An Introduction to Chakra

For thousands of years, evidence shows that we humans have a spiritual self. That there is a presence inside us that is more than our physical self. We have always believed we have a mind, a body, and a spirit. Today, many more cultures and countries have given people the ability to explore their beliefs beyond the limitations of what we are forced to practice. This has exploded with so many sub-religions. Most no longer need to be limited by religion itself, we can determine and shape our own beliefs.

I think most feel that we have a spiritual self. Science itself has research showing that stress can affect our physical self. While professionals can talk about neurons and science, that stress response first comes from our spiritual selves. There is much more inside us than blood, organs, and bones.

Chakra is just one practice that focuses on that spiritual self. An energy inside us all that connects the physical, emotional and spiritual parts of us.

What are the Chakras?

The simple answer is they are centers in the body through which energy flows.

The most well-known chakras involve 7 chakra points. There are other minor chakras, but we won't touch on those. For now, let's not get overwhelmed and start with these 7.

The Crown, Third Eye, and Throat are spiritual chakras. The Heart is a physical and spiritual chakra. The Root, Sacral, and Solar Plexus are physical chakras.

Root

Sacral

Solar Plexus

Heart

Throat

Third Eye

Crown

These energy centers can become blocked and that is where we experience illness and mental health concerns. The word chakra originates from the Sanskrit language and means wheel. This "wheel" references the energy flowing through your body through your neurological and other systems. When the chakra is closed off energy can not flow into that chakra. For example, a closed heart chakra is said to result in cold-heartedness.

Going back to our spiritual self, The chakras focus on that exactly. We have a spiritual form, which is called our spiritual body. This is made of its own system much like the organs in our physical body. The chakras are similar to the bloodstream in our physical body. We have to have a healthy spiritual body to have a healthy physical body.

Balancing and opening these chakras promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Practices such as meditation, yoga, chanting, and energy healing are often used to work with the chakras and restore balance where needed. While traditionally rooted in Eastern spiritual practices, the concept of chakras has gained popularity in Western alternative medicine and spiritual communities as well.

Now let's talk about the origin of Chakra

Sanskrit

The concept of chakras originated in ancient India, specifically within the spiritual traditions of Hinduism, and was later adopted into Buddhism. The earliest known mention of chakras can be found in ancient Indian texts called the Vedas, which date back over 3,000 years.

These texts, particularly in the Upanishads and later in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, refer to centers of subtle energy within the human body. These energy centers were described as swirling wheels or vortices of prana (life force energy), located along the central axis of the body (often associated with the spine).

The modern understanding and classification of the seven main chakras (as mentioned earlier: Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, and Crown) developed later in various tantric texts and yoga traditions, particularly in the context of Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini Yoga emphasizes the awakening of spiritual energy (Kundalini) through the activation and alignment of these chakras.

Over time, the concept of chakras has been integrated into various spiritual practices, healing modalities, and philosophical systems beyond the Indian subcontinent, including Western esoteric traditions, New Age spirituality, and holistic health practices.

In essence, while the specific details and practices related to chakras have evolved over millennia and across different cultural contexts, their foundational origins lie in ancient Indian spiritual and philosophical traditions.

In our next post, we will dive into the Root chakra.