Chakras: The Subtle Energy Centers of the Body

As practices of mindfulness become increasingly popular, so are individual experiences of the energetic or subtle body. The energy body is like a system of flowing water cascading through pools and riverbeds. Just like a river that pours into the ocean, the energetic rivers of the body find their source in major centers commonly known in many spiritual traditions as the chakras. Aligned in a central, ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head, the chakras pull in energy from the surrounding universe. They are the gateway to our spiritual roots and universal mind.

Yet, how do the chakras relate to the physical body, to the emotional body, and to your overall well-being? How can knowing about the chakras deepen your spiritual unfolding and enhance your experience of life? Since each chakra transmutes the life force in different ways, each one has its own role to play in an individual’s life. Some traditions see the chakras as reflections of how the unified, immortal aspect of the human being is divided into the different aspects of life on earth.

For instance, the energetic center at the base of the spine is known as the root chakra. It is primarily associated with feeling supported, grounded, secure, and having the ability to provide for the needs of life. This chakra supports being organized, rooted, and disciplined. At the same time, the root chakra possesses the energy and power of an individual’s highest potential. Like a snake, this energy is ready to uncoil and lead a person to reach his or her greatest achievements. In spiritual traditions, this dormant power is called kundalini energy and awakens as a person develops emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. The root chakra supports both the grounded and practical aspects of life while containing the seed for an individual’s high spiritual potential and achievement.

Moving upward along the body and just beneath the navel is the sacral or second chakra. It is related to the sexual organs, emotions, and creativity. Physically, this energy center corresponds with the lower lumbar, pelvis, appendix, bladder, hips, and the sexual, reproductive hormones. An energetic block to this chakra leads to challenges with money, sex, power, and control. Often an individual working through emotional and energetic issues in the second chakra will battle with co-dependency and feeling like a victim.

The solar plexus or third chakra is the seat of emotions. It is associated with assimilation, digestion, and the conversion of food into energy for the body. The energy in the third chakra can give rise to issues with trust, fear, self-esteem, self-confidence, and honoring oneself. Parts of the body associated with this chakra are the abdomen, the stomach, the spleen, and the thoracic vertebrae. Struggles with the energy of the third chakra can lead to arthritis, ulcers, hepatitis, or diabetes, indigestion, and adrenal dysfunction.

The fourth chakra is the energy center of the heart. This chakra relates to love, equilibrium, and well being. More specifically, its emotional aspects include hope, trust, grief, loneliness, forgiveness, and compassion. Unresolved issues related to the heart chakra can lead to physical conditions such as congestive heart failure, asthma and allergies, lung cancer, bronchial pneumonia, and upper back pain.

Upward from the heart is the throat or fifth chakra. It supports personal expression, communication, and the ability to speak up for oneself. Distortions or blockages to this chakra can lead to physical challenges such as laryngitis, thyroid problems, chronic sore throats, mouth ulcers, scoliosis, and temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ.

Positioned at the brow of the forehead, the third eye or sixth chakra is related to the pineal and pituitary glands. It is related to the ability to see the big picture, to imagine, to be clairvoyant, and to dream. This is the chakra of time, awareness, and light. Over time, blocked energy and unresolved issues related to the sixth chakra can manifest as brain tumors, seizures, neurological disturbances, and learning disabilities.

At the crown of the head is the seventh chakra and is often seen as the chakra of consciousness. Sometimes this energy center, which is related to spiritual connection, wisdom, and experiences of bliss, can be felt as a pressure on the top of the head. This chakra is often associated with the ability to trust life, to have courage, to act selflessly, and to be led by inspiration, spirituality, and devotion. Some spiritual traditions refer to the seventh chakra as the thousand-petaled lotus. When a human being is able to uncoil his or her kundalini energy to the point of the crown chakra a state of union with god is experienced.

Naturally, wisdom that explain the chakras and their relationship to an individual’s life comes from spiritual traditions, primarily those of the East. In fact, the word chakra comes from Sanskrit language, the primary sacred tongue of Buddhism and Hinduism. The Sanskrit word “cakra” means “wheel or circle”, and often, chakras are visually depicted as a circle, a cone, or a wheel of energy. Of course, this meaning also refers to the “wheel of life” and the cycles of growth a human being goes through in the course of life.

The earliest known documentation of chakras is found in the Hindu sacred texts known as the Upanishads, specifically, in the Yoga Kundalini Upanishad. Since then, the chakras are mentioned in various forms throughout other traditions, such as Chinese medicine, Tibetan Buddhism, the Jewish Kabbalah, and Tantra. Some traditions differ in the number of chakras and how they are interpreted. For instance, in Sufism, chakras are seen as psycho spiritual “organs” and make up six, not seven, subtleties of the human body.

To learn more about these energetic centers, refer to the list of books and links below. If you’ve never experienced the subtle energy of the chakras, consider the inherent energy of the human body. Of course, this power and energy keeps it alive, vital, and breathing. Imagine the vast energy in all the universe and consider the chakras as your body’s windows to the cosmos.

References for Further Reading:

Books
The Book of Chakras: Discover the Hidden Forces Within You by Ambika Wauters
Wheels of Life: A User’s Guide to the Chakra System by Anodea Judith
Chakras: Energy Centers of Transformation by Harish Johari

Links
Sacred Centers: Pathways for Personal and Global Transformation
www.sacredcenters.com/chakras
Your Information Source for Chakras
www.chakraenergy.com
Which blocked chakras are causing chaos in your life?
www.howtoopenchakras.com
The Chakras for Healing and Transformation
http://www.healer.ch/Chakras-e.html