In Sanskrit, ‘chakra’ means ‘wheel of life,’ there are seven chakras, which are aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head, i.e. seven energy centers.
Human Chakra
Seven chakras are the energy center that resides along the spine from the base to the crown of the head, which is maintaining the entire system in harmony. Chakra is a Sanskrit word, meaning wheel with spikes radiating out from the center Point. If there is any disturbance or disharmony in this chakra leads to physical or psychological problems. The main tasks of Chakras are absorbing and distributing Prana (Life Force) to our physical body.
Rainbow and Seven Chakras
Human chakra works with the energies from light. The chakras of the aura mirror the rainbow, mapping color into our personal aura. The seven color rays in the rainbow contain energy that can energies the seven chakras and influence our emotions as well as the physical body. The chakra’s color intensity indicates your present physical, emotional, and spiritual state.
Musical notes and seven Chakras
Whether you are listening the music of India (seven basic music notes are SA, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.) or Western music (seven basic music notes are C, D, E, F, G, A & B). Wherever you go, there are only seven notes. Then ‘Sa or C’ raises kundalini at mooladara chakra, 'Re or D' swadhishtana, 'Ga or E' Manipura, 'Ma or F' anahatha, 'Pa or G' vishudhi, 'Dha or A' ajna, ‘Ni or B’ sahasrara.
Seven Chakras, Kundalini and Astrology
There is a strong link between astrology and the human chakras. The planetary position makes an influence on the chakra’s spinning or energy level, which in-turn manipulate your physical and mental state. Due to this, our mental and physical ability changes accordingly affect the result that we named it as luck or fate.
Chakras in Yoga
According to the yogic teachings, as we breathe, prana (air) is drawn and distributed into the body by the channels called Nadis ("nerve" in English). There are 72,000 Nadis, or channels, in the ethereal subtle anatomy of humans. Among the 14 major Nadis, three are of fundamental import: Sushumna, Ida and Pingala. Ida is in the left of the spine, whereas Pingala is in the right of the spine, mirroring the Ida. Sushumna is along the spinal cord in the center, through the seven chakras mooladhara at the base, and Sahasrara at the crown.
What is Kundalini?
Kundalini is a sleeping dormant potential in the human organism. The serpent, or snake, is one of the oldest widespread symbols used by the human to represent it as the dual expression of good and evil.
There is a strong corollary between the double-coiled snakes around a single shaft and its relationship to the spinal tracts. Indian medicine has been referring it to as the Ida (female), Pingala (male) and Sushumna (balance), which comprises the kundalini, or power centers of the body.
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Human chakra & Kundalini are common to every religion & region
Human chakra is not only specific to Hinduism or Buddhism, instead to every religion from Christianity, Islam, Jainism, etc. It is not only specific to Asian countries, instead common to every part of this globe.
- Hindu Upanishads: Kundalini has been explaining in a spiritual term as the god Shiva resides in Sahasrara Chakra, while the god Shakti lies dormant in the Muladhara chakra. Once Kundalini Shakthi (energy) is awakened that originates at the base of the spine rises through Seven Chakras and reaches Sahasrara Chakra, where Shiva and Shakti live in full harmony.
- Buddhism, Vajrayana and Kundalini: Tummo in Buddhism and kundalini are different terms and ways used for the same thing, awakening the dormant power within the human body.
- Christianity, Bible and Kundalini: The Bible in Revelation 5:1 states, "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals." Seven seals mean seven chakras that need to be activated one by one from Muladhara to Sahasrara or all together with the help of Jesus, to reach Holy Spirit.
- Israel, Christianity, Yahweh and Moses: Once Yahweh sent venomous snakes, and they bite the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against Yahweh and against you. Pray that Yahweh will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ This lifting up of the brass serpent (may be symbolizing the awakening of dormant power – kundalini) on a pole is generally held to be a prefigured of Christ, to cure humanity from the "snakebite" of original sin.
- Islam and the chakras: an incident relates directly to the progressive awakening of the chakras. It tells Mohammed's night journey to heaven in which he passes through the seven heavens into the presence of Allah. Mohammed started to ascend a golden ladder lowered from heaven. Accompanied by Gabriel, he then proceeded to pass through the seven heavenly realms (means chakras). The color of the rainbow is in the Quran symbolizing "Seven Heavens."
- Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Kundalini: As per TCM's chakra theory, the life force (Chi or Qi) is flowing through a complex network of pathways, or meridians, between the two poles of yin/earth energy and yang/heaven energy. The central governor vessel meridian corresponds to the Sushumna nadi in both location and function. It begins at the base of the spine and ascends to the top of the head. The Taoist practice of shoshuten, or “Circulation of Light,” in which “ki (Chi) energy is raised from the tip of the coccyx to the top of the head” is comparable to kundalini.
- American Kundalini link: A sculpture of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl has on the crown of his head a 1000-petal sunburst of spiritual illumination and the serpent of the liberated spinal fire.
- Australian Kundalini link: In about 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, the Australian people are linking by some common spiritual beliefs, among them the Rainbow Serpent, also known as the Rainbow Snake. However, like Kundalini-Shakti, the Rainbow Serpent can also be a destructive force if not properly respected.
- European Kundalini link: Europeans used a diagram of a seven-pointed star to map a pathway for human development. Bavaria, Gichtel laid-out the seven classical planets within the framework of the human body. He then included a spiral line that, alternating up and down, maps-out a pathway to transformation.
- St. Martin's Cross, Scotland: this 8th century Celtic cross features a sun design with serpent bosses. The serpent symbolized regeneration and healing. Christ was the sun, the Light of the World.
- Egyptian Kundalini: In Egypt “Ka” represents the energy body, while “sekhem” is like prana, is the life force that runs through all subtle channels of the body. Heka, the god of magic whose name means, “Activating the Ka,” is depicted as holding two entwined snakes, this is closely resembled to kundalini serpents. In the Hermetic tradition, spiritual awakening is symbolized by the caduceus a staff entwined with two serpents sometimes surmounted with wings suggestive of the sixth chakra (Harris).
What are the seven chakras?
Chakras are a concept common to several disciplines of alternative medicines. Most commonly, there are Seven Chakras, they are:
- First Chakra is otherwise calling as Base, Root or Muladhara chakra.
- Second Chakra is otherwise calling as Sacral, Sex or Swadhisthana chakra.
- Third Chakra is otherwise calling as Solar Plexus, Novel or Manipura chakra.
- Fourth Chakra is otherwise calling as Heart or Anahata chakra.
- Fifth Chakra is otherwise calling as Throat or Vishudha chakra.
- Sixth Chakra is otherwise calling as Brow, Ajna or Third eye chakra.
- Seventh Chakra is otherwise calling as Crown or Sahasrara chakra.
Seven chakras and health
Seven chakras reside along the spine from the base to the crown of the head. Each chakra is connecting with a set of specific glands and/or organs; it governs and provides energy to these glands/organs. The health of the energy center (Chakra) is reflecting in the health of the organs and systems in that particular region. Additionally, chakras are not only responsible for physical, but also to emotional and mental well-being.
Imbalances in chakras lead to imbalances in body, mind, and spirit.” This imbalance lead to health conditions such as diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep disorders, etc.
Alternative medicine and seven chakras
An alternative medicine treatment based on the chakra re-balancing can have more chances to get a positive result from treatment. For example, if you are doing yoga to manage your diabetes; most yoga masters suggest you to do yoga pose involving abdominal compression to tune up pancreas. However, your treatment should involve yoga poses to tune up master glands and thyroid glands, which are responsible for overall body control and metabolism respectively. This harmonizes your entire body and tries healing your condition.