The system most commonly known in the West is that of the 7 Chakras. It’s the one we see in images, artwork and books and may have encountered within classes. Although this is a more westernised version of the chakras it’s one that has helped bring insight to many.

So firstly, what is a Chakra? 

Chakra is translated as wheel, and they themselves are energy centres within the body. Think of them as a vortex of activity running up the energetic column of the body containing certain elements of programming. 

They aren’t physical entities, meaning they can’t be seen or held, much like thoughts, feelings and ideas. But even though they can’t be seen, they certainly express themselves on the physical plane as well as the mental & emotional. This may manifest through posture and alignment, behaviour and thoughts, as well as energetic responses in the body caused by a situation. 

For example, have you ever had the feeling of butterflies in the belly, a lump in the throat or experienced the intensity of heartbreak? We experience these feelings around the locations of these energy centres.

They have the ability to be insufficient and also overactive so ideally we want a nice balanced Chakra system to allow for energy to work its way up the central channel. Our lower 3 Chakras work on the current of manifestation and the upper 3 on the current of liberation, whilst the middle point, the Heart Chakra lies sweetly balanced between. All the stages are just as important as each other, we need a sense of being grounded and have will power just as much as we need clear perception and spiritual connection. To be stuck in the Lower Chakras would result in a lack of imagination and creativity, whereas being stuck at the upper end would mean having lots of ideas but lacking the ability to make them happen. So you see, ensuring an open current both up and down can bring us to the feeling of wholeness and a connection to the vast experience of reality.

We can work at developing a balanced Chakra system in multiple ways. Because the Chakras can express themselves on multiple levels of the body we can use physical somatic practices such as yoga, visualisation techniques and meditation as well as pranayama and things like music. All in all, learning a little bit more about the Chakras can provide more insight into the workings of who you are.

Join Kylie this Easter Monday 18th April 10am-12noon at the Heather Yoga studio for her workshop ‘Ascension and Intention: A Somatic Journey Through The Chakras’. Find out more here.