It’s self-care season out here, and we need to do a mental and physical health check-up. Look internally, how are you? How are you really? Physically, I’ve been pretty good about moving my body lately. Mentally, however, I have been struggling a little bit. I have been burning the candle at both ends, not getting enough sleep, and letting stress cause me a bit of anxiety. As a result, I’ve been feeling a little tense and ungrounded. Per my chakra quiz, I can tell my root chakra is a little out of whack, and I need to show it, and me, some love.
Luckily, we can use self-care practices for each chakra to bring us back into balance.
Self-Care Routines For Each Chakra
Here are a few of my favorite self-care routines for each chakra!
Self-Care For the Root Chakra
The root chakra sits at the base of your spine and is responsible for your health, energy, and groundedness.
The best and most important self-care you can do for your root chakra is to get adequate sleep. Turn off all electronics at least an hour before bedtime. Schedule yourself 8 to 9 hours of sleep and stick to it. Wake up slowly in the morning, with calming sounds, at a time congruous with your dominant dosha.
Another essential self-care practice for your root chakra is nourishing your body with foods that are good for you and that bring you joy. Cook yourself a meal filled with root vegetables and red foods. Here are a few recipes for your root chakra.
This may seem obvious, but yoga is yet another of the best self-care practices you can maintain for the health of your root chakra. Low impact exercise helps you feel grounded, energetic, and healthy.
Self-Care For the Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra sits just below the navel and influences our creation and pleasure. Caring for your sacral chakra involves small activities that give you pleasure.
Water is the element of the sacral chakra, and one of our favorite sacral chakra activities is a soothing, serene, candlelit bubble bath. Let your mind wander and remain present in your bliss.
Another fantastic self-care activity for your sacral chakra is a swim. Let the water buoy you up as you move your body through the water. Study your connection with the element, how it simultaneously holds you up as you glide through it. Focus on nothing important, yet allow your mind to explore possibilities.
Thirdly, pay a professional massage therapist for a soothing massage to care for your sacral chakra. Allow a trained and licensed masseuse to worship your body into a higher and more relaxed state.
Self-Care For the Solar Plexus Chakra
We find the solar plexus chakra just above our navel, level with the bottom of our rib cages. Our solar plexus chakra is responsible for our drive and motivation. We care for our solar plexus chakra by challenging ourselves. By pushing our boundaries, we awaken the dormant energy in our solar plexus chakra.
To care for this chakra, try a new skill, especially martial arts.
The color of the solar plexus chakra is yellow, so wear yellow, spend time in the sun, and look to the sky. Find a quiet place in a sunny location and remain present in the moment.
The best way to practice self-care for your solar plexus chakra is to push the boundaries of your fear. Try something that scares you, like bungee jumping or talking to your crush. You’ll be surprised at what you can do even when you’re afraid.
Heart Chakra
It should come as no surprise that the heart chakra is located near the heart. It is responsible for our ability to love ourselves and others. It’s also connected to our balance and sense of connection.
For a little heart chakra self-care, start a gratitude journal. Each day, write down one thing you appreciate about yourself or someone close to you. Soon, you will begin to see small things you can appreciate around you all the time.
For some self-love self-care, stand naked in front of the mirror and tell yourself, out loud, three of your favorite things about yourself. Do this each morning before you get dressed. Use this as a reminder that your body is your own and that you need to be kind to it.
Make a point to give one acquaintance or stranger a compliment every day. Spread a little more love and light in this world while simultaneously working on your ability to connect with those around you.
Throat Chakra
The throat chakra resides in the throat and is the center of communication and expression. Forms of self-expression that do not require words are great exercises to care for your throat chakra.
Turn on one of your favorite songs and dance around the room to it. Use your body to describe the emotions and story hidden within the deeper meaning of the lyrics and music.
Think about a powerfully emotional time in your life and emulate how you felt onto a canvas. You can use paint, fabric, glue, beads, any medium that helps you nonverbally communicate your experience.
For a third self-care practice, every day for a week, wear a color that you feel represents your dominant emotion that day.
Third Eye Chakra
The third eye chakra sits between your brows and is associated with our minds; it is also called our “mind’s eye.” Stimulate your third eye chakra by “expanding your mind,” so to speak.
Sit down in a cozy nook with a cup of tea and a book on a topic you aren’t super familiar with. Maybe try a biography of someone with a lived experience much different than your own or a genre you wouldn’t normally read.
Take a class, virtually or in person, on something you know very little about. Learn a new skill or tackle brand new material.
Listen to a lecture from someone with an opposing viewpoint to your own. Don’t just listen to respond or rebut, do your best to listen to understand where that person is coming from, even if you don’t agree.
Crown Chakra
Your crown chakra sits atop your head. It is responsible for our connection with the universe. To practice self-care for your crown chakra, you must encounter the divine.
One life-changing self-care activity for your crown chakra is star-gazing. Sometimes this can be difficult to do if you live in a city with a lot of light pollution, but try to find a dark spot with a clear view of the sky. Watch and study the stars, relishing our tiny role in this big, wide world.
Another self-care task for your crown chakra is to visit a historical site with cultural significance, like an indigenous sacred site. Whether you believe in religion or not, visiting the location of thousands of years of worship and communion has a special power.
Hike in nature, moving slowly through this sacred space. Take in the tiniest details among flora and fauna, taking time to appreciate all the diversity this world has to offer.
Take Care Of Your Chakras
When we don’t take care of our chakras, they can become unbalanced or even blocked. One blocked chakra upsets the delicate energy balance in our bodies, leaving us feeling unfulfilled, confused, and no longer operating at our highest function. When we take the time to care for our mental, physical, and spiritual components, we find our truest, happiest, centered selves.
