Feeling Out of Balance? Time for a Chakra Tune-Up
Sometimes you just feel…off.
Nothing is necessarily wrong, but you're tired when you shouldn't be, restless for no apparent reason, struggling to say what you mean, or feeling as though your normally reliable intuition has wandered off without leaving a forwarding address. It may be time for a Chakra Tune-up, as each of those feelings may be associated with one of seven energy centers that need a little attention.
As a Kitchen Witch, I have always loved the idea that we can use ordinary things—food, color, herbs, scents, bathing, candles, and intention—to create small rituals of self-care. You don't need an elaborate ceremony. Sometimes a bowl of colorful vegetables, a cup of tea, a warm bath, and fifteen quiet minutes are enough to remind yourself that you deserve some pampering and support renewal.
The seven major chakras are traditionally associated with particular locations in the body, different colors, and aspects of our inner lives. Note that this is based on Western concepts.
So let's take a little tour.
🔴 The Root Chakra — Muladhara
Sitting at the base of the spine: Grounding, stability, security, and the basic sense of survival.
Symptoms: feeling scattered, anxious, or as though your feet aren't quite underneath you. Sense of isolation and scarcity.
Look to red foods like tomatoes, strawberries, red peppers, beets, cherries, apples, and pomegranate, and combine them with root vegetables—carrots, potatoes, beets, parsnips, turnips, and sweet potatoes- that literally grow beneath the earth.
Stew anyone?
🟠 The Sacral Chakra — Svadhisthana
Located in the lower abdomen: Emotions, creativity, pleasure, sensuality, and adaptability (go with the flow).
Symptoms: Feeling blocked, scattered emotions, being stuck in a rut. Emotional swings. Detachment and low self-worth.
Orange foods offer plenty of inspiration: oranges, peaches, apricots, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, mangoes, papayas, ginger, cumin, and orange peppers.
Part of this list could become a yummerly (yes, that's a word) fruit salad!
🟡 The Solar Plexus Chakra — Manipura
Just above the navel near the solar plexus: Personal power, confidence, self-awareness, and will.
Symptoms: Being wishy-washy. Indecision. People-pleasing. Seek out yellow edibles.
Yellow is the key, like sunshine! Lemon, yellow peppers, corn, squash, bananas, pineapple, saffron, curry, mustard, butter, raw honey, turmeric, starfruit, yellow beans, zucchini flower, and yellow rice.
Many yellow items can be combined to make a warm curry.
💚 The Heart Chakra — Anahata
The Heart Chakra sits at the center of the traditional chakra system: Love, compassion, kindness, connection, and forgiveness.
Symptoms: Trouble trusting. Low self-worth. Resentment. When your heart feels heavy, green is the color of the hour.
Think leafy greens, broccoli, peas, avocado, cucumber, green apple, kiwi, green grapes, lime, cucumber, and honeydew melon.
This selection screams tossed salad!
🔵 The Throat Chakra — Vishuddha
Located at the throat: Communication, expression, truth, and the ability to make ourselves understood.
Symptoms: Fear of public speaking, shyness, struggling for the right words, interrupting others, speaking without listening
Vishuddha is challenging for a Kitchen Witch, with the key color being Blue.
But don’t lament. There are blueberries, blue potatoes, blue corn, butterfly pea blossom, blue basil, concord grapes, damson plums, blue tomatoes, blue caviar, and blue oyster mushrooms.
Perhaps blend the potatoes, corn, basil, tomatoes, and mushrooms into a chowder.
🟣 The Third Eye Chakra — Ajna
Located in the center of the forehead: Intuition, perception, insight, learning, and inner knowing. Symptoms: Brain fog. Instincts wholly off track. Overthinking and closed mindedness.
Its color is indigo or deep purple. Once again, going to your pantry will be interesting.
Purple cabbage, eggplant, purple carrots, blackberries, blueberries, plums, grapes, lavender, basil, purple tomato, purple asparagus, purple beans, eggplant, elderberry, purple onions, and purple radishes.
Put together the carrots, eggplant, asparagus, and onion for a slow roast. Toss them with garlic and balsamic, and finish with the basil.
⚪ The Crown Chakra — Sahasrara
The Crown Chakra is located at the top of the head: Spiritual connection, higher consciousness, wisdom, and our relationship with the Universe
This chakra gives the Kitchen Witch wiggle room as it has both white and violet associations.
White foods are easy: cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic, onions, rice, coconut, white beans, pears, white pepper, macadamia nuts, white peaches, parsnip, pineberries, leeks, white asparagus, horseradish, and apples.
Violet foods are connected to the Third Eye chakra, too. Violets, purple grapes, figs, plums, beet root, eggplant, purple yam, pluots, purple thyme and basil, Radicchio, purple peppers.
It’s time for dessert! A Pavlova. A white meringue base, coconut cream, white peaches, pears and pineberries, with purple grapes, violets or tiny plum pieces around the edges.
Putting it All Together
The idea of working color into your life really isn’t that hard. It doesn’t have to stop with edibles. You can add decorations to your space and wear clothes in a specific hue. Use colored candles and even incorporate them into your bath rituals.
With this in mind, I’ve created some chakra-focused items for Stardust and Suds. Food works from the inside out. Bath melts and aromas work from the outside in!
Chakra Bath Melts
Rainbow Bath Melts
Aromatherapy Chakra Wax Melts
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