The word "chakra" comes from Sanskrit, an Indo-European language in which India's sacred texts are written. It means "wheel" and, beyond that, spiral or cycle. It therefore conveys a connotation of movement. This helps us understand that, even at rest, a body continues to be in motion. We need to learn how to listen to this movement, to know its degrees, its strength, and its influences, in order to achieve well-being. Indeed, we are not only composed of flesh, blood, and tissues, but also of energy, a vital force. The purpose here is not to give you a yoga lesson or to explain all the virtues of the chakras, but rather to connect their meanings to your own story. The best encyclopedias published so far will never replace self-knowledge or your own experiences. The image above shows you the location of the seven chakras, which should be read from the base, "I have," to the summit, "I am." After studying their meaning and usefulness, you can do the proposed exercises, according to your needs and always at your own pace.

How to identify our 7 main chakras

First chakra: Muladhara. Red, located at the perineum, it is connected to the coccyx. This is the Root chakra, the base. Its element: Earth.
Second chakra: Svadhishthana. Orange, located above the genitals, it is called the Sacral chakra. It is connected to the sacrum, at the base of the spine. Its element: Water.
Third chakra: Manipura. Yellow, located between the solar plexus and the navel, this is the Solar chakra. It represents the gateway to astral travel. Its element: Fire.
Fourth chakra: Anahata: Green, located in the middle of the chest, at the heart level, under the sternum, this is the Heart chakra, the place of love par excellence. Its element: Air.
Fifth chakra: Vishuddha. Turquoise or light blue, located at the throat level, where the thyroid gland is, the Throat chakra is connected to the larynx. Its element: Ether, the celestial space.
Sixth chakra: Ajna. Indigo blue, located between the two eyebrows, in the middle of the forehead, the Third Eye chakra is linked to the pituitary gland. Its element: the mind.
Seventh chakra: Sahasrara: Violet, located at the top of the head, where, in babies, the fontanelle appears, the Crown chakra is linked to the pineal gland. Its element: the cosmos.

How to activate the 1st chakra, Muladhara

Its message: "I have"
Its meaning: the human being is aware of being alive; at the same time, they discover that their life has a limit. They then protect themselves through possession, heritage, as so many ramparts against fear.
To be born is to be incarnated and to have a body. Accumulating material goods is wanting to eternally preserve one's body. Wisdom appears when the individual understands that they must detach materially and divest themselves to be. And this stage implies that they are ready to detach from their body.
Exercise to open the 1st chakra: Visualize an image of pleasure, linked to money, food, a reassuring place, or material satisfaction, like one of your reassuring objects.

How to activate the 2nd chakra, Svadhishthana

Its message: "I feel"
Its meaning: It refers to the first relationships with others, experienced through the family. The seat of familial and maternal love, it contains the emotions of early childhood: joys, anxieties, or guilt. Its ally is dreams, imagination, the child's refuge, which still links them to the prenatal world. And there is the dwelling of the unconscious.
The lived story is initially endured, as one does not choose one's family origins. Between acceptance and rebellion, the internal struggle is very harsh.
Exercise to open the 2nd chakra: Remember a beautiful emotion from your childhood. Visualize yourself alone or with other people who, in the past, reassured you as a child.

How to activate the 3rd chakra, Manipura

Its message: "I can"
Its meaning: It is the bridge between the family bond (6th chakra) and the social bond (4th chakra). It is the center of gravity of man, the inner sun that gives him strength and stability. It represents what one receives from life, according to one's ability to master one's destiny. It leads to the affirmation of personality. Adolescents are often blocked at this chakra level, as they find it difficult to break with childhood.
Exercise to open the 3rd chakra: Remember an event during which you were the star. The image should make you a hero. Recall a moment of triumph over fear or great satisfaction, linked to your sole and unique will.

How to activate the 4th chakra, Anahata

Its message: "I love"
Its meaning: Life in society organizes itself and altruism grows. And through others, the desire to unite, to make one's way with someone who is neither oneself nor family, to confront another destiny, is born. With this union, a more universal love then arises. It is the seat of communication, of the effect produced by the relationship: the beating heart. It is the chakra of forgiveness and respected freedom. It represents individual consciousness blossoming.
Exercise to open the 4th chakra: Visualize a face that is not family and that moved or intimidated you. Imagine someone whose eyes you couldn't leave. Or recall a burst of laughter, sparked by someone else.

How to activate the 5th chakra, Vishuddha

Its message: "I say"
Its meaning: This is the chakra of listening and language. The inner truth must be heard, and verbalizing becomes essential. Blockages, unspoken words, and other fears of others that obstruct this chakra affect the thyroid. The ego exists through speech. The duty to listen to others must not overshadow the right to express what one feels. And the voice is an instrument. The pulse is also taken in this area, beating like an inner listening.
Exercise to open the 5th chakra: Choose a sound (music, a voice, or a noise). Imagine that the Vishuddha chakra is a microphone and a loudspeaker broadcasting the sound between your shoulders and your spine.

How to activate the 6th chakra, Ajna

Its message: "I See"
Its meaning: This chakra commands and questions. The big questions are expressed through it. "Who am I, what is my mission on this earth?" It also encompasses what we know but don't control: "I know that at a certain age, I will experience this, but I can't explain why." And when the mind delves into it, it emerges purified, endowed with a consciousness it lacked. To do this, one must strip oneself of one's ego, the distractions of the mind, and reach emptiness.
Exercise to open the 6th chakra: Let images come. Identify the most pleasant one. Visualize it more and more precisely and concentrate on it. Then savor its effects.

How to activate the 7th chakra, Sahasrara

Its message: "I Am"
Its meaning: Spiritual peace appears with knowledge. This chakra contains the energetic qualities of the other six chakras. The spiritual path follows the material path. To no longer have is to begin to be. One sheds the dead skins of emotional, family pains, or difficult social trials... The soul listens to divine harmony. Only the evolution of being exists.
Exercise to open the 7th chakra: Visualize yourself with what makes you unique. The importance of the image will be relative to the importance you actually give yourself. Then, mentally place yourself in the order of things and the universe, being part of the whole.