What are the Chakras?
In yogic philosophy, we talk of the nadis as energetic pathways throughout that body that converge into evolutionary energy centres that we call the chakras. These centres in the body give us a map to healing and transformation. The are 7 main chakras, starting from the root of the body all the way up to the crown of the head. Kundalini, the serpent goddess, represents this journey from the slumber in the earth (our root), dancing upwards through our vertical core, intersecting each wheel of the chakra, as she asks us to “reclaim our divine nature again.”₁
Chakras are not physical as such although they do effect the physical, they are programmed “deep into the core of the mind-body interface and have a strong relationship with our physical functioning" ₂ effecting our energy, immune system, mental health, sexual function, reproduction, muscles, digestion, respiration and circulation. Each chakra relates to a certain area of the body and its function on a physical, mental and emotional level, as well as relating to certain stages of our life. They each have a colour, an identity, a shadow and an orientation.
I’ve outlined below a short introduction to the chakra centres of the body, but note that this topic is vast and further research should be done if you are drawn to understand more.
1st Root
The chakra associated with the Earth element, it is located at the base of our spine. The Sanskrit name Muladhara translates to “root support”, this is connected to our need to ground, have stability and security in life. It is also connected to our relationship with family, home and money.
Colour: Red
Identity: Physical
Orientation: Self-Preservation
Shadow: Fear
2nd sacral
Svadhisthana, meaning Sweetness, is the chakra connected to our water element and our connection to our emotions, creativity, sexuality and movement. Found in our sacral spine, in the area around our lower abdomen. In this chakra, our focus is to feel and experience pleasure in life.
Colour: Orange
Identity: Emotional
Orientation: Self-gratification
Shadow: Guilt
3rd solar
Our power centre, the solar plexus chakra, also known as Manipura meaning the lustrous gem. This is located in between the belly button and the base of the breast bone. Associated with the element fire, this is our chakra of transformation and autonomy.
Colour: Yellow
Identity: Ego Identity
Orientation: Self-definition
Shadow: Shame
4th Heart
Located in your heart centre, in the centre of the breast bone, this is the space in your body connected the your breath as well as your heart. It’s no wonder this chakra is related to the element Air. In Sanskrit we call the heart chakra, Anahata meaning “unstruck”, giving us the ability to love and be loved and responsible for our relationships, not only to others but to ourselves.
Colour: Green
Identity: Social
Orientation: Acceptance (of the self and others)
Shadow: Grief
5th throat
The sound element of our chakra system, Vissudha (meaning purification) is our centre for communication and creative expression, as well as our ability to listen to others and find our own voice. To find this chakra in the body, imagine drawing a triangle between each ear and the throat. This chakra gives us our right to be heard and speak our truth.
Colour: Blue
Identity: Creative
Orientation: Self-expression
Shadow: Lies
6th third eye
Ajna, our third eye chakra is located in between our brows on the forehead. This chakra gives us our ability to see, dream, imagine, visualise and memorise. The chakra connected with the element of Light, it allows us to see our own light and manifest the vision of our life.
Colour: Indigo
Identity: Archetypal
Orientation: Self-reflection
Shadow: Illusion
7th crown
Associated with the thought element, our final chakra Sahasrara is located in the Cerebral Cortex, which is a layer of neural tissue that is on the outermost cerebrum of the brain. Its purpose is to support us with understanding, perception, knowing, learning and our connection to spirituality.
Colour: Violet
Identity: Universal
Orientation: Self-knowledge
Shadow: Attachment
HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO BREATHWORK?
As we’ve said, the chakras relate to energetic pathways in the body. From small events to life altering experiences, we all experience trauma in life, which in turn changes the energetics of the body. These experiences may cause blockages or imbalances in the body, which stop the flow of energy, prana, our life force to move freely around the body. We can think of this as literal energy from the oxygen we breathe - when we are blocked in parts of our body, we restrict oxygen to that part of our system. Energy goes where energy flows. No energy, no flow.
HOW CAN WE UNBLOCK THE CHAKRAS?
There are several modalities to open up the chakras; yoga asana, psychotherapy, meditation, grounding, creativity, hypnosis, dreamwork, reiki, acupuncture and breathwork to name a few. When it comes to breathwork, by using the conscious connected breath, we increase the flow of prana back into the areas of the body that are blocked or imbalance, improving flow and allowing the full expression of these energetic centre to come back to reset, returning to our true nature.
References
₁ Andodea Judith, Eastern Body, Western Mind: psychology and the chakra system as a path to the self (2004) 2, 5
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