The 7 main Chakras

Harmonized chakras are important in many levels, including health, mood, mental and spiritual balance, to name only a few. But what are chakras?

In Sanskrit, chakra means wheel. There are energetic centre, focal points of the radiant power in the subtle body, and the nerve plexuses in the physical body. In yoga, we see them as centre of spiritual consciousness. Vortices of energy, they are communicating between themselves, sending information, up and down.

Let’s take an example: you have an idea. It starts from an inspiration, which creates a thought, then a idea. It takes place first in your head (crown chakra). As you process it, you start to transform it in your mind (third eye). You may then discuss about it with friends, family, colleagues (throat chakra). Committed to your idea, you literally take it to hreat, and invest energy to transform your idea into a more physical reality (solar plexus chakra). You nourish your dream (sacral chakra) until it eventually tales a concrete form (root chakra).

With the same energetic process, but this time from the root chakra toward the crown chakra (basically from the centre of your pelvic floor up to the top of your head), we require upward-flowing energy to begin the journey toward spiritual enlightenment. When the chakras lift energy upwards, it becomes less dense. From the lowest chakra (solidity of Earth), it becomes freer, lighter and less restricted with each step, until, finally, it transcends the elements earth-water-fire-air-space/ether to awaken and liberate our consciousness…

Our lowest three chakras deal with external reality: how to secure and stable our life is, how we fit into our community, and how we express our individuality. The root chakra brings grounding and security. The sacral chakra does with the flow and tastes all that life has to offer. The solar chakra empowers us with the energy we need to function efficiently.

As a physical yogi, we use the second and third chakras energy a lot, to give us power and confidence to build a pose, especially when we use muladhara bandha (lock of the root chakra to hold the energy and send it upwards) and our core power to maintain and use the integrity and power of our own body.

Our 3 middle chakras deal with internal reality, determine self-perception, how we express ourselves and relate to others. The heart chakra governs the energy of love, compassion, enabling (or blocking) us to express love. The throat chakra communicates, prepares us to take in information and how we express ourselves. The third eye is the seat of wisdom.

Our highest chakra (crown chakra) deals with ultimate reality and infinite potential.