There are seven chakras that run down the body’s midline from the base of the spine to the tippy top of the head. As energy moves through us, these chakras are thought to act as gatekeepers for their respective areas. When these ingrained traffic lights, so to speak, are running smoothly, our energy and vitality can flow freely to where it is most needed. When a chakra is blocked, though, energy can get stuck and manifests as discomfort. If you ask any spiritual clientele, they’ll tell you that the chakras are a testament to the mind-body connection and the physical manifestation of unseen energy. Even if chakras are a bit too woo-woo for you, it’s easy to see the merit of tuning in to the different areas of the body to best give them what they need. There are many ways to harness the power of breathwork, visualizations, and meditation to bring each of the body’s energy centers back into balance. Here are a few that spiritual sages swear by: Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.