Chakra translates to “wheel”. The 7 chakras in the body are distinct energy centers that start at the top of your head and end at the bottom of your spine. They regulate all parts of your bodily system, influencing everything from emotional processing to resistance to disease.
Typically, 7 chakras meditation techniques focus on making the chakras open and keeping them in alignment. If they become blocked or out of sync, this can negatively impact your physical and psychological health.
To get a better sense of how this works, picture a physical machine. If cogs get stuck, pipes become detached or parts of the machine leak, it no longer does its job properly. Plus, these basic faults inevitably lead to further failures. Then, the device deteriorates further. The network of chakras works in a broadly similar way.
Once you can tune into the location of your 7 chakras, you become adept at opening chakras and develop intuitions about blockages. Consequently, you can detect and solve problems as they arise and before they have serious consequences. In addition, you can locate old wounds and do the work needed to address them. In sum, through proper knowledge of chakras, healing can occur. We’ll look at specific examples of this below.
As you aim to answer the question “what are the 7 chakras?”, it’s important to look at the historical origins of the 7 chakras. The concept traces back to early Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism in particular documents up to seven chakras. Meanwhile, Buddhism mentions just five. The etymology of the word partly comes from ancient Hindu texts, where it is used to mean “wheel”. It is also said to relate to the Greek word “Kuklos”, and the Anglo-Saxon word “hveohl”. These all designate a wheel of some sort. These common origins all emphasize the interconnected and constantly shifting nature of the chakras.
If you’re asking yourself “are chakras real?”, consider that chakra history clearly illustrates the longevity and effectiveness of chakra-based traditions. These bodily focal points have been the subject of meditations, breathing techniques and mantras, all of which aim to use the chakras to detect, and address, physical and psychological problems.
The 7 Chakras And Where To Locate Them
Simple chakra exercises help you locate each chakra, assess it and potentially realign or rebalance it.
Interestingly, each chakra is also associated with a particular element. The 7 chakras symbols and associated elements can help you pick out representative objects for manifestation work or meditation. Think of this section as a kind of “how to balance chakras for beginners”. It will give you the basics you need to become more aware of, and in control of, this aspect of yourself, helping you how to unblock your 7 chakras when it’s needed.