Did you know that you have energy centers all through your body that are best known as chakras? Most often we know just about the seven major chakras in the torso. Paying attention to the other lesser-known centers can actually elevate your sense and awareness of energy in new ways.
Right now I am doing a lot of work on a set of chakras located along a meridian that runs from my foot all the way up close to my heart, and thought I would share some of the insights I have been gaining as I have been moving along in my practice.
The foot is an important part of our energy system since it is where energy exits and enters first and last through our bodies. While some systems explain that prana or chi only exits the foot, studies of energy amongst those with high prana flow show that people detect it flowing in and out at that location, much in the way that the crown chakra is seen to transmit life force into the higher dimensional aspects of our awareness.
The two chakras in the foot are the Patala and Mahatala. The Patala is more centrally located towards the balls of the feet while the Mahatala is into toward the back of the arch. When you are quiet and calm, try seeing if you can feel where they are. Sometimes you can get a feeling of buoyancy and lightness when a chakra is active and balanced. Just by doing the chakra clearing exercise I’m going to relate to you is often enough to spark this awareness.
The single best way to tell if you have blocked energy in your feet is that it can cause you to have a difficult time feeling or knowing who you are, or what your purpose is. Blocked energy in the foot can lead to a difficulty in being able to make decisions or to feel decisive. You might also begin projects but not complete them.


A Simple Method

To help unblock the foot stand with bare feed and focus on your feet while imagining that there is a whirling vortex of energy now moving in them. Do this until you can imagine it well, and just keep focused on your feel feeling new energy moving into and out of them.

Bring The Energy Up

Next, to get the most out of this exercise, you will want to imagine the energy rising up through your feet and up your legs and up into your torso. This will help to not just get the energy moving through your feet, but will give the rest of your body a treat to the lightness of being while building a simple sense of grounding all at the same time.
To help in moving the energy, it’s important to move your body. The single best way besides breathing deep to move energy is to feel your body move. Begin this by twisting around at the waist, turning your torso first one way and the next, with arms flowing out by your sides, slowly bringing your arms up as you open them to the sky. This movement is done fluidly and in a carefree manner; don’t be too serious!
When you do this, you should feel clearer and lighter. You might also feel a renewed sense of energy flowing up your legs, into your hips and then up into your torso towards your heart. You can sometimes even feel a shimmering effect of the energy that you didn’t feel before. These and more are a few of the results of clearing up blocked or stagnant energy in the feet.

Q:I can feel the energy moving in my feet, but it all slows down once it goes up my leg. How do I keep the energy moving further up?
A: You can open one center and wind up feeling some blocks further up the line. The best thing to do is to use the same visualization that you used for your feet, focused on those other points of blocked energy. Additionally, if that does not work for you, a gentle massage of the points on the chart (but on YOUR body!) can help move the energy.  Also, having a masseuse or other body worker who understands energy can be a good bet for helping move the energy.  An acupuncturist also could be of help as well.

As a side note, many people will correctly be able to identify key positions for blocked energy all on their own. For example, I have had to points close to my knees that have given me trouble for years energetically and these correspond perfectly to a specific acupuncture point. Someone else was able to identify energetic effects in the foot that also corresponded to a key acupuncture point that is there.


When prana flows it follows the paths of the meridians. The illustration (above) shows one meridian that goes from the foot up into the torso.

Q: How long should I do this exercise?

A: Take all the time you need to feel like it’s beginning to work for you. As a general rule, anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes should suffice. Your mileage may vary.
One thing you can also do is to gently massage your foot before or after. In fact, gentle but firm pressure is a great way to help move stuck energy.
The most direct flow of energy from the legs comes up the outer part of the torso. It can impact all the major energy centers as it goes: root, sacral, and solar plexus chakras. This is a wonderful way to feel lighter in a way you might not always feel otherwise.
Technically, there is more than one chakra in the foot. One is located near the back sole of the foot near the arch and the other is located closer to where the front of the foot is in its center nearer the balls of the feet. By focusing on the foot you might feel both of these becoming more active. But by focusing on moving energy in the foot, all other centers will benefit. Again, gently massaging the points or centers can help them to release.  Also, strong pressure on the point even though it might be uncomfortable, can be a method that can work (similar to what is behind acupressure methods).
You can repeat this exercise anytime that you want and you can repeat it as many times as you want, too!


Read More:

This article goes into depth about the leg and foot chakras.