Perhaps you have seen pictures of the bright, rainbow colored circles wandering up the spine of a yogi in meditation pose and became fascinated by their beauty. You may have heard the term “chakra” in a yoga class, but did not know what it truly meant. To satisfy your desire for more information on these energy centers, allow me to provide a succinct guided tour of the seven basic chakras of your subtle energy body.

According to ancient Indian philosophy, energy flows through our chakras to promote emotional and physical harmony. Representing different psychological experiences, each chakra has its own unique quality and a specific location along the spine. We’ll start at the first chakra and work our way up to the seventh and topmost chakra. There are more chakras throughout our bodies, yet these first seven provide a basic introduction.

Root Chakra

First, envision a spiraling wheel of brilliant red light. It is vibrant with life force energy as it glows like a small sun. This spinning energy center, called the Root Chakra is part of your ethereal body and is located near the base of your spine. The Root Chakra is associated with safety, security and being grounded.

Sacral Chakra

Let’s ascend further along your spine till we reach a point slightly beneath the navel. Like the rotating petals of a bright orange flower, this is the Sacral Chakra. The properties of this energy center are creativity, fertility and sensuality.

Solar Plexus Chakra

Rising higher still we come to a beautiful yellow energy center called the Solar Plexus Chakra. It is located relatively between the breastbone and the navel in the center of your torso. With rays of light shining from it, this Chakra influences self esteem, confidence and personal power.

Heart Chakra

Glowing brilliant green in the center of your chest is the Heart Chakra. Unconditional love, empathy and compassion are its qualities. This middle chakra represents the transition from the lower three to the higher three chakras in the energy system.

Throat Chakra

When we continue to elevate up the spine we arrive at your Throat Chakra. Shining a clear sky blue color, the Throat Chakra helps facilitate communication and honesty and is found at the larynx.

Third Eye Chakra

A deeper indigo blue whirls intensely between your brows at your forehead. This is the Third Eye Chakra and it represents wisdom, psychic intuition, imagination and insight.

Crown Chakra

Finally, as we ascend to the pinnacle of our energetic system we arrive at the Crown Chakra. Cosmic awareness, connection to God and spirituality are all associated with this Violet beam of revolving light which is found at the top of your head.

Chakras function by allowing vibrant life energy to travel up and down through the subtle energy body. Excellent emotional and physical health is promoted when this energy flows smoothly without obstruction. However, if the energy flow is too weak or too strong, then the life area controlled by the affected chakra will express the imbalance by way of disease or psychological distress. Chakra healing meditations and yoga postures are thus utilized to clear chakra blockages and help the energy flow with ease. Understanding what our chakras are and how they function promotes enhanced self awareness and the unification of our mind, body and spirit.

To build on your new knowledge, I have included links below to titles that I personally recommend as excellent resources for further Chakra study. May this basic overview spark your interest in learning more about the chakra energy system. Have fun!