chakra colors Archives - Zanna Keithley

In this post, learn the basics of the seven main chakras, including chakra colors, signs of chakra balance and imbalance, and more! Plus download your free printable chakra chart and five positive affirmations for each chakra.

Chakra Colors and Meanings: A Beginner's Guide — **Pin this for later!** *Chakra Colors and Meanings: A Beginner’s Guide*

What is a Chakra?

When you’re first learning about chakras, it can be a little confusing to understand what exactly they are, especially without a proper explanation before diving right in. Some guided meditations may jump straight to describing these glowing orbs of colored light within you, which can often be more than a little disconcerting at first.

So let’s simplify and break down what exactly a chakra is and why it’s important.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “disk.” A commonly accepted definition for the word chakra is a wheel of energy in your body. You might also think of it like a vortex of energy within you.

What makes it confusing is that this vortex isn’t actually a physical thing like your bones or organs. You can’t see your chakras in an x-ray. Rather, you experience them through feelings, sensations, and your own intuition.

So what exactly does a chakra do? Ideally, your life force, or prana, is flowing to and through your chakras at all times (through energy channels called nadis), which allows you to live in alignment with your highest self.

Energy is meant to flow, and when your chakras are open, your life force energy can flow freely in and out of each of your energy centers. (You might hear the words chakras and energy centers used interchangeably.)

But what happens when a chakra becomes blocked? When one of your chakras becomes blocked, your life force energy stagnates. This results in mental, physical, emotional, and/or spiritual blockages.

For instance, grief and betrayal are both two experiences that may result in blockages in the heart chakra. As a result, you may experience feelings of loneliness, depression, distrust, and anger.

In this post, we’re going to focus on the seven main chakras, but there are actually 114 chakras throughout your body, and some people believe there to be more. It’s important to keep in mind that while each chakra has its own role and individual attributes, they act as one whole system. When one chakra is blocked or overactive, this affects the energy throughout your entire chakra system.

Below, I’ll explain a little more about the chakra colors and offer a rundown on the attributes and meanings of each of your seven main chakras.

And if you’re interested in exploring more about chakras and want to begin your own powerful journey of chakra healing, you can check out my Chakra Healing Bundle, which contains a Chakra Healing eBook, Chakra Healing Workbook, and 8-Week Chakra Healing Guide. These healing resources are designed to help you begin a profound journey into aligning with your highest self, healing your soul, and cultivating unconditional self-love.

History of Chakra Colors

You may be familiar with the idea that chakras each have a corresponding color connected to it. Here’s the list:

Root Chakra: Red
Sacral Chakra: Orange
Solar Plexus Chakra: Yellow
Heart Chakra: Green
Throat Chakra: Light Blue
Third Eye Chakra: Indigo (Also associated with blue and purple.)
Crown Chakra: Purple (Also associated with white and gold.)

While these are the commonly accepted colors for the chakras, this is actually a fairly recent development in the history of chakras. In fact, most ancient traditions never associated chakras with specific colors. Instead, they were more likely to associate a chakra with a specific mantra or shape.

So where did the idea of the chakra colors come from? In 1970, author Christopher Hills first wrote about the chakra colors in his book, Nuclear Evolution: Discovery of the Rainbow Body. Since this original publishing, the chakra colors I listed above have become widely accepted throughout the western world.

So what does this mean? Someone just made the chakra colors up? Does that mean the chakra colors a lie?

Here’s my answer: No, but it’s up to you to determine whether the chakra colors resonate with you.

I know people who personally resonate with the chakra colors and who have used color therapy as a form of healing their chakras. Color therapy is the practice of surrounding yourself with the color of the chakra you want to open, activate, and/or heal. For instance, if you want to connect with your heart chakra, you might wear a green shirt, write in green pen, eat green vegetables, drink a green smoothie, and place green items around your work station.

Additionally, many energy healers sense and can often see certain colors within and surrounding other people; these colors often correlate directly with the designated chakra colors.

But if you personally don’t resonate with the chakra colors? That’s okay. Maybe you’ve tried some chakra meditations that instruct you to connect with each chakra by perceiving it as a brightly colored orb in its designated color, but you don’t feel like this does anything for you.

Like I said, that’s completely okay. You might choose instead to view it as a swirling vortex, a colorless ball of energy, or a bright white or golden light.

You can also choose to focus less on the color and more on a different aspect of the chakra, such as its associated mantra. I’ve listed the mantras for each chakra in the next section.

Whether or not you associate with the chakra colors, know that there’s no right or wrong path as long as you’re willing to do the deep inner work to connect with and heal your chakras.

You Might Also Like: Essential Oils for Chakra Healing: A Complete Guide

Download your free printable chakra chart and affirmations.

The 7 Main Chakras & Their Meanings

Root Chakra

Sanskrit Name: Muladhara (Mula: “root”; Adhara: “support” or “base”)
Location: Base of spine
Color: Red
Body Parts: Legs, Colon, Kidneys, Prostate, Bladder, Tailbone
Symbol: Four-petaled lotus with a square in the middle
Element: Earth
Mantra: LAM
Affirmation: I am
Balanced Attributes: Secure, Grounded, Strong, Centered, Stable, Steady, Safe, Peaceful, Supported, All Basic Needs Are Met
Imbalanced Attributes: Insecure, Anxious, Depressed, Scattered, Disconnected, Restless, Fearful, Cynical, Neglected, Worried
Fundamental Need: Survival

Sacral Chakra

Sanskrit Name: Svadhishthana (Sva = “self”; shthana = “place”)
Location: Lower abdomen (below your navel)
Color: Orange
Body Parts: Womb, Bladder, Lower Back, Reproductive Organs
Symbol: Six-petaled lotus with a moon crescent in the center
Element: Water
Mantra: VAM
Affirmation: I feel
Balanced Attributes: Creative, Joyful, Playful, Prosperous, Stable, Sexual, Sensual, Passionate, Open, Energetic, Honest, Forgiving
Imbalanced Attributes: Lack of Creativity, Unstable, Insecure, Anxious, Scattered, Lazy, Fearful, Disconnected, Depressed, Unmotivated, Negative, Lack of Sensuality
Fundamental Need: Emotional flow, desire, sexuality

Solar Plexus Chakra

Sanskrit Name: Manipura (“City of Jewels”; sometimes translated as “Lustrous Gem”)
Location: A couple inches above the navel/Below the chest
Color: Yellow
Body Parts: Pancreas, Stomach, Liver, Gall Bladder
Symbol: Ten-petaled lotus with downward facing triangle in the center
Element: Fire
Mantra: RAM
Affirmation: I do
Balanced Attributes: Confident, Positive, Joyful, Empowered, Driven, Motivated, Collaborative, High Self-Esteem
Imbalanced Attributes: Lack of Confidence, Negative, Fearful, Low Energy, Indifferent, Unmotivated, Competitive, Low Self-Esteem
Fundamental Need: Self-worth

Heart Chakra

Sanskrit Name: Anahata (“Unstruck”)
Location: Heart/Center of chest
Color: Green
Body Parts: Heart, Lungs, Shoulders, Arms, Ribs, Breasts, Diaphragm
Symbol: Twelve-petaled lotus with two intersecting triangles in the center
Element: Air
Mantra: YAM
Affirmation: I love
Balanced Attributes: Loving, Loveable, Peaceful, Compassionate, Empathetic, Trustful, Open-Hearted, Serene, Understanding, Kind
Imbalanced Attributes: Unloved, Unlovable, Lonely, Depressed, Indifferent, Judgmental, Distrustful, Self-Isolates, Spiteful, Selfish
Fundamental Need: Love

Throat Chakra

Sanskrit Name: Vishuddha (“Especially pure” or “Purest”)
Location: Throat/Center of Neck
Color: Light Blue
Body Parts: Throat, Thyroid, Teeth, Mouth, Jaw, Neck
Symbol: Sixteen-petaled lotus with a downward facing triangle inside a circle
Element: Ether (Sky/Space)
Mantra: HAM
Affirmation: I speak
Balanced Attributes: Communicative, Calm, Honest, Peaceful, Decisive, Expressive, Patient, Authentic, Centered, Good Listener
Imbalanced Attributes: Excessively Shy, Withdrawn, Dishonest, Loud, Indecisive, Inexpressive, Impatient, Disingenous, Moody, Insincere
Fundamental Need: Expression

Third Eye Chakra

Sanskrit Name: Ajna (“Beyond wisdom.” Can also be translated as “Perceive” or “Command.”)
Location: Center of Forehead/Between Eyebrows
Color: Indigo (Also associated with purple.)
Body Parts: Brain, Eyes, Nervous System, Forehead
Symbol: Two-petaled lotus with inverted triangle in the center
Element: Light
Mantra: OM or SHAM
Affirmation: I see
Balanced Attributes: Intuitive, Imaginative, Insightful, Perceptive, Open-Minded, Sense of Clarity, Mentally Strong, Trusting
Imbalanced Attributes: Lack of Intuition, Confused, Unimaginative, Fearful, Unable to Focus, Close-Minded, Scattered, Distrusting
Fundamental Need: Insight and intuition

Crown Chakra

Sanskrit Name: Sahasrara (“Thousand-petaled”)
Location: Top of Head
Color: Violet (White is often associated with this chakra as well.)
Body Parts: Skull, Cerebral Cortex, Right Eye
Symbol: Thousand-petaled lotus with a divine circle in the center
Element: Thought/Consciousness
Mantra: OM (or silence)
Affirmation: I understand
Balanced Attributes: Spiritual, Enlightened, Trusting, Peaceful, Creative, Focused, Blissful, Present, Connected to Higher Power
Imbalanced Attributes: Cynical, Close-Minded, Lack of Faith, Frustrated with Life, Forgetful, Unfocused, Lonely, Scattered, Disconnected
Fundamental Need: Connection to the divine

Want to learn more about chakras? Check out all my articles on chakras here. And if you want to connect to each of your energy centers and experiences profound chakra healing, be sure to purchase your Chakra Healing Bundle today.

And for more on chakra healing, plus positive affirmations, manifestation tools, and more, be sure to follow me on Pinterest! And for a daily dose of self-love and empowering beliefs, connect with me on Instagram.