I recently finished a video series on the basic characteristics of the 7 chakras, which can be found on my YouTube channel. I’ve had some people ask are chakras “real” or “another woo-woo idea”? So, here I am with an explanation of what I have learned.
Chakras are the energy centers of the body and are located in the astral body, along the spine, starting at the base and running upwards to the crown of the head. The astral body is the energetic body residing inside our physical body. Each chakra correlates to a gland or an organ that make up your endocrine system which regulates hormone production. So, is there a “color wheel” spinning around in the “energy centers”? Well, I would suggest that is subjective and depending on your relationship to your spirituality, the experience of the astral body will differ significantly. However, if you use your imagination (let go of that programmed, rigid mind and partake in a child-like play with your imagination) you will be able to make the connection between each of the chakras and the areas of your body to which they correlate.
“Hermeticists and other esoteric philosophers noticed that every chakra is linked to an endocrine gland: the crown chakra with the pineal, the center of the brow, or third eye with the pituitary and hypothalamus, the throat centre with the thyroid gland, the heart centre with the thymus gland, solar plexus with pancreas, sacral chakra with the reproductive organs and the base chakra with adrenals.”
The chakras, their correlation and their means of stimulation are:
CROWN – is related to the Pineal gland, which is located in the brain above the Hypothalamus. It is a light sensitive gland that produces melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. Its proper functioning helps to improve thinking power and intelligence – inversion asanas are useful in regulating the Pineal gland.
THIRD EYE – is related to the Pituitary gland, known as the ‘master gland’ of the endocrine system – its’ purpose is to regulate the entire system and exerts control of a number of important areas, such as sexual function, stress, energy levels, blood pressure and growth – Bhramari pranayama, AUM chanting and seated meditation are used to regulate the Pituitary gland.
THROAT – is related to the thyroid & parathyroid – regulating the body’s metabolic rate controlling heart, muscle and digestive function, brain development and bone maintenance – stimulated by vocal chords – humming, singing or chanting, and Ujjayi breath and asanas like plough, shoulder stand, fish, heart openers
HEART – is related to the thymus gland – plays a role in immunity, autoimmunity and aging – System Killer T cells mature here and learn to recognize invaders – heart beat stimulates the thymus gland and can be further stimulated by tapping.
SOLAR PLEXUS – is related to the pancreas which regulates the insulin production – plays an important roll in the digestion process, transforming food into energy and managing sugar levels – stimulated by the diaphragm via the breath.
SACRAL– is related to the reproductive organs – responsible for producing sex hormones which, in turn, can have significant influence over emotions – regulated by body movement – dancing, ecstatic dance, and poses like cobra, fish pose and goddess squat are helpful in regulating sex hormones.
ROOT – is related to the adrenals which regulate the production of adrenaline – the hormone responsible for responding to stress, regulating blood pressure, and known as the fight or flight response when survival is being threatened – seated, hip opening or grounding asanas like Tadasana are useful in promoting stillness and help regulate hormone production.
So, yes, Chakras are real and there is a relationship between the chakras and some very important areas in the human body, and while you may not see what you think you should see, or feel what you think you should feel, it is there and it is happening and your thoughts and actions, or lack there of, influence their behavior. It is vital that we don’t ignore the hormones being stimulated, secreted or suppressed in ANY of these energy centers if we are reaching for optimal health and healing in our lives. Regular breathwork and meditation practices can help regulate these systems.
With this type of breathwork/meditation, it is about tuning in and connecting your breath to the energy(ies) stored within the body. The goal is to sit with that energy, processing and feeling it, and moving it through your body, with the ultimate goal being the release of stuck negative energies. This is energy cleansing. This is “balancing the chakras”. So call it what you like, but it IS beneficial to make sure that our hormones are functioning at optimal levels, and this can be enhanced by regulating are nervous system, and ultimately, the endocrine system. Balanced chakras.
Sources:
Life-force Energy and Chakras
https://www.healthline.com/health/pineal-gland-function#female-hormones
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1142191/
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-science-behind-your-chakras
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