A chakra, "wheel", is a centre of energy in the subtle body described by the tantric and Hatha yoga traditions. They are not organs that can be found in anatomy; they are a map used in meditation, mantra and pranayama to direct attention through the body. Understood that way, the chakra system is a rich and useful part of yoga.
Where the idea comes from
The chakras come from medieval tantra. Different texts describe different numbers of centres. The seven-chakra system known today was set out in the sixteenth-century Shat-Chakra-Nirupana and reached the West through Arthur Avalon's The Serpent Power (1919). The rainbow colours often given to the chakras are a modern Western addition, not part of the traditional texts.
The seven chakras
| Chakra | Place | Element | Seed mantra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muladhara (root) | Base of the spine, pelvic floor | Earth | Lam |
| Svadhishthana | Lower abdomen, below the navel | Water | Vam |
| Manipura | Navel | Fire | Ram |
| Anahata | Heart | Air | Yam |
| Vishuddha | Throat | Space (ether) | Ham |
| Ajna | Between the eyebrows | Beyond the elements | Om |
| Sahasrara | Crown of the head | Beyond the elements | Silence |
The first five correspond to the five elements of Indian philosophy. Ajna is the centre of command and insight; sahasrara, the "thousand-petalled lotus", lies beyond the elements and represents pure awareness.
Chakras, nadis and kundalini
In the Hatha tradition, prana flows through channels called nadis. The three most important run along the spine: ida on the left, pingala on the right and sushumna in the centre, and the chakras sit along sushumna. The texts describe kundalini, a dormant energy at the base of the spine, rising through the chakras to the crown. The practices that serve this aim, pranayama, mudra and bandha, are described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
How chakras are used in practice
- Meditation: resting attention on one centre, such as the heart or the point between the eyebrows.
- Mantra: silently repeating a seed mantra at its centre.
- Breath: following the breath up and down the spine through the centres.
- Asana: some teachers relate postures to particular centres, as a focus for attention.
A word of caution
Claims that "unblocking" or "balancing" a chakra will cure an illness or fix a personal problem go far beyond the tradition and the evidence. Treat the chakras as a meditative map that can deepen your practice, and be wary of anyone selling chakra treatments as medicine. Our guide to yoga philosophy places these ideas in the wider tradition, and our article on the types of yoga explains where kundalini yoga fits.
Studying the subtle body with us
The nadis, chakras and the Hatha texts are part of the philosophy and pranayama teaching on our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training, and are studied in more depth on the 500 Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training.
