Chakra

Chakra Guides: The Seven Chakras and How to Work With Them

The chakra system is one of the most searched and most misrepresented parts of yoga. These chakra guides go back to what the tantric and hatha texts actually describe: seven centres along the spine, each linked to a region of the body, a set of qualities, a seed sound, and a family of practices. You will find no promises here that a crystal fixes a career, but you will find a clear map and a way to practise with it.

Who these guides are for

If you are new to the subject, you want to know what the seven chakras are and why they matter before anything else. If you already practise, you are more likely to be asking a practical question: which centre feels closed, what a heart-opening sequence really does, or how mantra and breath fit in. Yoga teachers use the same material to build themed classes without slipping into vague language.

We write for all three. Every guide states what tradition says, what is a modern addition, and what you can reasonably expect from the practice.

How the chakra guides are ordered

Read the overview of the seven chakras first. It gives you names, locations, colours, and elements in one place, and it explains the difference between the traditional Sanskrit sources and the Western colour-coded system most people know.

Then move to the diagnostic guide on which chakra is out of balance, and the 30-minute balancing sequence you can practise the same day. After that, the seven individual guides run from the root (muladhara) to the crown (sahasrara). Each one covers the centre's location, associated qualities, signs of excess and deficiency, and the asana, pranayama, and mantra practices that address it. The stones and crystals guide sits last, with an honest account of what they are used for.

Start here

1. What Are the 7 Chakras?: names, locations, colours, elements, and where the system comes from.
2. How to Tell Which Chakra Is Out of Balance: signs of excess and deficiency for each centre, and what to practise.
3. A 30-Minute Chakra-Balancing Yoga Sequence: a full sequence that moves through all seven centres.
4. Muladhara Chakra: The Complete Guide to the Root Chakra: the first centre, stability, and grounding practices.
5. Svadhisthana: The Complete Guide to the Sacral Chakra: the second centre, creativity, emotion, and hip-focused practice.
6. Manipura: Complete Guide to the Solar Plexus Chakra: the third centre, will, digestion, and core-focused practice.
7. Anahata: Complete Guide to the Heart Chakra: the fourth centre, compassion, and backbend practice.
8. Vishuddha: Complete Guide to the Throat Chakra: the fifth centre, expression, and mantra practice.

The chakra system makes most sense once you have read the texts it comes from: our 100-hour online Yoga Philosophy course covers the tantric and hatha sources these guides draw on.