Chakra Meditation: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Chakra meditation is a practice in which you move your attention through the seven main chakras, the energy centres described in yoga, from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. At each one you breathe slowly, picture its colour and chant its seed sound. It is one of the most popular ways to work with the chakras and is well suited to beginners.

Chakra series · Themes: calm, focus, balance and body awareness

Last updated: 4 November 2026

Written by Saj Ali

Reading time: about 18 minutes

How we wrote this guide: this guide was written by Saj Ali. It describes how the chakras are understood in yoga and tantric traditions and in modern wellness practice around the world, and every research claim links to its source.

Chakra meditation in brief

• What it is. A guided journey of attention through the seven chakras, from root to crown.
• How long. About 15 to 20 minutes for a full practice, or 5 minutes for a short version.
• What you use. Slow breathing, colour visualisation and the seed sounds LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM, HAM and OM.
• What you need. A quiet place and a cushion or chair. Nothing else is required.
• Who it suits. Beginners and experienced meditators alike, because each step gives the mind a clear focus.

Chakra series: The 7 Chakras Explained · Root Chakra (Muladhara) · Heart Chakra (Anahata) · Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) · Chakra Healing guide

Contents

1. What Is Chakra Meditation?
2. Chakra Meditation at a Glance
3. The Seven Chakras, Colours and Seed Sounds
4. Before You Start
5. How to Do Chakra Meditation: Step by Step
6. A Short Guided Chakra Meditation Script
7. Every Way to Do Chakra Meditation
   • A 5-minute version
   • Chanting only
   • Colour visualisation only
   • Focusing on one chakra
   • With sound or music
   • Lying down before sleep
   • With yoga or movement
8. Tips for Beginners
9. What People Commonly Experience
10. Where Chakra Meditation Comes From
11. What the Research Says About Chakra Practices
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Key Takeaways
14. Explore More on Self Help Supermarket
15. Sources

What Is Chakra Meditation?

Chakra meditation is a structured form of meditation built around the seven main chakras. The word chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit, and in certain forms of Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism the chakras are described as centres of subtle energy along the spine, each linked with a colour, an element and a mantra (Encyclopaedia Britannica, chakra).

In a chakra meditation, you move your attention through these centres one by one, usually from the root at the base of the spine up to the crown at the top of the head. At each chakra, you might breathe into that area, picture its colour, chant its seed sound and reflect on its theme, such as safety for the root or love for the heart. The aim is to bring each centre into balance and to finish feeling calm, clear and whole.

Many people find chakra meditation easier than sitting in silence, because it gives the mind something to do at every step. It also works as a gentle body scan, bringing attention to each part of the body in turn. For an introduction to all seven chakras, see The 7 Chakras Explained, and for how chakra healing works as a whole, see our Chakra Healing guide.

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Chakra Meditation at a Glance

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The Seven Chakras, Colours and Seed Sounds

This table is your map for the practice. Each chakra has a location, a colour used in the modern system and a seed sound, or bija mantra, from the traditional texts.

Seed sounds are chanted with a short “a” sound and a humming “m”: LAM sounds like “lahm”, VAM like “vahm”, and so on. Older texts give each chakra a seed syllable and describe it as a lotus with a set number of petals (Avalon, The Serpent Power, 1919). The rainbow colours most people use today became popular in the 20th century.

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Before You Start

You do not need any special equipment, but a few simple things make the practice easier:

• A quiet space where you will not be interrupted for 15 to 20 minutes.
• A comfortable seat: a cushion on the floor, a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or a mat if you prefer to lie down.
• Loose clothing and a blanket if the room is cool.
• A gentle timer so you do not need to check the clock.
• Optional extras: a candle, a singing bowl, chakra stones or a guided recording.

It also helps to decide your intention before you begin. You might simply want to feel calmer, or you might want to focus on a theme, such as feeling grounded or more open-hearted.

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How to Do Chakra Meditation: Step by Step

Here is the full practice. Allow about two minutes for each chakra, but feel free to stay longer wherever you feel drawn.

1. Find a quiet spot. Choose a place where you will not be disturbed for 15 to 20 minutes. Sit on a cushion or chair, or lie down if sitting is uncomfortable.
2. Sit tall and relax. Let your spine be upright but not stiff, your shoulders soft and your hands resting on your thighs. Close your eyes or lower your gaze.
3. Settle the breath. Take a few slow breaths, breathing out a little longer than you breathe in. Let your body grow heavy and still for one or two minutes.
4. Begin at the root. Bring your attention to the base of your spine. Picture a red light there and chant LAM, aloud or silently, three to seven times.
5. Move to the sacral and solar plexus chakras. Move to the lower belly: picture orange and chant VAM. Then move to the upper belly: picture yellow and chant RAM.
6. Rest at the heart. Move to the centre of your chest. Picture green and chant YAM. Let a feeling of warmth or kindness grow.
7. Continue to the throat and third eye. Move to the throat: picture blue and chant HAM. Then move to the point between your eyebrows: picture indigo and chant OM.
8. Open to the crown. Bring your attention to the top of your head. Picture a violet or white light, and rest in silence or chant a soft OM.
9. See all seven together. Picture all seven lights in a line from the base of the spine to the crown, glowing evenly. Breathe slowly for a minute.
10. Return gently. Bring your attention back to your breath and to the support beneath you. Wiggle your fingers and toes, open your eyes and take a moment before you get up.

If you are short of time, the 5-minute version below follows the same steps more quickly. If chanting aloud feels awkward, you can say each sound silently in your mind.

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A Short Guided Chakra Meditation Script

You can read this script slowly to yourself, record it on your phone and play it back, or read it aloud for a friend or group. Pause for a few breaths wherever you see “…”. The whole script takes about 15 minutes.

Settling (2 minutes)

“Find a comfortable position and let your eyes close. Breathe in slowly through your nose, and breathe out a little longer. Feel the weight of your body and the support beneath you. With each breath out, let your shoulders soften.”

Root (2 minutes)

“Bring your attention to the base of your spine. Imagine a warm red light, like glowing embers, resting there. Feel your connection to the ground. Breathe in, and as you breathe out, chant LAM… Again, LAM… Notice a sense of steadiness: you are safe, you are supported.”

Sacral (1 to 2 minutes)

“Move your attention to your lower belly. Picture a soft orange light, like the colour of a sunset, flowing like water. Breathe out with VAM… Let yourself feel at ease, open to enjoyment and creativity.”

Solar plexus (1 to 2 minutes)

“Now move up to your upper belly, just below the ribs. Imagine a bright yellow light, like the midday sun, warm and steady. Breathe out with RAM… Feel a quiet confidence.”

Heart (2 minutes)

“Bring your attention to the centre of your chest. Picture a green light, fresh like spring leaves, opening with each breath. Breathe out with YAM… Let a feeling of warmth spread: for yourself, for someone you love, for everyone.”

Throat (1 to 2 minutes)

“Move to your throat. Imagine a clear blue light, like a summer sky. Breathe out with HAM… Feel space to speak and to listen with honesty and kindness.”

Third eye (2 minutes)

“Rest your attention gently between your eyebrows. Picture a deep indigo light, like the night sky. Breathe out with a slow OM… Notice any images or feelings without holding on to them.”

Crown (2 minutes)

“Finally, bring your attention to the top of your head. Imagine a soft violet or white light, opening upwards like a lotus. Rest here in silence, simply aware, for a few breaths.”

Closing (2 minutes)

“Now picture all seven lights glowing in a line, from the base of your spine to the top of your head, each one bright and balanced. Take a deep breath in, and let it go. Bring your attention back to the room. When you are ready, open your eyes.”

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Every Way to Do Chakra Meditation

There is no single correct way to do chakra meditation. Here are the main versions people use. Try a few and keep the one that suits you.

A 5-minute version

On busy days, spend about 30 seconds on each chakra: breathe once or twice, picture the colour and say the seed sound once. Finish with three slow breaths. It is a simple way to keep the habit going.

Chanting only

Skip the visualisation and simply chant the seed sounds in order, LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM, HAM, OM, three to seven times each, letting the sound move gradually up the body. Many people find chanting easier than picturing colours. A small pilot study found that chanting OM was linked with quieter activity in emotion-related brain areas (Kalyani et al., 2011).

Colour visualisation only

Move silently through the chakras, picturing each colour as a glowing ball of light. Some people imagine breathing the colour in and out. This version suits people who prefer silence. Our Visualisation guide has more on working with mental images.

Focusing on one chakra

Spend the whole session on a single chakra whose themes feel relevant, for example the root chakra when you want to feel grounded, the heart chakra for love and compassion, or the third eye chakra for intuition and clarity.

With sound or music

Many people practise with singing bowls, tuning forks or recorded music tuned to each chakra. Our Sound Healing guide explains how sound is used, and the Sound Healing hub lists resources we have checked.

Lying down before sleep

Lie on your back, move through the chakras slowly and quietly, and finish from the crown back down to the root to feel settled. Many people use this as part of a bedtime routine. See our sleep guide for more ideas.

With yoga or movement

Combine each chakra with a pose: Mountain for the root, hip circles for the sacral, Boat for the solar plexus, Cobra for the heart, gentle neck rolls for the throat, Child’s pose for the third eye and a seated rest for the crown. Our Yoga guide covers how to start.

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Tips for Beginners

• Start small. Five minutes a day is better than an hour once a month.
• Keep the same time. Linking practice to an existing habit, such as after your morning tea, makes it easier to remember.
• Do not chase colours. If you cannot see a colour, just think of its name or imagine its warmth.
• Let the sounds be simple. A soft hum is enough. There is no need to be loud or musical.
• Breathe slowly. Making the out-breath a little longer than the in-breath helps the body relax. Slow breathing has been linked with calmer, more relaxed states (Zaccaro et al., 2018).
• Be kind to yourself. Wandering attention is part of the practice. Each return is a small success.
• Notice afterwards. Take a moment after each session to note how you feel. A short journal entry helps you see changes over time.

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What People Commonly Experience

Experiences in chakra meditation vary widely, and all of the following are common:

• Warmth, tingling or gentle pressure in the area you are focusing on.
• Colours or images appearing, sometimes different from the expected colour.
• Feeling more at one chakra than another, which many people use as a hint about where to focus next time.
• Emotions coming up, especially at the heart, which teachers suggest simply noticing with kindness.
• Feeling sleepy, particularly when lying down; sitting up usually helps.
• Nothing in particular, which is fine too. Many people find the calm comes gradually over several sessions.

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Where Chakra Meditation Comes From

Meditation on the chakras has its roots in the tantric and hatha yoga traditions of India. The 16th-century Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇa, translated in 1919 by Sir John Woodroffe as Arthur Avalon in The Serpent Power, describes the six centres along the spine and the thousand-petalled lotus above the head, each with its lotus petals, element and seed syllable (Avalon, The Serpent Power, 1919). In kundalini yoga, practitioners guide energy upward from the root chakra to the crown (Encyclopaedia Britannica, chakra); our Kundalini Activation guide explains this.

In the 20th century, teachers in India and the West adapted these practices into the simpler forms most people use today, adding the rainbow colour scheme and linking each chakra with psychological themes. Chakra meditation is now taught in yoga classes, meditation apps and wellness centres around the world, and often sits alongside other forms of meditation, such as mindfulness and mantra meditation.

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What the Research Says About Chakra Practices

Chakras belong to a spiritual and yogic framework, so research does not measure the chakras themselves directly. What researchers have studied are the practices people use to work with the chakras: yoga, meditation, slow breathing, chanting, loving-kindness, time in nature and reflective writing. These practices have encouraging research behind them.

In other words, chakra meditation brings together several well-studied building blocks in one structured practice: focused attention, slow breathing, chanting and kind intention. Many people find that is where much of its value lies.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is chakra meditation?

Chakra meditation is a practice in which you move your attention through the seven main chakras, from the base of the spine to the crown, often using breath, colour visualisation and seed sounds such as LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM, HAM and OM.

How long should a chakra meditation be?

Fifteen to twenty minutes is typical for a full practice, about two minutes per chakra plus time to settle and finish. A five-minute version works well on busy days.

What are the chakra seed sounds?

The seed sounds, or bija mantras, are LAM for the root, VAM for the sacral, RAM for the solar plexus, YAM for the heart, HAM for the throat and OM for the third eye. The crown is usually linked with silence or OM.

Do I need to see colours during chakra meditation?

No. Some people see colours clearly, some sense them as a feeling and some simply think of the colour name. All of these are fine.

Can beginners do chakra meditation?

Yes. Chakra meditation is a beginner-friendly practice because it gives the mind a clear structure: one area of the body, one colour and one sound at a time.

Should I start at the root or the crown?

Most practices start at the root and move upwards, following the traditional path of kundalini energy. Some people end the day by moving from the crown down to the root to feel more grounded before sleep.

How often should I do chakra meditation?

Many people practise daily or a few times a week. Regular short sessions tend to be more helpful than long sessions now and then.

What if my mind wanders?

That is normal in every kind of meditation. When you notice your mind has wandered, gently bring it back to the chakra you were on, or to the next one.

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Key Takeaways

• Chakra meditation moves your attention through the seven main chakras, usually from root to crown.
• At each chakra you breathe slowly, picture its colour and chant its seed sound: LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM, HAM, OM, then silence.
• A full practice takes 15 to 20 minutes; a 5-minute version is useful on busy days.
• There are many variations, including chanting only, colour only, one chakra at a time, with sound and lying down before sleep.
• It draws on traditional tantric texts and was simplified into its modern form in the 20th century.
• Its building blocks, meditation, slow breathing and chanting, have encouraging research behind them.

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Explore More on Self Help Supermarket

Use these guides alongside this one:

• Chakra Healing: The Complete Guide – how chakra healing works and how to get started
• Chakra Healing hub – videos, books, apps and resources we have checked
• The 7 Chakras Explained – the full chart
• Root Chakra (Muladhara) – grounding and safety
• Heart Chakra (Anahata) – love and compassion
• Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) – intuition and insight
• Meditation – styles and how to begin
• Meditation hub – guided meditations, apps and resources
• Sound Healing – singing bowls, chanting and sound baths
• Breathwork – breathing techniques for calm and focus
• Browse all self-help techniques – compare every method on Self Help Supermarket.

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Sources

1. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chakra. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/chakra
2. Avalon, A. (Woodroffe, J.) (1919). The Serpent Power, including a translation of the Ṣaṭ-cakra-nirūpaṇa. London: Luzac and Co. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/TheSerpentPowerByArthurAvalon
3. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health. (2022). Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-effectiveness-and-safety
4. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health. (2023). Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga-effectiveness-and-safety
5. Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., and Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353
6. Kalyani, B. G., Venkatasubramanian, G., Arasappa, R., Rao, N. P., Kalmady, S. V., Behere, R. V., Rao, H., Vasudev, M. K., and Gangadhar, B. N. (2011). Neurohemodynamic correlates of OM chanting: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study. International Journal of Yoga, 4(1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-6131.78171
7. Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., and Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1045–1062. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013262
8. Baikie, K. A., & Wilhelm, K. (2005). Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11(5), 338–346. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.11.5.338

Self Help Supermarket guides are for general information and are not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.