Have you considered that colour may affect your energy and your mood?
Do you know that warm reds and oranges can motivate and uplift whilst cooler blues and greens can soothe and relax? If you decorate a bedroom with warm reds and orange, it could be too stimulating for sleep. Cooler blues, greens and violets, however, might create a better space in which to rest and replenish.
The science of colour is quite simple. Colour therapy is an age-old practice that can be used to enhance wellbeing. In ancient Egypt people would sit within prisms of coloured light to be healed from certain conditions.
Most people have heard of the aura, though it is generally not visible to the naked eye. A special camera was developed in 1939 by Semyon Kirlian, which records the colours found in this field of energy.
The aura is a band of energy that surrounds the physical body of every living being. It is made up of several layers, which are collectively known as the ‘energy body’ and include the emotional body, the mental body and the spiritual body.
Your thoughts, feelings and point of focus can all affect how your aura looks and feels and the condition of the aura affects the quality of health you experience. Someone with a vibrant aura, whose colours are clear and bright, will most likely be healthy and well. Conversely, dark and muddy colours can reflect stress and illness in some part of the body.
Seven major energy centres known as 'chakras’ also influence how the aura looks and feels. These are spinning balls of energy that can be found running vertically through the body from the base of the spine to the top of the head. They are each represented by a specific colour. The pattern they create traditionally follows the colours of the rainbow. It starts with red energy in the root chakra, which is situated at the base of the spine, and reaches up to the crown chakra, which has a purple energy and is situated at the top of the head.
Holistic practices such as yoga, Tai Chi, Mindfulness, Reiki and meditation can really help to keep the energy in your chakras flowing smoothly and create a healthy aura.
So here is a brief guide to the influence that colour has on the body and how each one may affect your energy and mood.
Red is the colour of action. It is a powerful, energy-filled colour that relates to the physical body. It can stimulate your circulation, digestion and appetite and help you to focus on attention to detail. It is good for depression and combatting negativity, strengthening initiative and motivation.
Orange is a joyous colour. It frees and releases emotions and feelings of self-pity, lack of self worth and unwillingness to forgive. It is a natural anti-depressant and lifts the spirits, promoting vitality, inner strength, optimism, creativity, self-expression, and happiness. It opens up the mind to new ideas and perspectives.
Yellow is a happy, bright and uplifting colour. It also stimulates the mind, intellect, and emotions, and contributes to the expression of thoughts. It therefore aids memory, clear thinking, decision making and good judgement. It facilitates good organisation, and enables you to see different points of view. It builds self-confidence and encourages optimism.
Green has a strong affinity with nature and helps you to connect to others and to the natural world. It is the colour of balance and self-acceptance. It gives a feeling of comfort and relaxation, calmness and space. It reduces stress, and can be soothing and steadying on the emotions.
Blue is calming, relaxing, soothing, cooling and helps you to slow down. Midnight blue has a strong sedative effect, allowing you to connect to your intuition and feminine energy. It is good for creativity and it encourages creative thinking and expression. However, too much dark blue can be depressing. Blue can affect your mind rather than your body.
Indigo stimulates intuition and imagination, and is a strong sedative. It is the colour of Divine knowledge and the higher mind. Indigo is said to be a powerful anesthetic and can reduce pain. It is particularly useful in quiet spaces where you may study.
Violet and purple can bring a sense of peace and combat any fear. They are also associated with artistic and musical abilities, stimulating creativity, inspiration, sensitivity, spirituality, and compassion. They help you to look within yourself for the answers and can be calming for the nervous system. They are great colours to help overcome exhaustion, migraines, and other headaches, also stress and anxiety, obsessions, and low self-esteem.
Look at the colours you naturally relate to in your home and work-place environments and begin to consider what effect they may be having on your energy and mood.
Spend time in nature when you can and connect to a bright blue sky or beautiful shades of green to notice the effect these colours have on just how good you feel. There is so much to learn from colour. You can begin to use it more consciously to create the type of energy you wish to enjoy each and every day.
