Chakras Colors
How can we use colors to stimulate certain aspects of our lives through the chakras color awareness? When working on growing my business I focused on red for about a year I wore it often (or shades of red, burgundy etc.) and surrounded myself with it for a year- I can say it really helped. Red is the color that represents the root Chakra-survival, food and shelter-our basic necessities (all requiring money). Red is known to be a color of “good-fortune”in many Asian cultures-coincidence?
When using color therapy in our wardrobe to energize aspects of our lives the truth is we don’t all look great in all colors. I cannot wear orange or yellow! I love these colors. I use them in my home but I look very sallow in them. The book, “Color me Beautiful” has great guidelines on how to use color to one’s best advantage. It is often more about the shade or hue of a color than it is about a particular color (exceptions to this exist-like yellow/orange in my case). It is an interesting and entertaining book. The photos are dated but helpful just the same.
Black is an interesting case. Many Image Consultants claim that most people don’t look great in black. Many people do but the amount of people out there swathed in it is staggering. Image aside, I can say from experience that black can be very draining to the wearer because it is absorbing by nature. Black absorbs all the colors of the spectrum (this is why it gets so hot in the sunlight). White, on the other hand, reflects light. So, wear black if it becomes you, but as an experiment notice how you feel at the end of a day of wearing it. Noticing these things consciously can be a useful tool in keeping your spirit uplifted. Black can also be very soothing and centering when used well and is not over-used.
To remember the colors that correspond to each of the chakras think of the rainbow. If as a child you were artistic (and even if you felt you were not) you may have learned the rainbow’s colors. Remember the mnemonic-ROY G. BIV? It is as simple as that. ROY G. BIV (red, orange, yellow,green, blue, indigo violet). Remember the connection to the wonder we felt (and hopefully still do) at seeing a rainbow. By imagining the rainbows colors in centers of your body you are in essence connecting to your chakras energy centers. Light is energy. The spectrum of the rainbow is light-therefore it is energy. It is that simple.
This table illustrates the seven Chakras, their colors correspondence and their location.
| Color | Chakra | Chakra Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chakra One | Red | Root | Base of spine |
| Chakra Two | Orange | Sacral | Sacral Area |
| Chakra Three | Yellow | Solar Plexis | Below Sternum |
| Chakra Four | Green/Pink | Heart | Center of Sternum |
| Chakra Five | Blue | Throat | Throat Area |
| Chakra Six | Indigo | Third Eye | Third Eye Area |
| Chakra Seven | Violet/White | Crown | Top of Head |
The photo above is of stones which can be placed over each chakra in order to nourish them. As one can see the colors are not exactly as I stated. There is room for variations when it comes to this work. Use this as a guide but feel free to choose what feels best at a given time.
Visual stimulation is one way to access the chakras centers for positive growth. You can use many of the senses, sound-tuning forks/singing. smell- aromatherapy…and on and on. Yoga is great because it is so connecting for our spirit to matter and body. See my article, Yoga and the Chakra system. Think of Color Therapy like ingesting the color into you. Colors give off a vibration. Looking at art in a museum or flowers in a garden affects us subconsciously as well as consciously. They have lasting effects and are useful tools in stimulating our moods.
I Loved this very helpful. I wear a lot of black but always layer some pink or white. I wear Green to all my auditions where I have to play a Mom so that my heart feels open and soft. It works. Thanks Kathleen!
Thanks Hilary,
Yes, I agree and I’m glad to hear how you use color with intention in your work-often that is really the most important part. Also, the “layering” aspect is a really great way to incorporate colors into our black basics. Thanks for your response!
Wow! I love colors but never really considered them from this perspective. It totally makes sense that black would feel draining. Whenever I wear black, I try to wear a very bright scarf. Subconsciously, I may have been trying to balance the draining energy of the black. Thanks for this article! I am grateful to have gained an expanded and enlightened view of colors.
Thanks Paula.
When colors are used with intention it can be very powerful. Black is a great color. I just feel it can be overly used and then we wonder why we may be feeling “drained.” It sounds like you have a good instinct with the use of colors.
warmly,
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Interesting – I have avoided black for years – as an educator it does not seem a color to wear working with children. Though it is “the” color for we New Yorkers!
Actually realized I have colors placed in the classroom at MoonSoup in a subconscious way to bring positive and loving energy into the room. Maybe it’s the painter in me as much as the educator? Lots of warm yellow and all the green with the floor. Red and orange for Chi energy. And yes wear red for business!
Great article Kathleen! I’ve been wearing less black since reading this article and have been actually feeling confident about wearing red (which I never thought could be my color). The specific colors really help me to visualize the energy in certain parts of my body that I have felt need more grounding. I’m going to keep coming back to this article to remind myself!