Chakra Healing For Beginners: A Simple Guide to Your Energy

If you’re searching for chakra healing for beginners, you’re likely feeling called to understand your energy on a deeper level. Chakras—often described as the body’s energy centers—play a powerful role in your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, influencing everything from stress and fatigue to clarity and inner balance.

In this beginner’s guide, you’ll learn what chakras are, how they work, and simple ways to start balancing them in your everyday life. Whether you’re completely new to energy healing or just beginning to explore your spiritual side, this guide will help you build a strong, grounded foundation.

Chakra Healing for Beginners

What are chakras?

These days, the term chakra is thrown around a lot in wellness circles. It can sound like a cliché.

It conjures certain mysticism and other-worldliness. Or certain pre-conceived notions that may or may not be true. Because of this, some teachers prefer the term “energy centers.”

Either way, the chakras are there, right alongside our bodies. Understanding what they are is foundational to understanding our health, life, and energy healing.

Chakra Definition and Distinction

Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “circle.” They refer to whirling energy centers in and around the body. Most mainstream discussions of chakras in the West include seven major chakras inside the human body. But different traditions acknowledge and work with many more.

The teacher Sadhguru, for example, notes a total of 114 chakras. Others say that there are 22 chakras, with more than a dozen of them extending outside of our bodies and into other dimensions.

Numerous indigenous traditions also acknowledge certain “vibratory centers” along the body, including the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest United States.

A note of caution: each tradition works with the energy centers a little differently. Therefore, just because you understand the seven major chakras, it does not mean that these ideas translate exactly into other traditions.

This post covers nine of the 11 major chakras as outlined in Pranic Healing principles. This framework is close to the mainstream understanding of the 7-chakra model, plus a little more detail.

[For more information on Pranic Healing, see What Is Pranic Healing? Benefits and How it Compares to Reiki.]

Energy Bodies and Chakras

Each of us is more than just our bodies. In addition to our physical bodies, we have an unseen body that exists as a separate layer.

This is a topic that can get pretty wonky and complicated. Even certain scientists have acknowledged the quantum field of consciousness that is even more real and lasting than our physical bodies.

According to Pranic Healing,* one’s energy fields include an inner aura, which overlaps our physical bodies and extends out by about four to five inches. We also have an outer aura that overlaps the physical body and the inner aura and extends out by about two to three feet in length.

There are more layers to the human aura, or the energy field. While that is beyond the scope of this post, you can see the general idea in the picture below.

All living beings need energy—chi, ki, or prana—to survive. We get this energy through food, air, water, and the sun. Such energy travels through certain pathways, called meridians, to reach different parts of the physical body.

Chakras are centers of energy where these meridians meet. You can think of meridians as railways and chakras as train stations.

Depending on the chakra, they can draw in and release energy, distribute it to necessary organs, and store information or memory.

But when something happens to either the meridian or the chakra, energy can be congested or depleted. If left unchecked for a prolonged period, such energetic imbalances can manifest as physical, emotional, or mental illness or disease.

Nine Major Chakras of the Body

While Pranic Healing principles outline 11 major chakras of the body (and more, in reality), this guide covers nine.** For most people who are just curious about chakras, this understanding will be sufficient to understand the chakras’ major functions and relevance.

Root (Basic) Chakra

This energy center is located at the base of the spine, at the tip of the tailbone. It is associated with the color red, and the element of earth.

When the root chakra is balanced, one feels stable and “rooted,” financially secure and physically strong. This center energizes the whole physical body, including bones, muscles, and internal organs. It is the center for survival, prosperity, grounding, and stability.

Sex Chakra

The sex chakra is located near the pubic area of the body. Some have pointed to the perineum—the skin between the anus and genitals—as its location.

The sex chakra is responsible for the sex organs, bladder and the urethra, and the functioning of the legs. It is the center for physical creation, such as in reproduction, and is linked to the throat chakra, which is the center for creative expression.

Navel Chakra

The Navel Chakra is located at the navel. It is associated with the color orange and the element water.

The navel chakra is responsible for digestion, or the generation of energy from food. This center works with the small and large intestines and the appendix.

Solar Plexus Chakra

The solar plexus is located slightly below your sternum, in the middle of your upper stomach. It is associated with the color yellow and the element of fire.

The solar plexus is the center of personal power, confidence, and ambition, the seat of the ego and the will. While lower emotions such as judgment, blame, and anger are rooted in the solar plexus, positive emotions such as courage, self-respect, and persistence are also rooted here.

Physically, the solar plexus influences the diaphragm, stomach, pancreas, and liver. Because of its location and influence on so many organs, the solar plexus is one of the most important chakras in the system.

Heart Chakra

The Heart Chakra is located in the center of the chest, right between the breasts. It is associated with the color green and the element of air.

The Heart Chakra is the center of love, compassion, and empathy. This center works with the heart, lungs, thymus gland and the circulatory system. The heart is the bridge between lower and upper energy centers.

Throat Chakra

The throat is located toward the top of the throat. It is associated with the color blue and the element of space.

The Throat Chakra has implications for self-expression, communication, truth, and expressed creativity. Physically, this center works with the throat, thyroid glands, and the lymphatic system.

Imbalance of the Throat Chakra manifests as difficulty speaking up and the ability to be one’s authentic self.

The Ajna Chakra

Also called the master chakra, the ajna is located between the eyebrows. It controls the pituitary glands and the entire body, instructing all other chakras.

The ajna is associated with the color indigo and the element of pure light.

It is considered the center of the higher mind or the center of higher will.

Forehead Chakra

The Forehead Chakra is located in the middle of the forehead. It controls the pineal gland and the nervous system, and is considered the center of the lower cosmic consciousness.

The forehead chakra is the center for intuition and wisdom, and is paired with the crown chakra.

Crown Chakra

The crown chakra is located at the top of the head. It is associated with the color violet or white. The Crown is the entry point of divine energy, and the center for spirituality, enlightenment, and higher consciousness. It works with the brain and the pineal gland.

Chakras as Conscious Beings

Dr. Joe Dispenza says that each of our energy centers is an independent being with its own consciousness. Just like our cells are a part of us but have their own memory, consciousness, and volition. Pranic Healing agrees with this perspective.

This means that you can talk to them, nurture them, and even thank them for being a part of us. And just consciously engaging with your chakras has tremendous implications for their—and your—well-being.

Can You Feel Your Chakras?

Yes! I started feeling my chakras many years ago, through my meditation and energy healing journeys.

I don’t feel all of them actively, all the time. But if I quiet my mind and place my attention inside my body, I can feel the hum of my chakras at different locations. During a deep meditation or an energy healing session, I know my chakras are at work because I can feel them stronger.

It’s usually my heart center that is active. I can feel the turning of the wheel because there is a definite direction, and it is definitely circular. Maybe about five inches in diameter, often turning to my right.

I also feel little wheels turning on my palms when I’m sending energy. During healings, energy goes in and out right through them. It feels like subtle movements or static electricity on my palms.

I’ve also felt the wheel turning in my throat chakra. My first time was a big win for me, because I’d been struggling with my self-expression for many years. I’m still working on it, to tell you the truth. When I could feel my throat chakra so active and happy, though, I knew that I’d broken through something.

What is Chakra Healing?

Just like our physical bodies, our energy bodies experience imbalances resulting from our physical, mental, and emotional experiences.

Trauma, for example, can be stored in our energy bodies as well as cellular memory. It can continue to wreak havoc on our well-being until it is finally released.

Chakra healing is a technique in which any energetic congestion, blockages, or depletion is addressed through cleansing of the energy center. It is then restored with pure, healthy energy to help balance the proper functioning of the chakra.

When all of our chakras are well-balanced and functioning at their best, we can enjoy good physical, emotional, and spiritual health. This is when we live in harmony with our spirit, community, and the world, living our lives at full potential.

How to Unblock and Activate Chakras

These are just a few ways that you can help your chakras.

Energy Hygiene: Energy hygiene refers to practices that help cleanse, move, and protect your energy from internal and external influences. You might have heard of cleaning the energy of homes and other spaces by burning sage. But there’s much more to energy hygiene. Choosing healthy and kind thoughts over negative ones is one form of internal energy hygiene. Finishing your shower with a salt scrub to wash away dirty energies is another. Good energy hygiene keeps your energy field and the chakras clean and better functioning.

Movement: In general, movement also helps shake up your chakras, release any dirty and congested energy, and replenish them with clean ones. Just one more reason to go outside and move! [also see Energetic Benefits of Being Outside: Restore Your Wholeness.]

Sound: As much as we are all energetic beings, we are all susceptible to sound and frequencies. There are sound frequencies that benefit each of the chakras, including solfeggio frequencies, singing bowls, and even mantras. Just think that you can help heal and balance your chakra by repeating a single-syllable word over and over. Or play with your singing bowls, and heal yourself!

Meditation: We can work on our chakras through meditation. But there are many meditations out there through which you can brighten up each of your beautiful energy centers. As I already mentioned in my previous post, Dr. Joe Dispenza has an amazing series of Blessing of the Energy Centers Meditation, the first of which is available on YouTube.

Yoga: Because you really cannot separate the physical and the energetic, physical movements through yoga also heal chakras. Certain poses benefit certain chakras specifically, such as the tree pose for strengthening your Root Chakra.

Energy Healing: Various energy healing modalities, including Reiki and Pranic Healing, work to heal chakras. As mentioned earlier, energy healing practitioners can clean out, replenish, and balance chakras. Such intervention can sometimes serve a crucial role in helping you heal, especially where Western medicine cannot.

Is it Dangerous to Work with Chakras?

Mostly no, although there can be some side effects of working with energy.

After a big change in your energy system, you may feel anxious or emotional for no particular reason. You may feel uncontrollable vibrations through your body that surprise you. It’s all energy moving, and it will subside as you take the time to take gentle care of yourself and let it do its thing.

If you ever feel off after working with your chakras or energy, the first thing you can do is to ground yourself.

This means take your shoes and socks off and go stand directly on the earth. Mother Earth is conductive and always here to help balance you. Or move your body, like running or dancing. Moving your body redistributes concentrated energy and releases any that you do not need.

If you do nothing to release these side effects of chakra healing, it will still balance itself out in time in most cases.

At the level of trying a guided chakra meditation at home, there is little to no chance that you will be negatively affected. You may feel your energy centers quickly if you’re a naturally sensitive person.

But again, the chance of something really going wrong from a chakra healing session is extremely small.

Final Thoughts

I recently heard someone say that it’s only natural to have doubts about energy medicine, even for energy healing practitioners. “But don’t let that stop you from trying,” she also said. And I completely agree.

There are so many things that exist in the world that we cannot see.

Think of electricity. Think about how your smartphone downloads a ton of information through the ether. If you’re reading this post, then you’re being pulled to it. The energy is calling you.

Go and try, and see for yourself!

This post was all about chakra healing for beginners. I hope you found this information helpful!

*Miracles Through Pranic Healing, Master Choa Kok Sui, pages 12-13.

**Pranic Healing principles also include the spleen chakra and Meng Mein chakras among the major chakras of the body.

Chakra Healing for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Understanding and Balancing Your Chakras