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The seventh chakra teaches you how to live in the present moment.
By Anna Thea — Last updated on Dec 07, 2022
Chakras are energy centers within our bodies that help us to learn specific lessons. This system originated in 1500 BC in India and, since then, has been an important tool for health and energy.
There are seven total chakras, starting from the top of our head to the base of the spine. And, when balanced and healthy, these chakras maintain the flow of energy within us.
What is the crown chakra?
The seventh chakra, or the crown chakra, is your connection to something greater than you. It represents self-realization and is the highest spiritual center of the body.
The seventh chakra allows you to feel the power of now, so you can access a sense of inner peace and faith that all is well.
The crown chakra is your connection to pure and universal consciousness and understanding. It is located at the top of the head, also called the crown of the head, where one would wear a crown.
The color of the crown chakra is violet or white, and its element is thought. Its Sanskrit name is "Sahasrara," which translates to "thousand petaled." Traditionally, the symbol is a lotus flower with 1,000 petals, arranged in 20 layers of different colors.
The symbol, depicted without artistic modification, energetically holds within it the true Sahasrara meaning.
Photo: Atarax42 via Wikimedia Commons
What does the crown chakra represent?
The crown chakra represents being connected to universal energies, mystical forces, and unity consciousness.
When you were born, you had a soft spot on the top of your head. Since you were just born into a whole new world, you were still connected to the world that you had just come from — the spirit world.
As you grew older, the soft spot closed up. This doesn’t mean that you're not connected anymore. You’ll always be connected to the universal energies that are in and all around us. We are all connected! Sometimes, we lose sight of that.
When you meditate, your crown chakra opens up and connects you to divine energies.
When you're connected to this divine energy, you have an expanded view of life. You don’t let life situations get you down as easily. You don’t feel alone and you feel fully supported by life.
How do you know if your crown chakra is blocked or imbalanced?
If your crown chakra is blocked or unbalanced you are unwilling to be open to other ideas, advice, or knowledge.
You don't trust in the process or allow the flow of life. You have to know why things happen as they do. You can't let go of the past, nor allow the flow of life.
If your crown chakra is blocked, you feel no connection to anything beyond this physical world. And when you have an imbalanced chakra, be aware of behaviors such as loneliness, feeling abandoned, and disconnection.
Other signs to look out for are headaches, migraines, weak memory, nervous system imbalances, feeling confused, and poor focus.
What causes a blocked crown chakra?
Because all of the chakras are connected to one another, the causes of a blocked crown chakra are very similar to why any other chakra would become blocked: stress, anxiety, worry, conflict, illness, or emotional distress are the main culprits.
Other causes include spiritual attacks or overall low vibrational energy.
These causes are what can mess up your harmonious chakra system and create chaos in your energy flow.
How do you know if your crown chakra is healthy and balanced?
When you have a healthy crown chakra, you know how loved and supported you are. The crown chakra is how you connect to angelic and divine forces and allow them into your life.
When your crown chakra is open and healthy, you realize how connected we all are. You feel the universal energy of life and have a greater awareness — one that's beyond the limits of this world.
When your crown chakra is open, you understand that there's more to life than just the mundane world.
Having an open crown chakra can make the mundane world magical, because you are bringing spirit into daily life. Honoring the spirit in your life, no matter how you do it or what your spiritual beliefs are, makes life much more meaningful and fulfilling.
Your crown chakra helps you understand that you are more than just a physical being. You have faith in the divine process of life.
The crown chakra allows the spirit to guide your life. Having a healthy crown chakra allows you to surrender to the process of life.
When you have an open crown chakra, you have faith in the divine, access to your inner guidance, know the universal truth, and have the ability to be still and experience inner peace.
How To Open & Unblock Your Crown Chakra
1. Connect deeply through conversation.
When you're having conversations, make a conscious effort to connect to the person’s eyes. See if you can be present with them and feel their essence, the spirit inside them.
As you converse with them, let your crown chakra open, so that you are speaking to them from your higher self. Let that guide the conversation. Don’t talk just to talk.
If silence comes into the conversation, don’t run from it by filling the space with another question or story. Let the silence be there and see what arises from it. See if you can give enough spaciousness between the two of you, so that spirit can get in.
Play with this and see what happens. You don’t always have to talk to connect.
2. Notice the power of now.
Take a moment and simply come to stillness. You can close your eyes or keep them open.
Look within or look around you. Notice what’s happening in the present moment.
Listen, feel, taste, smell, hear. Just be with it and enjoy the power of now.
3. Use crystals and essential oils.
Crystals have incredible spiritual energy that can boost your connection and help you in certain ways. Crystals to use for your crown chakra include clear quartz, opal, amethyst, selenite, and even diamond.
You can also incorporate aromatherapy by using essential oils as you meditate. Oils like jasmine, lavender, rose, sandalwood, neroli, and vetiver all encourage deeper focus.
4. Take time to reflect.
When you want to open your crown chakra, think of it as a time to self-reflect. You can do this by asking yourself questions:
- How is your crown chakra expressing itself in your day-to-day life?
- Do you feel connected to a source greater than yourself, whether you call that God, the Divine, or something else?
- Are you stuck in the past or fearful of the future?
- Can you be in the present?
5. Practice yoga.
Yoga helps you to connect with your body and mind. Doing a few poses that are specific to bring balance to your crown chakra is a good idea, and it's simple to do with your physical body.
Try these yoga poses to open your seventh chakra: Tree Pose (Vrksasana), Headstand (Sirsasana), Lotus Flower Pose (Padmasana), Corpse Pose (Savasana), or Half Camel Pose (Ardha Ustrasana).
6. Try a Pranayama technique.
Pranayama is a breathing technique used to elevate "life energies." Prana means "vital life force" and yama means "to gain control." People who practice yoga use Pranayama techniques to change their pattern of breathing in order to move or elevate life force energy.
The Pranayama technique specific to healing your crown chakra is called Nadi Shodhan, also known as alternate nostril breathing. This technique is used to release tension and anxiety within your head and can boost your concentration.
There are several videos of guided sessions you can use, including one from the popular channel Yoga With Adriene.
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Anna-Thea is an author and Certified Divine Feminine Educator. She educates people on how to claim their bodies as sacred. If you’d like to open and balance your chakras, check out her Guided Chakra Meditation for beginners.
This article was originally published at annathea.org. Reprinted with permission from the author.