What Are Chakras? How Can You Activate Them With Singing Bowls?

We have all experienced the ways in which sound can impact the way we feel. A sudden loud noise can startle us making our heart skip a beat, and soothing sounds like pleasant music or the ocean waves can help us relax. Sound has vibrations that can affect our bodies. Some specific frequencies can be used in something called sound healing. Sound therapy is used to achieve various physical, emotional, and spiritual healing outcomes. In fact, the practice of sound therapy has been around for hundreds and even thousands of years in different cultures around the world. In this blog, we will talk about sound healing specifically used to activate the chakras in our bodies.

What are chakras?

The chakras are energy centres in your body. More specifically, chakras are the intersections of energy in your body located along your spine. The energy channels, Nadis, bring energy to your chakras. Nadis are essentially like an energy network throughout your body. There are about 72,000 Nadis and they all converge and meet at 7 major centres (the chakras) along your spine extending from the base of the spine to the brain. These seven major energy centres of chakras are Root chakra, Sacral chakra, Solar plexus chakra, Heart Chakra, Throat Chakra, Third eye chakra, and Crown chakra.

The chakras are the control centres for the flow of energy in the body and all incoming energy into the body. They link your physical body to the subtle ambient energy fields and impact emotional, mental, and spiritual activities. The chakras system forms part of your energy body. The energy body has a vibrational frequency that acts as your life blueprint. When your chakras are active and balanced, the energy flows at the right frequency. When your body is out of balance, you are out of sync with your energy body.

The chakras may be out of balance because of too much energy or not enough energy passing through them. When they are in balance, you are in good health and harmony. You experience fulfilment and contentment. When your chakras are out of balance or blocked, you experience emotional distress and friction in the flow of life. So, it is important to activate chakras and keep them in harmony for a joyful experience in life.

How do chakras relate to sound healing?

Sound healing therapy can help to activate the chakras by using specific frequencies that reverberate through the body. Just like when you see an object, say of red colour, the frequency of light reflecting from that object resonates with your eyes’ ability to see that colour. The same thing happens with sound. When you listen to music, the musical notes resonate in your eardrum and you hear the sound.

In the same way, each chakra vibrates to a specific frequency. The chakras respond to their resonant frequencies; which is known as harmonic resonance. Sound therapy can align each chakra to its resonant frequency. When you give that same frequency to your body, your chakra realigns to it. The frequency wave comes into contact with the chakra tuned to that same frequency, and the harmonic resonance occurs. It causes the chakras to vibrate at the same frequency as the wave. Your chakras are then said to be activated and unblocked.

Chakras can also be influenced by colour and sound. So, chanting mantras, seeing colours, and visualizing things have a positive effect on your chakras.

Here are the frequencies and musical notes for each chakra:

• Root chakra- frequency 432 Hz, the musical note C, the colour red.
• Sacral chakra- frequency 480 Hz, the colour orange or vermillion, the musical note D.
• Solar Plexus chakra- frequency 528 Hz, the musical note E, the colour yellow
• Heart chakra- frequency 594 Hz. the musical note F, the colour green. 
• Throat chakra-  frequency 672 Hz, the musical note G, the color light blue. 
• Third eye chakra- frequency 720 Hz, the musical note A, the colour blue-purple.
• Crown chakra- frequency 768 Hz, the musical note B, the colour violet. 

Sound healing for Root chakra:

The root chakra is located in the perineum at the base of the spine. Spiritually and emotionally, it connects you to your sense of safety, groundedness, basic needs, stability, security, and belonging. When your root chakra is out of balance, you experience mental exhaustion, anxiety, and disconnection. Physically, you may encounter problems with the colon, bladder, lower back, legs, and feet.

Use sound healing to balance your root chakra. The root chakra frequency is 432 Hz, and its musical note is C. Listening to music or singing bowls on that frequency and note may bring it back to balance. You can also use the seed mantra, LAM, or NAM LAM to heal your base chakra. Also, try meditating and concentrating on the root chakra when chanting or listening to the seed mantra.

Sound healing for Sacral chakra:

The sacral chakra is located below the navel. On a physical level, the sacral chakra is associated with the lower back, spleen, reproductive organs, and urinary system. Spiritually and emotionally, it is connected to your relationships, sexuality, creativity, and sense of pleasure. When your sacral chakra is out of balance, you might experience friction in relationships, creative and sexual blocks, and hormonal imbalances. 

To balance the sacral chakras using sound healing, the required frequency is 480 Hz and the musical note is D. Listening to music or singing bowls on that frequency and note may bring it back to balance. Chant or listen to the mantra VAM or NAV VAM.

Sound healing for Solar Plexus chakra:

The solar plexus chakras are located above the navel. It influences the digestive system, abdomen, gallbladder, pancreas, and metabolism. On the spiritual and emotional side, it is related to our self-worth, confidence, and boundaries. When the solar plexus chakra goes out of balance, you might have issues with digestion and lack confidence and self-worth.

Balance your solar plexus chakra with the frequency 528 Hz and the musical note E. You can also chant the seed mantra RAM or SIM RAM, or listen to the mantra online. Focus on the solar plexus chakra while meditating and chanting the mantra. When your solar plexus chakra is balanced, you will feel confident and trust life to flow on its own.

Sound healing for Heart chakra:

The heart chakra lies in the heart region. It is related to our heart, love, and emotional connections to ourselves and others. It manifests inner peace, joy, compassion, and love. Physically, it is responsible for a healthy heart and lungs. When the heart chakra is blocked or out of balance, you may have headaches, anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, guilt, and judgment.

Use sound healing to bring balance to your heart chakra. Use the frequency 594 Hz and the musical note F. singing bowls, tuning forks, and music; all help. Try chanting the seed mantra YAM/VAM YAM or listen to it online. Focus on your heart chakra when meditating.

Sound healing for Throat chakra:

The throat chakra resides in the throat and neck area. Physically, it is responsible for our voice and vocal cords, thyroid, and ears. Emotionally and spiritually, it controls areas of communication, speaking truth, self-expression, and communicating and listening to others. An imbalance in the throat chakra will result in not being able to express your feelings and emotions, talking too much or too little, a weak voice, shyness, etc. Physically, it causes sore threats, thyroid issues, neck and shoulder stiffness, and headaches.

Use the frequency 672 Hz and the musical note G to bring your throat chakra to balance. Singing is one of the best ways to open your throat chakra. It is a form of self-expression. You can also activate your chakra with the seed mantra HAM or HAM YAM.

Sound healing for Third eye chakra:

The third eye chakra is between our eyebrows. It is the home to our intuition, perception, imagination, memory, wisdom, and decision-making. When imbalanced, you may experience tension headaches, vision problems, dizziness, memory issues, nightmares, and losing touch with reality. You will have a hard time trusting your instincts or the outside world.

To bring it back to balance, use the frequency 720 Hz and the musical note A. Music or instruments on this frequency and note will help. You can also cleanse your third eye chakra with the seed mantra OHM. this mantra connects you with your wisdom and intuition.

Sound healing for crown chakra:

Finally, the crown chakra is at the top of your head. It is responsible for our connection with spiritual and universal consciousness and divine reality. When the crown chakra is imbalanced, you may feel spacy, suffer migraines, feel alone, and be disconnected from reality.

To activate the crown chakra, use the frequency 768 Hz and the musical note B. You can listen to music or singing bowls at this frequency. Chant or listen to the mantra SWAHA or OHM online. When the crown chakra is balanced, you attain clarity and clear wisdom.

Read: The Health Effects of Singing Bowls

You can use sound healing to bring balance and harmony to your chakras at any time of the day. Chakra balancing is important to control the energy within our bodies for optimum health. The more you listen to chakra frequencies or use seed mantras, the quicker you’ll get your chakras resonating to that vibration. Sound healing therapies can help clear unblocked and unbalanced chakras. Balancing your chakras once doesn’t mean they will remain balanced forever. So, sound healing is a simple and effective practice that you must do regularly.

You can visit our store at Himalayan Merchandise to buy singing bowls made locally in Nepal and practice sound healing yourself.