhisthana, is located below the navel and is associated with Water.
Its themes commonly include emotion, creativity, pleasure, relationships and our capacity to move with change.
Water moves and changes shape, which makes it a useful element for exploring flexibility and movement.
You might become curious about your relationship with creativity, pleasure, emotion or change.
Where is there movement in my life? What am I enjoying? What would I like to create or explore?
3. Solar Plexus Chakra — Manipura
The Solar Plexus Chakra, or Manipura, is located between the navel and ribcage and is associated with Fire.
It is commonly explored through themes of personal power, confidence, agency, self-belief and action.
Fire can warm, illuminate and transform. We even use phrases such as having a ‘fire in your belly‘ or doing something that ‘lights you up.‘
Exploring this chakra might invite you to consider your relationship with choice and action.
What lights me up? Where do I feel confident? Where would I like to take greater ownership of my choices?
4. Heart Chakra — Anahata
The Heart Chakra, or Anahata, is located around the centre of the chest and is associated with Air.
Within chakra teachings, the Heart is commonly explored through love, compassion, acceptance and connection.
Air can also bring a sense of expansiveness and perspective to our exploration.
Rather than assuming that difficulty with relationships or grief means your Heart Chakra is “blocked”, you might simply use its themes as prompts for reflection.
What does compassion mean to me? Where is love already present in my life? What does receiving as well as giving look like for me?
5. Throat Chakra — Vishuddha
The Throat Chakra, or Vishuddha, is located around the throat and is associated with Space.
Its themes include communication, listening, truth, creativity and self-expression.
Sound also has a natural relationship with this chakra. Our voices create vibration through space, and practices involving sound, humming, singing or mantra are often explored alongside the Throat Chakra.
This chakra isn’t simply about speaking more or becoming louder.
It can also invite reflection around listening, finding your words and understanding how you want to express yourself.
What am I ready to express? Where might I need more room to find my words? How openly am I listening to others?
6. Third Eye Chakra — Ajna
The Third Eye or Brow Chakra, known as Ajna, is located around the brow or centre of the forehead and is associated with Light.
It is commonly explored through intuition, perception, insight, imagination and reflection.
Working with the Third Eye doesn’t mean you need to literally see colours, visions or images.
Intuition can show up in different ways. You may notice imagery, an inner voice, a feeling or a sense of knowing. You might simply find that taking time to reflect helps you see something differently.
What am I noticing? What feels clear to me? Is there another perspective I haven’t considered?
7. Crown Chakra — Sahasrara
The Crown Chakra, or Sahasrara, is located at the crown of the head and is associated with Thought.
Within chakra and spiritual teachings, it is commonly explored through themes of consciousness, spirituality, awareness and interconnectedness.
What that means can be deeply personal.
For some people, it relates to the divine or a spiritual tradition. For others, connection may be experienced through nature, meditation, contemplation or simply a sense of being part of something larger than themselves.
Exploring the Crown doesn’t require you to leave everyday life behind. Spirituality and our physical experience can sit alongside one another.
What does spirituality mean to me? When do I experience a sense of connection? How do I bring what matters to me spiritually into my everyday life?
How Can You Explore Your Chakras?
There are many ways to explore the chakra system, and you don’t need to use every practice or resonate with every association.
You might explore through:
- meditation or visualisation
- journalling and reflection
- Reiki
- yoga or movement
- mantra, humming or sound
- time in nature
- working with the elements
- creative practices such as drawing or painting
Rather than choosing a practice because you believe you need to “fix” a chakra, you could choose one because you’re curious about a particular theme.
Perhaps you’re drawn to grounding and the Base Chakra. Maybe you’ve been thinking about self-expression and want to explore the Throat Chakra. Or you may simply feel curious about one chakra without knowing why.
You can begin there.
Continue Exploring the Chakra System
Understanding the seven main chakras gives you a foundation. From there, you can explore the system in different ways depending on what interests you.
If you’re curious about the relationship between the chakras and Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space, Light and Thought, continue with my guide to Chakras and the Elements.
Explore Chakras and the Elements
If you’d prefer to reflect on the chakra themes for yourself, I’ve also created a collection of chakra journal prompts and affirmations for each of the seven main chakras.
Explore the Chakra Journal Prompts
And if you’d like a tangible way to explore the chakras through your own energy and intuition, you can use my Chakras & The Elements Card Deck. The deck includes the seven main chakras, along with the Earth Star and Soul Star Chakras, with original artwork, channelled reflections and simple practices.
Explore the Chakras & The Elements Card Deck
You can also explore the chakra system through my free guided chakra meditations on Insight Timer.
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