What are the Chakras?
Before we dive into the topic of the seven chakras, let’s first establish a foundation for them and their importance to us. Our foundation is all around us, vibrating at different frequencies that transfer form but cannot be created nor destroyed. That’s right. We’re talking about energy. Albert Einstein’s take on energy sums up our premise perfectly, “Everything is energy, and that’s all there is to it … This is physics.”
Energy, a buzzword (lol), is our basis for investigating the seven chakras. Why? The chakras are the energy centers or storehouses of our bodies, through which the energy of our being flows.
An Ancient History
The earliest description of the chakras is found in the ancient sacred texts the Vedas and the Upanishads, first appearing in India around 1500 BC. The Sanskrit word ‘chakra’ is translated as ‘wheel’ and refers to energetic focal points in the body. There is a long history associated with the chakras that we won’t get into here. Just know that the understanding of them has evolved. For our purposes, we will focus on the modern conception, which describes a seven-chakra system.
A Modern Understanding
We can think of the chakras as radio stations arranged vertically along the spine. Each of these stations transmits a unique vibrational frequency, and each manifests at different frequencies along the visible light spectrum, thus having a specific color. Described as revolving disks of energy that align our main energetic channel, each chakra corresponds to an area of our energetic body as well as our physical body - incorporating specific bundles of nerves, tissues, organ systems, and endocrine glands. The chakras are a network through which our energy gets transferred into physical reality, thus tethers directly to aspects of our consciousness.
Why are they important to health and well-being?
The chakras, being the pathway through which we engage with life, are important to our health and well-being. The quality of energy flow in a given chakra establishes our perception of the aspect of life related to that chakra and how our body is functioning there. A lack of energy flow in a given chakra will manifest dysfunction in the body area(s) or aspect(s) of life that that chakra governs. A blockage of energy flow can lead to a slew of physical, mental, and emotional disturbances.
When there is a dispersal in our energy, we are more susceptible to illness and injury and more likely to suffer from other issues such as anxiety, depression, lack of self-confidence, imposter syndrome, emotional instability, etc. When our energy flows optimally, we are more likely to experience harmony in our physical health and life. Optimal flow exerts a powerful combination of magnetism, creativity, confidence, joy, intuition, and self-mastery.
How do we integrate the chakras and enhance energy flow?
So now that we have a better understanding of the chakras, how do we open them for optimal flow? There are several ways we can enhance our energy flow. Some of our favorites at KRMA Fitness are music and art, exercise (working out, yoga, walking, etc.), breathwork, meditation, love, and visualization. By just adding a dose of mindful intent to these activities, we can transform them into powerful practices that enrich our lives.
If you’re looking for a potent energetic soup, try combining several or all of these into one practice. And if you want something more specific, check out our energy integration yoga series on our KRMA Fitness YouTube Page. We created this series to help activate each chakra - bringing each energy center online. For the best results, start from part 1 and practice each routine regularly before moving on to the next. Once you’ve mastered them all, you can pick and choose between them whenever you feel a gap in energy flow in a particular body area or life aspect. Enjoy these practices and observe how your life transforms. Namaste.
Quick Guide to the Chakras
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