United in Colour
How individual colours and white light can deepen your practice
In the journey of self-discovery and holistic well-being, yoga stands out as a powerful tool, offering not just physical benefits but also spiritual and emotional healing. While most practitioners focus on the physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation, the interplay of colour within these practices can significantly enhance your experience. This article draws on art theory, the chakra system, colour psychology & healing, and synaesthesia to explore individual colours. After this we explore what happens when we unite and blend colours. Like yogis, colours don’t live in a vacuum, how they interact can increase vibrancy and joy.
Breathing life into the Chakra System
Colours are wavelengths, like different notes of music each has its own character. In chromotherapy each colour is believed to resonate with specific frequencies that can influence our physical and emotional health. For example, green is often associated with healing and balance, making it an excellent choice for heart-centred meditations.
Chakras are energy centres within the body that correspond to specific physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our being. The chakra system is a fundamental concept in many Eastern traditions, particularly in yoga. The traditional system uses colour, but not in order of frequency like a rainbow is.
The most common modern system has blended wavelength theory and chakra systems. For this article we will use the seven primary chakras, each relating to a colour as it makes understand the characters of colour easier. For the following section use your out breath to imagine each colour glowing and emanating like a light gently being turned up on a dimmer switch.
- Root Chakra (Muladhara): Breath out and imagine the base of your spine glowing warm red. Breath out and feel steady and grounded.
- Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana): Breath out and image your belly area glowing orange. Breath out and feel creativity, connected and content.
- Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura): Breath out and imagine your diaphragm glowing golden yellow. Breath out again and feel confident, powerful and focused.
- Heart Chakra (Anahata): Breath out and imagine your heart area glowing. Breath out a second time feeling expanding love and compassion.
- Throat Chakra (Vishuddha): Breath out and feel your throat area glowing blue. Breath out and feel your self-expression and truth.
- Third Eye Chakra (Ajna): Breath out and feel your third eye glowing an indigo purple colour. Breath out and connect with your intuition and wisdom.
- Crown Chakra (Sahasrara): Imagine the crown of your head and a glowing white orb just above it. Breath out and connect to your divine spirituality and higher consciousness.
Uniting White Light
When you spin a disc of rainbow colours quickly, it appears white. This is because your eyes can’t distinguish the details of the colours moving so fast, so the colours blend together. White light is made up of all the colours of the rainbow.
Everything is Black
Here’s another beautiful fact with you. When you mix the primary colours of red, blue and yellow together they make black. If you have painted you will know that artists are often strongly opposed to black being called a colour. In terms of wavelength black has the slowest wavelength, and in colour psychology it can be linked to fear and evil. There are effective techniques such as seeing black smoke leaving the body on an outbreath, but for me this does not do black justice. For me black is the quietest most stable colour. It is womb time and pre birth. To appreciate black imagine your body in a soft, safe nest where it is dark and deeply restful. A place you can hibernate and restore yourself. Breath out and feel your connection to deep peace and the mystery of life.
Black White & Everything inbetween
The colours we see emerge out of black, and disintegrate into white. All colours are contained both in black and white. Not only is this scientific colour theory, it is also a good way to live. Our skin colours are part of the rainbow, where our colours are individual and united. Our characteristics of being well organised, or very loving or powerful, are like individual colours on the wheel. Our characters are individual, and yet united.
Synaesthetic Colour
The interaction of colour with our senses can create a profound experience in yoga. Synaesthesia, a condition where one sensory experience involuntarily triggers another, can enhance your perception of colour in your yoga practice. For example, you may find that certain music evokes specific colours or that the feeling of a particular pose corresponds with a visual hue. When engaging in your yoga practice, pay attention to these sensory interactions be it smell, taste, visual, sound or touch. If a certain posture makes you feel energetic, notice what colour emerges in your mind’s eye. Use that awareness to inform your environment and practice.
Your Colour Journey: Using Colour to Transform & Heal
Colours have a profound psychological impact on our mood and focus. For example, warm colours like red and orange can energise and motivate, making them ideal for vigorous yoga practices. Conversely, cool colours like blue and green promote calmness and serenity, which are beneficial for restorative yoga or meditation practices.
- Try wearing warm or cool colours to suit your needs for practice and everyday life so you can notice how it affects you.
- When practising breathing or meditation visualise one chosen colour. Quietly bringing your mind back to it, or letting it gently transform into other colours as suits you.
- As you move through different poses, you can choose different colours to reflect what you want to work on, creating a dynamic and engaging experience.
- If you have the freedom to paint your yoga space, consider colours that align with your practice. Calming shades of blue or green can create a peaceful ambiance, while energising yellows or oranges can invigorate the space. Remember decorative elements, lighting and props to bring little pops of colour into your space.
- Keeping a journal can be a helpful way to document your observations and insights. For example, after a session, you might note how wearing a particular colour influenced your focus or how a specific lighting choice impacted your meditation.
Ultimately, the way colour enhances your yoga practice is highly personal. Experiment with different colours and observe how they affect your emotions, energy levels, and overall experience. Over time, you may develop a deeper understanding of your preferences, leading to a more fulfilling practice.
All One
Don’t we all want more colour in life? By understanding colour psychology and the chakra system, you can enhance your yoga practice, breathing techniques, and meditation experiences. Through the integration of colour healing, sensory interactions, and personal exploration, you can create a vibrant and invigorating practice that resonates with your unique journey.
As you deepen your relationship with colour in your yoga practice, you may discover new insights, emotional releases, and a greater sense of balance and harmony. Allow colour to inspire you, guiding you toward a richer, more fulfilling experience on and off the mat. The journey is yours to explore, illuminated by the vibrant spectrum of colour and the profound energy it brings to your practice.
Colour has so many aspects: hue, saturation, brightness and how they interact. If you find yourself getting confused remember all colours are one. Come back to white to lifting white and quietening black, knowing that everything is contained within them.
Susannah is running a Yoga Scotland OGT day on June 7th 2025 in Polmont where you can experience the power of colour and yoga for yourself. You’ll explore the chakra system in its different incarnations, synaesthetic thinking and how colour can affect you through asana, pranayama, relaxation and meditation. You might even get to taste colour! This is a golden opportunity to feel tickled pink and to take that home with you to enrich your personal yoga practice and daily life.
