Chakras are the 7 energy vortexes in our body that allegedly control the functioning and well being of the organs around them. These 7 chakras are namely, (from top to bottom) Crown, Third Eye, Throat, Heart, Solar Plexus, Sacral, and Root chakras.

They are also linked to the 7 colors in the rainbow, which also makes a particular chakra’s color associate it with similar colored healing crystals to work best with them. For example, most green stones will simulate the Heart chakra, purple colored stones are best for the crown chakra, etc. This chakra system is a very significant tool for alternative medicine practitioners to understand and comprehend energies.

The word chakra means a spinning wheel or object. It also represents the cyclic occurrence of events. It was taken from the wheels of the chariots of rulers and kings. It also referred to the Sun as things revolve around it in cyclic patterns. By these deeper meanings, the chakra system defines and represents the celestial order and balance of all things, and its relevance to an individual in their bodies.

The concept of the many energy centers in the body comes from Tantrik yoga. They are called different names other than chakras, like padmas, adharas, laksyas, etc. Depending on what text you’re looking at, the chakra system can be very different in terms of what it is called, how many chakras there are represented, what they control, etc. The modern 6+1 chakra system taught famously is just one of many!

In modern western translations and teachings, chakras are taught about in a light as if they are existential facts. The original sources when looked at carefully are being prescriptive of being able to imagine these spheres of revolving energy at a certain location in your spine, and the ability to stabilize that ball of energy with mantras, etc.

The source material doesn’t mention even once how psychological states are supposed to be controlled by the chakra system and healing through the chakra system. Modern handbook guides about the chakra system and text on websites will have you believe how instability with a certain chakra is responsible for a type of emotion or mental uneasiness. But that is not the case according to the original Sanskrit text.