Feed Your Chakras workshops
“Your diet is very important for the health of your chakras.
Chakra Balancing Foods will help you to keep the balance.
Try to eat colorfully. And try to introduce a period of fasting into your diet.
One day a week is a great way to fast. Or, you can choose to fast three days in a row each month.
You can also try a diet where you dedicate a day to every chakra. Enjoy it!”
Feed Your Chakras Workshops
Our chakras are energy centers which can thrive when properly nourished with the right foods. Eating well-balanced meals can bring harmony to these energy centers.
Our chakras are affected by the food we eat. Herbs and plants carry a vibrational frequency that corresponds to each chakra, allowing us to connect to the earth and our source energy, to helps us to stay in harmony. We explore the concept of eating to balance the energies of all 7 Chakras. Starting with the root to the crown chakra. The chakras represent the colours of the rainbow. Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. De-mystifying the use of Ayurveda in your daily meals with simple ideas to use spices and the right colour foods for balancing your meals and improving your metabolism.
I have partnered with Tina Chugani Nair, who is a gifted Kundalini Yoga teacher with more than 10 years experience, to create 7 Chakra workshops that combine Yoga, Meditation & Food. We offer custom-designed virtual or in-person Feed Your Chakras workshops for private participants, as well as groups. Contact me below or email me rashmi@chezrush.com for more information.
FOODS THAT BALANCE YOUR CHAKRAS
Our chakras are energy centers which can thrive when properly nourished with the right foods. Eating well-balanced meals can bring harmony to these energy centers. Your body will often tell you what it needs and your intuition can be an excellent guide to achieving ultimate health and well-being. Listed below are the foods that correspond to each of the 7 chakras.
SAHASRARA / CROWN CHAKRA
The Crown Chakra is the Seventh Chakra in the system. It’s also known as the “Tenth Gate” and its Sanskrit name, Sahasrara, means a “thousand petalled lotus.” The Sahasrara chakra is said to project upward from the centre of the head into the space just above the crown chakra. In Kundalini Yoga, we associate this energetic centre with the pineal gland, brain, and nervous system. Spirit represents food in this centre.
When there is a lot going on in this chakra, food almost seems optional. Swallowing, shovelling and starving become the modes of consuming food. Awareness and patience is necessary to savour a meal and staying hydrated and eating at regular intervals.
The crown centre cannot be balanced with physical food. Feed your body and mind with substances that promote interconnection and purification, such as sunlight and oxygen which are required to sustain life. Loving thoughts sustain a truly pure and interconnected life.
Crown Chakra supportive foods are those that are holistically healing or sacred, and have a spiritually cleansing or energizing benefit: Water, purified or salt, absorbed through the skin or top of head/scalp; various seeds like chia and sesame; bone and vegetable broths; essential oils for balance or unity. Detoxing can help our bodies flush out toxins, boost our energy, and clear our mind. Meditation herbs or essential oils such as sage, lavender, frankincense, and juniper are wonderful in balancing this chakra. Avoid toxins and preservatives. Eat fibre to gently detoxify the body daily.
Violet, purple or white colored foods: Mushrooms, garlic, ginger, onion, lychee, coconut and juniper (only to be consumed in raw, natural form in small quantities, otherwise used for ritual or cleansing purposes especially during a fast)..
Incense and smudging herbs: aloe vera; sage, copal, myrrh, frankincense,
Take a moment before eating to express gratitude to not only the food but to everyone and everything involved in providing nourishment to your body. Food helps to give you strength and power. If you are feeling defeated or down on yourself then enjoy some healthy foods and experience a surge in your own inner strength.
AJNA / THIRD EYE CHAKRA
The Sixth Chakra is also known as the Third Eye and in Sanskrit, it is called the Ajna Chakra. Ajna means, “Command Post” and it is the seat of intuition located at the Brow Point. The Ajna is associated with the pituitary gland which is the master gland that regulates the rest of the glands.
This Chakra is connected with visions and dreams. Foods in the colors of violet and indigo, which represent the Ajna Chakra, can strengthen and fortify this energy center.
Food in this centre represents energy, spirituality, moods and sleep patterns. Depth and intuition are very much part of the third eye chakra so the foods associated are those that you seek intuitively as long as you make natural and healthy choices. With an imbalanced chakra, large amounts of fat and protein are common, and sometimes a sudden dislike of fruits or vegetables.
Third-Eye boosting Foods: Foods rich in melatonin such as rice, sweet corn and oats. Stimulants (in moderation!) can be good for the 6th chakra, for example cocoa, dark chocolate which can help with clarity and release serotonin (the feel-good hormone) or healthy forms of caffeine such as green tea or yerba mate.
Omega 3-rich foods: Salmon, sardines, walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds all contain high levels of Omega 3’s which are perfect for boosting brain power.
Pure water is great for both your 6th and 7th chakras. Plate preparation is a key element as the brow chakra is all about appreciating beauty.
Spices: Allspice, Anise, Basil, Caraway, Cardamom, Chili Powder, Coriander, Cumin, Curry, Dill, Fennel, Fenugreek, Ginger, Horseradish, Mint, Nutmeg, Pepper, Sage, Turmeric, Wasabi
Indigo or dark purple foods: Eggplant, Figs, Purple Cabbage, Radicchio, Purple Kale, Purple Potatoes, Purple Plums, Pumpkin Seeds (roasted, Purple Grapes and Raisins.
Healthy Fats: Coconut oil, olive oil, organic butter, organic whole milk, Greek yogurt
VISHUDDHA / THROAT CHAKRA
The Throat Chakra or our fifth chakra is connected to expression and communication. Food in this centre represents joy. To understand this connection, it is important to see how the guilt of over-eating and wasting calories would rob one of joy! And cravings would best be satisfied with a variety in food and hence bringing joy. Foods that are exotic or unusual, spicy and flavourful dishes are pleasing to the senses. Involvement in focusing on the ingredients and preparation of the meal is a way to heal this chakra.
Chewing is the cornerstone of your throat chakra and digestive health. CHEW consciously and deliberately at least 20 times a bite. Ayurveda suggests that savouring a meal in silence and with attention and awareness helps this chewing process and improves digestion
Healing Foods for the Throat Chakra: Soothing liquids. Drench and quench your throat with fluids, clean water, coconut water, fruit juices and herbal teas, all drinks and concoctions that nourish the throat and thyroid. Foods rich in iodine that support thyroid function are also recommended. For example, Sea vegetables: Kombu, Hijiki, Nori and Dulse.
Blue Foods: Blueberries, blackberries and plums are particularly good sources of fibre antioxidants, and vitamins. Foods that benefit the lungs or that soothe the throat or voice. Soups, rich in fibre and minerals containing vegetables and strong broths.
Spices: Lemon grass, tarragon, mint, red clover blossoms, sage and salt. Tart or tangy fruits: lemons, limes, grapefruit, kiwis. Other tree growing fruits: apples, pears, peaches, apricots, etc.
ANAHATA/ HEART CHAKRA
This chakra is fed by finding your passion and following your heart.
Since this chakra is located near your heart, it is the bridge between the lower three chakras and upper three chakras, linking body and mind together.
In Chinese medicine green veggies are neither yin nor yang, so they maintain the equilibrium that is essential to the health of this chakra. Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe a daily dose of greens because they build immunity, remove “Ama” or toxic wastes from the body. As the body is composed of more than 60% water, leafy greens help purify the subtle channels of the body and replenish you inner hydration storage.
Nurture your Heart Chakra with: green and vibrant, nutrient-rich leafy and cruciferous vegetables. Foods that are full of calcium, magnesium, iodine, selenium, sulphur, essential fatty acids, B group vitamins and vitamin C, are all great for heart health, cleansing of the blood, and general circulation.
Green foods: Kale, lettuces, spinach, chard, pakchoy, choysum, collard greens, brussel sprouts, cabbage and broccoli, that all work to revitalise and heal this chakra. Artichokes, asparagus, celery, cucumbers, green capsicums, leeks, winter melon, bitter melon, okra, watercress, green beans, zucchinis, snow peas, and green peas are great additions.
Herbs: Parsley, coriander, shallots, basil, sage, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Seaweed, spirulina, chlorella, moringa, fennel and cardamom. Olives, capers, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, hemp oil, barley greens, pepitas, pistachio nuts, green lentils, aloe vera, wheatgrass and all forms of sprouts.
Green water-based alkalizing fruits: Limes, green apples, avocados, honeydew melons, kiwi fruit, green grapes, and green pears help you to be more conscious and contemplative.
Green tea will help keep your heart chakra healthy. Incorporate some of these “heart foods” into your diet, and begin to LOVE the difference.
MANIPURA/ SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA
The Solar Plexus Chakra corresponds to one's feeling of self-empowerment. This is the centre where food represents power.
Feelings of resentment and anger when having to submit to dietary restrictions can surface, along with tendencies to be rigid with eating habits or controlling what one eats. If there is healing work being done in this centre, it is recommended that the focus be on choosing easily digestible foods such as Soups and Kichadis, that are easy on your solar plexus region and related organs (liver, stomach, pancreas).
Rather than restricting the quantity, easier to digest foods may be more beneficial. Nourishing your body with healthy & light foods is kinder than dieting, allowing the body to balance weight better.
Nurture your Solar Plexus Chakra with: flax seed, sunflower seeds and dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt.
Yellow foods: bananas, corn, pineapple, yellow capsicums and lemons.
Whole grains: oats, spelt, rice, rye, farro and teff are great for fire energy, but need to be soaked first for easy digestion.
Legumes: lentils, chickpeas and beans are a great addition to curries, dhals and soups. Dry legumes are always better soaked overnight or for at least 4 hours with a piece of Kombu (seaweed).
Spices/Herbs: turmeric, ginger, cumin and cinnamon are all heating yet still anti-inflammatory spices which make them perfect for nourishing the third chakra. Herbs like Rosemary in food or as a tea and fennel root. Mint and chamomile also spice up this chakra.
SVADHISHTHANA / SACRAL CHAKRA
The sacral chakra is connected to food and our sense of taste. In Sanskrit, its name is Svadhisthana chakra. Both food and emotions, especially that “gut feeling”, are governed by the same energy centre. So the concept of emotional eating makes perfect sense.
The second chakra is about desire, passion, duality, polarities, movement, change, and creativity. In the body, it is not just related to the creation of human life through reproduction but governs all areas of human creativity.
Those who function strongly out of this centre move at a speed dictated by their feelings, desire, impulses, and passions.
Nourishing foods for the sacral chakra: Rich sources of healthy fats, for example Coconuts (they embody the feminine qualities of the sacral chakra), Oils and Fish (especially wild salmon).
Nuts: have qualities that strengthen (think protein) and flow (think oils). Cashews, Pecans, Walnuts and Pistachios.
Seeds: Flax, poppy, sesame, hemp, pumpkin and sunflower seeds are all therapeutic for the sacral chakra
Orange foods: Oranges, carrots, sweet potatoes, peaches, apricots, mangoes, papayas, pumpkin and mandarins are all sacral foods. Eaten with fats to help absorb their vitamins and minerals they are excellent at restoring an unbalanced sacral chakra. Honey is also beneficial.
Foods with a high-water content: benefit the reproductive system and nourish the sexual/creativity center.
Herbs & Spices: Coriander, Calendula, Fennel, Gardenia, Licorice, cinnamon, vanilla, carob, sweet paprika, sesame seeds, caraway seeds
MULADHARA / ROOT CHAKRA
The First Chakra is the realm of habits, the land of automatic behavior and deep instinctual patterns we learn for survival. It relates to the Earth element and all solid Earth things.
We connect to the Earth through our first chakra and it is where we return ourselves back to. Our first chakra is where we accept that we are here on Earth. It is where we say ‘yes’ to life.
This chakra is involved with our bodies, our health, our sense of security and survival (both primal and material existence). It relates to our ability to project, focus, and manifest our worldly, Earthly needs.
Healing your first chakra lies at the very heart of good health. It relates to something as simple as a regular and easy bowel movement. If the GUT is not functioning it opens the doors to anxiety, constipation, insomnia and chronic pain. So this “workhorse chakra” is critical.
Ayurveda suggests using specific herbs to nourish this chakra: The first herb is HARITAKI, also the main fruit in the three used in TRIPHALA. Legend has it that these three fruits grew in Brahma’s garden. The botanical name is Terminalia Chebula.Haritaki contains all except salty of the six tastes and has a warming energy and its gentle laxative qualities make it the most important Ayurvedic herb for managinpesg and balancing all three Doshas and all five elements. Its anti-oxidant properties also nourish the brain and nerves di. Visit the Ayurveda section for more on Ayurvedic recipes.
Castor Oil: An age old and much dreaded remedy comes from the castor plant native to tropical Africa and India. Castor beans contain a valuable pungent and sweet healing oil with heating energy. Castor oil is a wonderful go to remedy for a large number of health concerns, and is a superior treatment for the balancing the air element. Bowel loosening castor oil will normalize the energy of the large intestine.
Herbs: Dandelion Root tea, Sage, Ginger, Elderflowers, Burdock.
Red Foods: Red Peppers, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Pomegranates
Spices: Cloves, Dandelion, Horseradish, Paprika, Chives, Cayenne, Pepper.
Root vegetables: Carrots, Potatoes, Parsnips, Radishes, Beets, Onions, Garlic
Protein-rich foods: Eggs, Meats, Beans, Tofu, Soy Products, Peanut Butter
“Disease is often an accumulation of dammed-up energy. When we learn how energy moves through the chakras, we can begin to allow it to flow freely through our bodies, creating greater health.”
