Picture seven small wheels of light stacked up your spine, red at the tailbone and violet at the crown. That is the chakra map: seven energy centres that Indian yoga tradition places along the spine. Chakra is Sanskrit for wheel. Each centre has a Sanskrit name, a place on the body and, in modern practice, a colour, an element and a stone.
| Chakra | Sanskrit name | Where | Colour | Element | Said to govern | One stone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Root | Muladhara | Base of the spine | Red | Earth | Safety, steadiness, belonging | Red jasper |
| 2. Sacral | Svadhisthana | Lower belly | Orange | Water | Creativity, pleasure, flow | Carnelian |
| 3. Solar plexus | Manipura | Upper belly | Yellow | Fire | Confidence, will, drive | Citrine |
| 4. Heart | Anahata | Centre of the chest | Green | Air | Love, kindness, connection | Green aventurine |
| 5. Throat | Vishuddha | Throat | Blue | Space | Honest speech, being heard | Lapis lazuli |
| 6. Third eye | Ajna | Between the brows | Indigo | Light | Insight, imagination, intuition | Amethyst |
| 7. Crown | Sahasrara | Top of the head | Violet or white | Thought | Stillness, the bigger picture | Clear quartz |
Chakras are a spiritual map, not anatomy. No scan will find one. The map gives you a gentle way to check in with yourself from the ground up, and a reason to keep a few beautiful stones close.
Where are the 7 chakras on the body?
All seven sit on the midline, counted from the bottom up: root at the base of the spine, sacral in the lower belly, solar plexus in the upper belly under the ribs, heart in the centre of the chest, throat at the hollow of the neck, third eye between the brows, crown at the top of the head. Run a hand slowly up that line and you have touched the whole map.
✨ What does chakra mean, and where do the chakras come from?
Chakra means wheel or circle in Sanskrit. The idea belongs to the tantric yoga traditions of India, both Hindu and Buddhist, and it is centuries old. There the chakras are pictured as lotus flowers or spinning wheels along the spine.
Here is the part most guides skip. The old texts do not agree on a single set: some name four chakras, some five, some many more. The seven-chakra version we all know comes from a sixteenth-century text, the Sat-cakra-nirupana. It reached English readers in 1919, when Sir John Woodroffe translated it as The Serpent Power under the pen name Arthur Avalon.
The rainbow came later. The Indian texts give each chakra a colour, but not a red-to-violet spectrum. Western writers added that order in the twentieth century. So a red root and a violet crown is a modern Western layer on an old Indian map.
🔮 The seven chakras, one by one
Each chakra below gets one stone and one small practice. For the full list of crystals per centre, our guide to the best crystals for each chakra has it.
1. Root chakra (Muladhara)
At the base of the spine. Colour red, element earth. The root is your foundation: safety, steadiness, home and belonging in your body. Tradition says a root out of balance feels shaky, restless or unsafe.
One stone: red jasper, dense and brick-coloured. A red jasper worry stone fits a pocket or a palm. Practice: stand barefoot on grass or cool floor, press your feet down, and count five slow breaths.
2. Sacral chakra (Svadhisthana)
In the lower belly, a few fingers below the navel. Colour orange, element water. This is creativity, pleasure, play and letting things flow. In the tradition, a blocked sacral centre feels flat and uninspired.
One stone: carnelian, warm as a sunset. A carnelian bead bracelet keeps that colour on your wrist. Practice: do one small thing for pleasure today. Paint, dance in the kitchen, or run a bath.
3. Solar plexus chakra (Manipura)
In the upper belly, under the ribs. Colour yellow, element fire. Manipura means city of jewels. It is your inner fire: confidence, will, drive and the gut feeling that knows. Out of balance, tradition says, it shows up as self-doubt or a short fuse.
One stone: citrine, the sunny quartz. A citrine bead bracelet is the classic pick. Practice: put a hand on your upper belly and say one thing you decided today. Small decisions count.
4. Heart chakra (Anahata)
In the centre of the chest. Colour green, element air. Anahata means unstruck, a sound never hit. This is love, kindness, forgiveness and connection. Out of balance, it feels closed off, or like giving with nothing coming back.
One stone: green aventurine, soft and sparkly. A rose quartz tumble is the pink cousin, and many people keep both. A green aventurine tumble is an easy start. Practice: sit with a hand flat on your chest and think of one person you are glad exists.
5. Throat chakra (Vishuddha)
At the throat. Colour blue, element space. This is honest speech, being heard and saying the thing you keep swallowing. Tradition links a blocked throat with mumbling or going quiet when it matters.
One stone: lapis lazuli, deep blue with gold flecks of pyrite. A lapis lazuli chip bracelet is a gentle way to wear it. Practice: hum a low note for three breaths and feel it buzz in your throat.
6. Third eye chakra (Ajna)
Between the eyebrows. Colour indigo, element light. Ajna means command. This is insight, imagination, dreams and the quiet knowing you cannot explain. Out of balance, tradition says, it feels foggy or stuck in overthinking.
One stone: amethyst, dusky violet. A dark amethyst tumble costs less than a coffee. Practice: close your eyes, rest the stone on your brow for one minute, and notice the first picture that comes.
7. Crown chakra (Sahasrara)
At the top of the head. Colour violet or white, element pure thought. Sahasrara means thousand-petalled, a lotus opening upward. This is stillness, perspective and being part of something larger. Out of balance, it feels cynical or spiritually flat.
One stone: clear quartz, the blank page of crystals. A clear quartz bracelet suits it, and selenite is the other favourite. Practice: sit tall, picture soft white light above your head, and let your face relax. Our crown chakra crystal guide goes deeper.
🌙 A five-minute chakra check-in you can do tonight
You need a chair and five quiet minutes. No mat, no playlist.
- Sit with both feet on the floor. Take three slow breaths.
- Put a hand on the base of your spine. Picture red. Ask: do I feel safe today?
- Move up one centre at a time: belly, upper belly, chest, throat, brow, crown. Picture each colour and ask one honest question.
- Notice which spot felt tight, empty or noisy. That is the chakra for this week.
- Choose that chakra's stone and keep it with you tomorrow. That is the whole ritual.
🕯️ For a longer practice, lie down and rest one stone on each centre for ten minutes. Our guide to crystal layouts for chakra balancing shows seven ways to arrange them. If colour is easier, try visualising the chakra colours. If scent is your way in, we have mapped essential oils for each chakra.
Not sure where to start? Our chakra quiz points you to one centre in seven questions.
💎 Choosing a piece
Start with how you want to use it. A pocket stone is for holding. A bracelet wears the colour all day. A seven-stone set is for the layout and the shelf.
Live shop prices, September 2026. They move a little over time.
| Piece | Price | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Single tumbles, such as dark amethyst or green aventurine | from NZ$4.99 | One chakra, one pocket |
| Chakra chip bracelet | NZ$7 | All seven colours, the cheapest way |
| Chakra Stones set | NZ$11.99 | The lying-down layout and the shelf |
| Lava beads chakra bracelet | NZ$14.99 | Black beads with seven coloured stones |
| Chakra lava stone bracelet | NZ$19.99 | A slightly dressier everyday band |
| Selenite chakra pendant | NZ$28 | All seven stones on a white selenite bar |
| Selenite crescent moon with 7 chakras | NZ$35 | A boxed bedside gift |
Care notes, because these are real minerals. Amethyst and citrine are quartz and take a rinse in warm soapy water, but amethyst fades in strong sun. Lapis lazuli is softer: wipe it with a soft cloth and skip the soak. Selenite is gypsum, which dissolves in water, so keep the pendant and the moon dry.
Everything posts from our Auckland shop, or hold the stones first at Rivendell in Westfield Manukau.
Seven stones, one for each centre, in a single packet. ✨
See the seven-stone chakra setFrequently asked questions
What are the 7 chakras in order?
From the base of the spine up: root (Muladhara), sacral (Svadhisthana), solar plexus (Manipura), heart (Anahata), throat (Vishuddha), third eye (Ajna) and crown (Sahasrara). The colours run red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
What does the word chakra mean?
Chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or circle. In yoga tradition the chakras are pictured as spinning wheels or lotus flowers along the spine, hence the name.
Are the chakras a real part of the body?
No. They are a spiritual map from Indian tantric yoga, not anatomy, and they do not show on a scan. People use the map to check in with themselves, meditate and choose stones with meaning.
Why are the chakras rainbow coloured?
Because Western writers arranged them that way in the twentieth century. The older Indian texts give the chakras colours, but not a red-to-violet spectrum.
Which chakra should I start with?
Start with the one that answered loudest in the check-in. If nothing stood out, start with the root. In chakra practice, a steady root makes every other centre easier.
Once you know which centre needs you, our guide to chakra healing gives eight ways to balance it and a ten-minute ritual for tonight.
Which crystal goes with each chakra?
One easy set: red jasper for the root, carnelian for the sacral, citrine for the solar plexus, green aventurine or rose quartz for the heart, lapis lazuli for the throat, amethyst for the third eye and clear quartz for the crown. Colour is the usual guide.
Sources
- American Heritage Dictionary: chakra — Sanskrit for wheel or circle.
- Kurt Leland, "The Rainbow Body", Quest (2017) — origins and the Western rainbow colours.
- Internet Archive: The Serpent Power — the 1919 translation.
- Chakra — Sanskrit names and meanings.
- GIA: Amethyst care, IGS: Lapis lazuli and IGS: Gypsum — hardness, fading and cleaning.
Last updated September 2026