The Sanskrit word Chakra literally translates to wheel or disk. In yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda, this term refers to wheels of energy throughout the body. There are seven main chakras, which align the spine, starting from the base of the spine through to the crown of the head. To visualize a chakra in the body, imagine a swirling wheel of energy where matter and consciousness meet. This invisible energy, called Prana, is vital life force, which keeps us vibrant, healthy, and alive.
Commonly, each of the body’s basic seven chakras are associated with specific locations on the body, such as the heart and crown of the head. But do you know that chakras and endocrine glands have a lot in common?
When you look at a chakra chart, what you don’t see is the underlying network of glands (and their nearby organs) governed and influenced by the chakra system.
These swirling wheels of energy correspond to massive nerve centres in the body. Each of the seven main chakras contains bundles of nerves and major organs as well as our psychological, emotional, and spiritual states of being. Since everything is moving, it’s essential that our seven main chakras stay open, aligned, and fluid. If there is a blockage, energy cannot flow. Think of something as simple as your bathtub drain. If you allow too much hair to go into the drain, the bathtub will back up with water, stagnate and eventually bacteria and mould will grow. So too is it with our bodies and the chakras. A bathtub is simple; it’s physical so the fix is easy. Keeping a chakra open is a bit more of a challenge, but not so difficult when you have awareness.
The first three chakras, starting at the base of the spine are chakras of matter. They are more physical in nature.
First Chakra: The Muladhara is the chakra of stability, security, and our basic needs. It encompasses the first three vertebrae, the bladder, and the colon. When this chakra is open, we feel safe and fearless.
Second Chakra: The Svadhisthana chakra is our creativity and sexual centre. It is located above the pubic bone, below the navel, and is responsible for our creative expression.
Third Chakra: The Manipura chakra means lustrous gem and it’s the area from the navel to the breastbone. The third chakra is our source of personal power.
The Fourth Chakra: The Connection Between Matter and Spirit and is located at the heart centre. The fourth chakra, anahata is at the middle of the seven and unites the lower chakras of matter and the upper chakras of spirit. The fourth is also spiritual but serves as a bridge between our body, mind, emotions, and spirit. The heart chakra is our source of love and connection.
When we work through our physical chakras, or the first three, we can open the spiritual chakras more fully.
The Chakras of Spirit
Fifth Chakra: The Vishuddha chakra is the fifth chakra, located in the area of the throat. This is our source of verbal expression and the ability to speak our highest truth. The fifth chakra includes the neck, thyroid, and parathyroid glands, jaw, mouth, and tongue.
Sixth Chakra: The Ajna chakra is located in between the eyebrows. It is also referred to as the “third eye” chakra. Ajna is our center of intuition. We all have a sense of intuition but we may not listen to it or heed its warnings. Focus on opening the sixth chakra will help you hone this ability.
Seventh Chakra: The Sahaswara chakra or the “thousand petal lotus” chakra is located at the crown of the head. This is the chakra of enlightenment and spiritual connection to our higher selves, others, and ultimately, to the Divine. It is located at the crown of the head.
Organization of the 12 Chakra System
Working on the assertion you are already familiar with what a chakra is and the basic seven energy centres, let’s focus on the remaining five introduced in the 12 chakra system. Similar to the format of standard spiritual chakra charts, each one of the five additional chakra possesses their own location, colour, and function.
The traditional chakra colours follow the spectrum of the rainbow, while the extended system may add colours associated with metals or other elements. Among them are gold, platinum, and a combination of colours that are sometimes referred to as “opalescence” or “iridescence” for the highest frequencies.
The 8th and 9th chakras are generally represented above the head, and the 10th chakra slightly under the ground. However, we can find descriptions of the twelve chakra system locating the 8th chakra underground and the remaining higher energy centres above the crown.
What are Chakras?