Everything You Need to Know About the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara, the Seventh Chakra)

The seventh and final chakra is the Crown Chakra or Sahasrara in Sanskrit. This energy center at the top of your head is said to be your bridge to the divine. Where the Third Eye Chakra connects you to your own intuition and self-knowledge, the Crown Chakra links to the cosmic energy of the universe.

If this all sounds a little ‘woo’, don’t worry. It doesn’t matter whether you think of this energy as God, the universe, or your highest self. An open and active Crown Chakra simply represents a healthy spiritual life.

If you can see meaning beyond the material world and have a rich inner life, it’s a good sign that your Crown Chakra is in a state of balance.

In this article, we’re diving deeper into the Crown Chakra and its role in our spiritual awareness. We’ll look at how you can recognize if your Crown Chakra is out of balance. And we’ll also discuss ways to unblock this Chakra so that the energy flows through it freely once again.

The Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) at a Glance

Sahasrara, the Sanskrit name for the Crown Chakra, translates as ‘thousand petals’. This makes sense – the symbol of this Chakra is the lotus flower, which represents enlightenment, purity, and spiritual rebirth.

As you might expect, the Crown Chakra is found at the top of your head. Like a crown, it also extends upwards, beyond the boundaries of your physical body.

Energetically, there’s a strong link between the seventh Chakra and the first, the Root Chakra. At first glance, this might seem strange. One is so focused on spiritual enlightenment and the other on our physical needs.

When you think about it more, the link between these two Chakras starts to make more sense. If our physical needs go unmet, it is hard for us to focus on the spiritual. We need to make sure we’re well-grounded in the basics and that the lower Chakras are all open and balanced before we can turn our attention to the Crown Chakra.

Location of the Crown Chakra: The top of the head

Element: Thought

Color: Violet and white

Symbol: The Lotus

Mantra: Om or Ah. I know

Gland: Primarily the pituitary, with a secondary association with the pineal gland

Organs: Brain and nervous system

Physically, the Crown Chakra governs our brain and nervous system – the body’s centers of knowledge and information. Psychologically, it is associated with our spiritual awareness, connection to the universe, and inner wisdom.

When the Crown Chakra is open and balanced, we have a healthy spiritual life. We look beyond the material world and feel connected to the deeper meaning of life. We prioritize connection with the divine through activities like prayer and meditation.

We’re also self-aware and empathetic. The Crown Chakra is our center for connection with those around us. We value all life, including other humans, plants, and animals. We don’t feel the need to judge others or put them down because we recognize their innate worth.

Signs and Symptoms your Crown chakra is Blocked or Out of Balance

A healthy, open Crown Chakra leaves us feeling connected to our inner wisdom and to the cosmic energy of the universe. But it’s not unusual for the stresses and pressures of daily life to leave this Chakra feeling blocked or out of balance.

When that happens, we are left feeling cut off from our spirituality and inner knowing. We tend to focus on the material world around us and might prioritize possessions and money over anything else.

If you struggle to see beyond the world of your five senses, that’s another sign that your Crown Chakra is blocked. When the energy in this center becomes stagnant, we lose our ability to believe in the divine. We might become cynical, sarcastic, and selfish.

As humans, we’re driven to look for purpose and meaning. Even if you don’t consider yourself religious, you probably want to live a life of value. But when the Crown Chakra becomes blocked, finding this sense of higher purpose can be tough.

Losing the ability to look beyond the material world can leave us feeling lost, depressed, or anxious. We might even feel angry that our higher power has abandoned us.

A blocked Crown Chakra is also said to come with physical symptoms. Since this Chakra corresponds to the brain, these can include:

Although it is more common to notice blockages in the Crown Chakra, it is also possible for this Chakra to be too open. When there’s an excess of energy moving through the seventh Chakra, we lose our sense of balance. We might neglect our physical needs in the pursuit of spiritual perfection.

Another sign that this Chakra is too open is finding it difficult to relate to other people. If you find it hard to make conversation about day-to-day matters or find yourself becoming impatient with the mundanity of life, you might be experiencing a lack of balance in the Crown Chakra.

Physically, an excess of energy in the seventh Chakra can manifest as a sensitivity to light and sounds. You might also have a sense of being physically removed from the world around you and find it difficult to concentrate on the present moment.

How To Heal, Open, and Balance the Crown Chakra

Blockages in the Crown Chakra are more common than excess energy, so we’re going to focus on methods that are said to open this Chakra and allow the energy to flow freely once again.

However, if you find your balance has slipped the other way and you want to reduce the energy flow through an overactive Crown Chakra instead, there are some things you can try too. These include:

Meanwhile, if you feel like your Crown Chakra is blocked and want some ideas for how to open and balance it once again, here are some options that should help.

1. A Healing Visualization for the Crown Chakra

Find a comfortable place to sit. Take a few deep, calming breaths to bring your mind and body into a state of peace and receptiveness.

Closing your eyes, take your attention to the crown of your head. Visualize a pure, white light coming down from the sky (or ceiling if you are indoors). Picture this light entering your body through the Crown Chakra, bathing your head and moving down your spine.

Imagine that this light is your connection to the universe. Whether you consider it God, a higher truth, or simply a universal consciousness, feel it awakening your Crown Chakra. Visualize the Chakra responding, like a lotus flower opening its petals.

2. Beneficial Foods for the Crown Chakra

Most of the Chakras correspond to certain foods, usually those that share the same color. For example, when we want to open the Root Chakra, we might eat a lot of red foods, like berries, beets, and tomatoes.

The Crown Chakra is a little different because its focus moves beyond the physical and toward the spiritual. As a result, this Chakra is more about fasting and detox than food.

If it is medically safe to do so, you might opt to fast for a short period to open the Crown Chakra and bring it back into balance. Some people also like to do a detox, such as a juice detox.

Pure water is linked to the Crown Chakra. You could also choose herbal teas associated with meditation, such as lavender.

Speaking of herbs – when opening the Crown Chakra, you might also choose to burn incense or smudge sticks to help focus your mind on meditation. Sage, myrrh, frankincense, and juniper are all great options. Just make sure they are responsibly sourced.

3. Crown Chakra Affirmations and Meditation

Since this Chakra is so focused on enlightenment and spiritual development, it is no surprise that meditation is one of the best things you can do to open and balance it.

You can combine meditation with visualizations, like the one we describe above. You could also chant the seed (bija) mantra for this Chakra, which is Om (pronounced aum) or Ah. Connect with your breath and use your exhale to vibrate the sound.

Another option is to use affirmations to help you focus on the Crown Chakra and set your intention to bring it into balance. Examples include:

You could also make up your own. Think about what the Crown Chakra represents and how you want that to show up in your life, then use this for inspiration to come up with an affirmation that resonates with you.

The idea is to repeat your chosen affirmation while you meditate. You can also speak it out loud, perhaps looking at yourself in a mirror. If you keep a journal, you could write your affirmations down and use them as prompts for your journaling that day.

4. Yoga Poses for the Crown Chakra

Inversions are some of the best yoga poses for the Crown Chakra. By encouraging the flow of energy (and blood) to the head, these poses can help to release blockages and open the Chakra again.

Advanced poses like sirsasana (headstand) are a great option, but there’s no need to push yourself further than you are ready for. There are modified versions of this pose that can also help to open the Crown Chakra, or you can try something like sasangasana (rabbit pose), which requires less physical strength.

Of course, padmasana (lotus pose) is also a wonderful option for balancing the Crown Chakra. The pose most associated with meditation, it helps us to find stillness and focus our minds. Half-lotus is an option for those who struggle to get both feet up.

Finally, savasana (corpse pose) is also surprisingly good for opening the Crown Chakra. By bringing our bodies to stillness and relaxation, we find space for reflection.

As well as these asanas, there are breathing exercises (pranayama) that are thought to encourage the flow of energy through the Crown Chakra. These include Nadi Shodhan, or alternate nostril breathing, where you block one nostril and then the other as you inhale and exhale.

Another pranayama technique for the Crown Chakra is Kapalabhati (skull-shining breath). This involves alternating short, forceful exhales with longer, passive inhales.

5. Crown Chakra Mudras

Mudras can help to focus our minds on a particular Chakra, especially when used in combination with meditation and mantras. Placing our hands into particular positions is said to help open the Chakras and bring them into balance.

For the Crown Chakra, the best mudra to try is the mudra of a thousand petals. To do this, bring the tips of your thumbs together, then rest the tips of your index fingers together too, forming a pyramid shape.

Spread the rest of your fingers wide, fingertips pointing upwards. Holding this position, bring your hands up above your head to invite connection with the wisdom of the universe.

6. Stones and Crystals for the Crown Chakra

Certain stones and crystals are said to correspond with each Chakra. You might choose to use them as part of your meditation, have them close by during your yoga practice, or simply keep these crystals around your home. 

The crystals that help to balance the Crown Chakra include:

FAQs

Have questions about the Crown Chakra and its role? If you don’t have time to read our full guide, this quick cheat sheet is a great reminder of some of the answers to common questions about the seventh Chakra.