Chakra yoga focuses on balancing the body’s seven energy centres, known as chakras, to enhance physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Each chakra connects to specific areas of the body and mind, and different yoga styles target these energy points. In this blog, explore the various chakra yoga styles and discover how they promote inner harmony and overall wellness.

Classical Hatha Yoga Poses for Chakra Activation & Balance

This is a brief, harmonious chakra yoga practice for energy activation and overall well-being. Each of these poses helps to balance and stimulate the prana in the area by being associated with a certain chakra.

We begin with the Crown Chakra and move down to the Root Chakra in accordance with the principles of Hatha Yoga. Beginners and more experienced yoga practitioners may both do these chakra yoga positions. Nonetheless, be aware of your limitations and practice steadily and comfortably at all times.

Crown & Third-Eye Chakra: Headstand (Shirshasana)

A fundamental pose in Hatha yoga, headstands have many physical and mental health advantages. The pineal, pituitary, and hypothalamus glands can operate better overall when the Crown and Third-Eye Chakras are activated via the safe practice of this yoga inversion.

How to 

• How to  estimate the distance to your base: Sit on your knees and hold onto your elbows.
• After that, bring your arms down to your shoulders by lowering them to the floor.
• Interlace your fingers to create a triangle with your arms while maintaining your elbows at your sides.
• With your hands cupped over your head, lower your head to the floor.
• Point your toes, erect your knees, and raise your hips toward the ceiling.
• Step lightly toward your shoulders, bringing your right and left knees toward your chest in turn. Maintain a straight spine.
• Exhale deeply and lift your legs into the heavens. To prevent your back from arching, straighten them upward and maintain your feet slightly in front of you.
• Take a few deep breaths and maintain the pose for as long as it feels comfortable while focusing on anything at eye level.

Duration:

• Novices: ten to one minute
• Intermediate: a minute to five
• Advanced: 15 to 20 minutes

Alignment: 

• If you can effortlessly enter and exit the posture, then only strive for a shoulders-hips-ankles alignment.

Beginner-Friendly Variation:: 

• A half-headstand

Throat Chakra: Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana)

A potent yoga practice for chakra balance and body-mind awareness is the shoulderstand. By holding this inversion for a few minutes, you may activate the Throat Chakra, which balances your metabolism and enhances the operation of your parathyroid glands and thyroid problem.

How to: 

• While lying on your back, put your arms to your sides and your feet together.
• As you take a breath, raise both legs to a 90-degree angle while maintaining your head and neck flat on the floor.
• With your hands resting on your hips, raise your hips toward the ceiling and slowly raise them near your shoulder blades.
• Raise your hips as high as you can while bringing your chest up to your chin.
• Make sure your feet are directly above your head and support your back with your hands.
• Breathe slowly while focusing your attention on your throat.

Duration:

• Novices: 30 to 60 seconds
• Intermediate: two to three minutes
• Advanced: three to six minutes

Alignment:

• Make every effort to align your back as much as possible. If necessary, raise your elbows a bit closer together and bring your hands up to your shoulders.
• Ensure that the majority of your weight is supported by your shoulders and that your feet are squarely above your head.
• You shouldn’t be pushing on the floor or bearing all of your body weight on your neck. Keep your neck naturally curved by pressing your shoulder blades together. Another way to relieve strain on your neck is to tuck a blanket beneath your shoulders.
• Hold this posture while relaxing your legs and feet (for further advice, see How to Practise Inversions Safely).

Heart Chakra: Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

One of the best yoga poses for opening the Heart Chakra is Fish Pose. This reclined chest opener opens the Heart Chakra and opens the heart, lungs, lymph nodes, and thymus. By doing this asana, you may strengthen your immune system and achieve emotional harmony.

How to: 

• Place your feet and legs together while lying flat on your back.
• With your elbows pointing slightly outward and your palms facing down, place your hands beneath your hips.
• Look down at your feet, take a breath, and drop your weight onto your elbows.
• Attempt to bring your elbows as near to one another as you find comfortable.
• Take another breath, expand your chest, and lean your head back until your crown touches the ground.
• Breathe slowly and deeply to open your chest and expand your lungs.

Duration:

• Novices: 30 to 60 seconds
• Intermediate: 1-2 minutes
• Advanced: 2-4 minutes

Alignment: 

• Make sure your hands are in line with your hips. The alignment of the posture will be thrown off if they are too high or too low.
• Ensure that your head is in contact with the floor.
• Take off any weight off your head. Your elbows should support your body, and it should only just touch the ground.
• As much as you can, open up your chest and let your legs and feet relax.

Solar Plexus Chakra: Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

To bring the Solar Plexus Chakra into balance, we do the Seated Forward Bend. The third chakra is activated by the soft forward folding motion, which also balances the activities of the pancreas, liver, spleen, stomach, and gallbladder. This pose’s squeeze-and-release action aids in better digestion and toxin removal.

How to:

• Place your legs in front of you hip-distance apart or together.
• Adjust your posture so that your weight is centred on your sitting bones.
• Inhale deeply, then raise both arms toward the ceiling so that they are parallel to your ears.
• Reach forward and swivel at the hips as you release the breath.
• Once you have reached your peak, let your back curve and bring your nose nearly to your knees. Cling to your ankles, shins, or toes.
• Put your elbows down on the ground.

Duration:

Beginners: 30 to 60 seconds

Intermediate: 2-4 minutes

Progression: 4–10 minutes

Alignment:

• Ensure that you sit up straight on your buttocks and do not recline.
• To deepen the position, use your breath and maintain a relaxed posture with your arms and shoulders. Avoid drawing yourself down violently with your arms.
• For further advice on alignment, see our Guide to Safe Forward Folds.

Sacral Chakra: Easy Crow Pose (Sukha Kakasana)

The Sacral Chakra is opened and stimulated by the Easy Crow Pose. This energy centre is in charge of your inventiveness as well as the kidneys, bladder, and reproductive system operating normally. You may enhance these areas of your life and boost prana here by doing this chakra yoga stance. 

How to:

• Maintaining a slight distance between your knees and heels, sit on your toes.
• Place your elbows where your knees meet at the bent.
• With your fingers spread wide and pointed slightly inward, hold your hands slightly higher than your knees.
• Put your hands on the ground shoulder-width apart and shift your weight forward.
• Step one foot off the ground at a time, looking at a location on the floor that is approximately half a metre in front of your fingertips.
• To keep your balance, pull both feet in toward your hips while keeping your attention on the point.

Duration:

• Novices: 10-15 seconds
• Intermediate: between 20 and 40 seconds
• Advanced: between 40 and 1 minute

Alignment: 

• Elevate your heels toward your buttocks to maintain your core engaged.
• Make sure you have a somewhat rounded back.
• Your hand and forearm should be at a 90-degree angle. If not, raise your wrist a little bit by tucking a blanket under the base of your hand. This relieves the wrist of some pressure. For further advice, see How to Prevent Yoga Wrist Pain.)

Root Chakra: Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

Tree Pose balances your core energy point at the base of your spine and helps you root yourself into the soil. This easy balancing asana opens your Root Chakra and activates the organs and glands associated with it, including your big intestine and adrenals.

How to 

• Put your feet together and stand up on your mat.
• Keeping your palms in line with your forehead, raise your hands over your head and place them together.
• Taking a breath, lift your right foot and press it up on your inner left thigh.
• Breathe steadily while maintaining your concentration on an area that is about two metres distant and slightly above eye level.

Duration:

• Beginners: give each side 30 to 1 minute.
• Intermediate: two to three minutes per side
• Advanced: three to five minutes per side

Alignment:

• As you raise your hands toward the ceiling, align your thumbs with your forehead.
• Raise your shoulders a tiny bit and gently bend your elbows.
• Turn your leg at the hip without raising your hip by letting the knee of your upper leg point laterally.
• Preserve the natural curvature of your spine and refrain from hunching over or protruding your chest.
• You can also press the ankle or calf of your standing leg with your elevated foot.

Conclusion

Incorporating different chakra yoga styles helps align your mind, body, and spirit, promoting overall well-being. Whether you seek balance, healing, or energy flow, there’s a style for everyone. Ready to explore these transformative practices? Join Oceanic Yoga today and embark on your journey to inner peace with expert guidance and immersive experiences.