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The movement began after 1950s and was referenced to the coming astrological Age of Aquarius. Diverse individuals had New Age ideas, so the term may be applicable as a label by outsiders to whom do consider themselves inclined towards its world view. The New Age movements have tracks of older spiritual and religious traditions from the worldwide culture.

Anyway there are a lot of models of the chakra system of the human energetic body.  The body mind is a system, refer system theory and no chakra is supreme. It works together with the other chakra. And they are in relation with each other. The dialog model shows Ayurvedic Medicine in view with the energetic interplay of the chakra. The religion of the Hinduism consider the chakra as a part of a complex group of ideas related to esoteric anatomy. The text that deals about that are called Agamas or Tantras. It is a large body of scripture, most of which is rejected by the official orthodox Brahmans. Hinduism is a religious tradition originated in the India. It is often referred to Sanatana Dharma by its practitioners. It is the world’s oldest major religion that is still practiced, and their first origins may be found in the Vedic civilization. Different beliefs and religions are at the basis of the Hinduism, that has no a single founder. The Vedi period, also called the Vedic Age, is a period of the history of India where the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, the Vedas, were being composed. Scholars place the Vedic period in the last 8,000 years of our history, based on litiraly evidence.

The associated culture, sometimes referred to as Vedic Civilization, was originary of the north and north west of the Indian subcontinent. It is important in our history, to consider the Sanskrit term Chakra, meaning circle or wheel; there is a wide literature about philosophical systems and spiritual energy practices, religious observance and personal discipline. Theories on chakra claims about systems that link the human body and mind in a single unit, sometimes known as the body mind. The philosophical theories are models of chackra as centers of energy were first codified in Ancient India.

To explain you what is a chakra I would say it is a center of activity that receives and assimilates life force energy. Chakra are described as energy centers in the spine located at certain points of the human nervous system. They begin at the base of the spinal column and move to the top of the skull. These chakras are considered to be a point of nexus of biophysical energy of the human body. In the Sanskrit sources the word chakra is used to mean several different things, such as a circle. The word circle is used in a variety of meanings, symbolizing endless rotation of shakti, or a circle of people. The term chakra is used to denote yantras or mystic diagrams. About the concept of chakra there are many variations on these concepts in Sanskrit source texts. In earlier texts there are various system of chakra along the body’s axis became widely popular. It is in this model where Kundalini is said to rise upward, piercing the various center until reaching the crown of the head, resulting in union with the Divine. According to tantric theories, chakras are described in the ancient tantric texts, where they are described as emanations of consciousness from Brahman, an energy emanating from the spiritual which gradually turns concrete, and which eventually finds its rest in the Luladhara chakra. They are part of a theory in which are described emanations of consciousness. It is described as an energy emanating from the spiritual which gradually turns concrete, creating these distinct levels of chakras and finds its rest in the Muladhara chakra. According to buddhist teacher Tarthang Tulku, the heart chakra is very important for the feeling of existential fulfillment. When the heart chakra is agitated, people lose touch with feelings and sensations, and that breeds the sense of dissatisfaction. That leads to looking outside to fulfillment.

According to the Himalayan Bonpo tradition, chakras are pranic center of the body. These influence the quality of experience, for movement of prana can not be separated from experience. Each of six major chakra are linked to experiential qualities by the file shape experience. Prana is a Sanskrit word that refers to a life sustaining force of living beings and vital energy in the natural process of the universe. Prana is a central concept in Ayurveda and Yoga where it is believed to flow through a network of fine subtle channels called nadis. When prana do enters into a period of uplifted activity, the Yogic tradition refers to it as Pranotthana. Prana was first expounded in the Upanishads, where it is part of the worldly realm, sustaining the body and also the mind. The popular understanding of prana as being the same as air is a simplification of the concept. The incorrect assumption that prana is respiratory air arise from the popular understanding of the practice of pranayama, in which the control of prana is achieved from the control of one’s breathing.

Traditional chinese medicine also relies upon a similar model of the human body as an energy system, except that it involves the circulation of qi energy. In the circuit of qi, called the Microcosmic orbit, energy also comes back down to the front torso channel. This is the same of the nadis of Hatha yoga, and enters the tan tiens: when it returns to the heart further contemplation or union deity develops. In Macro cosmic orbit the qi is also guided through the main channels in the limbs.

Sahasrara or the crown chakra is considered to be the chakra of consciousness. Its role may be somewhat similar to that of the pituitary gland, which secretes hormones to communicate to the rest of endocrine system and also connects top the central nervous system via the hypothalamus. The thalamus is thought to have a key role in the physical basis of consciousness. The pineal gland is a light sensitive gland that produce the hormone melatonin which regulates sleep and awakening.

The chakra that is the fire center is indeed the chakra manipura. So called and meaning “city of jewels” it is the focal point of heat, it is shining like a jewel and it is radiant with energy and vitality. This chakra is showed as a bright yellow lotus with ten petals upon which are written letters. These letters are darn, dharn, narn, tarn, tharn, dam, dharn, narn, pam, pharn. All these letters are written on the ten petals of the lotus. There is a red triangle within the lotus. The red triangle contains the bija mantra rarn sitting on a ram. This is a very aggressive beast and symbol of the element fire. The deities are Rudra.

Rudra is a destroyer of the universe and the goddess Lakini that is the control of the flesh element. As you might know the sola plexus is the center, and it is connected with the vital process of digestion of the food. What is true is that gastric glands, such as the pancreas and the glands in the stomach, has the function of producing a secretion of enzymes, acids and juices which are necessary for the digestion of food. So, the center that controls all these activities is indeed the chakra manipura.

The adrenal glands, situated near the kidney are really a manifestation of manipura. Adrenal glands secrete adrenaline into the body, when it is necessary. This effect speeds up the physiological processes. When this happens, then the heart beats faster and the respiration rate gets more rapid. In the normal state of being awake, the body is prepared to do a faster activity. This action is called ‘fight or flight’ reaction. People who suffers from depression or from problems to the digestive system, should concentrate on manipura chakra. They should try to feel an energy radiating from this region of the body.

Manipura chakra into schools such as Zen Buddhism is the most important center and is said that is the seat of kundalini, that passes through manipura, and is revealed more in true light. The chakra manipura is the center of vitality in the physical body where the prana and the apana meet. The prana is the upward moving vitality while the apana is the downward moving vitality. When they meet, they generate the heat that is necessary to support life.

The presiding deity of this chakra is Bradda Rudra. This chakra represents the power of destruction, and it was said that all that exists, returns to him. He has a blue and a silver beard and is represented sitting in his wrathful form on a golden tiger skyn. This is the symbol of the tiger, of the mind that dwells in the forest of desires, smeared with ashes. Indeed the tiger do represent the mind, which name is manas. Lakini Shakti is the name of the energy generated by him. Lakini Shakti has a four armed and three faced aspect.

In one of the four hands she holds the thunderbolt, or vajra. Instead, in her second hand, she holds the arrow that is shot from the bow of Kama. Kama, is said, is the Lord of Sex, in the second chakra. Her third hand holds fire. With the fourth hand Lakini Shakti forms the so called hand gesture of granting boons and dispelling fear, that, in our language, is called mudra.

Do you know which is the animal related to the chakra? It is the ram, vehicle of the fire god Agni. 

The third chakra is called the Igneous Plexus. It is also called the sola plexus chakra and it is associated with the color yellow. This is a part where our ‘self esteem’ is defined, and the personality that develops during the age of the puberty always is hosted in this third chakra. It is moreover known as the Ego. Anyone whom could experience dysfunction of the third chakra is someone whom has difficulties maintaining his or her so called ‘personal power’. This is an intuitive chakra and it is where we get our ‘gut instincts’ that is our signal to do or not to do some action.A Strong self esteem in necessary for developing intuitive skills. The word manipura comes form Sanskrit and the literary translation from the original language is Lustrous Gem. I say the symbol is the circle and the number of petals around is just ten. The location is indeed the solar plexus, as I said before. There is a model for this chakra: it is the power and will and action is the state, while the action is just I Act.

As a summary I may say that the solar plexus chakra, that is called Manipura, is known as the power chakra, driving for control, with a competence and success to fortify the ego.

The colour I say, is black or yellow and the mantra sound is pronunced RAM/DA. The sense of this chakra is the sense of sight, its aromas are bergamot, rosemary and lavender. The element is the fire, for sure, and the power is the power of will.

The association of this third chakra is Self confidence and self respect. It is also Self esteem and strong will. The related body parties are stomach, skin, intestines and liver, while the endocrine glands are situated into the pancreas and into the liver. The possible physical symptoms are a bad digestion, the indifference and the stress, and plus the need for power.

The achieved state is being and the best therapy for this chakra is belly dancing and conscious breathing. If you want to know some exercise to do daily, I could suggest you what follows, that is to take a chest opening poses such as the cobra, the bow, the cat. The natural experiences for this third chakra are sunlight and sunflowers.The god of this chakra are Ares, Bel, Dionysus and Mars, while the goddesses are Athena, Lakini and Bride.

© 2008 Six Senses Yoga Society

According to the Hindu tradition, the word Ajna, from the Sanskrit Ajn, means command and is the sixth primary chakra. The Ajna chakra is set at the eyebrow region and it has only two petals; representing the psychic channels called Ida and Pingala. These meet here with the central Shushumna channel, thus before rising to the crown chakra, called sahasrara. On the left hand petal there is the letter ‘ham’, and on the right side the letter ‘ksham’. These two letters represent the bija mantras for Shiva and Shakti, in the order.

In short, the chakra of the mind is Ajna. When you see something in the mind’s eye, or in a dream, what you see is just seen by the third eye, which is called Ajna. The deity Ardhanarishvara is a hermaphrodite form of Shiva-Shakti and it resides in the chakra. It symbolizes the primordial duality of object and subject. The deity Hakini Shakti is also associated with this chakra.

As mentioned earlier, Ajna is considered the chakra of the mind. Lets further dig deep into this. The complete phrase ‘mind’s eye’ refers to the ability of the human race for visual perception, imagination, visualization and memory. In other words just the ability ‘to see’ things with the mind. The biological foundation of the mind’s eye is not completely understood by discepolos.

Recently studies have shown that the lateral geniculate nucleus and the V1 area of the visual cortex are activated while mental imagery task. It was said that the visual pathway is not just as a one-way street. Higher areas of the brain can also send visual input to the neurons in lower areas of the visual cortex. We have the ability to see with the mind’s eye, just to say to have a perceptual experience in the absence of visual input.

As an example, PET scans have shown that when subject, seated in a room, imagine they are at their front door, starting to walk either to the left or right, activation begins in the visual association cortex, the parietal cortex, and the prefrontal cortex. All higher cognitive process centers of the brain. Not all the humans have this ability. With eyes closed, some humans report that they can visualize detailed scenery that is not just a memory. Users of hallucinogenic drugs report seeing images with eyes closed, however the imagea are random and difficult to control. Moreover these images may interfere with normal consciousness.

The sixth chakra is located at the level of the forehead. It is known, as the third eye, or the ‘mind’s eye’. A lotus with just two petals, seen as a deep indigo blue. This is the center of visual and intuitive perception, that is indeed the place where men store their memories, where they perceive their dreams, and moreover where they imagine the future. The word Ajna means, ‘to command’. Just to add to its meaning, I would say it also means ‘to perceive’.

Just as words are used to shape the world, so do the imagines we hold in our minds really influence our lives.What we perceive and remember is also what we command. Nits element is light, a higher vibration that the one of sound, the most versatile of any element we have encountered thus far. Communicating across distant events that happened and ceased to exist thousands years ago, light in all its splendor allow us to perceive the world in a infinite display of patterns. So, when we view the world we have to remember that it is not objects we see. But they are reflected light.

The Ajna chakra, in true, relates to the pineal gland, the pineal begins as an actual third eye and later degenerates. It has been showed that the pineal gland is sensitive to light, even when optical nerves have been cut. It is believed to play a part in producing the internal visions that sometimes comes into our minds. These are the one we perceive and the ones we create. This large visual screen can be used consciously to call images at will and bring us information unavailable through other means. It is my firm belief that physic perception is something that everyone has and uses largely, whatever or not they are aware of it. It is quite important to validate these subtle physic perception that float through our minds each normal day.

Opening psychic perception is widely a function of learning to recognize patterns and creating an internal visual language with which to interpret them. If you see someone has done something in the past, now chances are likely it will happen again. As we climb high and high in the upper chakras, we approach a sense of divine order, and perception of that order allows us to fill in the blanks and perceive, like light waves, that which is actually at a distance, temporally and spatially. Outside of our imagination the image that rules us are a major factor in mass consciousness. Television and other visul media feed into our consciousness on a whole brain level.

To clear the chakra, we have to get away from the images of what we expect to see and begin to experience the world within the freshness of a child. And we discover an exciting world of patterns and colours unlike anything in the physical realm. Any chakras is connected with a different colour, and though the system has changed from the ancient Tantrics to modern associations, the most popular pattern is the rainbow spectrum. Red light has the longest and slowest wavelength, so it is associated with chakra 1, and the chakras proceed in rainbow order to the violet at the crown. An exercise to develop the visualization capacity of your third eye, while simultaneously helping to balance all your chakras, is to focus on each one of your chakras, filling that part of your body with the right colour of light. So, begin at the bottom or at the top, but always do proceed in order, and remember to take time with each chakra to completely feel the effects.

© 2008 Six Senses Yoga Society