What is the chakra meaning, and what are the 7 chakras?

Chakra is Sanskrit for 'wheel'. In Hindu and Buddhist tantric texts, chakras are described as centres along the spine, pictured as turning wheels or lotus flowers. Sanskrit is the classical language of ancient India, and each chakra still goes by its Sanskrit name.

Browse our chakra range for chakra stones, bracelets, pendulums and kits, all built around the classic seven-chakra system and sent by tracked UK delivery.

The seven-chakra system most people know in the West owes a lot to one book: The Serpent Power (1919) by Arthur Avalon, the pen name of Sir John Woodroffe. Older texts describe different numbers of chakras, so the list of seven is one tradition among several.

Here are the 7 chakras, from the base upwards:

• Root (Muladhara), at the base of the spine
• Sacral (Svadhisthana)
• Solar plexus (Manipura)
• Heart (Anahata)
• Throat (Vishuddha)
• Third eye (Ajna)
• Crown (Sahasrara), at the top of the head

In yoga tradition, each chakra has its own symbol, usually a lotus with a set number of petals. Many people learn the names in this order because it runs from the ground up, just like the stones on most chakra bracelets.

So when someone asks what are chakras, here is the short answer. They are a very old idea from Indian religious texts, shaped in the 20th century into the seven-wheel system you now see on jewellery, crystal sets and yoga mats.

The chakra colours run through the rainbow, from red at the root to violet at the crown. These colours are a 20th-century Western addition. The older Indian texts give the chakras other colours and symbols, but the rainbow version stuck because it is simple and easy to remember.

Chakra stones, also called chakra crystals, are stones picked to match each colour. In crystal practice, the usual pairings are:

• Root, red: red jasper
• Sacral, orange: carnelian
• Solar plexus, yellow: citrine or tiger's eye
• Heart, green: green aventurine or rose quartz
• Throat, blue: sodalite or lapis lazuli
• Third eye, indigo: amethyst
• Crown, violet: clear quartz

You'll notice a couple of stones break the colour rule. Rose quartz is pink and clear quartz has no colour at all, yet both are long-standing picks in crystal lore.

The easiest way to own the full rainbow in one go is our Chakra Stones Set of 7 (from £18.49). You get one stone for each chakra, in a large oval or small rounded shape, ready to lay out or keep in a pouch.

Want something for a shelf instead? We also stock display pieces: a faceted seven chakra gemstone ball on a wooden stand, and a little gemstone tree with 30 chakra chip stones under a glass dome.

One honest note: natural stones vary in colour and pattern, so yours won't match the photo exactly. That is part of owning a real stone.

People use chakra stones in meditation, display and ritual, following crystal practice and yoga tradition. Nothing here is a rule. These are the habits you'll see most often:

• Laying out the seven: many people place a stone for each chakra in a line, red at the bottom and violet at the top, on a mat or altar during meditation.
• Holding a stone: some like to hold one smooth stone while they sit.
• Altars and crystal grids: a crystal grid is a pattern of stones laid out around a central piece for a chosen intention.
• Sound: in Tibetan Buddhist practice, small bells and bowls are struck to mark the start or end of a session.

Our Bonded Chakra Crystal Palm Stone (from £10.99) is handcrafted from seven coloured stones bonded together, so all seven chakras sit in one piece. It comes in six shapes, from a 45 mm palm stone to spheres and eggs.

For sound, the Seven Chakra Tibetan Tingsha Bells (£16.99) are brass bells of about 7 cm, decorated with the seven chakra symbols. Tingsha are small Tibetan cymbals, traditionally struck together to open or close meditation and yoga.

The Solar Plexus Chakra Singing Bowl (£23.49) is a brass bowl measuring 8 x 8 x 5 cm, linked in chakra teaching to willpower and the colour yellow. A singing bowl is a metal bowl that rings when it is struck or when a striker is run around its rim.

Many people keep their stones somewhere they see every day, such as a desk, shelf or bedside table, as a reminder of their practice.

Pick by how you want to use it: a set for laying out and collecting, a bracelet for wearing, a pendulum for dowsing. Here's how our range breaks down.

Chakra bracelets are the simplest start. The Chakra Stone Bracelet (£3.49) has seven semi-precious stones, one for each chakra, and weighs just 13 g, so it is light enough to wear every day or stack.

The Lava Stone Chakra Bracelet (£4.49) adds dark, porous lava beads on a stretch fit, in Elephant or Buddha designs. Lava stone is volcanic rock full of tiny holes, so every bead has a rough, matte look next to the polished gems.

Buying for someone else? The Chakra String Bracelet (from £5.49) comes on a header card with an affirmation, in five styles: large donuts, ball, mini donuts, hearts or beads. An affirmation is a short positive phrase people repeat to themselves.

Pendulums suit anyone curious about dowsing, the old practice of holding a weighted point on a chain and watching how it swings. The Seven Chakra Amethyst Pendulum (£8.49) measures 4.5 x 3 cm, with a metal chain and chakra chipstones. It makes a friendly first pendulum for divination beginners.

Quick tips if you're shopping for a chakra bracelet in the UK:

• Expect small differences from the photo, as natural stones vary.
• Pick the stretch-fit lava style if you'd rather skip a clasp.
• Changed your mind? You have 14-day returns.

In crystal practice, people cleanse chakra stones with moonlight, sound, selenite or smoke. Cleansing here means a simple ritual people do between uses, not a wash. Choose whichever suits you:

• Moonlight: many people leave stones on a windowsill overnight, often at full moon.
• Sound: a strike of tingsha bells or a singing bowl near the stones.
• Selenite: stones are laid on or beside a selenite wand or plate.
• Smoke: stones are passed through incense smoke in a cleansing ritual.

Our Selenite Wand 16 cm, Point One End, 7 Chakra (£9.99) measures 16 x 2 cm and is traditionally laid on altars and used in crystal grids. Selenite is a soft crystal form of gypsum, so keep it dry.

For everything in one box, the Chakra Crystal Kit with Selenite and Palo Santo (£37.99) holds seven tumble stones, two selenite wands, a palo santo stick, a cedar bundle wand and seven incense cones. Palo santo is a fragrant South American wood burned in cleansing rituals.

Burning anything? Stick to the basics:

• Use a heat-proof dish.
• Open a window.
• Never leave burning material alone.
• Keep it away from children and pets.

For more to go with your stones, look through our meditation and yoga range. Ready to start your set? Shop our chakra range now and pick the stones, bracelet or kit that fits your practice.