When you are at the beginning of your spiritual journey, it can be difficult to understand how your energy works and why it matters.

Especially when you feel out of place and don’t really know yourself, because when you learn how your energy works, you also learn who you really are, and understand why you do what you do. 

There is nothing more insightful about your own true nature than understanding your own energy, the same way you understand cause and effect. Like a beaver dam that causes a river to become a pond by blocking the flow of water.

Once you know what makes up the “you” that shows up for work each day, it will be easier to make decisions on how to best use and share your energy.

In this blog post, you will learn the basics of your energetic body so that you can work with your energy in an intentional way and improve your life.

Is Chakra The Same As Chi? 

Chi is the life force energy that flows through the body of each individual and provides life or consciousness to a person. A strong chi will maintain an individual healthy and strong, but a weak chi will make an individual sick and tired. This life force energy is stored in the chakras which are round pools of energy in specific areas of the body where chi flows.

The key to health and vitality is to keep your chakras open so that your chi is able to flow freely throughout your body and maintain the balance of all your internal systems. 

What Are Your Seven Chakras? 

The word “chakra” comes from the Sanskrit word “cakra”, which translates to ‘wheel’ or ‘circle’, and these refer to the centers of energy in the human body. This invisible energy, often called “prana” or “chi”, is our life force. In the human body, there are seven main chakras, and they start at the base of the spine and travel up to the crown of the head. 

Considering that our chakras are a big driving force of life, it’s essential that they remain open and aligned. 

If they aren’t, they become blocked. Since the body and mind are interrelated, a single chakra that is blocked is more than likely to affect another chakra. These blockages can manifest as physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, energetic, and karmic symptoms.

Here are your 7 main chakras:

1. Root Chakra (Red)

The Muladhara (root chakra) is located in the perineum, the root of the spine between the anus and the genitals, and it gives your life’s foundation. It also aids you to be grounded and able to withstand many challenges. This chakra represents your security and stability in life.

2. Sacral Plexus Chakra (Orange)

The Svadhisthana (sacral chakra) is found in the sacrum, in the center of your body below the navel. This chakra represents your sexual and creative energy, and it is also linked to how you connect to your own emotions as well as the emotions of other people. The energy of the sacral chakra allows you to let go, move on, and embrace transformation and change.

3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Yellow)

The Manipura (solar plexus chakra) is between the navel and the bottom of the sternum, and it represents your confidence and self-esteem. It also helps you to take control of your life.

4. Heart Chakra (Green)

The Anahata (heart chakra) is located in the cardiac plexus; the heart, lungs, and the thymus gland. This chakra is concerned with your love and compassion in your life, and how you show it.

5. Throat Chakra (Blue)

The Vishuddha (throat chakra) is found in the throat, thyroid, parathyroid, jaw, neck, mouth, tongue, and larynx. The throat chakra is to do with your ability to verbally communicate.

6. Third Eye Chakra (Indigo)

The Ajna (third eye chakra) is at the center of your head, between and slightly above the level of your eyebrows. It is responsible for your intuition and is also associated with your imagination. 

7. Crown Chakra (Purple)

The Sahasrara (crown chakra) is located at the top of your head, and it is of course your spiritual connection to yourself, connection to others, and connection to the universe. It also represents your life purpose and seeking it.

What Is Your Chi? 

In Taoism and traditional Chinese medicine, chi is believed to be the vital force that is inherent in all living beings. In traditional Chinese medicine, the unimpeded circulation of chi and a balance of both positive and negative forms in the human body are considered to be essential to good health. 

The Mandarin word for chi, qi, translates to air, spirit, and energy of life. Your chi flows through pathways in your body called meridians, and there are twelve main meridians in the human body. In a healthy human being, their chi flows evenly, making their body strong and vibrant. However, if their chi is weak or “blocked”, they may feel tired, achy, and possibly even emotionally distraught. Blocked chi indicates pain or disease. 

There are many techniques involved in working with your chi, and these can include acupuncture, tai chi, yoga, meditation, and qigong. Practicing chi exercises of course have positive outcomes. These can include balance in breathing, a better heart rate, and blood pressure, a deeper and more restful sleep, higher levels of energy, deeper feelings of spirituality, and better quality of life in old age.

Are Chakras And Meridians The Same?

There are twelve major meridians in the human body, and they are a concept of Chinese medicine, but the understandings of the energetic body are shared by many Southeast Asia countries as well. It is believed that energy (also called the life force, prana, or chi) flows throughout the body in the same way that blood does. When this energy becomes blocked, adverse symptoms and disease may happen. 

Meridians connect all major organ systems in the body, and each meridian has a specific and important role in the entire body’s health. Good health depends on the circulation and balance of energy throughout the whole meridian system. 

The twelve major meridians of the body are as follows: the lung meridian, the large intestine meridian, the stomach meridian, the spleen meridian, the heart meridian, the small intestine meridian, the bladder meridian, the kidney meridian, the pericardium meridian, the triple warmer meridian, the gallbladder meridian, and the liver meridian.

Although they are both certainly linked with their purposes in the human body, chakras and meridians are not the same. Your body is made up of seven main chakras that follow the meridian paths that flow through your body. These chakras are connected and are located parallel to one another. The level of chakra and meridian energy in your body is certainly dependent on your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state of health. 

Furthermore, if your chakra is blocked or even damaged, it hinders the flow of chi that is channeled into your body through the meridians. Additionally, if your meridians are blocked or have low chi flow, you cannot be in the best health state. Therefore, when your chi is not freely flowing and healthy, there is an imbalance in the state of you being healthy. Balance is kept when your flow of chi is strong and free.

Comment below if you found this article helpful and let us know if you are interested in learning how to strengthen your chi and balance your chakras!