| CHAKRA, NADI AND YOG The word Chakra is a Sanskrut word, meaning "wheel" or "disc". In the ancient Yog systems of India, the word Chakra described a spinning vortex of energy in the subtle body. Although, generally it is believed that there are seven Chakras, according to Kundalini meditation and Aghori theory, there are nine Chakras.
The nine Chakras are arranged vertically along the spine and abundant energy pathways or channels are present, called Nadis (from the term nad which means a hollow stalk) that intersect at these Chakras.
There are a total of 72000 Nadis or subtle channels of energy coming out from the spinal cord. The main Nadis among them are the Surya Nadi, Chandra Nadi, Ida, Pingala and the Susushmna. The Ida Nadi runs adjoining to the left side of the spinal cord and the Pingala Nadi runs close to the right side of it. The third major Nadi is the Sushumna flows inside the central canal of the spinal cord. The Chakras are sometimes referred to as lotuses, since they open and close like a flower, and in the yogic system they are represented with varied number of petals, ranging from four at the base Chakra to 1000 at the crown. They can be stimulating and awakened by yogic practices like asanas (Yog postures), breathing, and meditation. When motivated, they create latent forces, which awaken the power to triumph over disease, decay and finally, according to the ancient yogis, death as well.
The
seven upper chakras, from lowest to highest :
The
seven lower chakras, from highest to lowest : |