The chakras & how they can help you live better

Ceri Lee talks about the chakras and how they can help you live better in our latest blog.

You may have heard the word chakra crop up in yoga conversations but what are they exactly and how can they help you? Understanding the chakras first means acknowledging that we are not just our physical body.

According to the yogic scriptures the body has three parts:

physical body
subtle/astral body
causal/soul body

What is the subtle body?
The subtle body is our energetic body with energy channels called nadis running through it, not unlike the nerve endings found in the nervous system of the physical body. The central channel, sushumna, is found in the spinal cord, with two secondary nadis either side called Ida & Pingala. Prana, our life-force, pulses through the sushumna canal, radiating out through the nadis in the subtle body.

Prana is vital energy, life force, which is carried in the sun, air, and water. According to yogic thought, is the motivating force of all living matter. It is understood that when prana enters the body we become bio-electrical beings, infused with light or cosmic energy that moves with the electromagnetic flow in the body and emits from our subtle body. We see it in those people who vibrantly glow, emanating a positive energy, full of vitality.

What are the chakras?
The chakras are pranic energy storehouses in the subtle body, responsible for establishing emotional, spiritual, and physical balance in the body. They are likened to a spinning wheel of light, revolving in accordance with the laws of electromagnetism, which can become blocked due to trauma, or due to the chronic manifestation of unhelpful habits built up over the years.

Modern investigation has confirmed that the light emanating from these chakras changes according to the health of a person. Each chakra links to one of the gland organs in the endocrine system of the body, with the first five also connecting to the five senses and elements.

They are integral to the free flow of energy.

Like a house, strong foundations are as vital as the design and finer features. In the same way, each chakra is valid and relevant to the overall functioning of the body. The lower chakras affect our relation to the material world and our quest within in this world, whereas the upper chakras relate to our spiritual self. For a healthy body and mind, we need all chakras to be clear of any blockages.

‘One can think of the chakras and glands as electrical transformers which will deliver maximum power if they are balanced with respect to each other.’ Jeffery Mishlove

Why chakras are important for overall health.

The endocrine system mediates between the physical body and the subtle body and is controlled by the nervous system. Together the endocrine and nervous systems help the body maintain homeostasis and influence metabolism, growth, and the reproductive cycle.

Blocked movement of energy can affect the state of equilibrium within the body.

Keeping the chakras clear maintains flow in the subtle body which positively impacts the physical body. The ancient yoga practices are designed to rectify blockages that can occur in the body to enable a free flow of energy. And feeling renewed, can lead us into an empowered future full of opportunity and possibility.

Ceri Lee BA (hons) is a senior yoga teacher, midlife mentor, founder and owner of the Yoga Light Centre, North Wales.

Ceri is leading a yoga retreat in June on La Gomera that will explore the Chakras through Yoga, Meditation & Breathwork.

Categorised in: Chakras, Featured, Holidays & retreats, Meditation, Prana, Pranayama, Yoga