Seven. There are seven chakras, just as so many other important things in life come in sevens. The seven wonders of the world. The seven deadly sins. The seven days of Creation. The seven lucky gods of Buddhism. The seven cities of gold. The seven dwarves :). The list goes on and on.

The specific properties of these seven chakras are not definitively laid out in any historic, single-source master tome. Instead, each practitioner tends to decide for themselves, based on experience, discussion, and reading, what they understand chakras to be. Just as each of us is a unique individual, each of us can have a different view of how our chakras work.

Still, there is a general consensus by most (but not all) practitioners on how chakras tend to work across all humans.

Let's review what these base assumptions are. We'll start from the bottom, our literal rear end, with Muladhara. We'll finish up with the very top, the crown of our head, with Sahasrara.

Chakra 1 – Root

The first chakra, Muladhara, is the root, bottom chakra, associated with the base of the spine. As the root, it is often associated with the most basic of survival instincts. Fight and flight. Stay or go.

Its symbol is the simple lotus with only four petals.

This chakra is about our basic needs. The survival instincts we have in life. A common need for shelter and food. For breathable air and drinkable water.

Its color is red.

The name in Sanskrit is Muladhara.

The animal is the elephant, a creature of strength and power. Other animals used in various cultures are the ox, bull, and snake.

The element, as you might imagine, is Earth.

Crystals related to the root chakra are hematite, garnet, and black obsidian.

Foods relating to this chakra are, perhaps naturally, the root vegetables. Potatoes. Parsnips. Garlic.

This chakra relates to anyone who is struggling with challenges. It is that base. The grounding which lets us take another step.

For yoga, think about the ones that give you the most stability. Sitting in a meditation pose. Lying in child pose. You want to focus on poses that, for you, give you that safe, stable feeling.

Every one of us is different. Every one of us reacts in different ways to different poses. So with all of these yoga pose recommendations, remember to look within yourself to know what works best for you. If you don't feel stable in a meditation pose, go with the pose that, for you, brings the most calm and quiet.

A root energy is at the base of everything. If you study the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs, most people cannot even begin to think about esoteric issues like "where will I get my master's degree" if they are starving to death and sleeping in a gutter. They need those basic needs met first.

Here is a representation of the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs:

Doesn't this look quite similar to the chakra layout? The idea is that humans can't bring themselves to be worried about higher-level concerns if they are dying of thirst. There is a hierarchy of needs. The same applies to the chakras. The chakras go in order from the basic needs up to the more advanced ones.

So here we are at the root. The breathing, food, water level. The making sure we stay alive level.

If you are having challenges in this area, get help. There are countless organizations out there dedicated to ensuring people stay alive. If you run into trouble, persevere. Keep asking. The help is out there.

Chakra 2 – Sexual

In modern times it can often seem that sex is forbidden or bad. But for most of human history sex between consenting adults was a normal, natural part of life. Sexual celebrations in villages would be open and gleeful, for without sex the village could not survive. Animals had to have sex to ensure the village had enough food. Adults had to have sex to ensure the village continued to thrive. It wasn't hidden. People lived in one-room houses! Sex was a normal part of life, like eating and drinking.

It is only fairly recently that sex become strangely taboo. Find a way to release that. Know that sex is a healthy part of every adult life.

The second chakra, svadhisthana, is also about creative energies. There are many ways we humans express our creativity. Some color. Some draw. Some sing and some dance. The second chakra lets it all flow.

The region for this chakra is in the area of the testes / ovaries for fairly obvious reasons, given its sexual energy. The color is orange.

The Sanskrit name is Svadhisthana.

The animal is, interestingly enough, the crocodile. I'd think it'd be the fertile bunny rabbit J. Maybe the crocodile choice relates to our "reptile brain" which drives us to do things based on lower instincts. Other animals used are the dolphin and stag.

The element is water.

Crystals involved with the second chakra are carnelian and turquoise.

Foods here are teas and oranges.

This chakra relates to all artists, writers, and creative folk.

For yoga poses, think about which poses help you open up and feel creative and good about yourself. Again this will be different for each of us. Some will relate to Warrior Pose II with its surfing-of-the-mat. Others might prefer a flow sequence where they dance across the room.

Sex is a normal biological drive that nearly all humans have. Many times we try to hide and suppress it – but this rarely works. It's better to acknowledge it's a part of the human body like eating and drinking and to move forward.

Creativity is important for all of us as well. Creativity helps us to solve problems and reach our potential. Find ways to explore your creativity each day.

Chakra 3 – Metabolism

Sure, sex and creativity are fun, but we have to maintain ourselves every day if we want to thrive long term. Not only that, but we have to eat well. Eating junk food all day every day is a sure path to poor health.

The third chakra, Manipular, relates to the metabolic and digestive systems. So often we can take these for granted and just eat anything we wish. We learn eventually that that attitude is a path to unhappiness. We have to eat well if we want to be healthy.

This chakra relates to self-esteem. So many people in our modern world become unhealthy from poor eating and then suffer poor self-esteem as a result. The key is to find a balance of healthy eating to sustain your body.

The third chakra can also relate to the emotional side of the gut – your gut instinct. We go with our gut feeling. If a tragedy strikes, we can feel like we were kicked in the gut. The gut is a representation of our strong emotions. Not the heart of romance, which is coming next, but courage and strength. Someone has the "guts" to take on a bully.

The Sanskrit name is Manipular.

The color is yellow.

The animal associated here is the ram. Other animals include the bear and lion.

The element is fire.

Crystals involved with the third chakra are citrine and yellow jasper.

Foods would be bananas and yellow curry.

Again, find yoga positions that work well for you. A common pose here is the spinal twist of Half Lord of the Fishes, where you sit with your head high and your body rotated. Maybe a reclining twist is more your speed. Whatever you choose, focus on that gut!

It's important to pay attention to your gut. So often we can make fun of our gut for being too round or squishy or whatever. We can ignore our gut instincts. This part of us is important and should be treasured. Find ways to respect your gut – with all it represents – and be aware of what it brings to you as a complete person.

Chakra 4 – Heart

We go from the stomach up to the heart. They aren't that far apart! The heart pumps blood throughout our bodies and keeps us alive. But the heart means more in this context. It's about emotion. About caring and attachment and love.

The Sanskrit name is Anahata.

The color is green or light blue.

This chakra is associated with poets and authors. With nurses and doctors and teachers. With those who care for others and wish to share with them.

The animal here is the antelope. Be aware and nimble. Other animals are the dove and wolf.

The element is air.

Crystals involved with the fourth chakra are rose quartz and malachite.

Foods for the fourth chakra would be broccoli and spinach.

For yoga, you can go with the explicit heart-lifting symbolism of a pose like camel pose. But also consider the meaning of the chakra. Explore a quiet meditation where you focus on loving kindness for all those around you. Done daily, this can be a powerful exercise which changes how you view the world around you.

Our heart is the key to how we connect with those around us. It is the seat of empathy and compassion. The more we build our heart energy, the more we can help others and feel at peace within our community.

Chakra 5 – Mouth / Throat

We are moving up to more complicated thoughts now. This is about the mouth. Communication and knowledge. Even more than that – this is about truth. About being able to understand yourself and to communicate that with others.

The Sanskrit word is Vishudda.

The color is blue.

The element is space. This is different from air. It is instead the connection between all of us.

The throat chakra is associated, as you might guess, with singing and speaking. It's about communicating well with others. It is for talk-givers and leaders, for group members and teachers.

The animal is the white elephant; the symbol is the moon. This is more about a "higher level" of symbolism versus the base elephant of the first root chakra. Note that some feel this chakra is a personally chosen one, since it relates to your own, personal voice. So it doesn't have to be a white elephant. If you relate to a tiger, this can be your tiger chakra.

Because of the communication aspect, this chakra is often associated with lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is when you are having a dream and you are able to realize that you are dreaming. That what is going on around you is not reality. You can then change your dream.

Crystals involved with the fifth chakra are sodalite and blue calcite.

Foods for this chakra include blueberries and plums.

For yoga, think of the many yoga breathing exercises. Each helps you with this aspect of your body. Also think about the neck exercises that release the throat.

Meditators might try a spoken or singing meditation. Chanting can be wonderfully releasing.

Communication forms a key part of every day for most of us. How we communicate impacts our own lives and those around us as well. If we can work on this a little each day, the benefits add up quickly.

Chakra 6 – Third-Eye

The sixth chakra, also called the third-eye chakra, is related to the center of the forehead. Numerous studies show if you gently press in this area you can induce calm. There are very real connections between this area of the body and matching sensations in the brain.

On the down side, water torture on the third eye is proven to work quite well. Water torture involves random pressure drops in the center of one's forehead. Cruel organizations perform water torture against the third eye. They use this part of the body rather than a toe or finger for their water-drops. Why? Again, because this area of the body is proven to be quite sensitive. As is said in so many classic stories, power can be used for good or evil.

We want to strive to use it for good!

Color – violet or white.

Sanskrit word – Ajna / Ajya.

The element here is the human mind – consciousness. In general there is no animal symbol for the sixth chakra, for this represents the human mind.

Some people still crave an animal for symbolism's sake and so the hawk, flying above us all, is often used. This chakra can also connect with the eagle, owl, or butterfly.

This chakra represents all of us in an elevated state. It is what we can rise to when we cope with the various baser challenges of life. When we soothe the issues of hunger and thirst, of anger and jealousy, of miscommunication, we float up to being open to the greater beauties our world has to offer.

Crystals involved with the sixth chakra are lapis lazuli and azurite.

This chakra is about attentiveness so rather than having a specific food, it is more about eating mindfully. Be attentive to each bite.

For yoga, I want to again emphasize that we are all quite different human beings. We all contemplate this stage in a different manner. For some, they adore the eagle pose. They spiral to that higher level.

Others look at the eagle pose and shake their head in disbelief at how hard it is! They would vastly prefer the child pose. In child pose they can press their third eye to the Earth and find true relaxation.

You know yourself best. Find the pose which best lets you wholly relax and be open to the universe.

For meditation, this would be the time to release any single-focus meditation like on a candle flame, rose petal, or even love. Instead, open your mind to all. To the universe. To the entirety of what surrounds us.

It can be hard to even contemplate the sixth chakra when one is struggling with overdue bills and unhappy family members. Give yourself time. Work through the issues you have and focus on the chakras you need to. When you find your path through those, the path to the sixth chakra will open for you.

Chakra 7 – Crown

The crown of the head is the top of everything. Think of all the religious images involving halos. The idea that the top of the head represents spiritual matters has existed since man began.

We often think of Christianity when we think of halos, but the same glowing light around the head was used by Greeks, Romans, Buddhists, Hindus, and others to represent a person with great strength or insight. It is a global concept.

Sanskrit word – Sahasrara.

Color – White or purple. In reality it is supposed to have "all lights" – a state of containing everything. That's hard to represent on a printer, though.

There is no animal associated with the crown chakra. Instead, this represents all consciousness. If you prefer a concrete image, many societies go with the egg. The potential for a new life.

Crystals involved with the seventh chakra are amethyst and white topaz.

Like the previous chakra, this chakra is also about eating mindfully. Do not gobble your food or eat while watching TV. Instead, make the meal itself your focus.

For yoga, this is the ultimate expression of you as one with the universe. This is absolutely a case where you should choose your favorite pose. Choose the pose that makes your heart sing. That makes you joyful. Whatever that is, embrace it as your unique expression of you.

We all face stresses in life. We all hit setbacks. By continuing to move forward, and to know the crown awaits us, we can breathe in the strength of a new day.

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