Have you ever looked at someone and thought “wow, I would love to wear that colour!”?
Would you like to learn about the positive effects colour can have on your health and wellbeing I wonder?
Have you walked into a room and felt your energy transformed by the colour of its interior?
I have been connecting to the language of colour for many years and am fascinated by the influence it can have. Many companies invest huge sums in getting their branding just right and go to great lengths to consider how the psychology of colour effects the way they engage with their customer audience.
During my second year at art college I was given a work placement in the fashion office of the International Wool Secretariat in London. Little did I know what a treat I was in for. I spent my days creating colour vision boards that were used to predict trends for up to five years ahead. This material would provide inspiration for designers and retailers. It was where my love affair with colour first began.
It’s true that colour can help you get in touch with your feelings and deeper desires. Think of how a beautiful scarlet dress helps you feel more confident or the way a cool blue interior can promote a sense of tranquility and calm. When you know the human body is composed of pure energy in the form of colour and light it will help you understand that every colour has an effect on your mood. Colours can provide subtle sensations within your body that are stimulating, balancing or calming, even depressing.
When I share teachings about colour, I often ask people to wear black and white to the session and then I place coloured silk squares next to their skin whilst their eyes are shut. They are always surprised by the response they have. Some colours feel wonderful to wear, whilst others feel uncomfortable. In the case of the latter, very often they can’t wait for me to remove the scarf and reveal which colour had triggered that unusual reaction.
Colour can motivate you and inspire you. It can remind you what feels joyful and exciting. It can warn you of danger by keeping you alert and effect your behavior on many different levels. Like the sensations that come from taste and smell, colour can be highly evocative and bring back feelings and memories.
Colour has the ability to affect your energy and your thoughts. Whether you are conscious of it or not, it’s always having an impact on how you feel about yourself and about the environments you find yourself in. One of the favourite examples I like to share is that many fast food restaurants will incorporate bright red into their scheme. Red is the colour of action, it speeds up processes and encourages you to eat and digest your food faster!
So by using colour more ‘consciously’ it can have a really positive impact on your health and wellbeing and this is what I introduce in my ‘Discover Your Magic’ programme. I’d like to provide an example of what I mean here. Below is a simple guide to some of the attributes of the seven main colours of the rainbow. These colours are also found within the chakra (energy) system of the human body. For those who enjoy yoga or practice a healing modality of any kind this knowledge may seem familiar. But if you are new to the idea that the chakras and their corresponding colours, influence our health and vitality, this may be an eye-opener!
The seven colours of the rainbow and their main attributes
1 Red – Root Chakra
Red is warming, energetic and stimulating. It’s good for fatigue and too much coolness. It energises the heart and blood, the senses, your desires and encourages you to take action. A good colour when you want to feel grounded.
2 Orange – Sacral Chakra
Orange is warming, cheerful and fluid. It stimulates the lungs, respiration and digestion. It frees the body and the mind, relieves a sense of repression. It awakens new possibilities and options and encourages creative thinking and enthusiasm. It helps you assimilates new ideas. A good colour when you want to feel creative and connect to feelings.
3 Yellow – Solar Plexus Chakra
Yellow strengthens nerves and the mind. It awakens mental inspiration and energises the muscles. It helps with conditions of the skin, stomach, liver and intestines. A good colour when you are studying.
4 Green – Heart Chakra
Green brings balance and harmony, it’s soothing and healing. It provides inner peace and gently stimulates the heart. It’s good for hormone balance, it also cleans and purifies. Green harmonises digestion and the nervous system, stomach, liver, gall bladder and kidneys. It increases immune function, improves muscles, bones and tissues. A good colour to maintain a sense of balance, hence the reason you really benefit from being in nature.
5 Blue – Throat Chakra
Blue is cooling, electric and astringent. A great antiseptic. It cools inflammation, fever, high blood pressure, headaches and strong emotions and brings tranquility (imagine a clear blue sky). Used to treat itching, it’s good for irritation and stress. It reduces suffering and supports speech and communication. A good colour to really relax with.
6 Indigo – Third Eye Chakra
Indigo is cooling, electric and astringent. It’s freeing and purifying. It supports the eyes and the ears, so vision and hearing, also for physical and spiritual perception. A good colour for connecting with your intuition and the gift of insight.
7 Violet – Crown Chakra
Violet is the colour of transformation. Good for melancholy, addictions, hysteria and delusions. Used for spiritual insights and renewal. It calms the heart, stimulates the spleen and immune function. Good for better sleep, it soothes mental and emotional stress and decreases sensitivity to pain. Wonderful for detoxification. A good colour for resolving stress and the effects of negativity.
Here’s something you could try …
Maybe close your eyes for a moment or two and feel into your body, simply notice what is going on. Then open them and glance through the colour descriptions without paying any particular attention to what you are reading but allow your intuition to guide you to which colour you would benefit from at this moment in time?
Colour therapy dates back to ancient times and we know the Ancient Egyptians especially used colour healing in their temples. There are many ways it can be easily incorporated into your daily routine, through becoming more conscious of what you eat and drink, through the clothes you wear, using crystals and creating environments that align with you more fully.
If you need better sleep I would suggest you repaint any red walls in your bedroom with a colour that’s more soothing, like lilac or turquoise. Use a beautiful terracotta in the dining room to help guests to feel grounded and be even more open in dinner party conversation. Yellow is great for a study; it keeps the mind more focused. These are just a few example to show that every colour has a purpose.
Come and learn about colour with me!
Fancy taking time out for yourself this summer?
Day One of my 5-Day summer creative retreat focuses on colour. You will enjoy:
- A relaxing meditation with healthy chakra cleanse
- Fun using oracle cards
- Time to understand how colour makes you feel and what effect it has on your health and vitality
- A colour reading for yourself, for friends and for members of your family
- Space to create a personal mixed media mandala that you can take home.
12-16 August 2019 in Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6UB.
To book your place simply email [email protected] and for more details of the full programme please visit https://gabrielleanyarafello.com/discover-your-magic-course/. The cost is £395pp. B&B is available locally from £55pp per night.