Chakras (Energy Centres)

In the previous post, I explained about nadis. Now, I am going to continue with the explanation of another part of the astral body, chakras.

In physical body, where there is interlacing of nerves, arteries and veins, the junction is called plexus. In astral body where nadis ida, pingala and sushumna are crossing each other along the spine, those junctions are called chakras or energy centres. They are along the axis of the spine. Chakra is a Sanskrit word. It means vortex, spiral or spinning wheel. The chakra system was developed in India while studying mind and consciousness for thousands of years. These are subtle centres of vital energy. The chakras are aspects of consciousness, but they are not materially real in the physical body. There are seven important chakras namely root chakra, sacral chakra, solar plexus chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra, third eye chakra, and crown chakra. Each of them is associated with one of the endocrine glands. They regulate the functioning of the endocrine glands and organs in that area. They are also associated with particular group of nerves called plexus. For example, anahat chakra is associated with cardiac plexus. Each chakra is a solid ball of energy vibrating at a certain frequency. They vibrate in a logical and orderly sequence of seven vibrations of the seven colours of the visible spectrum of light and also the same orderly sequence of musical notes starting from a low pitch to high pitch note or sound. Each chakra represents particular colour in its clear state starting from the red colour of root chakra of lowest frequency or longest wavelength and heaviest vibration at bottom. As we move up the scale, they become lighter and lightest at the top. Crown chakra with violet colour of highest frequency or shortest wavelength and lightest vibration is at the top.

First five chakras, from muladhar to visudhi, represents five physical elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space) and ajna chakra, mind or subconscious or soul and highest sahastrar chakra representing super consciousness, God, or divinity. As we move up the scale, elements become more and more subtle and lighter and more powerful. The heaviest element of earth is at the bottom at root chakra and lightest and most powerful of super consciousness is at the top.

Chakras are usually represented as lotus flowers. From each chakra, number of nadis crop up. The number of petals of each chakra is determined by the number of nadis in that chakra. The chakra gives an appearance of lotus flowers, with nadis as its petals. The lowest root chakra has four petalled red lotus flower. As you go higher and higher increasing number of lotus petals in ascending order indicates rising energy or rising vibrational energy of respective chakras. The highest of crown chakra having 960 outer and 12 inner petalled violet lotus flower.

Each chakra is functioning as transformer of higher energy, so the whole process is progressive transformation with elements of higher energy. As it ascends, this ascent of energy through chakras can be viewed as refinement of physical energy or raw sexual energy to mental energy, into emotional energy and finally into spiritual energy at the top, in the brain. Each chakra has particular polarity of positive or negative, or rotating clockwise or anticlockwise. Each chakra is like solid ball of energy interpenetrating physical body in the same way the magnetic field interpenetrates physical body.

We are body, mind and spirit; none of these can function entirely alone. Each one has an effect on the other. Chakras serve as junction points between body and consciousness, or between matter and mind. These spinning wheels or vortices of energy receive, assimilates, and express our vital life force energy or pran. When flow of energy in one or more of chakras gets blocked or unbalanced, we develop problems in our emotional and mental health. Slowly it manifests as physical symptom or illness. When you feel stress or tension in your consciousness, you feel it in the chakra associated with that part of consciousness and symptoms in that part of physical body.

Some authors state two more chakras namely kundali and bindu. Kundali chakra is situated near solar plexus chakra. Kundali chakra begins to work when solar plexus chakra is cleansed and not otherwise. Bindu chakra is situated at the tip of the head, beneath the whirl of hair. This chakra is colourless.  As there is ‘black hole’ in the universe, anything that goes near it disappears. In the same way, bindu chakra is our bodies’ black hole. Thousands of impulses coming to our body disappear here. Bindu chakra gives us the power of physical and mental recuperation such as control of hunger and thirst. It is the seat of soul. The soul leaves the body from bindu chakra.

Malfunctioning chakras can be opened by yogic asanas or different body poses. Imbalanced or malfunctioning chakras can be balanced or healed by certain yogic practices such as chakra balancing, chakra healing etc.