The fifth chakra, or throat chakra, is located at our throat and is our right to speak and to be heard. This is our self-expression center. Imbalances in the fifth chakra can show up as sore throats, neck/shoulder pain, and thyroid imbalances to name a few. The throat chakra is our ability to communicate, to listen, and is our creative identity.

The fourth chakra is located at our heart. It is our right to love and to be loved. Not just towards others, but also towards our own selves. The fourth chakra is the balance point between all of our chakras. It connects the lower three chakras with our upper three chakras. It is about finding balance between giving and receiving. Excessiveness or deficiency in the heart chakra could result in physical issues in the body dealing with our lungs, circulatory system, our heart, and hands or arms. The challenge of the fourth chakra is grief.

The third chakra is located at our solar plexus and is our right to act and to be an individual. This is our power center, our will, and our self-worth. The third chakra can affect our digestive system, liver, and gall bladder. Depending on if you are excessive or deficient it can result in digestive troubles, chronic fatigue, ulcers, eating disorders, and hypoglycemia to name a few. The shadow side of the third chakra is shame.

The second chakra is our right to feel and experience pleasure. It’s located at our sacrum and can affect our hips, low back, lower abdomen, genitals, bladder, and kidneys. The challenge of the second chakra is guilt. The second chakra is creation. Literal creation of life, but also this is where our creativity resides. It’s the spark of creation, an idea, an expression we want to put out into the world.

The first chakra, or the root chakra, is located at the base of our spine/pelvic floor. It is related to our safety, security, survival, food, our instincts, and our potential. It is our right to have, to be here, and to take up space. Any issues with the legs, feet, bones, or large intestine could be affected by the energy of our first chakra. Not feeling grounded, centered, or provided for can cause an imbalance. These are the very basics to start understanding the first chakra.

While at the Chakra Retreat a couple of weeks ago I had another really profound moment. On the land that we were staying at there was a Labyrinth. A friend and I were hiking and when we came across it we decided to take a walk through.

This past weekend I went on my 4th Chakra Retreat over the past 6 years. Every retreat always brings profound shifts and changes for me. Normally, the shifts are all of the things I’d like to work on and they tend to bring some heavy emotions along with them. This year was different though.