One of the great aspects of Ayurveda is its long list of tools available to heal the body and mind.  Although diet and herbs are essential factors in any healing protocol, there are many other therapies that can be used to bring balance.  Of these, Ranga Chikitsa, or color therapy is one of my favorites as it is affordable, accessible, easy to incorporate, and effective… and the best part is, it can be a lot of fun!

What is Color Therapy?

Color therapy (also called chromotherapy) is an age-old healing modality used by many Vedic sciences including Yoga, Jyotish (Vedic Astrology), Vastu, and of course, Ayurveda.  Not surprisingly, color therapy also has roots in other ancient traditions including Egypt, Greece, and China.  Although the specifics of each tradition may vary slightly, one common belief they all hold is the healing potential that is available through colors.

In Ayurvedic Medicine, color therapy (Ranga Chikitsa) falls under Tanmatra Chikitsa or “Five Sense Therapy”.  Tanmatra Chikitsa consists of subtle therapies used to target the five senses (i.e. vision, touch, taste, audio, smell) in order to heal the body, nervous system, and spirit. Therefore, color therapy uses Rupa, the sense of sight, as a gateway for healing.    

Being subtle by nature, color therapy can offer profound healing of the subtle body making it very effective in treating trauma, PTSD, emotional imbalances, mood disorders, karmic disorders, and nervous system conditions.  However, it can be very useful in physical healing as well and color therapy is often used to treat conditions such as pain, inflammation, arthritis, thyroid disorders, digestive issues, and even sexual debility. 

How Does Color Therapy Work?

Colors are formed by the reflection of light rays (radiant energy) that vibrate at certain frequencies.  Each color appears different due to the different speeds of their vibration.  The speeds are measured in nanometers (nm) or wavelengths and are as follows (numbers are averaged):

• RED: 700 nm
• ORANGE: 650 nm
• YELLOW: 600 nm
• GREEN: 550 nm
• BLUE: 500 nm
• INDIGO: 450 nm
• VIOLET: 400 nm

In general, the first three colors are more stimulating and penetrating (with red being the most) and the latter four are considered more grounding and spiritual.  The spectrums of red, orange, and yellow contain more infrared lightwaves and correlate with the rising sunlight, and green to violet slowly becomes more ultraviolet by nature correlating with the mid to late-day sun.  These lightwaves penetrate the body at their own respective frequency and yield into our Pranic energy to create change.  

Colors and the Chakras

Each color corresponds to a specific chakra* and can be used to strengthen the respective chakra energy as well as remove blockages.  This therapy can be done by meditating on the area of the chakra while visualizing its correlating color.  For example, you can strengthen or unblock your root chakra (Muladara) energy by bringing your focus to the perineum and visualizing red vibrating throughout this area. 

You can alternatively hold the appropriate colored light to the area of the chakra that needs healing (and there may be multiple), or place the correlating gemstone directly on the chakra.  This can be very powerful, however, so go slow and only do 5 to 10 minutes per chakra to begin.  For either of these therapies, it is best to be lying down in a dark room. For color therapy using light, it is best for a knowledgeable friend or practitioner to apply the light to allow more relaxation for you. 

According to Dr. Vasant Lad, if you are unsure where your chakra is blocked, you can perform Trataka Meditation to find out.  For this practice, you will need a candle (ideally a ghee lamp but any candle otherwise).  In a dark, windless room, meditate on the light of the flame with open eyes.  Hold your gaze until your eyes begin to water.  Once your eyes begin to water, close your eyes and pay attention to what color comes up.  Which color(s) you see will reveal which chakra(s) are imbalanced.*    

*To find out the appropriate color for each chakra, see the chart below!

Colors, Planets, and Days of the Week

According to Jyotish or Vedic Astrology, each planet has a corresponding color.  Further, each planet rules a specific day of the week.  If you are looking to strengthen a particular planetary influence or simply wish to invoke more balance in your life by harmonizing all the planetary energies, it is often recommended to wear the color of the planet on the day of the week that is ruled by that respective planet.*. The only exception is for Saturday; Saturn’s energy and influence are very dark and powerful, and it is not always recommended to strengthen His energy.  Therefore, unless you have been guided by a skilled Vedic Astrologer, it is generally recommended to avoid wearing black or dark blue on Saturdays.   

Other ways to enhance planetary energy through color would be to wear gemstones that are associated with the planet or even eat foods that are the appropriate color.  For example, you can eat rice pudding on Mondays to strengthen your Moon energy or red lentils on Tuesdays to strengthen your Mars energy.

*To find out the color and day of the week for each planet, see the chart below!

Click here for our printable Color Therapy chart.

NOTE: Gray and any pale color are provoking to Kapha but will generally pacify Vata and Pitta.

Click here for our printable Color Therapy chart.

Healing Quality of Each Color

Like any substance (dravya), each color possesses its own qualities (guna) and actions (karma).  Here are some of the many health benefits for each color.  Be cautious, however, as too much of a good thing can be troublesome!  It is important to know the not-so-healthy effects of using a color too much as well.

RED

• Hot, sharp, penetrating
• Promotes stability
• Energizing
• Relieves pain
• Burns ama (toxins)
• Increases circulation
• Increases sex energy
• Stimulates Agni (digestion)
• Promotes courage, confidence, and willpower
• Enhances RBC and hemoglobin (useful in anemia)
• Encourages menstrual flow (useful in amenorrhea)

Too Much RED

• Increases Pitta
• Creates excessive heat
• Over-stimulates
• Creates anger, irritation, irritability
• May cause insomnia

ORANGE

• Warming
• Stimulates appetite
• Promotes cheerfulness; alleviates depression
• Removes negative thinking; improves self-esteem
• Stimulates pineal gland to synthesize tryptophan into serotonin
• Improves concentration and cognition
• Promotes austerity
• Gives luster to the complexion
• Stimulates sex energy
• Strengthens urinary system and reproductive organs

Too Much ORANGE

• Increases Pitta
• Creates hostility, irritability, anger, aggression, and violence

YELLOW

• Stimulates Agni (digestion) and metabolism
• Improves appetite
• Sharpens the mind
• Promotes mental clarity, memory, and concentration
• Encourages self-esteem, inspiration, wealth, and wisdom
• Antiseptic, antimicrobial, antiparasitic
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-allergenic
• Relieves depression
• Energizing and stimulating
• Stimulates thyroid (useful in hypothyroid conditions)

Too Much YELLOW

• Increases Pitta
• Creates hyperacidity
• Aggravates heartburn, GERD, and similar conditions

GREEN

• Enhances Prana (lifeforce)
• Awakens love and compassion
• Stimulates thymus gland and T-lymphocyte production
• Boosts immunity
• Balances hormones
• Creates happiness and contentment
• Enhances hope, harmony, and growth
• Relieves stress; induces relaxation
• Promotes overall vigor and vitality
• Heals the nervous system

Too Much GREEN

• Increases Kapha
• Creates laziness, lethargy, and heaviness

BLUE

• Cooling and calming
• Soothes excessive heat, inflammation, and Pitta
• Improves clear communication
• Heals liver conditions
• Reduces yellow discoloration in jaundice
• Calms an overactive thyroid (useful in hyperthyroid conditions)
• Sedative
• Promotes sound sleep; alleviates symptoms of insomnia
• Promotes vigor and vitality
• Heals negative emotional patterns

Too Much BLUE

• Increases Vata and Kapha
• Creates coldness and clamminess
• Constricts circulation

INDIGO

• Enhances insight, clarity, intuition, and imagination
• Creates serenity
• Awakens spiritual energy
• Balances hormones
• Stimulates pineal gland to synthesize tryptophan into serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, melatonin, and other neurotransmitters
• Alleviates depression
• Balances bi-polar conditions

Too much INDIGO

• Increases Vata
• Creates spaciness
• May cause insomnia

VIOLET

• Awakens spiritual energy and Awareness
• Invokes higher consciousness
• Promotes imagination and creativity
• Stimulates melatonin and serotonin production
• Enhances tranquility, insight, and blissfulness
• Alleviates depression

Too much VIOLET

• Increases Vata
• Creates spaciness
• May cause insomnia

 

How to Incorporate Color Therapy

One of the greatest aspects of color therapy is that there is a wide variety of tools available depending on what works best for you.  Most of the options are simple, affordable, and even enjoyable!  The best options for you will be the ones that are accessible and you can realistically incorporate as much as is needed for your healing process.  You can choose one to focus on, or you may want to choose several for a synergistic approach.

I personally use light therapy through my infrared sauna (I generally switch between blue and green lighting) on a regular basis.  I also often pair my clothing color with the planets (or the mood I want to enhance) and occasionally eat foods that are appropriate for the day of the week (such as yellow mung dal on Thursdays).  Since I spend a lot of time in my office and herb room, I have painted these a light lavender color to promote creativity, tranquility, and spiritual energy.  Play around and have some fun as you discover the best ways to bring color therapy into your life!

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

1. Color visualization meditation: Meditate on a color and imagine it either radiating around you or on the color’s related chakra.  For example, visualize the green color at the heart center to enhance love and compassion and remove blocked emotions.

2. Solarized water: Take a clear glass jar of water and wrap it in colored tissue paper or saran wrap.  Let this water sit in the sun for at least 2 to 3 hours then drink it to invoke that color’s healing power.  To give an example, you can wrap a jar of water in blue tissue paper and set it in the sun; drink this water to reduce anxiety and create calmness—you can even (secretly) share some with your little ones when they seem overstimulated.

3. Color through clothing: Synchronize your clothing to enhance planetary energy on their respective day of the week.  For example, you can wear purple on Fridays to enhance beauty, grace, and feminine energy.  Alternatively, you can wear clothing of a certain color anytime you want to invoke its energy.  For instance, if you are feeling depressed, tired, and unmotivated, you can wear yellow to promote energy and happiness.  And please note that this can be used in the opposite connotation as well.  By this I mean, that if you are feeling angry and irritated, avoid wearing red and orange as this will quite likely enhance these Pitta emotions.  

4. Color through environment:  This includes the colors of your walls, ceilings, and home lighting.  This is especially important for areas you spend a lot of time in such as your office and bedroom.  It is best to have your ceilings white or off-white and your floors a more earthy color.  If you have colored lights in your rooms make sure they are suitable for your needs (same for your children)!* 

5. Color chakra therapy: Chakra healing therapy can be administered locally by a holistic practitioner or a loving friend; for this, you can use a movable chromotherapy light** and place it just above the area of the related chakra while lying down in a dark room, hold for 5 to 30 minutes per chakra.  An example would be to place a yellow light directly over the navel to improve digestion and eliminate parasites.

If this option is not available, you can simply use the appropriate gemstone for that chakra and place it directly on the area of the chakra.  For instance, you can place a blue sapphire over the throat to improve clear communication.

6. Gemstones: Gemstones possess a wealth of healing properties all their own, but the color of each gem will also hold influence.  This is a fun option that you can either wear as jewelry, keep around your home or work area, or use as a chakra therapy as described above.  For example, you can keep a jade stone or crystal at your desk to enhance relaxation and reduce stress while you work.     

7. Color through food: This option is quite simple and accessible for most individuals.  For this, you can either match your food to the planetary energy and its ruling day to strengthen its energy (e.g. eat kale on Wednesdays to strengthen Mercury and enhance communication, intellect, memory, and learning) or you can regularly eat the color of the food that you need most in your life (e.g. eat white foods for invoking balanced, sattvic energy).  Be careful with this one however, the most important food choices will still relate to your personal dosha and digestion needs so only favor colored foods that are suitable for YOU!

8. Colored glasses or goggles: Believe it or not, you can even wear colored sunglasses or goggles to utilize color therapy. For example, you can wear blue-tinted sunglasses to calm anxiety and soothe the nervous system.  I found an example here on Amazon (this is an affiliated link), although I have not tried this product personally.

* True story: When I was in my early 20’s (several years before learning Ayurveda), I acquired a beautiful Tiffany-style turtle light that I used in my bedroom.  Because of the glass fixture, it radiated a deep red light throughout my entire bedroom making even my white wall glow red in the dark.  Almost instantly I began to realize I was not sleeping well; I couldn’t figure out why as I never had this issue before.  Finally, I had my “aha” moment and realized it was the red light that was creating my sleep disturbance.  Sadly I had to say goodbye to it and not surprisingly I instantly felt and slept better!

**As an example, I found chromotherapy light on Etsy (not an affiliated link), although I have not tried this product personally.

References

• Textbook of Ayurveda, Volume Three: General Principles of Management and Treatment*** by Dr Vasant Lad 

• Ayurveda and Mental Health – The effect of color therapy and music on mental health — This is an online lecture with Dr Vasant Lad and hosted by AyurPrana

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