What are Chakras?

The human body's vital life forces are concentrated into centres called Chakras.

Each Chakra being designed to supervise and maintain the perfect operation of the bodily systems under its control.

Very importantly, each Chakra is connected to a part of the hand as indicated in the subtle system diagram. Once the state of Yoga is achieved, the hands become sensitive to the state of the Chakras, and with practice this is easily interpreted.

Chakra (with associated sanskrit bija mantras)	Details	Sounds (bija mantras - translated)	Physical Plexus	Qualities of Chakra
	Muladhar	va, sha, ssa, sa	pelvic plexus	Innocence and wisdom
	Swadisthan	ba, bha, ma, wa, ra, la	aortic plexus	creativity
	Manipur or Nabhi	da, rda, rna ta, ta, dha rdha, na, pa, pha	coeliac plexus	generosity, peace, fulfillment
	Anahath	ka, kha, ga, gha, wa, cha,chcha, ja, jha, ngya, ta, tha	cardiac plexus	love, joy, detachment
	Vishuddhi	a, aa ,i , ee , u ,uu , rru, Lru, Lru, Lrruu, e , aie, o ,auu , um ,aha.	cervical plexus	communication, diplomacy, detachment
	Agnya	ha, ksha	optic chiasma	forgiveness, meditation
Sahasrara	Sahastrara	No sound	limbic area, fontenale bone area	integration, bliss, peace

Chakra means wheel in the Sanskrit language because these life forces rotate clockwise at certain frequencies.
The activity resembles a galaxy of planets, each spinning on its axis at points along the spinal cord.
An understanding of what can disturb each Chakra is important for our well being. Each thought and action influence the sensitiveness and performance of these centres.

Immediately after Self-Realisation these Chakras are activated and initially begin the slow process of clearing the negative energy accumulated by years of neglect or self-destructive activities like drugs, drinking, violence, anger, hatred, fanaticism.

The benefits are almost immediate; small anxieties decrease and some joy and objectivity begins to manifest, and the blocked Chakras begin to rotate properly again.

The human being has seven major Chakras and these correspond to the autonomic nerve plexuses, these chakras give to us the qualities of personality such as diplomacy, compassion, wisdom and creativity.

Furthermore, the petals of each Chakra correspond to the subplexuses of the autonomic system.

For example the classically described six petals of the Swadhisthan Chakra correspond to the spermatic, left colic, sigmoid, superior haemorrhoidal, inferior mesenteric and hypogastric subplexuses of the aortic plexus.

The Chakra directs the particular type of energy controlling the autonomic nerve plexus and also adjacent endocrine and other organs.

By a series of subtle connections called ‘nadis’ in Yogic terminology each Chakra is connected to and brings its influence to bear on the whole body. For example the Nabhi Chakra controls the entire lymphatic system.

In classical texts there are said to be three hundred and fifty million of these nadis.

The Chakras also influence and reflect our mental and emotional life. For example, the Swadhisthan Chakra controls a person’s creativity and those who work hard — artists and other creative people — it may become weak.

The right Anahath Chakra (there are three parts of the Anahath Chakra: right, center and left) reflects the relationship of fatherhood, either with the person’s own father or his own children. Sufferers from anorexia nervosa, for example, invariably have a problem with this centre.

There are more complex scenarios for serious problems where two or more Chakras are inter-related and affected, but we need not worry because eventually the Kundalini is able to set the entire subtle system working at optimum levels.

Thus the state of the Chakras at a subtle level reflects and influences a person’s physical, mental and emotional welfare.

This is a dynamic relationship and so action at a subtle level on the Chakra can improve and (very importantly) integrate all these aspects.

This is why, in a nutshell, people who achieve and consolidate their Yoga invariably find that their physical, emotional and other problems improve.