Let’s start with this- what is a chakra? Why should you give a shit about your chakras?

The chakras are a kind of energetic anatomy in the body. We have many chakras in our bodies but 7 major ones. The 7 major chakras are like wheels or gears. They turn on their own axis but affect the motion of chakras above and below them. When we are feeling whole, healthy, stable our chakras are spinning in a balanced way.

Chakra = WHEEL

The 7 major chakras align themselves along the Shushumna Nadi. The Shushumna nadi is the central energetic axis of our body. In yogic terms, it is the energetic or subtle body superhighway in the body, just as the central spinal column is the information superhighway of our physical body. There are two minor nadis that swirl around the Shushumna nadi. These are the ida and pingala nadis. The ida nadi represents our feminine qualities and the pingala our masculine ones.  The points where the ida and pingala nadis intersect is the area where our 1st and 6th  chakras live. The other chakras are between these intersections.

Interestingly, the areas where the chakras live in the energetic body are also where there are major collections of nerve ganglia in our bodies. This is one area where yoga and science meet. It is no surprise that the major chakras, our energetic berometer in the body is also along the same channel that the central nervous system is. 

Sometimes emotional or physical ailments can effect the way our chakras turn, either causing them to spin too slowly (under-active) or too quickly (overactive), they can also be open or closed. The balance of our chakras will affect the way we interact, act and react in our world. 

Chakra imbalances can arise or resurface at various point in our lives. Sometimes a physical injury can knock a chakra out of balance, sometimes an emotional injury can. Sometimes we carry things from long ago that are triggered by a seemingly unrelated event. This can also cause a chakra or chakras to turn in an imbalanced way. Sometimes chakra imbalances are inherited from things we’ve learned from friends, family, loved ones or from our own patterns of behaviour. 

The chakra system is yet another yogic tool that we can use to better understand our physical and emotional bodies, what makes us tick, why we act and react in the ways that we do. With knowledge and awareness comes the ability to grow and make change. The better we get to know ourselves, the more able we are to find our individual happiness and live our own best life.

Check out the video below as Yoga Academy International founder Lauren Rudick offers her take on why you should give a shit about your chakras:

Interested in learning more? Become a chakra vinyasa yoga teacher!