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You’ve probably heard of chakras by now. Blocked chakras, balance your chakras, all of that. Maybe it sounds like a total mystery to you and you just need an easy explanation.
I’m here to help!
I will say that this is a DEEEEP subject. You can absolutely go down the rabbit hole studying the properties of each chakra and all the ways to keep them balanced and happy. If you’re interested after reading this post, I totally encourage you to do so! Sometimes just reading that perfect, resonating description of what an imbalanced chakra feels like is exactly the jolt you need to look further and dig deeper.
But just like many other spiritual endeavors, being a beginner is still beneficial. You aren’t going to do it wrong, and some would even say you have an advantage because your practice won’t be clouded by expectations of what “should” happen. Start simply- the most important part of tuning into your chakras and finding out what they need is just getting quiet and paying attention.
Okay, time to give you a definition already, right?
We are all made of energy. Everything is, the entire universe! You, me, your dog, the tree outside your window, all of it. Your desk holds energy, the dirt in the garden, the ocean. All energy!
So think about your physical body, and then imagine an “energetic body” emanating all around you. There are 7 main energy centers running in a line from the base of your spine up to the crown of your head. These are your chakras! Picture them as spinning wheels (the word actually derives from the Sanskrit word for “wheel”, so it fits) receiving and sending out energy all the time. Each of the chakras corresponds with a particular system of the body and with many mental/ emotional/ spiritual experiences as well.
Aiming for balance in all of your chakras will optimize how you feel- mind, body, and soul. Learning about your own energy, how to interpret it and change it is an empowering and humbling experience. All at once. It’s beautiful.
Balancing your chakras can help you:
*sleep better
*be mindful
*heal relationships
*release fear and anxiety
*find inner peace
*connect to your physical and energetic body
*gain confidence and step into your power
And that’s just the beginning!
Ready for the breakdown? Here are all 7 main chakras, their locations, meanings, and how to determine if they might be out of balance.
Location: Base of the spine
Meaning: Safety, security, connection to the earth
Balanced: You feel safe, centered, and supported. You’re confident that all your needs are provided for.
Imbalanced: Fear, anxiety, lack of focus, anger, materialism, power hungry, ungrounded, flighty, head in the clouds.
Location: Below the belly button
Meaning: Creativity, Pleasure, Emotional Connection
Balanced: Creativity flows, you enjoy life’s pleasures without going to extremes. Healthy, happy personal relationships. You embrace your sexuality.
Imbalanced: Lack of creativity, low sex drive, reproductive health issues, addiction, unhealthy relationship patterns, reproductive/ menstrual cycle issues, low self-esteem, weak boundaries.
Location: Under your sternum, above your belly button
Meaning: Center of your personal power, sense of purpose
Balanced: You feel true to yourself and are living an authentic life in line with your values. You are confident, motivated, and moving towards your goals.
Imbalanced: Low confidence, no sense of purpose, insecurity, anxiety, fatigue, shame, digestive issues.
Location: Center of your chest (of course)
Meaning: Love for yourself and others, compassion, harmony, forgiveness. The bridge between upper and lower chakras.
Balanced: You are comfortable giving and receiving love. You feel balanced and calm; and practice forgiveness and gratitude.
Imbalanced: Feeling withdrawn, over-extending yourself, very critical or unforgiving, jealousy, clinginess, excessive shyness. Also cardiac or respiratory issues.
Location: Center of your neck
Meaning: Expression and communication- speaking your truth!
Balanced: You are empowered to speak your truth and communicate clearly. You use your voice without hesitation.
Imbalanced: Afraid to speak, suppressing your feelings, talking over others, dishonesty, poor listening skills.
Location: Between your eyebrows
Meaning: Intuition, Perception, Imagination- your sixth sense
Balanced: You trust in yourself and your intuition. You can clearly see your vision of the future, and imagination flows.
Imbalanced: Closed minded, no vision for the future, headaches, feeling stuck in life, trouble sleeping.
Location: Top of the head
Meaning: Connection to spiritual wisdom, the divine, enlightenment
Balanced: You are mindful and present. You’re connected to your spirituality, and move through the world with a sense of clarity.
Imbalanced: Depression, no connection to spirit, cynical, learning issues, feeling lost and confused.
Now that you know the basics of what each chakra is all about, you might be wondering how to check if yours are balanced.
(Spoiler alert- If you’ve never paid attention to them, you probably have at least a few unbalanced chakras. )
A few ways to start to get in touch with your own energy and see where you need work:
Do you have an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach, or a heaviness on your chest? Those are your solar plexus and heart chakras speaking to you! Simply paying attention to these physical feelings is one technique I use to determine which energy center might need some extra love.
Another option is to close your eyes and do a scan of all your chakras. Start at the root and envision a glowing red light at the base of your spine. Take a moment and notice if anything comes up. What thoughts pop into your head, how do you FEEL? Note them and continue moving up through the chakras, all the way to your crown. The color associations are as follows:
Root: Red
Sacral: Orange
Solar Plexus: Yellow
Heart: Green
Throat: Blue
Third Eye: Indigo
Crown: Purple/ White
Not feeling anything, or need some reassurance that you’re working in the right area? Check my lists above, or do additional research to find common signs of under active and overactive chakras. There are lots out there! In my research, I’ve found these sites particularly helpful:
If you don’t know, a pendulum is a crystal (or other heavy object) attached to a chain, that’s used for divination purposes. Basically, you can ask it yes or no questions and interpret the direction of its swing as an answer to guide you.
No pendulum? You can use a necklace with a pendant, or a ring on a chain.
Need more info on pendulum basics? Check out this helpful guide: https://aliceinwonder.co.uk/2019/08/25/how-to-use-a-pendulum-guide/
Two ways to check how your energy is flowing with a pendulum:
1. You’ll need a friend to help with this first one. Lay flat on the floor, your bed, or a massage table. After making sure you both have cleared your minds of any expected outcomes, have your friend hold the pendulum a few inches above each chakra location and note how it moves. Use this chart from www.askyourpendulum.com to decipher your pendulum’s movement:
| Pendulum Movement | Chakra State | Meaning |
| Clockwise | Open | Energy is in balance and flowing freely |
| Counterclockwise | Closed | Energy is restricted, out of balance, or blocked |
| Straight line (either direction) | Partially open/closed | Energy imbalance and/or partial blockage |
| Elliptical | Right/Left side imbalance | Energy is flowing, though out of balance on one or both sides |
| No movement | Blocked | No energy is moving through, full blockage |
2. Use a proxy
This just means that something else (in this case, a chart with chakra symbols on it) is standing in for your body. Using this method allows you to check on your chakras even if you’re by yourself.
All you need to do is hold the pendulum above each symbol, and notice how it moves as described above.
You’ve determined that one or more of your chakras is unbalanced- where do you go from here?
This post is a basic overview, just scratching the surface of all there is to know. But now you can start connecting to your own energy. Yes, today! Even if you’ve never done it before. You’ve already got everything you need to accomplish this.
Get your journal ready and dive in- you’ll want to remember all the insights you’re about to receive!
Let me know how it goes for you. Sharing our experiences is powerful.
Sending love to you on your spiritual journey,
Jacki
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Looking for some help digging through the pages and pages of results on YouTube when you search “beginner’s meditation”? I got you! Read on for my take on seven different guided meditations (with links to all) that will get you off to a great start.
The idea of sitting in silence, quieting your racing thoughts, and achieving inner peace can sound a little intimidating (or downright impossible). This is why I love guided meditations! All you need to do is grab your headphones and close your eyes, and let the teachers show you the way.
I’ve been meditating for about a year, and still prefer guided meditations. There are so many good ones out there, geared towards any topic you can imagine:
The list goes on and on! I’m even able to find meditations created especially for the current new/ full moon, which I LOVE.
Not all meditation videos are created equal, though. Sometimes, you’ll be peacefully drifting and BAM! A commercial! Putting an ad in the middle of a meditation video seems so far off purpose, but it happens.
Also, you really don’t know what level of woo you’re getting into right off the bat. I recently listened to a fantastic guided meditation, but was definitely thrown towards the end when the creator started talking about communicating with alien races.
Honestly, the meditation was so great up to that point that I just shrugged it off. But I can definitely see how it would ruin a session for some people.
I want everyone to give meditation a try! The benefits are just stunning for something that, at its simplest, comes down to sitting in silence. And- it’s free. It’s just there for you to reach out and take!
So without further ado, here’s a round up of 7 guided meditations on YouTube that are great for anyone who’s just starting out on their meditation journey. You have my word that there won’t be any alien talk or jarring ads!
Right away, Sara Raymond emphasizes that anyone can meditate. As the title states, it’s called a meditation*practice* for a reason. Even a total beginner can still get a lot out of this. Yes, even if your thoughts won’t quiet down, even if you only have a little bit of time. This video asks you to leave behind expectations and judgement. I love how she directs you to notice the pause between your inhale and exhale…beautiful!
If you want detailed instructions on everything from how to sit to where your hands should be, this is the one for you! Part 1 of a 3 part series.
Does meditation make you sleepy? This one is made to be done in bed as you fall asleep. The creator reminds/ congratulates you that “You made it through the day”, and asks you to name 3 good things that happened during the day. Geared towards those living with anxiety and depression but really good for anyone- I can’t wait to try it!
Jason has over a million subscribers to his channel, and over 1M views on this video in particular, so he obviously has plenty of experience guiding others on their journeys! Above the calm music and sounds of water, he asks the listener to “Stop planning, expecting, and reacting. Just for a little while. Just be.” Advice we all need to follow, am I right? I also loved the part where he assures you that when you’re done, you’ll remember all the important things you need to do, so no need to worry about it now.
Knowledge of the chakras isn’t necessary to enjoy this meditation fully. Just trust me, you do want them balanced. 🙂 The narrator does a fantastic job of explaining the location, meaning, and color association of each one (without taking away from calm, serene vibe of the meditation). Visualizing each chakra is actually a wonderful way to start learning about them!
Yoga With Adriene is my fave!! I’ve done lots of her yoga videos and always find her voice calming and her perspective uplifting. This is a really nice short and sweet meditation that you can do anywhere or anytime. Imagine how different your afternoon might go if you take 7 minutes to do this on your lunch break?
I can personally attest to how great Heather’s meditations are for beginners, because she was basically my gateway to meditating regularly! If you enjoy this one, be sure to check out her Facebook group for more beautiful meditations.
If you are just getting started with meditation, you have a glorious journey of self exploration ahead of you! I hope these videos bring peace to your soul and positivity to your day. Comment below to let me know which one you liked best!
Love,
Jacki
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Feeling a little nervous before your first massage? Not sure what to expect? Read on to get the answers to these 10 frequently asked questions.
In today’s touch starved society, undressing and letting a relative stranger see and touch your body can be a little nerve wracking if you aren’t used to it. Whether it’s your first massage ever, or it’s just been awhile, you might have some questions. Craving some reassurance is totally normal. Throughout my 7 years in the field, I’ve heard these questions from lots of people- you’re not alone!
Don’t let a little fear of the unknown stop you from experiencing massage altogether! Read on for a licensed massage therapist’s (that’s me!) take on these common queries.
I’m addressing this one first because it seems to be in the forefront of all my first time clients’ minds before their massage starts. Most therapists will suggest that you “undress to your comfort level.” Some people are comfortable being entirely naked, while others choose to keep underwear on only. If you’d feel better with more clothing on during your session, just tell your therapist! Clothed massage is a different but still totally effective option.
If I ever recommend that a client remove additional clothing, I’m sure to explain WHY. For example, if a bra is left on, we can work around it, but it’s probably going to have oil or lotion on it when you walk out. And if you need work on your hips/ glutes, we’ll have better access if underwear is removed.
That being said, I ALWAYS make sure my clients understand that the choice is theirs and I’m happy to work with whatever they want to do!
That depends! When you’ve requested a blissed out relaxing massage, no- I don’t think you should experience any discomfort at all. If you’re coming in for deep tissue/ site-specific concerns, it’s a possibility. My personal philosophy is that I don’t want my clients to get above a 4 or 5 out of 10 on the pain scale while we’re working together.
Your therapist should stay in close communication with you during the massage, and will pay attention to your body language and facial expressions as well. Since pain and pressure are so objective and experienced differently by everyone, it’s super important that you speak up if something hurts. Trust me, we want to hear about what you’re feeling! Feedback is the BEST.
Of course, and they LOVE it! Most of the younger clients that I’ve worked on personally were either athletes, had a medical condition that caused muscle tension/pain, or were tagging along with a parent just for fun!
I think it’s fantastic, really- kids can receive all of the same amazing benefits that you do when you get a massage. Also, you’re setting a great example of how they can take care of themselves!
**Note- anyone under 18 will need a parental consent form signed before receiving treatment.***
Yes, yes, YES! I can’t say it enough. In a low-risk pregnancy with no complications, you can receive massage at any time from conception to delivery. First trimester, check. 39 weeks and about to burst, hell yes.
What about a higher-risk pregnancy, like multiples for example? I’ve massaged mamas with twins before, and it was freakin amazing. High-risk doesn’t mean no massage- it just means getting the all clear from your doctor first. Many establishments will have a medical release form for just this purpose. If you know that your pregnancy is considered high-risk, get ahead of the game by obtaining a “cleared for massage” note from your OB before you come in for your session.
I could go on all day- prenatal massage is one of my favorites! Look out for a more focused post on that in the future. Until then, if you have questions, hit me up! I would love to help answer them.
That, much like the pressure used, music, etc is up to YOU, love! This is your time on the table. A massage isn’t something that I do TO a client; it’s an experience we share together. I want it to be the best possible experience for you.
So don’t feel the need to fill the silence- we’re happy to zip it and focus on our work. And if you feel like talking, that’s fine too! Here’s how I handle it- I never start a conversation with a client. That way, it’s entirely up to them. I’ll answer them in a soft voice and return to being quiet so they know it’s okay to relax and sink in, if they choose.
Side note- wish your massage therapist would stop going on and on about his last vacation? Please don’t waste a second of your table time and just say so. Something like, “I’d like to be silent so I can really experience my session today fully.” works great.
Speak up right away if you:
Standard sessions are 30, 60, or 90 minutes long. Many practitioners will also offer 2 hour sessions, and you may be able to get a quick 15 minute chair massage at a number of locations too! Again, it depends on what your body needs. If your therapist feels they need more time at the next session to accomplish your goals, they’ll tell you. When in doubt, go for 90. 🙂
Yep! This is referred to as draping, and it’s a must. For security and for warmth, if a part of your body isn’t being worked on, it should usually be covered. If I’m working on your neck, your legs can just stay toasty, right? Obviously, areas that your massage therapist shouldn’t be working on at all (breasts and genital area) will be securely covered for the whole session.
Besides the comfort factor, proper draping is the law in most states.
A good therapist practices to make sure their draping is secure and done quickly without any fuss. I know, it’s just moving a sheet around, but trust me- it takes practice!
I’ll say again how very important it is to communicate with your therapist. If draping doesn’t feel secure and comfortable to YOU, I will do it again or figure something else out, every time.
Hopefully AMAAAAZING! It’s not uncommon for people to walk out with a slightly dazed look on their face- and that’s fantastic, you just float on that cloud for the rest of the day. Enjoy it!
With deeper work, you may experience some soreness- usually the next day. This should be similar to the way your muscles feel sore after a good workout. A hot shower or soaking in an Epsom salt bath can provide relief. Also, make sure to drink plenty of water, and let your therapist know if the soreness lasts longer than a day or two.
Oh my god, yes. I fall asleep almost every time I get a massage- often including drooling on the face cradle cover and weird leg twitches. No worries, folks! Most therapists consider it a compliment to help you relax so fully that you drift off on the table.
Honestly, there are only a few *total* contraindications to massage.
So basically, if you’ve got a bug or a spreadable rash, please stay home!
There are many other conditions that could require the session to be modified in some way. If there are any changes in your health (between updating your health history annually), make sure to mention them to your massage therapist so she can ensure your session is safe and enjoyable.
Still have unanswered questions? Your massage therapist wants to hear them!
You can always feel free to send massage related inquiries my way, too! No question is silly or embarrassing or weird. I love massage and want everyone to experience it.
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