Chromatherapy: The power of colour on your wellbeing

COLOUR RESTORES YOUR ENERGY

Colour therapists swear by it: we need colour in our lives to feel physically and mentally happy and healthy. In 1920, American physician Harry Riley Spitler discovered that colours had a positive effect on his patients. Through exposure to a colour palette the physical self-healing process was stimulated and ailments such as insomnia, winter depression, asthma and concentration disorders were treated. Depending on the complaint, a particular colour is used in chromatherapy, as each colour has a different positive impact.

THE POWER OF COLOUR

In Eastern culture, many believe that chakras are related to colours and that they can affect the health of a particular organ or part of the body. Discover what effect the following 5 colours have on your wellbeing:

BLUE

One of the most common colours which affects our day-to-day routines, is blue light. We have special receptors in our eyes which react directly to this colour, telling the brain that it’s daytime and we need to be awake. When exposed at the correct time, blue light can boost our productivity at work, cure winter depressions, reset our biological clock and reduce tiredness during the day. In Buddhism, blue represents wisdom and intelligence. Blue is also known for creating a sense of trust and security.

ORANGE

This warm colour symbolises social communication, cheerfulness, power, energy, creativity and optimism. For Buddhists, it is the colour of the rising sun and spiritual awakening. Orange is associated with movement and progress on an emotional, a spiritual and even a physical level since it is said to give your brain a boost. Orange makes you want to be there! A colour with the power to create new things.

YELLOW

Yellow stands for cheerfulness, exuberance and willpower - these are the typical characteristics of this colour. It has a long wavelength, which we feel especially on an emotional level: yellow gives you the strength to shine and helps you to concentrate. And just as the yellow sun is central to our solar system, this colour gives you the courage to put yourself in the centre of attention.

GREEN

Green represents growth and positive energy. It is the colour of the heart (yes, really), and connection, and it represents Mother Nature. Green falls exactly in the middle of the colour spectrum and therefore helps you to achieve harmony and balance. Green allows you to turn inwards, to find the balance in yourself again and from there connect with the outside world.

RED

Red is the colour of passion, power, fire and physical energy. The colour is so powerful because red has the longest wavelength of all colours. Spiritually, the colour symbolises being present in the moment, and saying yes to life. And that is actually not so strange when you think of the blood that flows through your veins and provides every cell with energy. According to Jean-Gabriel Causse, a French colour expert, you should even wear red sportswear when you could use the extra motivation to get yourself off the couch.