Probably the most common meditation methods on the planet is Chakra Dhyana. Tens of millions of individuals apply opening their chakras due to the holistic wellness advantages that it’s mentioned to convey. However there are lots of stunning details about chakras that most individuals don’t know, a few of which is able to really shock you.
On this article, I’m going to share 7 details about chakras that you simply by no means knew.
1) How Many Chakras Are There
Everybody appears to have come to the assumption that there are seven chakras within the human physique. Now, to start with there may be no proof that chakras exist in any respect. However I don’t assume that’s the tip of the story as a result of there are lots of facets of spirituality which can be past the realm of science. What does matter, nevertheless, is the truth that there won’t be seven chakras, particularly.
In the event you take a look at classical non secular texts you’ll discover that there are in truth many various theories on the variety of chakras. Buddhist Tantra makes use of a 5 chakra system. Esoteric texts embody methods of 8, 9, 11, and different numbers of chakras. The seven chakra system we now take as gospel comes from the Shat Chakra Nirupana (written across the sixteenth century) and the Pudaka-Pancaka. It was popularised within the twentieth Century by New Age writers like C.W. Leadbeater and later Anodea Judith, who wrote two of the bestselling chakra books.
The seven chakra system comes from the Shat Chakra Nirupana2) Chakra Colors Didn’t Exist Till The 1970’s
Everybody who practices chakra meditation visualizes the colors of the chakras, akin to the basis chakra being crimson or the Third Eye chakra being indigo. However in truth the chakras didn’t have colours in any respect till the final century. In the event you take a look at the Shat Chakra Nirupana and Goraksha Shataka you’ll not discover any point out of colors.
So the place do the chakra colors come from? They’re a contemporary addition to the system made by quite a few authors akin to Christopher Hills across the Nineteen Seventies. These authors gave chakras colors to convey them extra inline with Western concepts like Color Remedy and Aura Remedy.
That mentioned, I do assume that there’s worth in giving the chakras colors. We subconsciously affiliate colors with totally different feelings or states of thoughts, akin to indigo (the color of the Third Eye) being related to spirituality, and yellow (photo voltaic plexus chakra) being related to self-worth and willpower.
3) They By no means Had been Discs
Chakras weren’t initially seen as spinning discs as they’re at this time. In conventional Tantric texts and Buddhist meditation, chakras are visualized as lotus flowers, every with a set variety of petals, colours, and sacred syllables. These lotuses are symbolic mandalas, not bodily or energetic wheels. For instance, the center chakra (Anahata) is depicted as a inexperienced lotus with 12 petals, containing a hexagram shaped by two interlaced triangles, representing stability between female and male energies.
The concept of chakras as spinning coloured discs emerged within the twentieth century, significantly by Western esoteric lecturers like Christopher Hills, who linked chakras to rainbow colours and emotional states. This variation was designed to make the chakra system extra visible, accessible, and therapeutic in trendy spirituality and psychology.
The transformation displays a shift from liberation-based Tantric apply to a self-help and wellness framework, adapting historic symbols for contemporary wants.
4) Chakras Weren’t Meant for Therapeutic
As we speak, chakra meditation is commonly practiced as a type of vitality therapeutic. Individuals consider that opening, aligning, or balancing chakras can result in bodily and emotional well being. However this concept is definitely very trendy.
Historically, chakras weren’t used for therapeutic in any respect. In Tantric texts just like the Kubjikamata Tantra, chakras have been a part of a non secular map to liberation and enlightenment. The aim of working with chakras was to lift kundalini vitality by the central channel (sushumna) to attain moksha, or non secular liberation—to not heal your again ache or nervousness. Therapeutic solely entered the image as soon as chakras have been tailored for the Western wellness market.
5) The Places Aren’t Anatomical
Most individuals at this time consider chakras as being bodily situated within the physique, like “the center chakra is within the chest” or “the third eye is between the eyebrows.” However historically, chakras have been refined vitality facilities, not bodily spots. They have been visualized in refined physique maps used for inside yogic apply—not dissected on a organic chart. Chakras exist within the sukshma sharira, the refined or energetic physique described in Indian philosophy, which overlaps the bodily physique however isn’t confined by it. Their “areas” are symbolic factors of consciousness, not anatomical details.
Depiction of chakras in esoteric custom6) Chakras Weren’t Common in Indian Custom
Though chakras are extensively related to “Indian spirituality,” they have been by no means a central a part of all Indian traditions and aren’t a core a part of yogic meditation.
For instance, early Vedic texts don’t point out chakras in any respect—they solely converse of prana and nadis, the energetic roots from which later chakra principle would emerge. Even the phrase “yoga” first seems centuries later, within the Upanishads, and referred to meditative stillness slightly than vitality facilities.
The chakra system itself was developed a lot later, inside Tantric traditions—significantly these tied to Hatha Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. So when individuals say “chakras are a part of yoga,” it’s solely true for some branches, that’s not wholly correct.
7) They have been initially a part of a harmful apply
Working with chakras wasn’t at all times seen as mild or therapeutic—it may very well be harmful. In conventional Kundalini practices, awakening vitality by the chakras was a robust and disruptive power, typically requiring strict initiation and years of preparatory self-discipline. With out correct steering, untimely Kundalini awakening may result in emotional turmoil, psychological disturbance, or energetic imbalance. As we speak’s informal strategy to chakra work glosses over this danger and sanitizes the apply into one thing a lot safer—but in addition much less spiritually rigorous.
Remaining Ideas
Chakras have come a great distance—from historic lotus symbols to rainbow-coloured discs floating on Instagram. Lots has modified, and that’s not essentially a nasty factor. Methods evolve as a result of individuals change. What issues is that your apply feels significant, grounded, and true to you.
Whether or not you comply with the basic texts or vibe with the fashionable rainbow model, chakra meditation continues to be a robust device for self-exploration. Simply keep in mind: you don’t have to consider all the pieces you’re informed—particularly in the case of one thing as private as vitality.
In the event you loved studying the stunning truths behind chakra meditation, subscribe and are available again for extra. I’ve acquired lots extra non secular myths to bust—and some sacred truths to honour too.
Paul Harrison is a meditation instructor with 20+ years of expertise and a deep ardour for serving to others. Recognized for his empathy and genuine strategy, he’s devoted to guiding people and groups towards mindfulness, readability, and well-being.