The Table of Contents

1. Understanding Chakras: The Basics

2. The energy channels and chakras
3. Astrology and Chakras
4. Simple Chakra Meditation for
Beginners – A Complete Step-By-Step
Guide
5. How to Balance the Chakras
6. Healthy Habits to Assist With
Balancing Your Chakras
7. How to strengthen your Aura
8. Pranic Healing With Chakra
Energy
Chapter 1

Understanding
Chakras: the basics
Since the advent of time, the
self-seeking human beings have always
strived to portray themselves as a
healthy and beautiful human being. We
want to live a long life, want a fit body,
we want to feel energetic and radiant
every day. Most of the health
enthusiasts today have made an attempt
at tried and tested physical exercises
like ‘Yoga’. Today ‘Yoga’ has become
so popular all across the globe that it’s
now a household term. Yoga has
become accepted as a way of life by so
many people around the world
irrespective of their religion and
country.

Once introduced to yoga,

people are then naturally inquisitive
towards related mystical sciences like
astrology and ancient Indian
philosophy. Yoga first came to western
culture in 19th century, with the
introduction of oriental philosophy by
several Yogis from India, most
prominent of them being Swami
Vivekananda and Yogananda. When
Swami Vivekananda first came to USA,
he spread the message of brotherhood,
of equality among all people of the
world, because all of us are God’s
children. From him, people heard terms
like ‘Raja Yoga’ and ‘Hatha Yoga’ for
the first time. The spark of curiosity
about yoga created by Swami
Vivekananda among people of diverse
communities was further fueled by
arrival of more oriental masters like
Yogananda.

His autobiography states that

there were long-pending plans to
arrange a trip for Yogananda to the
western countries so that Kriya Yoga
could be popularized there; this was the
thinking of some Himalayan stalwarts
on the subject.
 All of these masters came with
a common message that although yoga
is an integral part of Hindu religion, it
can be adapted by any person of any
religion without giving up his/her
beliefs. A person of any caste and
creed can follow yogic practices to
attain higher level of spiritual
awareness because practices of yogic
tradition are not based on any religious
ideology. Moreover, yogic practices
are mainly performed for disciplining
body and mind, so they do not
contradict any religious belief either.

When people were oriented

towards yoga as a form of exercise, its
fabulous health benefits were clearly
observed. People followed it, and tried
finding more information about this
mystical science. Today, yoga is
referred most commonly to a series of
physical exercises. This type of yoga is
called ‘Hatha Yoga’. But yoga isn’t just
about exercise. In ‘Ashtang Yoga’ there
are eight segments of yoga explained as
Yam (abstentions), Niyam
(observances), Aasan (Hatha yoga),
Pranayam (breathing exercises),
Pratyahar (withdrawl), Dhyan
(meditation), Dharana (concentration),
and Samadhi. When you explore these
eight segments, upon reaching the last
Samadhi, you would often stumble upon
the subject of Kundalini and Chakras.
 Kundalini in yogic theory is a
primal energy located at the base of the
spine. Upon awakening, a yogi can
move this energy along the seven
chakras that are present alongside the
spinal cord in our body.

What is Chakra?

The word ‘Chakra’ is a Sanskrit

word which literally means a wheel or
a disc. Chakras are actually energy
centers within the human body that help
to regulate all its processes, from organ
function to emotional regulation. These
life-force energy centers are named
Chakra because they are circular in
shape.

According to ancient Indian

philosophers, there are 7 chakras in
every human being regardless of age
or gender. These seven energy centers
are positioned throughout the body,
from the base of the spine to the crown
of head.

People often wonder whether

these chakras are actually organs in the
human body. Well, they are not. These
energy centers exist in our subtle
etheric body, which is the non-material
energetic counterpart of our physical
body. So they can’t be seen with naked
eye. Each chakra has its own vibrating
frequency that is depicted through a
specific chakra color, and governs
specific bodily and emotional
functions.

Types of chakras

There are total seven chakras in

human body placed along the spine.
The ancient Indian sages have
described them as looking like lotuses
of varying petals.

1. First chakra: (My Fave Chakra…

hehhehe)
The first chakra is known as Root
Chakra or ‘Muladhar’. Muladhar is a
Sanskrit word that means support of a
root (Mul = root, Aadhar = support).
Location: It is located at
the base of spine in
tailbone area. Color: Red
Element:
Earth
Number of
petals:
Four

This chakra represents our

foundation and feeling of being
grounded. The Root chakra is about
being present there and remaining
comfortable in diverse situations. It is
associated with materialistic and
worldly desires. Desires for money,
sexual urge, food and other material
pleasures are controlled by this energy
center. Emotions like greed, temptation
and hesitation are associated with this
chakra. If it is clear, you feel grounded,
stable and secure. If you tend to be
fearful or nervous without any serious
cause, then your Root chakra may be
blocked or underactive. You'd easily
feel unwelcome. If this chakra is
overactive, you may be very
materialistic and greedy. You would be
obsessed with being secure and resist
change.

2. Second Chakra:
It is known as Sacral Chakra or
Swadhishthan. Swadhishthan is a
Sanskrit term, which means one’s own
abode (Swa = self, Adhishthan =
abode).
Location: It is situated in lower
abdomen, about 2 inches below the
navel and 2 inches inside.
Color:
Yellow
Element:
Earth
Number
of petals:
Six

This chakra has a close

association with our connection and
ability to accept others and new
experiences. The sense of abundance,
well-being, pleasure and sexuality are
governed by this.

3. Third Chakra:
The Manipur chakra (Sanskrit name) or
Solar-Plexus chakra is the third of the
chakras. This chakra is named Manipur
because it has an appearance of a city
of jewels (Mani = jewel, Pur = city).
Location: It is located at
navel, behind the lumbar
region of spine. Color: Blue
Element:
Water
Number
of petals:
Ten

Our ability to be confident and

in-control of our lives comes from this.
Self- confidence and self-esteem fall
under the control of this chakra.

4. Fourth Chakra:

Known as the Heart Chakra or Anahat

chakra; Anahat in Sanskrit means the
one that is not struck. (Ann = not, Aahat
= struck).
Location: Center of
the chest just near the
heart. Color: White
Element: Water
Number of petals: Twelve

Our ability to love and

emotions like universal love, joy and
inner peace are experienced upon
awakening this chakra.

5. Fifth chakra:

The fifth chakra is known as Throat

Chakra or Vishuddha chakra. In
Sanskrit, Vishuddha means extra pure.
(Vi= extra or special, Shuddha = pure).
Location:
Throat.
Color:
Smokey
Element:
Fire
Number of petals: Sixteen

Our ability to communicate and

expression of feelings are influenced by
the fifth chakra.

6. Sixth chakra:

Third Eye Chakra is the sixth chakra. In

Sanskrit, it is called as Bhrumadhya or
Adhnya Chakra. The name Bhrumadhya
is derived from its location (Bhru =
brows and Mahdya = middle) whereas
Adhnya means command.
Location: Right at
the center between
brows. Color: Like
clear crystal
Element: Air
Number of petals: Two

Our ability to focus and

concentrate are governed by sixth
chakra. Qualities like intuition,
imagination, and wisdom, ability to
think and make decisions arise from
active sixth chakra.
 7. Seventh Chakra:

The seventh chakra is the last chakra

and the most important one. This is
called Crown Chakra or Sahastrar in
Sanskrit. Sahastrar literally means a
wheel with thousand axes.
Location: The very top
of the head, crown
region. Color:
Multiple colors
Element: Space
Number of petals: Thousand or
numerous

The crown chakra, being the

highest chakra, is the most vital one
since, on the arrival of the kundalini
here; a person becomes one with the
universal consciousness. This state
enables us to attain total spiritual
connection.

Chapter 2

The energy
channels and
chakras
Now that you know the different
characteristics of chakras like color
and energy vibrations, it is important to
know how chakras work in harmony
with the energy system of our ethereal
body. The whole idea of chakras
revolves around the knowledge given
by yogis about the subtle functioning of
the life force or life energy systems.
The key aspect of this is known as
‘prana’ or energy of life meaning air or
life in Sanskrit.

Prana is not the energy of our

physical body that we can calculate in
calories and joules. It is a conscious
universal energy, which means that the
energy channels and centers through
which prana flows also transmit
consciousness. By means of this energy
system, one can see and hear things at a
great distance and move in higher
levels of consciousness. Many famous
clairvoyants like Nostradamus, Edgar
Cayce, and Jeane Dixon have
heightened senses and supernatural
powers due to this. There are also
numerous reports of people who were
pronounced dead by the doctors but
regained their life.

Almost all described how they

travelled along a tunnel with light
radiating at the end. This tunnel is the
energy channel or Nadi through which
life escapes from the body. In this
chapter we will understand more about
the energy system of our subtle ethereal
body in detail.
How Thoughts Affect our Chakra Energy

Once we are spiritually

advanced, our thoughts not only have an
impact on ourselves but also on the
people surrounding us. Highly
motivating and spiritual persons often
have this kind of influence where their
mere presence spreads positive energy
in the people. People with active
chakras can have immense mental
power and can communicate
telepathically over large distances.
Therefore it becomes imperative to
understand the effects of thought
process on individuals.
 It is important to know that with
every thought there is a reaction. Our
thoughts have both negative and
positive impacts on our body. This
impact is a subtle
Process and we don’t always know
what influence our thoughts are
causing. This response can either
energize you or reduce your life force
energy.

For example, when you have

negative thoughts, they cause many
electrochemical changes in the brain.
Due to the electro-chemical changes in
the brain, the meridian energy changes.
Therefore the organs connected with
the meridian are not properly
nourished with vital energy and many
different diseases develop.

The prana energy also

changes in the chakra due to our
negative thoughts. These thoughts have
less vitality as they are out of the
cosmic tune. So, a block in the chakra
occurs. Negative thinking drains away
the energy of our aura as well. The
aura colors become dull and its
protective shield becomes weaker
causing negativity from the outside to
pour in. When negative thoughts are
radiated to the environment, all
thoughts on that psychic field are also
attracted. So, the negativity becomes
stronger and happens more often.

The energy channels in our body

There are numerous energy

pathways or channels in the human
ethereal body. These channels are
called ‘nadis’ in Sanskrit. Nadi in
Sanskrit means ‘flow’. These channels
converge at certain psycho-electric
centers, which are known as
‘chakras’. According to the Yogis,
there are as many as 72,000 nadis in
the life energy system extending out
from the spinal cord. Out of these, the
principal channels are three nadis,
namely ‘Ida’, ‘Pingala’ and
‘Sushumna’. The Ida nadi lies at the
left side of the spinal cord while
Pingala on the right. These nadis run
parallel to the spinal column. All of
these nadis are situated within the
subtle astral body and should not be
mistaken with the central nervous
system.

The third major nadi,

Sushumna flows along the central
canal of the spinal cord. In ancient
yogic tradition, Ida is symbolized by
moon while Pingala is by sun. The
chakras are formed at the junction of
these three connected energy tunnels
which go up the spinal cord on either
side of the median channel, the
Shushumna.

Chakras take up and collect

prana or life force energy. Our
material bodies could not exist
without them for they serve as
gateways for the flow of energy and
life into our physical bodies.

You must have noticed that our

state of mind changes our breathing
patterns under different circumstances.
When we are excited or scared we
breathe faster and while resting, our
breathing is slowed down. The nadis
or energy channels also have close
connection with the respiratory
system. More information on Ida and
Pingala nadis is provided in the
following chart;

Characteristic Ida Pingala

Breath Left nostril Right
nostril
Temperature Cold Hot
Gender Female Male
Power Mental Physical
Energy Negative Positive
Color Blue Red
Planet Moon Sun
 Ida is negative, and also called
as the Moon nadi, while Pingala is
positive and called the Sun nadi. These
energy currents in Ida and Pingala
operate alternately and the energy that
is flowing at any particular time can be
checked by noting the flow of breath
through the nose.
If the left channel of the nose
enables a higher flow of air, then Ida
nadi is active or dominant. When the
flow is greater in the right nostril, then
Pingala is active. Whereas, if the flow
is equal in both the nadis, they are
perfectly balanced and Sushumna is
active.