Chakra comes from the Sanskrit word, meaning wheel. The chakras according to Rupert Sheldrake, whose work is referenced in the book Quantum Doctor (2011) by Amit Goswami Ph.D. “… are those places in the physical body where consciousness simultaneously collapses the vital [body] and the physical [body] in the process of which representation of the former is made in the latter.” Chakras are energy centers that represent our vital body or as Dr. Paul Drouin, M.D explains in his book Creative Integrative Medicine” (2014) “…Chakras, like meridians, are nonlocal and are another dimensional layer of information associated with these locations.”
To most, chakras can’t be seen with the human eye but rather felt. One of my first experiences with this was during a class I was attending at a local healing center. The class participants were asked to rub their hands together and visualize a ball of energy in the center of our hands in between our palms as we slowly pulled our hands away from each other and back towards each other again and played with the energy created.
“Feelings are the experience of the chakras vital energy, the movement of your morphogenetic fields” ~ Dr Amit Goswami
The Chakra System
The chakra system originated in India, somewhere between 1500 BC and 500 BC. Although Taoist and Chinese medicine traditions have brought us the knowledge of meridians, it was the Ayurvedic tradition that brought us the knowledge of nadis, channels of flow of vital energy (prana).
There are seven main chakras that run along the spine up through to the crown of your head. Each of these seven chakras is associated with one or more of the specific organs in the human body as well as the physical, emotional, psychological, emotional, and spiritual states of being that affect all aspects of your life. Chakras are numbered from the base up although they have been given different names from different schools of medicine which can cause some confusion to some. Some names are associated with their location and others with their function. Below, I will use the names I learned associated with each chakra through my Usui Reiki I training and have included the Sanskrit name beside it in parenthesis.
The Seven Chakras
Chakra 1~ the Root (Muladhara) Chakra
The Root Chakra is located at the base of the spine, between the coccyx and pelvic bone. It is associated with the color red, and our survival mechanisms, standing up for yourself, financial independence and security.
Chakra 2 ~ the Sacral (Svadhishthana) Chakra
The sacral chakra is located in the lower abdomen just below the navel. it is associated with the color orange, and our feelings, creativity, ability to be social, pleasure, sexuality, and well-being.
Chakra 3 ~ Solar Plexus (Manipura) Chakra
The solar plexus chakra is located in the upper abdomen just above your navel. It is associated with the color yellow and our personal power, self-confidence, self-control, humor, and intellect.
Chakra 4 ~ Heart (Anahata) Chakra
The heart chakra is located in the center of the chest, above the heart. “This is sometimes referred to as a transitional chakra since the lower three are concerned with the physical and emotional and now we begin to move toward the spiritual. The heart bridges the two realms and is the center for human love.” (Davies, M.D., 50). It is associated with the color green and our ability to love, joy, and inner peace.
Chakra 5 ~ Throat (Vishudda) Chakra
The throat chakra is located as the name suggests at the throat. It is associated with the color blue, communication, relationships, trust, and loyalty.
Chakra 6 ~ Third (Anja) Eye
The third eye is also known as the brow chakra is located in the middle of the forehead, between the eyes. It is associated with the color indigo, and our intuition, imagination, ability to make decisions, and our psychic abilities.
Chakra 7 ~ Crown (Sahasrara) Chakra
The crown chakra is located at the top of the head. It is associated with the color violet and our ability to connect spiritually, knowingness, spirituality, and our connection to our God Source and Consciousness.
Chakra Medicine
“Chakra Medicine is based on the idea that diseases of our major organs can be due to the imbalance or blocks of vital energy movements at the corresponding chakra.” (Goswami, 152). Block is a term commonly used when a chakra is out of balance and not functioning well. The chakra may be spinning in the wrong direction, spinning too slowly, hardly spinning at all or spinning too quickly, all which cause an imbalance.
Blocks are created by negative energy that is unable to be released from the body such as negative energy experienced through traumatic life experiences, emotional challenges, and even by picking up the energy of other people or energy that is stuck in some places. Whatever the cause for your energy block, a block in one chakra will affect the overall energy flow throughout the chakra system as they are all interconnected and manifest as ailments in the mental, emotional, physical, and/or spiritual bodies.
There are various ways you can bring your chakras back into proper alignment and balance including reiki, Angel Energy Healing, other forms of vibrational healing, sound frequency, crystals, and meditation.
In this blog post series, I will go into further depth into each of the seven chakras and ways you can restore and bring balance to each one.
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Works Cited
Davies, M.D, Brenda. The 7 Healing Chakras: Unlocking Your Body’s Energy Centers. Ulysses Press, 2000.
Drouin, M.D, Dr. Paul. Creative Integrative Medicine: A Medical Doctor’s Journey towards a New Vision for Health Care. Balboa Press, 2014.
Goswami Ph.D., Amit. “Chakra Medicine”. Quantum Doctor: A Quantum Physicist Explains the Healing Power of Integral Medicine. Hampton Roads, 2011.
