Our lives improve when we begin to understand why things are the way they are, rather than wishing them to be otherwise. Obstacles become opportunities for deepening this understanding when we begin to realise this. Human beings have always looked for meaning in their lives, and the quest for this deeper understanding is universal. The chakra system is one of the tools of yoga that can help us in this quest.

Laura Susan Henry, a yoga teacher and freelance writer from North Carolina describes the chakra system as follows:
Chakras are sometimes described as vortexes of energy, which may be perceived as light, vibration, or a specific manifestation of energy. Within the body, these chakra energies are located along the spine. They are associated with the natural forces that create our physical bodies (and their complimentary natural forces and elemental states) as well as the emotional and mental energies that contribute to our personalities, attitudes, and mannerisms. The balances between these energies shape our physical, mental and emotional realities, which combine into what we perceive to be ourselves.

All prana is distributed throughout the body along subtle energy channels called nadis. To understand the chakra system, we need to know about the three main nadis. Shushumna nadi runs from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Ida nadi originates at the left side of the base of the spine and weaves it’s way up through the chakras to the eyebrow centre. Pingala nadi begins at the right side of the base of the spine and weaves it’s way up through the chakras to meet Ida at the eyebrow centre. Six of the seven chakras that are most commonly described are aligned along this channel at the junctions where these three energy channels meet. The seventh chakra is located at the crown of the head.

The way in which energy, or prana, flows through the chakras and the nadis, greatly affects us. When the chakras are balanced, energy flows freely, and we experience this as health, vitality and harmony. When chakra energy is deficient or excessive, we experience stress, and physical or emotional dis-ease.

Various yoga practices and meditation techniques can be used to diagnose these imbalances and to address them so that we can restore our vitality and wellbeing. A yoga practice can be designed with a specific chakra focus in mind, but it is important to understand that we can only single out the chakras in theory, in order to understand them more fully. In reality, they always work together as a complete system. The yoga practice will affect the whole system while addressing any imbalances, and strengthen the body�s capacity to conduct our life-force energy efficiently.

Whether you are exploring the chakras through a quiet meditation practice or working with physical postures to generate and direct the flow of prana through the chakras, please remember that the energy you are working with is subtle. Be open and receptive to your own physical, emotional and energetic responses, and remember that each of us will have a different experience, all equally valid. Over time you will discover what approaches resonate with you, and then you can integrate these into your daily practice in order to find and maintain sense of well being.

LMH