The average human has no clue on what the chakra system is or how is it entwined in the histories of different cultures and histories. These days at max one would get to hear the term chakra at a yoga lesson or a massage spa. Increased chatter has been heard amongst people interested in the metaphysical world. On the internet there has been sporadic debate amongst professionals but none of it actually materialized. Perhaps the reason could be lack of availability of knowledge on the topic, one cannot say. Although there has been much talk on this topic from time to time however the chakras have not yet achieved their deserved popularity because of the little or no medical proofs or historical connections advertised. People find it hard to believe in a concept that talks only in terms of ethereal entities which is why there is an imminent need for the biological proofs of the chakra existence to see the light of day. If not on a scientific background then people can be convinced by the frequency of time the chakras have come up in history in strictly unrelated religions, all talking of the same concept, just in different languages spaced by thousands of years.
The obvious question is what exactly are the chakras and what are the spatial and physical aspects involved. Throughout history they have popped up with different names and descriptions but basically they all talk of the same thing. Essentially the chakras are whirlpools of concentrated energy within the human body, located at 7 different places from head to base of spine. They are not physical organs but more of an ethereal entity present as energy emitters. This energy, with the help of modern technological advancements and the aspirations of some individuals, is now quantifiable. The chakras have been discovered to give off a bio-electric field which in turn controls or monitors the workings of the organs within the reach of any specific chakra. These points are known to be affected by colors (spiritually the perceptions of the mind) and certain crystals. The crystals or stones in question resonate at a frequency which affects the chakra points in a positive manner; opening them or manifesting them. On an emotional level the chakras play an important role in metaphysical self awareness or simply put personality development. This has been proven by years of testing and trials on individuals from different parts of the world. The first chakra known as the root chakra is located at the base of the spine and is physically related to the kidneys, rectum, large intestines, bones and legs. It affects a person’s take on survival, self surety and confidence. The second chakra referred to as the emotions chakra is located 2 inches below the navel, physically relates to the reproductive organs and the urinary system. Emotionally it controls the creativity and sexuality of a human being; it is the home of embracing newer ideas and taking on newer perceptions. The third chakra is located at the solar plexus, is also known as the desire chakra and physically controls the workings of the liver, gall bladder, stomach, spleen, and the small intestine. In the metaphysical world, as the name implies, it controls ones desires and intentions. The fourth chakra popularly known as the heart chakra is at the heart itself and physically controls the subclavian regions (arms) and the heart. It is a center for the feelings of love, emotional attachment and compassion. The fifth chakra, the throat chakra is placed in the throat; it governs the thyroid gland, throat and lungs. Its emotional relation is in the form of truth and the ability to express ones feelings. The sixth chakra located between the eyes in the very middle of the brain exercises control on the pineal gland (brain) and is known as the third eye chakra. It gives one insight on the workings of life and helps construct perceptions from observations. The seventh or crown chakra is located at the top of the head. It does not have a corresponding organ but is involved with the physical being as a whole. It is the point of enlightenment in relation to the divine power and the higher self. The manifestation of these points involves specific yoga positions, the humming of certain sounds, concentrating on the energy centers, flowing water massages, rubbing of crystals on their corresponding chakra and meditation.
This field has aroused curiosity in people in recent times but the chakras originate from the very start of time in ancient scripts, religions and folklore. Essentially the chakras have to them a Hindu origin. Ancient Hindu writings, the Vedas, show the intricate knowledge of the chakras in great detail. The word chakra itself means wheel, and is of Aryan origin. Towards the end of the 3rd century B.C India was invaded by the Europeans and hence there is a trace of German in these Vedas writings. But that is not the start of this ancient knowledge, the beginning of man was in central Africa. Here the mount Meru holds significance when people climbed it, it was to symbolize going up the chakra ladder to achieve full awareness (1st chakra to 7th). It is for this reason that in ancient Egyptian carvings the chakras found their place. Indians and Egyptians have to them a common ancestor, Ethiopians. It is from these Ethiopian descended Indians that the Indian Tantra Yoga practices follow. As far as religions are concerned the chakras have again come up, just not with their normal names. In Islam, which by modern day thinkers is reckoned the most logical religion, the chakra awakening comes in the form of various prayer traditions. The specific ‘namaz’ positions in Islam correlate uncannily to the yoga positions of building on the chakras. Apart from that the importance of purity through flowing water is stressed upon time and again which is again a chakra manifesting practice. Buddhist tradition included rather introduced some of the more crucial yoga-chakra related positions. Buddhist monks also indulged in long hours of meditation in the hopes of achieving the ‘higher self’. The Chinese concept of Zen also talks of inner peace and teaches the practitioner to let go of negative thoughts and let the positivity ‘flow along the spine’. In the three religions Christianity, Judaism and Islam, fields of mysticism (Jewish Kabala and Islamic Sufism) talk of the chakras in discrete language. In Christianity the Christmas tree was originally decorated with only 7 lights along its length. The chakras in strictly Christian traditions were referred to as the inner castles or sacraments which when worked upon released energy in the body and soul. The Jewish Cabala asked its followers to indulge in awakening their chakras and gaining higher self awareness. The star of Adam with a central eye represents the 7 energy points in the body according to tradition; these points even have names in Hebrew. The Menorah (a seven branched lamp stand) is undoubtedly the symbol of chakras in Judaism. In Sufism the chakras again have different names but are seven in number and are named ‘the subtle energies’ and talk of the very same enlightenment as the other religions.
In the words of science and biomedical circles the chakras are given many names like field, or the meridian (a network of energies) or simply the energy points. The chakras themselves are described as whirling pools of measurable light energy concentrated at various regions around the body. And through recent scientific research it has been established that these spiritual concepts also have a place in science. Dr Hiroshi Motoyama, a scientist and a Shinto priest, devised specific instruments and conducted peculiar tests just to measure any presence of ‘chakras’. The human body naturally emits electric, magnetic and wave signatures which are uniform all over the body except for the 7 major chakra points. In an average human these points give higher readings in all regards. But for an athlete or a yoga artist they gave significantly different and more prominent readings. Also people who meditated often showed unique and strong readings in some of their chakras. Dr Motoyama concluded ‘that mental concentration on a chakra activates it’. Valerie Hunt, a professor of kinesiology (the study of human movement) also conducted energy field tests of individuals to realize that the frequency from people with pschycic or mind reading abilities had again peculiar readings in the chakra regions. Furthermore upon closer examination of the human anatomy and the chakra regions it has been noted that these regions have something common to them. Tissue cells with a high magnetite content, capable of emanating and receiving bioelectric fields, are concentrated in these regions. These cells when collected from yoga artists or extraordinary people show enrichment and development. Intuitively looking at the evidence, biologists concluded that the field produced by each chakra-region-cell-mass controls and regulates the smooth working of the biomaterial in its immediate vicinity within the body. Meridians, a term coined in Chinese acupuncture, are the chakra energy transportation systems and are measurable in nature. Physically sick or mentally disturbed individuals show disrupted readings in their meridian system. The chakra concept is hence used in massaging to ease the flow or activate a chakra through devised hand movements. Psychologists talk of open mindedness and meditation and often prescribe yoga practice to their patients. Nearly all the methods they employ involve chakra manifestation and evolved control on these subtle energies inside the body.
The chakras have in them the quality of being built upon. With proper protocol and adequate procedure ones innate energies can be manifested. And these energies once developed have much potential stored in them. As explained earlier all chakras encompass different feelings and physical connotations within a human. Hence the ‘opening’ of different chakras grants greater control over entities under that specific energy point. Yoga practitioners frequently talk of harmony and tranquility within their self both physically and emotionally. Occasionally their jargon includes a balancing of the energies in the human body. Their reference is of course to the chakra manifesting practices. Mostly for emotional stress and life problem solving issues, psychiatrists recommend exercises that are perfectly in sync with the yoga practices of opening certain chakras. Phenomenal amounts of stress if left unattended for long periods of time can ‘disturb’ the chakra energies, this in effect leads to physical ailments like chronic lower back pains or lung or throat issues. Exercises and medication given in response to such issues work by increasing blood flow to the energy points. Another advantage of building upon chakras includes an optimistic and easy go lucky approach to life. This is a direct advantage of meditation, an important routine practice for healthy chakras. It involves flushing ones head of negative thoughts and pessimism occasionally accompanied by breathing deeply, which clears the lungs and positively affects the heart. Many everyday ailments can be avoided if the chakra system in a person is balanced. The reason being that all energy systems require stability in them otherwise disturbances disrupts their workings. The scientific proofs for these are obvious to the naked eye. Increased blood flow in the body helps in clearing toxins from the body. Stretching exercises (a usual part of yoga practice) gives better muscle tone and release feel good hormones in the body. Meditation and observing silence is a key feature in maintaining good emotional health. Some people have actually reported increased concentration spans and better social behavior after frequent yoga. Certain exercises also improve the workings of some glands which can prove extremely beneficial compared to the effort, e.g the pineal gland, the sight of the 6th chakra, when stimulated releases anti-aging and natural anti-depressant hormones in the body keeping one physically and emotionally fresh all the time. All in all the advantages of opening ones chakra system cannot be discredited on scientific grounds.
As with everything good, there are of course disadvantages involved in the chakra awakening process. These energies inside the body are softer energies then the normal ones, hence the name subtle energies. Any energy when increased uncontrollably and ignorantly can cause issues because its stability is compromised. The same goes for the chakras. A common misconception among the masses also needs clearing; the practice of chakra opening aids in a healthy and stable life but doesn’t provide that on its own. In their greed for optimum results people often exercise too much or spend too much time thinking about this field. So much that their natural energy reserves are exhausted which leads to mental weakness or simply put a damaged concentration span. Though increased blood flow is beneficial but only to a certain level. If yoga is over practiced, it may lead to heavy headedness and lethargic behavior. Biologically wording it, some blood components leave the capillary system to enter the intercellular spaces to nourish the cells. An over nourishment leads to disfunctioning cells and in the brain this can lead to neural problems. This in itself can lead to a damaged central nervous system and poor limb co-ordination in the long run. The same goes for the immune system, excessive blood flow in the lymph nodes leads to a sluggish immune response. On an emotional level one may become dependent on yoga in an unhealthy manner, e.g. craving for the exercises at odd timings. In some cases one may become gloomy when further exercise fails to yield improved results. When in the mind of a practitioner the chakras move up in the priority list from hobby to obligation, emotional misbalances result. A general decadent behavior is observed with a want only for chakras and fields relating to it. Moving away from the overall disadvantages, inter chakra misbalancing is equally possible. This occurs when a person concentrates on one chakra excessively and ignores intentionally or unintentionally the other chakras. This leads to a misbalanced emotional state and physically impairs the practitioner because of the unusual stresses the body has to bear.
Keeping all of this in mind it must also be noted that in some regards the chakras are specially avoided on not too unreasonable grounds. Modern day theology looks upon this topic with a severely skeptic look, disregarding the ‘pagan ritualistic practices’ with a biased eye. This could be due to the fact that Hindu practices involved worshipping the many deities in the religion. The credibility of this field has further been compromised by the uncouth nature of the ‘leaders’ or ‘masters’ who claim to have all knowledge in the field but in fact are only present for self interest, mostly sexually harassing the subject or merely nurturing insecure personas by using big words. Another emerging problem related to this area is commercialization of the (teaching and healing of the) chakras. This has lead many people to believe it is merely another elaborate plan to drain them of their pockets. Also the medical advancements that have proved and validated the existence of chakras has not received much advertisement hence the public remains ignorant of this new potentially emerging field of science. To top it all, unfortunately the chakra system is also being used by Satanists to promote their initiative. In their minds, the seven points represent seven devils, the crown chakra representing Lucifer. Their conclusion in simple words states that the walk through the seven chakras carries one through the gates of hell and unleashes in him the true power of Lucifer, the commander of all devils. It is absolutely necessary to clear each and every one of these problems if this field is to receive a place in modern science. Till then it will only show up here and there in hard to get jargon.
Powered with this knowledge any rational or logical mind should be convinced of the authenticity of this ancient science. In essence this field does not have a religion attached to it; it is only a practice, a journey to self empowerment. Its reason is simple; no religion talks directly of the chakras. The enlightened individuals of these religions who dared to explore the world of mysticism all came to the same conclusion about the chakras and their specificities. Though these religions are spaced by time and distance from one another, it is no coincidence that these individuals talk of the same things. It screams only the blatant evidence of the existence of the energy points. As Carl Theodore said, great minds think alike, these were certainly enlightened minds. And now science and technology have proved their unparalleled awareness. The chakras are no doubt an interesting field and are severely under-appreciated because of the lack of propagation done in their stead.
