7 yoga practices to clear your chakras
Seven simple yoga postures to clear your chakras and move through the menopause with greater ease. By Ceri Lee
Reading time: 6 minutes
Yoga is the path of balance: a way of establishing mental and physical balance within the body. The following practices are classic yoga asanas with breathing guides to help clear the chakras and restore equilibrium in the subtle body whilst positively impacting the central nervous and endocrine systems in the physical body.
Take a few moments to sit quietly, either on a chair or cross-legged on the floor, breathing through the nose. Focus your attention on the location of each chakra in the body and mentally repeat the breath mantra four times before you begin.
1. Muladhara Chakra – Root Centre
Location: Base of Spine, Sacro-Coccygeal Plexus
Gland: Adrenals
Breathe in: I am safe. Breathe out: I am grounded
Asana: Sethu Bandhasana – Pelvic tilt into bridge
Physical Benefits: Frees up the lower spine, tones internal organs and muscles
Practice
- Laying down on the back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor parallel and hip-width apart, place your arms alongside the body.
- Inhale deeply into the lower ribs and exhale squeezing the abdominals back, whilst rolling the pelvis down so the lower back flattens into the floor.
- Inhale and release, enabling the pelvis to rotate back. Repeat x4.
- Exhale peeling the lower spine into the mat and lift the hips up.
- Breathe naturally leaving your hands alongside the body or interlock your fingers under your back.
- Continue with the breathing mantra for about a minute, lifting hips higher with every exhalation.
- Exhale and lower the hips, peeling the back down onto the mat.
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2. Svadisthana Chakra — Sacral Centre
Location: Lower Belly, Prostatic plexus
Gland: Sex
Breathe in: I am seen Breathe out: I am worthy
Asana: Ananda Balasana - Happy Baby (using straps if desired)
Physical Benefits: Hip opener, releases tension in the back, stretches inner thighs, hamstrings, and groin.
Practice
- Laying on your back, bend both knees with feet on the ground, hip-width apart.
- Lift the right foot and catch hold of the outer arch with your right hand with the knee outside the outstretched arm (use a strap if necessary).
- Aim to bring the heel directly above the knee of the same leg, and exhale rotating the hip joint away from the body, working to bring the knee towards the ground next to the shoulder.
- After several breaths, see if you can straighten the supporting leg, without compromising the posture.
- After 10 long breaths, release and extend the leg up straight with a flexed foot and exhale lowering the leg using your core muscles.
- Repeat on the left side, and then practice holding both feet.
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3. Manipura Chakra – Solar Plexus Centre
Location: Navel
Gland: Pancreas
Breathe in: I am strong Breathe out: I am ready
Asana: Pashhimottasana – sitting forward bend
Physical Benefits: Rejuvenates the entire spine, tones the abdomen, hips & thighs. Stretches hamstrings.
Practice
- Sitting upright with legs out in front of you, place your hands beside your hips.
- Pause and take a moment to consider the breathing mantra above.
- Inhale a deep breath as you lift your arms up above your head.
- Exhale your arms forward and down, hands towards the feet on the floor palms face up or catch hold of your big toes with your fore fingers, palms face up.
- Continue to breathe with the intention of breathing space into the middle and lower back, keeping your shoulders as relaxed as possible and exhaling the elbows and body down towards the ground.
- Take 10 breaths, then inhale your arms up and straighten your back.
- Exhale bringing your arms back alongside the body.
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4. . Anahata Chakra — Heart Centre
Location: Cardiac plexus
Gland: Thymus
Breathe in: I am loved Breathe out: I am love
Asana: Matsyasana – Fish
Physical Benefits: Powerful stretch to back & neck. Reduces throat ailments, improves skin texture bringing a radiant glow. Regulates moods, emotions, & stress.
Practice
- Laying on the ground with arms by your side, lift the hips to move them under your body, elbows as close together as possible, palms face down.
- Inhale lifting the head up and look towards your toes.
- Roll your head back and down until the crown of the head touches the floor.
- Use the strength in your upper arms to support the upper body.
- Remain here for 10 breaths.
- To come out, inhale your head up to look at your toes and exhale to gently roll back the head, back down to the floor, vertebra by vertebra.
5. Vishuddu Chakra — Throat Centre
Location: Laryngeal plexus
Gland: Thyroid and parathyroid
Breathe in: I speak my truth Breathe out: Openly and kindly
Asana: Sarvangasana – Shoulderstand
Physical Benefits: Balances hormones, benefits urinary disorders. Relieves stiffness in neck & shoulders.
Practice
- From savasana: relaxed posture, bring your feet together and inhale your legs and back up from the floor, supporting the back with your arms.
- Take the next few breaths drawing the elbows closer together and straightening the legs upwards.
- Slow your breathing, as the throat is deliberately constricted, and remain here for 10 breaths.
- To come out, exhale bringing the legs behind the head so you can release your arms to the ground.
- Use your abdominal muscles to slowly lower the body back down to the ground.
- Rest for a moment in savasana. You can practice against a wall for extra support:
- Bring your mat to the wall.
- Lay on your mat with your bottom flush to it, and legs up the wall.
- Walk your feet up the wall so that the pelvis lifts, supporting the back with the arms.
- Rest on your shoulders and take several long breaths.
- Exhale to roll down, vertebra by vertebra, until your pelvis returns to the ground and roll to the side to come up.
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6. Ajna Chakra – Psychic Centre
Location: Between the eyebrows
Gland: Pituitary, principal gland controlling the body
Breathe in: I speak open to recieve Breathe out: clarity of vision
Asana: Ardha Matyasendrasana (half spinal twist)
Physical Benefits: Rejuvenates the nerves of the spine making the back flexible. Massages the abdominals and relieves the lower back. Especially beneficial for PMT.
Practice
- From kneeling, lift your hips and slide feet over to the right side of your body and lower the hips back to the ground.
- Place the right foot flat on the floor on the outside of the left knee. (If this is uncomfortable then straighten the left leg).
- Bring the right arm to the floor behind the back.
- Inhale and raise the left arm up.
- Either bring the left arm over the right side of the right knee and hold onto the right ankle or hug the right knee, whichever you can manage.
- Exhale and turn the head as far around to the right as possible.
- Close your eyes and imagine you are looking out through your third eye.
- Continue to breathe deeply for up to 10 breaths, extending the twist with every exhalation.
7. Sahasrara Chakra — Crown Centre
Location: Top of the head
Gland: Pineal, light responsive, release of serotonin
Breathe in: I am that Breathe out: that I am
Practice: Sahasrara Meditation
- Sit upright on the floor with legs crossed or on a chair with both feet on the floor.
- Pause and take a few moments to become aware of the breath.
- Visualise it moving down the spine on the inhalation to the base of the spine and exhale the breath back up the spine and out through the crown of the head.
- Focus on your third eye, the dark space. Become the observer of the space in the skull.
- Allow images to move in and move out.
- Mentally repeat and witness!
I am not this body,
I am not this mind,
I am not this breath,
I am pure consciousness.
Take your time to absorb, allowing the body to be still and when you are ready, open your eyes.
Ceri Lee is a yoga teacher of over 20 years and the founder of Yoga Light (yoga-light.com). A complete online 7-Day Chakra Clearing Series is available at: yoga-light.com/online or connect on Instagram @ceriyogalight
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