Meaning ‘spinning wheel’ chakras are, in Yoga, focal points of energy, thoughts, emotions, and the physical body. Chakras are how we percieve reality and the blocking of these is what causes physical and emotional symptoms; realising they exist and training them means being able to redirect the energy within them at will instead of them going haywire. Through yoga the chakras are ‘opened’ and you may experience a plethora of positive effects. The different chakra are:

Muladhara (Root Chakra): Located at the base of your spine (the coccygeal region) it is connected to survival, belonging, family ties, basic needs, and your earliest memories. When this chakra is blocked you may experience fear, avoidance, being needy, self-destructive tendencies, and have low self-esteem. Having the Muladhara Chakra under control means that you are self-sufficient, able to stand for yourself, and feeling strong and confident.

Sahasrara (Crown Chakra): Concerned with beauty and the spiritual realm it allows your spiritual self to show itself to your physical manisfestation. At the crown of your head having the Sahasrara Chakra open instead of closed means that you are ‘open’ to any situation and able to assess it calmy instead of avoiding it or waiting for a solution to come along.

Ajna (The Third-Eye Chakra): The sixth-sense and/or intuition is mediated with the Anja chakra as well as every other chakra. Found at the pituitary gland a closed Anja Chakra results in narrow-mindedness, unreceptive towards emotions, and general cynicism. An open Anja Chakra can reveal that your own wisdom is enough to handle life’s challenges and crossroads.

Vishuddha (Throat Chakra): The center of speech, hearing, and metabolism it also goes by the name of the Heart Chakra. If you’re speaking way too much, not listening to others, and judging others your Vishuddha Chakra may be blocked. On the other side if it’s open you’ll find that you’re communicating well and your intended message comes across, plus you’re actually listening to others.

Anahata (Heart Chakra): Loving unconditionally without fear or rejection, having compassion, and having healthhy bonds is what happens when the Anahata Chakra is open within you. When you become possessive, co-dependant, and form dysfunctional bonds with other people your Heart Chakra is probably closed.

Manipura (Navel Chakra): Located at the navel it is concerned with introvertedness, personal power, and developing opinions. Opening the Manipura Chakra lets you feel that you can take action decisively, be productive, and work despite the fears you may be experiencing. The Manipura Chakra being closed results in feelings of stagnacy, low self-esteem, and having little to no courage.

Svadhisthana (Pelvic Chakra): If you’ve ever felt that you are in the ‘flow’ of things where events are taking place in your life that can only be described by others as ‘lucky’ or ‘things falling in place’ then your Svadhisthana Chakra is open. While it is concerned with the reproductive and sexual organs it can also represent creativity, abundance, and whether you’re allowed a life full of postivity. If closed it shows itself as you feeling out-of-balance, emotionally unstable, and guilty.

With all of these in mind it’s time to move onto the physical parts of yoga: the pranayama, asanas, and dhyana.