Chakra healing: what it is and how to try it at home

What chakra healing means

Chakra healing is an umbrella term for practices that aim to clear and rebalance the seven chakras, the energy centres that the yoga and tantric traditions place along your spine.

The idea, in the tradition, goes like this: when life gets heavy, energy gets stuck in certain chakras, and you feel it in that part of your life. A stuck root feels unsafe, a stuck throat feels unheard. Healing means getting things moving again.

It's a spiritual practice, not a medical one. "Healing" here means feeling more like yourself, not fixing a health problem. Keep that line clear and chakra healing can be a really lovely ritual.

Kinds of chakra healing

Things you do yourself:

• Meditation. Moving your attention up the chakras with breath and colour. Our chakra meditation takes ten minutes.
• Breath. Slow breathing into each area of the body.
• Sound. Chanting each chakra's seed mantra, or listening to singing bowls or a 528 Hz track.
• Movement. Chakra yoga, with a pose for each centre.
• Colour. Wearing, eating or picturing a chakra's colour.
• Journaling. Writing about the part of life a chakra stands for.

Things someone does with you:

• Reiki and energy healing. A practitioner rests their hands on or just above your body, often over the chakras.
• Sound baths. You lie down while someone plays singing bowls, gongs or chimes.
• Crystal sessions. Stones in each chakra's colour are placed along your body while you rest.

What the evidence says

Here's the honest version, because you deserve it:

• The energy itself hasn't been found. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says there's no scientific evidence that the energy field Reiki is based on exists, and that Reiki hasn't been clearly shown to help with any health-related purpose. It also hasn't been shown to cause harm.
• Sound baths feel nice, and the research is early. In one 2017 study, 62 people reported less tension, anger and tiredness after a singing bowl meditation. There was no comparison group, so we can't tell how much was the bowls and how much was simply lying down quietly.
• The calm practices underneath have more support. Slow breathing and meditation have been studied a lot more, with small to moderate effects on stress, anxiety and mood in reviews.
• Crystals: there's no good research showing they do anything physical. As a reminder on your nightstand, though, they're cute.

So: lots of people find chakra healing soothing, and the quiet, breathing, paying-attention part is probably doing a lot of the work. That's still a good reason to do it.

Red flags

If you book a session, skip anyone who:

• says they can heal a disease or a medical condition
• tells you to stop medication or skip the doctor
• says your chakras are "dangerously blocked" and you need an expensive package to fix them
• pressures you, touches you without asking, or makes you feel worse about yourself

A good practitioner tells you what they'll do, asks before touching, and is happy for you to also see a doctor. If anything feels off, you can stand up and leave. That's your root chakra working perfectly.

A 15-minute chakra healing session at home

No practitioner needed. Just you, a quiet room and this page.

1. Set the space (1 minute). Dim the lights, open a window, light a candle if you like.
2. Lie down (1 minute). On your back, a pillow under your knees, hands resting on your belly.
3. Breathe (2 minutes). In for 4, out for 6, slow and soft.
4. Root to crown (7 minutes). Spend about a minute at each chakra. Place a hand there if you can, picture its colour, and chant or hum its seed sound three times:
   • Root, base of the spine, red, LAM
   • Sacral, lower belly, orange, VAM
   • Solar plexus, upper belly, yellow, RAM
   • Heart, centre of the chest, green, YAM
   • Throat, throat, blue, HAM
   • Third eye, between the eyebrows, indigo, OM
   • Crown, top of the head, violet or white light, silence
5. Notice (2 minutes). Which one felt sticky, tender or blank? That's your chakra to give some love to this week.
6. Ground (2 minutes). Press your feet into the floor, roll to your side, sit up slowly, and drink a glass of water.

Afterwards, look up the chakra that felt stuck and try its practice, or follow our routine for how to balance your chakras.

Go deeper

Not sure which chakra needs you most? Take the chakra test. Want a whole week of it? The free 7-Day Chakra Challenge is one chakra a day, about ten minutes each. And if it's your energy around you that feels heavy, try cleansing your aura 🌸

FAQ

What is chakra healing?

Chakra healing is a set of spiritual practices, like meditation, breath, sound, yoga, Reiki and crystals, that aim to clear and rebalance the seven chakras in the yoga and tantric traditions.

Does chakra healing work?

There's no scientific evidence that chakra energy exists or can be measured. Many people find the practices relaxing, and the breathing and meditation parts have research behind them for stress and mood. It isn't medical care.

How do I know if I need chakra healing?

In the tradition, a chakra that needs attention shows up in its area of life: feeling unsafe (root), uncreative (sacral), unsure (solar plexus), closed off (heart), unheard (throat), foggy (third eye) or disconnected (crown). If you feel unwell, see a doctor first.

Can I do chakra healing on myself?

Yes. Meditation, slow breathing, chanting the seed mantras and simple yoga are all things you can do at home in 10 to 15 minutes.

Sources

• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Reiki
• Goldsby TL, Goldsby ME, McWalters M, Mills PJ (2017). Effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and well-being: an observational study. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine 22(3):401-406. PubMed
• Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 12:353. Frontiers
• Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EMS, et al. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine 174(3):357-368. PubMed