What are chakras? And why are they important?
What are chakras? Why are they important? Why do yoga teachers bring them up so often?
These are probably some of the questions you might have surrounding this topic. Well, look no further, because here at Jai Yoga we have the answers for you! Let’s dive in!
We start by saying that we are not just our physical bodies – we are also energetic bodies. What does that mean, you ask? You see, all around us we have pulsing electromagnetic energy fields that are described as “subtle-energy” fields, which interact with our physical bodies by flowing through concentrated spirals of energy. In yoga, we call these energy spirals chakras. In Sanskrit, chakras are translated into “wheels of light”.
There are 7 main chakras that interact with the body’s endocrine and lymphatic systems. When the chakras are working optimally, they feed in good energy and dispose of unwanted energy. This is why it is vitally important for good health and for the prevention of illness; we must nourish and balance our chakras in the correct way. Chakra knowledge is fundamental in understanding and applying holistic healing practices. We can look at the chakras as the organs of our subtle energy bodies, or as pulsating discs of focused energy with particular color affinities. The spiral of each chakra narrows as it nears the physical body, and the 7 major chakras hook directly into the spine. They represent a ‘blueprint’ of the body and also hold information of past pains and traumas as imprints in the energetic field.
One of the first sacred collections of texts to talk about the chakras was the Upanishads: ancient Indian texts dating back to 7th Century BCE. The main message of the Upanishads was that enlightenment can be achieved by meditating with the awareness that your soul is at one with creation. This message was given through the many texts that make up the Upanishads, however, the 2 main Upanishads texts that teach about the chakras are the Brahma Upanishad and the Yogatattva Upanishad. The original models of the chakras from these 2 main texts were adapted in Tibetan Buddhism as Vajrayana theory and as the Tantric Shakta theory. From these theories, Shaktism became an organized sect in India in the 5th century CE, and it is this sect’s representation of the chakras that has had the most influence in the Western understating of them.
Shaktism describes the major chakras that we recognize today. In Shakta theory, the chakras are viewed as centers of pure consciousness, and are focal point for meditations. Shakta theory also firmly established symbolic associations and correspondences for each chakra: its element, visual symbol, mantra, deity, color and animal. It also teaches about kundalini energy and how it lives at the base of the spine and how we should focus on awakening it to travel through the chakras up the spine for enlightenment.
Within the main Indian yogic teachings there 7 major chakras are they are assigned specific qualities. Each chakra has a role in balancing the subtle energy of the body and how that body responds to external environmental energy as well. The chakras interact with the external environment by sending messages to the environment through subtle electromagnetic impulses that can be affected by a number of factors including our emotions. Understanding how complex we really are as physical and energetic beings, we can start to realize how important it is to take care of our subtle energy body and take actions that will keep that energy in a state of higher positive vibration. Learning how to balance your chakras is a huge step in this direction.
Let’s now look at these 7 different major chakras and what they are all about.
1: Root Chakra: Muladhara
Sanskrit translation: Root
Element: Earth
Number of petals: 4
Color: Red
Body location: At the bottom of your pelvic floor, between your anus and genitals
Endocrine gland: Gonads
Spiritual action: Safety
Yoga poses: Warrior 1, Trikonasana and Eagle
Root chakra – it is your survival center. The primal energy of survival is fight, flight, or freeze response and is initiated from Root chakra energy. This is your primal, animal nature of survival. Root chakra is the chakra of stability, security, and our basic needs. The root chakra is comprised of whatever grounds you to stability in your life. This includes your basic needs such as food, water, shelter, safety, as well as your emotional needs of interconnection, and being fearless. Also, dormant Kundalini is said to be resting here at this base chakra.
2: Sacral Chakra: Svadisthana
Sanskrit translation: Where the self is established
Element: Water
Number of petals: 6
Color: Orange
Body location: Behind your bellybutton and in front of your sacrum and lower vertebrae
Endocrine glands: Adrenals
Spiritual action: Sexuality/Creativity
Yoga Poses: Extended side angle pose, Standing dancer and Twisted Trikonasa
Sacral chakra – this is your creativity and your sexuality center; it governs reproductive systems and processes, sexuality, relationships, emotions, and sense of adventure. The function of the sacral chakra is directed by the principle of pleasure. Since it’s a close neighbor of the root chakra, it’s just one step removed from your preoccupations about safety, survival, and the instinctual sensory perception of your environment. The sacral chakra lets you creatively deal with what comes out of your experiences and develop a response that’s influenced by your intelligence and emotional patterns.
3: Solar Plexus Chakra: Manipura
Sanskrit translation: Jewel city
Element: Fire
Number of petals: 10
Color: Yellow
Body location: Between the navel and bottom of the sternum
Endocrine glands: Islets of Langerhans (group of cells in the pancreas)
Spiritual action: Energy/Growth
Yoga Poses: Gomukasana, Sitting spinal twist and Camel Pose
Solar Plexus Chakra – this chakra governs personality, ego, and identity, as well as personal freedom, choice, and authenticity. The solar plexus chakra also has much to do with motivation, willpower, and purpose, which stem from one’s sense of personal efficacy. Self-confidence and view of the self connect to the solar plexus chakra, as well. Furthermore, this chakra governs the digestive system and its respective organs; as a result, it has jurisdiction over both the gut’s emotional brain and stored emotions.
4: Heart Chakra: Anahata
Sanskrit translation: Unstruck
Element: Air
Number of petals: 12
Color: Green
Body location: Center of chest on the sternum
Endocrine glands: Thymus
Spiritual action: Love/Devotion
Yoga poses: Cobra/Up-dog, Fish, Head-to-knee fold
The heart chakra is all about being able to love yourself and others. It’s about being able to give and receive love with the same ease. It’s about feeling kindness, compassion, having a sense of ‘we’ instead of ‘I’, feeling a general sense of belonging, and trusting in your heart as an inner compass. This chakra is about creating space and feeling boundless. It’s the door to our inner temple, our soul and the infinite part of ourselves and the collective consciousness.
5: Throat Chakra: Vishuddha
Sanskrit translation: Purest
Element: Ether/Space
Number of petals: 16
Color: Blue/Turquoise
Body location: Between the collar bone and larynx in the neck
Endocrine glands: Thyroid and Parathyroid
Spiritual action: Communication/Expression
Yoga Poses: Bow, Lion, Sitting forward fold
This chakra is all about our ability to express ourselves and to have honest open communication, not just with others but also with ourselves. When this chakra is balanced we tend have a much easier time speaking our truth, asking for what we want, and being vulnerable with others. This chakra is really important to balance because our communication with others and ourselves is so incredibly important for our psychological well-being; it can make the difference between depression, anxiety and stress, versus relaxation, contentment and ease.
6: Third Eye Chakra: Ajna
Sanskrit translation: Command
Element: Light
Number of petals: 2
Color: Indigo
Body location: Between eyebrows
Endocrine glands: Pineal and Pituitary
Spiritual action: Spirituality/Intuition
Yoga Poses: Padmasana, Down Dog, Plough
The third eye chakra is all about clear thought, spiritual contemplation, and self-reflection. It is the highest chakra in the physical body, allowing it to provide intuitive perspective. The third eye chakra assists in determining your reality and beliefs based on what you choose to see in the world. It primarily has to do with psychic power; as a result, the concept of the “sixth sense” came from this sixth chakra. As the most perceptive part of the human body and spirit, it governs self-awareness, higher wisdom, visualization, clarity, discernment, imagination, and creative dreaming. When balanced and in alignment, we feel connected to a higher consciousness, we feel more at ease with any situation that arises, and we start to see the interconnectedness of all beings and living things.
7: Crown Chakra: Sahasrara
Sanskrit translation: Thousand petalled
Element: Cosmic energy
Number of petals: 1000
Color: Violet or Multicolored
Body location: Top of Head
Endocrine glands: Pineal and Pituitary
Spiritual action: Transcendental consciousness
Yoga Poses: Headstand, Shoulder stand, Crane/Crow
This is the most spiritual of all the seven chakras. It is our center of spirituality, enlightenment, wisdom, universal consciousness, and connection to higher guidance and the nonphysical world. This chakra is in charge of our interaction and connection to the universe at large, our sense of devotion, and union with the divine. It is what creates a deeper understanding that goes beyond the tangible, scientific, calculated physical world. Some even think of this chakra as an umbilical cord to the universe and openness and receptivity to this cord allows for the experiences of unity and universal connectedness.
What I have talked about in this blog post is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how much you can learn about the chakra system. This is a subject for which the well of knowledge runs exceptionally deep. I encourage you all to dive deeper into this subject matter in order to broaden your knowledge and enhance your experience of your yoga practice.
