For as long as I can remember, I always could feel that there were energy points on the body. I could identify my heart, my head, and stomach as channels before knowing they were part of an interconnected system of energy centers, or chakras, as they are known in ancient Vedic texts; in Sanskrit, chakra means wheel.
More often than not, the emotional distress that we encounter in our personal lives can be linked to a certain chakra; it’s why when we feel grief it often manifests in a certain areas of the body, as a pain in our chest, say. Over the years, I’ve found that having a chakra practice to open and better align these energy centers can be helpful in working through uncomfortable feelings and creating a sense of wellbeing. For me that practice involves harnessing the healing potential of crystals as well as meditation and prayer. So for each of the seven chakras, I’ve recommended a corresponding crystal in addition to an affirmation, a Sanskrit mantra—the sound frequency is especially helpful in releasing energy channels—and a mudra, the sacred hand gesture commonly used in yoga, aka hand yoga. I find it helps to envision the color of the chakra too.