I’m not a Chakra colour expert. I was introduced to the idea of using the Chakra colours for well being by Louise Gale. Louise has an online class called Chakra Colour Art Journal. I took Louise’s class the summer I was waiting for my diagnosis of breast cancer. I had rented a cottage by the ocean and brought along my watercolours, my scissors and glue, a whole lot of crafty items and spent hours journaling and playing with colour.
I began exploring using the Chakra colours in what was to become my healing mats, and the rest is history. I’d like to share with you 3 ways you can use Chakra colours for your well being and to add some colour to your life.
First, a little bit about Chakra colours from my first book, One Loop at a Time, a story of rug hooking, healing and creativity:
“A chakra is a vital energy centre in the body. Each chakra is associated with an area of the body and a particular vibrational energy. When our body is out of balance, it is thought that the energy in one or more of our chakras is blocked.
Colour is often associated with healing and our emotions, and there is a whole body of research dedicated to colour therapy. When I discovered this class, I was excited that I could learn to balance my energy chakras by working with the associated colours.
There are seven basic chakras in the body, and each chakra has an associated colour. They are:
The Base/Root Chakra is represented by the colour Red. This chakra is at the base of the spine and is thought to be our foundation, security, grounding, and sexuality. It includes the beliefs we learned in our family of origin.
The Sacral Chakra is Orange. It is located in the hips, low back, abdomen and sexual organs. It represents creativity, emotions, sexuality and sensuousness.
The Solar Plexus Chakra, represented by the colour Yellow is located between the navel and the diaphragm/solar plexus. Its qualities include non-dominating power, taking effective action and spontaneity. It can represent our self-esteem.
The Heart Chakra is associated with two colours – Green and Pink. It is the centre chakra, with three chakras above and three below. It represents love and relationships. The green colour deals with giving and receiving love, while the pink is thought to represent unconditional love in a soft, nurturing way.
The Throat Chakra is Blue and is located at the throat and neck area. It is about speaking and hearing your truth. It deals with concerns such as choice and willpower. It has been a very powerful centre of healing for me as I find my voice as an artist and a healer.
The Third Eye/Brow Chakra (between the eye brows) is the colour Indigo (think night sky). It encompasses seeing on all levels from the physical to the intuitive. It involves insight and clarity and can be blocked by self doubt.
The final chakra is the Crown Chakra, represented by the colour Violet and is located at the top of the head. This chakra involves wisdom, spirituality, knowledge on an intuitive level and divine guidance. To me it represents the feeling of being part of something much bigger that is beyond myself.”
The best part is you don’t need to be an expert to begin playing with the Chakra colours. Here are three ways you can incorporate Chakra colour love into your life.
First, try choosing foods in the colour that represent the Chakra you want to work on. For example, needing to feel more grounded? This would be the Root Chakra, which is red. Think beets, kidney beans and sweet red peppers. Are you wanting to invite in more creativity? Choose foods that are orange (Sacral Chakra) – carrots, sweet potatoes, tumeric.
Experiment with the clothes you wear and the dishes you use. When I speak I like to wear my red cowboy boots to help ground me (Root Chakra), and my green glass necklace (Heart Chakra, to remind me to speak from the heart). I have a few favourite mugs and will choose the colour of mug for the day based on how I am feeling.
Lastly, play with the Chakra colours in your art. If there is a colour you avoid using in your art there may be a block in that particular Chakra. Try using colours that are not your usual and see what unfolds.
Most of my healing mats have a Chakra colour component. Sometimes I intentionally choose a colour to work in because of the associated Chakra. For example, my latest mat “What Do I Need Right Now” is about needing to feel stable, grounded, safe, supported, enveloped in warmth and love. This represents the Root Chakra, and I am hooking it in mostly shades of red.
Other times I design a mat, choose the colours that are calling me and then look at how this relates to the Chakra colours. More often than not, my journal writing which inspired the design gives clues to that Chakra.
The two mats contained in this post (Wild Woman Dancing above, and Chakra Colour Love below) were experiments in using all seven of the Chakra colours in one piece.
I have found incorporating the Chakra colours into my life and my art to be a fun, light-hearted form of self-care. It may or may not be healing at a deep level, but at the very least it makes me pause to think about what do I need right now. Where do I feel my life or my body is flowing and where am I stuck?
Let me know what fun ways you are incorporating the Chakra colours into your life. I’d love to connect with you. And of course, if you’d like to work with me to design your next healing image, or you’d like me to offer a healing image workshop at your business or place of work, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Note: This article is not health advice. If you have symptoms that are serious or persistent, consult a member of your health care team.
