Understanding Chakras
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 1, 2021
- 5 min read
Written by: Jane Ramsey, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Understanding chakras is an important component for being at your best in body, mind, and spirit. Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning wheel of light. Our bodies contain seven major energy centers that some refer to as chakras. Understanding these centers reveals the ancient wisdom that the energy of the universe flows through us. This intelligence transcends any particular belief system.
My education about chakras began with Alan Seale’s book Soul Mission, Life Vision. As I embarked on my Vision Quest and wrote my own book, I was fascinated to learn more about chakras.
Eastern wisdom traditions explain that our consciousness consists of a vibrating field of energy that flows around our bodies and through every one of our cells.
Many of us in the West think of consciousness as existing in our brain. While our brains function as intricate command centers, our energy field and body’s cells contain thousands of energetic channels known as nadis, which we frequently mention in pranayama classes.
Nadis carry and distribute our prana, or life force, throughout our being. One of my fellow Chopra teachers is Vish Chatterji. In his book, The Business Casual Yogi, Vish explains that the nadis function “like a complex intersecting series of railway lines. The major junction points of nadis form the main energetic distribution centers of the body.”
There are seven main energy centers in the body known as chakras. Vish likens these energetic centers to busy train stations where many channels pass through and meet. “If everything is flowing well,” he explains, “the trains run on time without colliding and deliver energy to all parts of our being where it needs to go.”
However, when an imbalance exists, the train station becomes chaotic. Balance returns when the correct signals are sent throughout the rail system. Sound and vibration are two specific ways to balance and ‘tune’ our energy system.
A chakra energy system is an ancient tool that transcends any particular belief system. I mentioned eastern wisdom traditions, but I found it fascinating to learn that knowledge of these energy centers is not just a part of one particular belief system. These energy centers have been studied by mystics of all traditions.
Saint Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century Spanish Christian mystic, referred to these energy centers as the seven inner mansions of the spiritual journey in her book, The Interior Castle. In the Kabbalah, these energies are described in the tree of life. Various African spiritual practices are based on the seven African powers. Indigenous cultures all over the world refer to these energy centers in various ways within their traditions.
Studying the chakras reveals certain truths. We begin to understand that feelings, emotions, and thoughts are registered in our bodies on some level.
When energy flows freely through your chakra system, your level of awareness is high. You are more conscious of your feelings, emotions, and thoughts.
Some of us go through periods where we are less aware of our full experience of life. When this happens, a smaller amount of energy is likely flowing throughout our system. Keeping our chakra system in tune helps us enjoy the full spectrum of the smorgasbord of life.
Through the chakras, we exchange energy with the world we inhabit. This energy is not only mental; it is also physical and emotional.
Alan Seale explains, “because we register all experience in the cells, the body can be a great indicator of our overall state of being — are we happy, sad, confused, excited, joyous, stressed, anxious? Body awareness is a very important part of intuitive development because the body is the physical home of our senses, both inner and outer. Pay attention to what you feel in your body in a tactile, physical sense, as well as on an emotional level.”
Some spiritual teachers describe chakras as being like internal radio antennas that can tune into subtle waves.
When our chakras are functioning well, our gut feelings and instincts are tuned into these vibrational messages.
When our chakras are not tuned, it’s similar to a malfunctioning radio. The signals are not clear; there is static. A healthy chakra can tune in to clear signals. Sometimes people talk about a chakra being blocked or imbalanced, but many of my teachers describe it as being out of tune, and this is the way I like to think about it also. You can bring your chakra energy centers into balance using this simple practice that takes less than five minutes; watch my YouTube video to see how.
You will learn how to tune each chakra to maintain balance. When your chakras are tuned in and functioning well, you have more tools available to you to move through life with awareness. You don’t have to rely solely on your intellectual insights but also have access to the intuitive senses available to you through your body.
When your chakras are tuned and healthy, you have the capability to understand what your body is telling you; not only physically but also emotionally. You have the ability to intuit things more clearly and gravitate toward situations and people with higher vibrational energy.
In our study of the Law of Correspondence, we learn the ancient truth — as within, so without. Our bodies contain wisdom that mirrors the wisdom of the universe. As we tune our chakras, we are able to access the wisdom that exists deep within us.
Visit my website to find links to seven blog posts that will help you learn even more about chakras and balance. Thanks for going on the journey with me.
Namaste,
Jane
Jane Ramsey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jane Ramsey, formerly a business executive for a global Fortune 500 company, is now an author, artist, meditation coach, and Founder of SoulArt Meditation. Upon retirement, Jane embarked on a course of study in philosophy, fitness, health, nutrition, quantum physics, happiness, and spirituality. She has been meditating for more than twenty-five years and is a Chopra-certified meditation coach, helping clients create a strong daily meditation practice. Jane shares her spiritual journey in her book VISION QUEST: a journey to happiness. Her story is inspiring and enlightening. As a part of her journey, Jane has become an avid and accomplished artist. Jane’s quest to get clearer on her purpose in life inspired her to combine creativity with meditation and spirituality, and that’s how her signature class, SoulArt Meditation, was born.
