The word comes from the Sanskrit cakra meaning "wheel"
or "circle" (also cognate to both words), and sometimes also referring
to the "wheel of life". The pronunciation of this word can be approximated
in English by chuhkruh, with ch as in chart and both instances of
a as in yoga (the commonly found pronunciation shockrah is incorrect).
Some traditional sources describe five or seven chakras, others
The chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column
from the base of the spine to the top of the head. In new age practices,
each chakra is associated with a certain color. In various traditions
chakras are associated with multiple physiological functions, an
aspect of consciousness, a classical element, and other distinguishing
characteristics. They are visualized as lotuses with a different
number of petals in every chakra.
The chakras are thought to vitalise the physical body and to
be associated with interactions of a physical, emotional and mental
nature. They are considered loci of life energy, or prana, (also
called shakti, or chi), which is thought to flow among them along
pathways called nadis. The function of the chakras is to spin and
draw in this Universal Life Force Energy to keep the spiritual,
mental, emotional and physical health of the body in balance.
Traditional Chinese medicine also relies on a similar model of
the human body as an energy system.
The New Age movement has led to an increased interest in the
West regarding chakras. Many in this movement point to a correspondence
between the position and role of the chakras and those of the glands
in the endocrine system. Some people in New Age also claim that
other chakras, besides the above, exist — for instance, ear chakras
— and have described many more chakras than made reference to in
traditional texts. Frequently references are made to the chakras
in the New Age "sacred sexuality" or neotantra movement.
The chakras are described in the tantric texts the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana,
and the Padaka-Pancaka, in which they are described as emanations
of consciousness from Brahman, an energy emanating from the spiritual
which gradually turns concrete, creating these distinct levels of
chakras, and which eventually finds its rest in the Muladhara chakra.
They are therefore part of an emanations theory, like that of the
kabbalah in the west, lataif-e-sitta in Sufism or neo-platonism.
The energy that was unleashed in creation, called the Kundalini,
lies coiled and sleeping at the base of the spine. It is the purpose
of the tantric or kundalini forms of yoga to arouse this energy,
and cause it to rise back up through the increasingly subtler chakras,
until union with God is achieved in the Sahasrara chakra at the
crown of the head.
Apart from this primary text from India, different Western authors
have tried to describe the chakras, most notably the Theosophists.
Many New Age writers, such as the Danish author and musician Peter
Kjaerulff in his book, The Ringbearer's Diary, or Anodea Judith
in her book Wheels of Life, have written their opinions about the
chakras in great detail, including the reasons for their appearance
The seven chakras are said by some to reflect how the unified
consciousness of humanity (the immortal human being or the soul),
is divided to manage different aspects of earthly life (body/instinct/vital
energy/deeper emotions/communication/having an overview of life/contact
to God). The chakras are placed at differing levels of spiritual
subtlety, with Sahasrara at the top being concerned with pure consciousness,
and Muladhara at the bottom being concerned with matter, which is
seen simply as crude consciousness.
Origins and development
The earliest known mention of chakras is found in the later Upanishads,
including specifically the Brahma Upanishad and the Yogatattva Upanishad.
These vedic models were adapted in Tibetan Buddhism as Vajrayana
theory, and in the Tantric Shakta theory of chakras.
It is the shakta theory of 7 main chakras that most people in
the West adhere to, either knowingly or unknowingly, largely thanks
to a translation of two Indian texts, the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and
the Padaka-Pancaka, by Sir John Woodroffe, alias Arthur Avalon,
in a book entitled The Serpent Power.
This book is extremely detailed and complex, and later
the ideas were developed into what is predominant western view of
the Chakras by the Theosophists, and largely the controversial (in
theosophical circles) C. W. Leadbeater in his book The Chakras,
which are in large part his own meditations and insights on the
That said, many present-day Indian gurus that incorporate chakras
within their systems of philosophy do not seem to radically disagree
with the western view of chakras, at least on the key points, and
both these eastern and western views have developed from the Shakta
There are various other models of chakras in other traditions,
notably in Chinese medicine, and also in Tibetan Buddhism. Even
in Jewish kabbalah, the different Sephiroth are sometimes associated
with parts of the body. In Islamic Sufism, Lataif-e-Sitta ( Six
Subtleties ) are considered as psychospiritual "organs" or faculties
of sensory and suprasensory perception, activation of which makes
a man complete. Attempts are made to try and reconcile the systems
with each other, and notably there are some successes, even between
such diverged traditions as Shakta Tantra, Sufism and Kabbalism,
where chakras, lataif and Sephiroth can seemingly represent the
same archetypal spiritual concepts. In Surat Shabda Yoga, initiation
by an Outer Living Satguru (Sat - true, Guru - teacher) is required
and involves reconnecting soul to the Shabda and stationing the
Inner Shabda Master (the Radiant Form of the Master) at the third
The Seven basic chakras
Sahasrara or the crown chakra is said to be the chakra of consciousness,
the master chakra that controls all the others. Its role would be
very similar to that of the pituitary gland, which secretes hormones
to control the rest of the endocrine system, and also connects to
the central nervous system via the hypothalamus. The thalamus is
thought to have a key role in the physical basis of consciousness.
Symbolized by a lotus with a thousand petals.
Ajna or the third eye is linked to the pineal gland. Ajna is
the chakra of time and awareness and of light. The pineal gland
is a light sensitive gland, that produces the hormone melatonin,
which regulates the instincts of going to sleep and awakening. It
has been conjectured that it also produces trace amounts of the
psychedelic chemical dimethyltryptamine. Symbolized by a lotus with
(Note: some argue that the pineal and pituitary glands should
be exchanged in their relationship to the Crown and Brow chakras,
based on the description in Arthur Avalon's book on kundalini called
Serpent Power or empirical research.)
Vishuddha or the throat chakra is said to be related to communication
and growth, growth being a form of expression. This chakra is paralleled
to the thyroid, a gland that is also in the throat, and which produces
thyroid hormone, responsible for growth and maturation. Symbolized
by a lotus with sixteen petals.
Anahata or the heart/emotions chakra is related to love, equilibrium,
and well-being. It is related to the thymus, located in the chest.
This organ is part of the immune system, as well as being part of
the endocrine system. It produces T cells responsible for fighting
off disease, and is adversely affected by stress. Symbolized by
a lotus with twelve petals.
Manipura or the solar plexus chakra is related to energy, assimilation
and digestion, and is said to correspond to the roles played by
the pancreas and the outer adrenal glands, the adrenal cortex. These
play a valuable role in digestion, the conversion of food matter
into energy for the body. Symbolised by a lotus with ten petals.
Swadhisthana or the sacral chakra is located in the groin, and
is related to emotion, sexuality and creativity. This chakra is
said to correspond to the testicles or the ovaries, that produce
the various sex hormones involved in the reproductive cycle, which
can cause dramatic mood swings. Symbolised by a lotus with six petals.
Muladhara or the base or root chakra is related to security,
survival and also to basic human potentiality. This center is located
in the region between the genitals and the anus. Although no endocrine
organ is placed here, it is said to relate to the inner adrenal
glands, the adrenal medulla, responsible for the fight and flight
response when survival is under threat. In this region is located
a muscle that controls ejaculation in the sexual act. A parallel
is drawn between the sperm cell and the ovum, where the genetic
code lies coiled, and the kundalini. Symbolized by a lotus with
The Tantric Chakras
- Tantric chakras
Tantra (Shakta or Shaktism) describes eight primary inner chakras:
Suggested Further Reading