When I first began learning about chakras and working with people who could sense my auric field, I felt a bit exposed. Could they perceive things I wasn’t aware of or preferred to keep hidden? At the same time, I was deeply curious—what were they noticing? What did it all mean? Did I have blind spots? Was there an underlying health issue I didn’t know about? Or maybe some latent superpower?
One of my friends was walking through a store and a woman stopped her and commented on how her aura was very bright. I was kind of jealous – how cool was that!
I’ve always loved learning about chakras and the biofield (aura). It feels almost magical to tap into this sixth sense, share insights with others, and realize we’re noticing the same things in someone’s energy field. When I first started at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, I couldn’t sense chakras in myself or others. But now, during energy healings, it’s effortless to tune into the flow of a chakra and understand how it’s moving.
Chakras
So before I get ahead of myself, if you’re newer on this journey with me, or would find it helpful to get an overview of the chakras, let’s start with the short version:
Chakras can be understood as energy centres that filter or digest energy between our bodies and the world. They are generally understood to be aligned along the centre of our bodies from the sacrum to the crown.
If you want some more information than that, take a look at my post Anatomy of Energy Healing. Or How Energy Healing helps Heal Physical Illness.
There are also plenty of books about chakras and the energy field. My favourite is Cyndi Dale’s The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of your Energetic Anatomy.
Reading Chakra Patterns
Whenever I perform an energy healing, I check in with the person’s chakras both before and after the session. I always emphasize that there is no “right” or “wrong” way for chakras to be. The way your chakras appear in a given moment can shift dramatically—even just 10 minutes later or in a different situation. Chakras are highly responsive to emotional patterns.
I operate under the belief that a single reading of someone’s chakras doesn’t hold much weight on its own.
Consider how you present yourself to someone you’re very close with: you’re likely more relaxed, and your chakras are probably more open. Now, think about how you might present yourself to someone trying to sell you something you don’t want. You’re likely more guarded, and your chakras will reflect that. If I were to check in with your chakras immediately after either of these interactions, they would likely appear quite different.
When I connect to a person’s chakras, I focus on two things: a) patterns and b) how their chakras respond to the energy healing.
If you come into a session with a specific concern, sometimes the information from your chakras will align with what you’re feeling. Other times, they may present differently.
Disclosure & Expertise
I don’t diagnose anything or make any big assumptions about a person based on their chakra patterns. There are some energy healing practitioners who have that ability – Barbara Brennan was one of them. Whenever someone says they have this ability, proceed with a healthy caution. Get verification from another source if possible – either references from other clients they’ve worked with or from another practitioner or doctor (if appropriate). Check in with yourself too – does this information resonate with you?
3 Chakra Patterns I’ve Noticed
As a therapist working primarily in the emotional realm, I often observe chakra patterns that reflect emotional states. Here are a few common patterns I’ve encountered:
- When Chakra Patterns Align what a Person’s Words
- For example, someone struggling to make a decision and feeling pulled in multiple directions may have chakras that mirror this—energetically pulling in different directions.
- We tend to develop certain chakra patterns based on how we’ve navigated life. This often manifests as some chakras being more open while others remain closed.
- An action-oriented person will likely have different chakras open than someone who is more logic-driven or emotionally expressive.
- Chakra Patterns related to Parts (Internal Family Systems IFS) Work
- We have many inner parts—protective parts, anxious parts, angry parts, and more. I’ve noticed that chakra patterns can sometimes (but not always) reflect the dominant part of a person’s psyche.
- We have many inner parts—protective parts, anxious parts, angry parts, and more. I’ve noticed that chakra patterns can sometimes (but not always) reflect the dominant part of a person’s psyche.
- When Chakras Contradict What a Person is Saying
- For example, someone might say, “I’m doing great!” but their chakras could be moving in chaotic directions, signaling inner turmoil.
There are several reasons why chakra energy may not align with what someone is verbally expressing. - Dissociation: If you are a skilled dissociater, you will know how to say one thing and mean it while your body and chakras experience something completely different.
- “High-functioning” individuals often push through, ignoring or unaware of their body and emotional well-being. Yet, there may be a small, quiet part that wonders if something is off beneath the surface.
- For example, someone might say, “I’m doing great!” but their chakras could be moving in chaotic directions, signaling inner turmoil.
Why Chakra Patterns Are Helpful
1. Validation: It can be quite validating to learn that your chakras do or don’t match what you’re saying. For the person that it matches it can feel like an experience is validated. For the person that it doesn’t match, it can feel like a relief that this discrepancy was noticed.
2. Help us connect to our bodies: If connecting to your body has been unsafe or if connecting to your body feels challenging to do, then it can be helpful to have someone be present and notice patterns without judgment. This pattern is there for a reason.
3. Help us to understand or emotional patterns in a deeper way
3. A pre/post check-in with chakras can give insight as to how a person responds to an energy healing. Again there is NO one right way to be after an energy healing. The corresponding changes are information about how a person processes the experience.
But Juanita, Isn’t There an Ideal Chakra Pattern?
I have read that an enlightened being has all of their chakras open at all times and that their energy field is completely clear.
In terms of the rest of us, a balanced open chakra is able to function best. As long as chakras are moving and shifting from open to close and back again, then that is normal. As we heal and change old patterns we naturally start to keep chakras more open and close them less often.
When we are going through big transitions in life it is normal for chakras to be doing different or more extreme things.
