This blog post is to give you some insight in what the Chakras really represent along with a simplified summary of them according to the science of chakra yoga and tantra.
Over the past hundred years, the concept of the chakras, or subtle energy centers within the body, has seized the Western imagination more than virtually any other teaching from the Yoga tradition.
Yet, as with most other concepts deriving from Sanskrit sources, the West (barring a handful of scholars) has in many ways failed to understand what the chakra-concept meant in its original context and how one is supposed to practice with them.
First off, how do we define ‘chakra’? In tantra or the tantric traditions, from which the concept derives, chakra meaning wheel in Sanskrit are focal points for meditation within the human body. Because they are visualized as structures of energy resembling discs or flowers at those points where a number of nāḍīs (channels or meridians) converge they are actually conceptualized in the subtle body.
The chakras follow a model or system based on these conceptual structures superimposed by people experiencing emotional and/or spiritual energy in a visualized form. As a result, various experiences are had by those meditating on the chakras and they have been used in the science of chakra yoga and tantra for specific outcomes.
One widely accepted chakra system used today is the 7-chakra theory based on the following 7 chakras: NOTE: below is a very brief and simple description of these chakras. We will explore them in much more depth and detail in the next blog posts.
1. Root chakra
The first chakra of the body is located in the spine at the very base of the spine. Its general role is to connect our body and with the Earth Element and is associated with preservation. Therefore, it helps to keep us grounded, safe and connected with the energy of the earth.
2. Sacral chakra
The second chakra is located in the spine right below the belly button, approximately three inches below the navel. Its general role is to connect our body and with the Water Element and is associated with desires and creative flow. Therefore, it helps to keep us moving and flowing in a healthy and satisfying way.
3. Solar Plexus chakra
The third chakra is located in the spine behind the naval region and just below the rib cage. Its general role is to connect our body and with the Fire Element and is associated with a vigor, strength, and determination. Therefore, it helps to keep us strong, willful, and confident.
4. Heart chakra
The fourth chakra is located in the spine at the center of the chest. Its general role is to connect our body and mind and with the Air Element and is associated with the expansion of love and compassion. Therefore, it helps with emotional health and healing.
5. Throat chakra
The fifth chakra is located in the spine right at the level of the throat. Its general role is to connect our body and mind and with the Ether Element and associated with expression, purification and creativity. Therefore, it helps us with purifying our thoughts & speech and expressing the truth.
6. Third eye chakra
The sixth chakra is located in the head between the eyebrows. Its general role is to purify our mind and it is associated with discernment, intuition and higher truth. Therefore, it helps with sound mental health and can awaken us to our highest truth and purpose.
7. Crown chakra
The sixth chakra is said to be located above the head that hovers like a ball of light. Its general role is to give us the direct connection with the almighty and the universal conscious energy Therefore, it allows us to live in the highest awakened state without a sense of separateness.
Balancing the chakras.
When we talk about someone who may have an imbalanced chakra, we are referring to someone who either has a blockage in that energy or they are living primarily from that energy and becomes stuck there. As a result, they do not allow the other chakras to open and flow freely to create a balanced chakra system.
How does the energy of the chakras become imbalanced and how to create balance?
Imbalances of the chakras and this subtle body energy system arise due to past traumas, belief systems, super-impositions, and ignorance. In fact, ignorance is the primary cause of disease and imbalances of both the physical and subtle body.
At a young age we are imprinted auto suggestions, beliefs and super-impositions often from our family, friends and society. As a result, we make conclusions that are not necessarily from truth but from ignorance. Clearing out the garbage and getting rid of the ignorance (negative belief systems & wrong conclusions) can be a life-long process. The one who seeks to remove this ignorance needs to be ready and open to do so. They often need to be guided from teachings of truth and realized masters.
Kundalini Energy for the chakras through chakra yoga and tantra.
The Kundalini and chakra yoga system is not only to create a balanced energy flow throughout all the chakras but to allow for a increase in subtle energy to move freely through the spine to awakening the higher shakti energy and enter greater states of awareness.
Chakra Yoga Symbology
In the Yoga tradition, each of the seven Chakras has its own Chakra symbol, rich with metaphorical meaning and sacred symbolism. These Chakra symbols are sometimes used to contemplate the Chakra qualities and meaning and are yet one more interesting way of learning about the Chakras. This is something we explore in detail in our Chakra Yoga Course.
We also explore the subtle body and chakras in our Online Yoga Nidra Course