The 7 chakras: meanings and colours
The seven chakras are energy centres that run from the base of your spine to the top of your head. Here's what each one means, how it feels when it's balanced or blocked, and simple ways to work with it.
The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and means wheel. In yoga and many spiritual traditions, chakras are seen as spinning wheels of energy along the centre of the body. Each one is linked with a colour, an element and an area of life.
When a chakra feels balanced, that part of life flows more easily. When it feels blocked or overactive, you may notice it in your mood, your habits or your relationships. Working with the chakras is a gentle way to check in with yourself.
- Root chakra
- Sacral chakra
- Solar plexus chakra
- Heart chakra
- Throat chakra
- Third eye chakra
- Crown chakra
Root chakra
The root chakra is your foundation. It's linked with feeling safe, grounded and supported: home, money, health and the basic sense that you belong.
Balanced: calm, secure, present and able to handle change. Blocked: anxious about money or home, restless, or stuck in survival mode.
To balance it: walk barefoot on grass, eat warm grounding food, tidy your home and keep simple routines.
✦ Tarot card: The Emperor
Sacral chakra
The sacral chakra is about feeling, pleasure, creativity and flow. It's where joy, sensuality and the ability to enjoy life live.
Balanced: playful, creative and comfortable with emotions. Blocked: numb, uninspired, guilty about enjoying things or swinging between emotional extremes.
To balance it: dance, swim, cook something colourful, make art for fun, and let yourself feel without judging.
✦ Tarot card: The Empress
Solar plexus chakra
The solar plexus is your inner fire: confidence, self-worth and the power to act on your decisions.
Balanced: confident, motivated and able to set boundaries. Blocked: low self-esteem, people-pleasing, procrastination or, when overactive, being controlling.
To balance it: set one small goal and finish it, spend time in the sun, and practise saying no kindly.
✦ Tarot card: Strength
Heart chakra
The heart chakra sits in the middle of the seven, linking the physical and the spiritual. It's the centre of love, compassion, forgiveness and connection.
Balanced: open, loving, forgiving and able to receive love. Blocked: guarded, lonely, holding grudges or giving love without letting it in.
To balance it: practise gratitude, hug someone you love, spend time in nature and write a letter of forgiveness you don't need to send.
✦ Tarot card: The Lovers
Throat chakra
The throat chakra is about speaking your truth and being heard, and about listening too.
Balanced: honest, clear and able to express feelings. Blocked: holding back what you mean, fear of judgement, or talking a lot without really saying anything.
To balance it: sing, journal, say one honest thing you've been holding back, and practise listening without planning your reply.
✦ Tarot card: The Hierophant
Third eye chakra
The third eye is linked with intuition, imagination and seeing beyond the obvious. It's the chakra most connected with tarot and inner knowing.
Balanced: intuitive, clear-minded and able to trust your inner voice. Blocked: overthinking, confusion, or ignoring your gut feelings.
To balance it: meditate, keep a dream journal, pull a daily tarot card and notice your first impression before reading the meaning.
✦ Tarot card: The High Priestess
Crown chakra
The crown chakra connects you with something bigger than yourself: spirit, the universe, purpose or whatever you call it.
Balanced: peaceful, connected and open to meaning. Blocked: feeling lost, cut off or cynical, or so 'in your head' that you forget daily life.
To balance it: sit in silence, pray or meditate, spend time under the open sky and reflect on what gives your life meaning.
✦ Tarot card: The World
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Chakras: questions answered
What are the 7 chakras in order?
From the bottom up: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye and crown.
What are the chakra colours?
Red (root), orange (sacral), yellow (solar plexus), green (heart), blue (throat), indigo (third eye) and violet or white (crown).
How do I know if a chakra is blocked?
Notice which area of life feels stuck. Money and safety worries point to the root, trouble speaking up to the throat, and so on. A tarot reading can also show where your energy needs attention.
Which chakra is linked to intuition?
The third eye chakra, between the eyebrows, is linked with intuition and insight.