Chakra chart
| Chakra | Sanskrit | Location | Color | Element | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | Muladhara | The base of the spine | Red | Earth | 396 Hz |
| Sacral | Svadhisthana | The lower belly, a few inches below the navel | Orange | Water | 417 Hz |
| Solar plexus | Manipura | The navel and upper belly (the solar plexus) | Yellow | Fire | 528 Hz |
| Heart | Anahata | The center of the chest | Green | Air | 639 Hz |
| Throat | Vishuddha | The throat | Blue | Space | 741 Hz |
| Third eye | Ajna | The forehead, between the eyebrows | Indigo | Light | 852 Hz |
| Crown | Sahasrara | The top of the head | Violet or white | Consciousness | 963 Hz |
The 7 chakras in order
1. Root chakraSafety & grounding · Red · 396 Hz
2. Sacral chakraCreativity & flow · Orange · 417 Hz
3. Solar plexus chakraConfidence & power · Yellow · 528 Hz
4. Heart chakraLove & compassion · Green · 639 Hz
5. Throat chakraExpression & truth · Blue · 741 Hz
6. Third eye chakraIntuition & insight · Indigo · 852 Hz
7. Crown chakraConnection & oneness · Violet or white · 963 Hz
What are chakras?
Chakra is Sanskrit for “wheel.” In yoga and tantric traditions, chakras are centers of energy along the spine where body, breath and awareness meet. Different traditions count them differently: some early texts describe four or five.
The seven-chakra system most people know today comes from a Sanskrit text written in 1577, the Ṣaṭ-chakra-nirūpaṇa, which reached the West through Woodroffe, The Serpent Power (1919), its English translation.
Chakra colors and meanings
Today each chakra has a rainbow color, from red at the root to violet at the crown, and a meaning such as safety, creativity or love. Both are modern: the rainbow colors were added in 1927, and the colors and the psychological meanings first appeared together in 1977. They're still a useful, easy-to-remember map for meditation.
Chakra frequencies
Modern sound healers pair each chakra with one of the solfeggio frequencies, from 396 Hz at the root to 963 Hz at the crown. The pairing is modern and varies between charts, but many people find that moving through the tones in order is a calming way to focus on each part of the body.
See the solfeggio frequencies guide for more on each tone, and the third eye meditation for the sixth chakra.
How to align your chakras
- Sit comfortably and take a few slow breaths.
- Start the alignment above. It begins with the root chakra at the base of your spine.
- As each tone plays, rest your attention where that chakra sits and read its affirmation slowly.
- Let your attention rise with the tones, up through the belly, chest, throat and forehead to the crown.
- Finish with a minute of silence before you get up.
Are chakras real?
Chakras come from yoga and tantric traditions as a map of energy and awareness (Wikipedia: Chakra), and people who work with them describe real changes in how they feel. Focusing on each one in turn, with breath and sound, is a simple way to find out what it does for you.
