Chakra (चक्र) Series: An Introduction
You’ve probably been in a yoga class and heard something like “Bring your focus to your solar plexus chakra,” or “This is a great pose to open up your throat chakra.” But what is a chakra? How are chakras related to yoga? What is the “goal” in working with chakras? This blog series aims to answer these questions and to further clarify how chakras show up in our yoga practice, our subtle bodies, and our daily lives, and how we can use the concept of chakras to further our yogic path.
To be frank, I’m a bit of a skeptic. In the past, even when I was considering myself a yoga practitioner, I would often roll my eyes or nod politely with an inner eye roll at the mention of the word “chakra.” Now I’ve come to see the language around chakras as a helpful way to describe real physical, emotional, and spiritual experiences. I feel open to their validity and fully affirm those who view chakras in a literal way. For me, the chakras tend to be more figurative. That, however, doesn’t make them any less real. I believe that language, while a necessary tool, has its limitations. It will always fail to fully encompass a true phenomenon. This is exciting news! It means that there are many different ways to describe a human experience or state. We tend to have our own language around such experiences in the West that fall short of a full description. The language of the chakras is a gift from the East, a beautiful supplement to our conversations around health and wellness. And if the language of the chakras doesn’t immediately, or ever resonate with you, that’s ok. You may even find that some parts resonate with you and some don’t. I would still encourage you to continue to learn about this system if you are intent on practicing yoga. This language is part of the tradition of yoga and its implications to your personal practice are incredibly rich. So let’s begin!
A Little Background
Chakra is the Sanskrit word for “wheel” or “disk.” For our purposes, chakras refer to the seven basic energy centres of the body. The modern concept of the chakras comes from the Tantric school of yoga.
To understand chakras, we also have to understand prana. Perhaps you have heard the word prana used in a yoga class. Prana refers to the subtle energy of the body. It is commonly used to refer to breath and also the life force, life energy, or our universal energy. Though prana is used to refer to both breath and life force, they are not the same. The life force exists underneath the breath, always moving with it. In sanskrit, pra means moving and na means always.
According to yoga philosophy, prana, the life force, flows through energetic channels called nadis. The word nadi means river or current. There are said to be 72,000 nadis in the subtle body. If you are more familiar with the language of Traditional Chinese Medicine, you can think of the nadis as meridians and prana as qi. There are three nadis that relate to the chakras: Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. While hundreds of blog posts could be written on JUST these three nadis (the world of yoga philosophy is truly endless!), for our purposes, I will just say that the Ida Nadi is the left, lunar channel, the Pingala Nadi is the right, solar channel, and the Sushumna Nadi is the central channel which follows the spinal cord. The ida and pingala nadi weave back and forth among the sushumna nadi in a helix pattern and each place these channels all intersect, there is a chakra. Chakras are considered to be whirling wheels of prana formed as a result of the immense energy that is produced by the coming together of the three nadis. Though the number of chakras is disputed, most schools of thought focus on seven, starting with the Muladhara chakra, or the root chakra at the base of the spine, and ending with the Sahasrara chakra, or the crown chakra on the top of the head. Each chakra is represented as a lotus flower, each with a different number of petals, and a different colour.
It is said that when any of the seven chakras are out of balance, prana can not move freely through the body. This results in energetic blockages that keep us from higher states or seeing clearly. “Balancing” the chakras involves cultivating various practices including breath work, movement, contemplative practices, restorative exercises, visualization, sound, and language.
In the Kundalini yogic tradition, it is believed that Shakti (goddess) in the form of a snake named Kundalini, lies dormant at the bottom of the sushumna nadi. Once the sushumna nadi is activated (through work in balancing the chakras), Kundalini is aroused and lights up each chakra. When chakra blockages are cleared, Kundalini can travel up to the top chakra where Shiva (her male counterpart) waits. When the top chakra blossoms, Shiva and Shakti are united. This relates to the goal and definition of yoga: balance. Shiva and Shakti represent two opposites uniting. It is said when this happens, enlightenment is reached.
Some traditions have linked Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs with the chakras. Below is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs alongside the chakras.
Some schools of thought believe that one must master each chakra in order to mature into a higher state, gaining power and self-knowledge on the way. To clear the chakras is to heal the psycho-spiritual self, to master the self.
For myself, I find it most helpful to use the language of chakras when I have a feeling of lack or anxiety. I try to tune into my physical body and see where this feeling is coming from. For me, it’s often in the area of my heart chakra or my solar plexus chakra. It’s helpful to have the attributes of these chakras in mind when I’m considering what kind of care I need to show myself in that moment. Sometimes they seem to match up and sometimes they don’t and that’s ok. I can still use the visualization of the lotus, the colour, and the sound meant to be chanted as a mantra associated with each chakra. You probably don’t need me to tell you how powerful intention is. When we have tools to anchor our intention to a purpose, incredible healing can happen.
Sometimes I go through a mental list of the needs of each chakra, placing my mind on each part of my spine. This is a beautiful way to check in with the body, the heart, and the mind. What is weighing on you, what you feel you are lacking, can make itself known if you give it the opportunity, if you give it a language, a space to present itself. You know that blissful state you sometimes find yourself in after meditation or a good asana practice on your mat? That state is when I feel my chakras are most in balance.
I hope you have found and will continue to find this a useful discussion on the chakras and how they relate to our personal practices. The next post will cover the first chakra, Muladhara. Let’s keep learning, keep talking, and continue to support each other on this richly beautiful and worthy path. I feel grateful to walk it with all of you.
I leave you with a bit of wisdom on the chakras from my teacher:
“The main reason behind the symbology of the lotus flower, is that it is born, lives, and flourishes in the muddy water yet remains ever unsullied by the mud that it lives in. It has its petals open to the sky, yet it is rooted in the mud. Like a human being who is rooted in physical existence, and being so rooted, can aspire to reach the highest awareness, the vision of oneness.” - Hali Schwartz, One Without a Second
