How to Use Chakras for Balance, Clarity, and Navigating Life’s Challenges

Ever feel stuck, scattered, or out of sync? Your chakras might hold the answer.

Chakra System

Ever had that gut feeling that something isn’t quite right? Or struggled to speak up when it really mattered? These everyday experiences are often signs of imbalance in your energy system - whether you realise it or not.

In yoga, we talk about chakras as energy centres running through the body, each linked to different emotions, strengths, and challenges. When these centres are balanced, we feel grounded, confident, and clear. When they’re blocked or overactive, we can feel stuck, exhausted, or disconnected from ourselves.

Chakras have been used for thousands of years to support balance, clarity, and emotional well-being. But what do they really mean in a modern, practical sense? This guide explores how chakras influence your daily life, from decision-making to confidence, and how you can use them to navigate challenges with ease.

Even if you’re not familiar with chakras, you already understand energy right? Science tells us that everything is energy - the world around us, our thoughts, even our physical bodies. The yogic perspective takes this further, describing prana, our life force energy, flowing through pathways called nadis (think of them as energetic highways). The chakras act as key hubs along these highways, influencing how we feel and function.

So, how does this actually help in real life? And how can we use this understanding to move through change, challenges, and uncertainty without feeling totally overwhelmed? Let’s break it down in a way that actually makes sense.

What Are Chakras and How Do They Work? 

Rather than thinking of chakras as something mystical, imagine them as power stations in your body. When they’re working well, energy flows freely, and you feel balanced. When they’re blocked or overwhelmed, things start to feel off.

They are tools we can use to bring awareness to different aspects of our lives - whether it's feeling grounded, building confidence, or making clearer decisions. By understanding them, we can navigate challenges with more ease and alignment.

Here’s how each chakra affects your life - and what to do when it’s out of sync.

1. Root Chakra (Muladhara) — Stability & Security

Location: Base of the spine

Theme: Feeling grounded, safe, and secure

Balanced: You feel steady, supported, and confident in your direction

Blocked or Overactive: Anxiety about money or the future, feeling scattered or unstable

How to balance it: Grounding yoga, deep belly breathing, walking barefoot, journaling on: What actually makes me feel safe and supported?

2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) — Creativity & Emotions

Location: Lower belly

Theme: Passion, creativity, relationships, emotional expression

Balanced: You feel joyful, creative, and able to express yourself

Blocked or Overactive: Feeling uninspired, emotionally numb, or overly sensitive

How to balance it: Flowing movement (dance, yoga), breathwork, self-reflection: Where am I holding back joy or creativity?

3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) — Confidence & Decision-Making

Location: Upper abdomen

Theme: Self-worth, willpower, confidence

Balanced: You make decisions with clarity and trust yourself

Blocked or Overactive: Self-doubt, overthinking, or struggling to take action

How to balance it: Core-strengthening practices, setting small daily challenges, asking: Where do I need to back myself more?

4. Heart Chakra (Anahata) — Connection & Compassion

Location: Center of the chest

Theme: Love, relationships, self-compassion

Balanced: You feel open, connected, and able to give/receive love

Blocked or Overactive: Struggling with vulnerability, feeling disconnected from others How to balance it: Heart-opening yoga, deep breathing, gratitude practice, reflecting on: Where can I be a little kinder to myself?

5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) — Communication & Expression

Location: Throat

Theme: Speaking your truth, clear expression

Balanced: You express yourself openly and listen well

Blocked or Overactive: Struggling to speak up, fear of judgment, talking over others

How to balance it: Journaling, mindful speech, breathwork, asking: Where am I holding back my voice?

6. Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) — Intuition & Clarity

Location: Between the eyebrows

Theme: Inner wisdom, perspective, insight

Balanced: You trust your intuition and see the bigger picture

Blocked or Overactive: Feeling stuck in overthinking, unable to trust your gut

How to balance it: Meditation, visioning exercises, reducing screen time, reflecting on: What do I already know deep down?

7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) — Purpose & Connection

Location: Top of the head

Theme: A sense of meaning, connection to something greater

Balanced: You feel inspired, aligned, and connected to life

Blocked or Overactive: Feeling lost, disconnected, or overly rigid in beliefs

How to balance it: Silence, meditation, being in nature, journaling on: What actually brings me a sense of meaning?

Balancing Your Chakras: A Guide to Navigating Change & Uncertainty

Life is full of transitions - career shifts, relationship changes, big decisions. By tuning into your chakras, you can get clear on what’s holding you back and take steps forward.

Struggling with career change? Work on your root chakra (stability) and solar plexus chakra (confidence). Ask: What small step can I take to feel more secure in this transition?

Finding it hard to express yourself at work? Strengthen your throat chakra with mindful speaking practices. Try: Before my next meeting, I’ll say one thing I truly believe in.

Feeling stuck in overthinking? Balance your third eye chakra with meditation or simply taking a step back. Ask: What does my gut instinct say?

Chakras in Coaching: How Mind-Body Practices Support Growth

In my work, I don’t just focus on mindset - I look at the full picture of how we move through life. I integrate coaching with yoga, breathwork, and somatic awareness to help clients shift out of stuck patterns and into a life that feels aligned.

Rather than forcing change, we listen to the body, notice patterns, and use tools that reconnect you to your own wisdom. This makes change feel natural - not forced.

Closing Thoughts: Start Noticing, Start Aligning

You don’t need to be an expert in chakras or practice yoga to start using this in your life. Just start noticing what feels off - whether it’s struggling to speak up, feeling drained, or doubting yourself - and explore ways to bring balance back in.

For thousands of years, people have worked with chakras to navigate change, find clarity, and build confidence. Whether you’re new to this or looking for deeper alignment, exploring chakra balance can be a simple yet powerful way to reconnect with yourself.

If this resonates and you want to explore it further, let’s chat. My Alignment Expansion Programme blends coaching, movement, and breathwork to help you move forward with clarity and confidence. Get in touch to find out how this approach can work for you.