In yoga philosophy, humans have three bodies: the physical body, the subtle body where energies like chakras live, and the causal body which causes the formation of the subtle body and physical body.
This is the model: you can take it or leave it. I’m simply sharing my understanding because I find it’s a useful model and yoga practices make more sense when you understand the foundations on which they are based.
Chakra (pronounced chuk-ruh) means wheel and refers to a circular energy center within the main subtle nerve channel running along the spine. There are seven major ones (different branches of yoga disagree on this) and each is related to an element, a sound, colour, gem, an aspect of human experience, etc.
Yoga practices including various breathing techniques and postures, are put together in sequences to regulate the flow of energies within our bodies. The theory goes that these practices allow us to realize our true nature of three bodies, not just the mind-body complex we can immediately sense. The overall “goal” of this process is to reach spiritual enlightenment, a state of awareness where there is no separation of the individual from the universal consciousness.
While most of us are focused on short term pain relief, the benefits of sharpened senses, physical health and a calm mind set the stage for deeper transformation. Stay tuned for future blog posts on each chakra and how to work with their energies. To understand how yoga or Reiki can support you in balancing these energies, book a private session here
