The chakras are energy centers that are located along your spine. Each of these centers exists where several nāḍī-s, or energy channels, flow together.  The literal translation of chakra is "wheel" and you can understand them as spinning wheels or vortices. Each of these centers is connected to mystical experiences and psycho-spiritual topics. When you bring your focus and Prāṇa to these centers, these psychospiritual topics and experiences open up. 

The chakras (energy centers) and nāḍī-s (energy channels) of your energy body are real. In our Yogic understanding, there is a difference between your gross physical body, the so-called sthula śarīra, and the subtle body, the sūkṣma śarīra. The subtle body can best be understood as an intermediate between the physical and the spiritual realm. It contains the mind, senses of perception and action (indriya and Bāḥya Karaṇa), the five winds, the five elements, the chakras, and nāḍī-s. The subtle body is an intermediate or serves as a bridge because all subtle aspects influence your physical body (organs, etc). The word śārīra comes from the Sanskrit root ‘Śṛ’, which means “to decay, to waste away”. It reminds us that both gross, but also subtle bodies, will ultimately cease to exist. When someone starts perceiving more subtleties, the chakras and nāḍī-s can be felt.

The chakras and the mind of someone have subtle tendencies that are very specific to an individual. Oftentimes, there is a connection to the work someone has done before (according to Eastern thought, also in past lives). But the biggest contributing factor is personal tendencies. Someone interested in the mystical dimension will focus on that aspect of a chakra, someone else might perceive the sacred geometries of a chakra, another person might feel their energetics and the vibrational quality, another the psycho-spiritual connotations and again someone else might be able to track the physical effects the chakra has on their body. Whether you can feel them as pulsating “objects” inside your body, see colors or feel a connection to the earth with the root chakra, it’s all valid experiences of the same energy. A teacher should know what is possible, but also leave room for exploration and someone’s very own experiences.

When you bring Prāṇa to one of these centers, you can imagine it like watering a field. When we water a field, the seeds that we have planted come up in the same way as weeds. To work on the balancing and healing of a chakra, therefore, means to look at our weeds (the belief systems and negative patterns), gain more awareness, and exchange negative beliefs or energetic momentum with a more helpful one. Yoga practices help with that. To start your own healing journey, check out my chakra courses.

Everyone holds the potential to activate their energy body. In a way, it is like starting a car. Some might easily start it, others need more of a kick-start. Everything that refines someone’s Prāṇa (energy) helps in the activation of the energy body. You can also think of becoming less ‘dense’ or gross, which is talked about in the Yogasūtra. This would translate to less dense foods, activities, and thoughts! A sincere spiritual or Yoga practice, daily meditation, or different forms of energy work can help start your personal journey into your subtle anatomy. My chakra course is a safe and powerful way to activate your chakras and experience their effects in your practice and life!

According to many ancient texts of Haṭḥayoga, the seven chakra-s are considered of utmost importance and are situated along your spine. Some texts also talk of 10 or 12 chakras. You have many energy centers in your body and energy field. For your path of liberation, the seven chakras still have to be worked on.

Lifeforce energy distributes itself according to your preferences because usually, your preferences determine your focus. Imagine someone being only focused on material aspects like money, for example. Automatically, this person's root chakra will get a lot of energy. A Yogic rule is that where attention goes, Prāṇa flows. Accordingly, energy will be stronger flowing in certain chakras and less in others, making the chakra more dominant in its energetic function and impact on the individual. Also, latent karmic impressions, as well as ancestral impressions, might be seen as obstructions of the flow in a chakra.

The chakra ladder can be seen as representing different states of consciousness, from your first individuated sense of self over your relationship with others to your relationship with the divine or source consciousness. Each of the chakras holds specific topics in place, from home and family over willpower and boundaries up to psychic vision or the capacity to speak your truth. All aspects of your life, your perception, your belief systems are embedded within your energy body and the chakras. That's why working on the chakras is so incredibly potent. Because you automatically work on your belief systems, your karma, your perception. With every chakra, you free yourself more of past debris, incapacities, and negative beliefs. To start your chakra journey now, check my programs.

The best way how to work on the chakras are Viniyoga practices that work on an energetic level. The Yoga practices that you chose need to be able to reach deeper layers. Many of the Western forms of Yoga work on you physically, but do not go any deeper. Also, energetic transmissions can help to create spaces of chakra opening and activation. In my courses, I offer a combination of both.