In this guide

The room is dark but for a single candle. A woman sits cross-legged on a wool blanket, her spine straight, her hands resting on her knees. She closes her eyes and begins to breathe slowly, drawing her attention to the base of her spine. She feels a warmth there, a faint pulse. She is not trying to see anything. She is listening inward. This is the oldest practice associated with the chakras: the simple act of placing awareness on a point in the body and waiting for what stirs.

What Are Chakras? A Definition

Chakras are energy centers in the human body, described in Hindu and Buddhist tantric texts as wheels of spinning light that govern physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The word itself comes from the Sanskrit cakra (चक्र), meaning “wheel” or “disk.” The classical system recognizes seven primary chakras aligned along the spinal column, from the perineum to the crown of the head. Each is associated with a specific color, element, sound, and life domain. The key fact: when these centers are balanced and unobstructed, energy (prana) flows freely, and the person experiences health, clarity, and groundedness. When they are blocked or depleted, the corresponding areas of life suffer.

This guide is the hub of our chakra vertical at Le Grand Grimoire. Here we map the full landscape: the origins, the inner structure of the system, the key texts and figures, how it is practiced today, and the misconceptions that cling to it. The detailed guides that follow from this page will take you deeper into each aspect — especially the practical work of clearing, balancing, and understanding blockages.

What Belongs to This Field and What Does Not

This guide is the hub of the chakra vertical at Le Grand Grimoire, and its field is defined by its center: the seven energy centers of the Indian tradition and the practices that work with them. What belongs to the field: the chakras themselves and their correspondences, the meditation and the healing practices, the kundalini and the nadis, the chakra system in the yoga, the tantra, and the modern energy work. What does not belong: the systems that are often confused with the chakras but are distinct — the aura and the subtle bodies, the meridians of the Chinese medicine, the energy healing systems like the Reiki that work with the chakras among other elements. The field is the system of the seven centers, and the hub organizes the articles that explore it.

Where Do Chakras Come From? A Brief History

The chakra system is a coherent map of the subtle body, but it has been borrowed, reshaped, and sometimes distorted by many traditions. We need to draw a clear perimeter.

The system belongs to the tantric traditions of India and Tibet, primarily the Hindu schools of Kundalini Yoga, Shaiva Siddhanta, and Sri Vidya, as well as the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition of the five chakras. In these contexts, chakras are not merely symbolic. They are real, perceptible features of the subtle anatomy — the meeting points of the nadis (energy channels) through which the serpent power of kundalini rises.

What does not belong to this field? The chakra system is not the same as the meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine, though both are subtle energy maps. Meridians run along the surface of the body; chakras are concentrated vortices along the spine. It is not a purely psychological model — though modern writers like Anodea Judith have successfully mapped chakra themes onto developmental psychology. And it is not a New Age invention, despite the commercialized form that dominates bookstores and Instagram. The chakras were already ancient when the first Western occultists encountered them in the 19th century.

The borders matter because they protect the integrity of the tradition. When we speak of chakras at Le Grand Grimoire, we ground our work in the classical sources while acknowledging the legitimate adaptations that have emerged over the past century.

How the Tradition Formed and Changed: A History of the Chakras

The earliest known references to bodily energy centers appear in the Yoga Upanishads, composed between roughly 600 BCE and 300 CE. These texts describe nadis and prana but do not yet name the chakras as a distinct system. The first detailed enumeration of seven chakras comes from the Shat-Chakra-Nirupana (“Description of the Six Chakras”), a 16th-century text by the Bengali tantric scholar Purnananda Swami (born 1526). This text, written in Sanskrit, describes the six lower chakras plus the thousand-petaled lotus above the crown. It was part of a larger work called the Sri-Tattva-Chintamani.

Purnananda’s text was not widely known outside India until the British civil servant and Orientalist Sir John Woodroffe (1865–1936), writing under the pen name Arthur Avalon, translated and published it in 1919 as part of The Serpent Power. Woodroffe’s work was a watershed. For the first time, Western readers had access to a reliable, annotated translation of the tantric chakra system. Woodroffe was not a practitioner; he was a scholar and a judge. But his translation remains the foundation of all serious later study.

The next major shift came from the Theosophical Society. In 1927, C. W. Leadbeater (1854–1934), a former Anglican priest turned clairvoyant and Theosophist, published The Chakras. Leadbeater claimed to see the chakras as whirling vortices of color, and he assigned to each chakra a specific number of “spokes” or petals, colors, and correspondences that differed from the tantric originals. He introduced the association of the chakras with the seven colors of the rainbow (red through violet), which is now standard in the West but is not found in the classical texts. Leadbeater’s system was intuitive, visual, and easy to teach. It became the template for almost all popular chakra literature.

The third major figure is Anodea Judith, a psychotherapist and yoga teacher who published Wheels of Life in 1987. Judith integrated the chakra system with Western developmental psychology, mapping each chakra to a stage of human growth (survival, sexuality, power, love, communication, intuition, transcendence). Her work is the bridge between the esoteric tradition and the self-help industry. It is widely used in yoga teacher training and somatic therapy.

The chakra system also traveled into Tibetan Buddhism, where the Vajrayana tradition recognizes five chakras (at the crown, throat, heart, navel, and secret place) and uses them in visualizations during tantric meditation. The Tibetan system tends to emphasize the heart chakra as the central seat of consciousness, a difference from the Hindu emphasis on the crown.

What does this history mean for the practitioner? It means there is no single “original” chakra system. There is a family of related systems, each shaped by its time, its culture, and the person who transmitted it. We at Le Grand Grimoire work primarily from the classical Hindu model as presented by Purnananda and Woodroffe, but we respect the Theosophical and psychological adaptations as legitimate evolutions of the tradition.

The Inner Structure of the Field: The Seven Chakras and Their Schools

The field is structured by the seven chakras and the schools that read them. The seven centers — the root, the sacral, the solar plexus, the heart, the throat, the brow, and the crown — form the spine of the system, each with its location, its element, its color, its function, and its practice. The schools differ in the reading: the classical tantric school with the deities and the seed syllables, the yogic school with the breath and the postures, the Theosophical and the New Age schools with the colors and the psychology. What does this history mean for the practitioner? It means the chakra system is a living map with many readings, and the practitioner works within the school that fits the purpose.

The Seven Chakras: Location, Function, and Symbolism

The chakra system is not a flat list of seven points. It is a living architecture with relationships, hierarchies, and subdomains. We will walk through the seven chakras in order, then describe the major schools that interpret them differently.

The Seven Classical Chakras

Each chakra is a junction where nadis (energy channels) intersect. The three main nadis are the ida (left, lunar, feminine), the pingala (right, solar, masculine), and the sushumna (central, the channel of kundalini). The chakras are arranged along the sushumna, which runs inside the spinal column.

1. Muladhara (Root Chakra), Location: perineum, between the anus and genitals. Color: red. Element: earth. Bija mantra: Lam. This is the foundation. It governs survival, physical safety, the legs, and the adrenal glands. A blocked root chakra shows up as chronic anxiety, financial instability, or a feeling of disconnection from the body. A simple practice: sit on the floor, press the right heel into the perineum, and chant Lam while visualizing a red, four-petaled lotus opening downward.

2. Svadhisthana (Sacral Chakra), Location: lower abdomen, two finger-widths below the navel. Color: orange. Element: water. Bija mantra: Vam. This is the seat of sexuality, creativity, and emotional fluidity. It governs the reproductive organs and the kidneys. When balanced, a person feels emotionally alive and creatively inspired. When blocked, there is guilt around sexuality, sexual dysfunction, or creative block. The associated practice involves hip-opening yoga poses (like bound angle) and chanting Vam while feeling the warmth of orange light in the lower belly.

3. Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra), Location: at the navel. Color: yellow. Element: fire. Bija mantra: Ram. This is the center of personal power, will, and digestion. It governs the stomach, liver, and pancreas. A strong Manipura gives confidence and the ability to set boundaries. A blocked one leads to low self-esteem, digestive issues, or a need to control others. The practice: stand in a strong posture, place both hands on the belly, and chant Ram with a sharp, forceful exhalation.

4. Anahata (Heart Chakra), Location: center of the chest, at the heart. Color: green (sometimes pink). Element: air. Bija mantra: Yam. This is the bridge between the lower three (physical) and upper three (spiritual) chakras. It governs love, compassion, and the thymus gland. The heart chakra is not only about romantic love; it is the capacity for unconditional kindness to self and others. A blocked heart chakra shows as guardedness, inability to forgive, or chest tightness. The practice: place the palm over the heart, breathe slowly, and chant Yam while feeling the chest expand.

5. Vishuddha (Throat Chakra), Location: at the throat, near the thyroid gland. Color: blue. Element: ether (space). Bija mantra: Ham. This is the center of communication, truth, and expression. It governs the voice, the ears, and the thyroid. A clear Vishuddha allows a person to speak their truth without aggression or fear. A blocked one results in chronic sore throat, fear of speaking, or lying. The practice: tilt the head back, feel the stretch in the throat, and chant Ham with a steady, resonant tone.

6. Ajna (Third Eye Chakra), Location: between the eyebrows, slightly above. Color: indigo. Element: light (beyond the elements). Bija mantra: Om (or Aum). This is the seat of intuition, perception, and the command center of the mind. It governs the pineal gland and the pituitary gland. A developed Ajna gives clarity, insight, and the ability to see beyond illusion. A blocked one leads to confusion, headaches, or over-reliance on logic. The practice: sit in stillness, gaze softly at the point between the brows, and chant Om silently.

7. Sahasrara (Crown Chakra), Location: at the top of the head, the fontanel area. Color: violet or white. Element: none (beyond the elements). Bija mantra: silence. This is the thousand-petaled lotus, the connection to the divine, pure consciousness, and enlightenment. It governs the cerebrum. It is not a center to be “opened” in the same way as the others; it is the culmination of the entire system. When the kundalini rises through the lower chakras and reaches the crown, the practitioner experiences samadhi (union). The practice: no mantra, no effort. Simply rest in awareness of the space above the head.

The Major Schools of Interpretation

The classical system above is the most common, but it is not the only one.

The Theosophical School (Leadbeater/Judith): Colors are expanded and standardized into the rainbow. Leadbeater added secondary chakras (the spleen chakra, the “alta major” chakra). This school is the source of most modern chakra charts, crystal grids, and chakra-themed yoga classes. It is less concerned with kundalini and more with psychological balance and healing.

The Tibetan Buddhist School: Uses five chakras (crown, throat, heart, navel, secret). The secret chakra is at the base of the spine, similar to Muladhara. The practice involves visualization of the chakras as five-colored discs during tantric meditation, and the goal is not the upward rise of kundalini but the purification of the subtle body through the generation of internal heat (tummo).

The Sri Vidya School: A South Indian tradition of Tantra that focuses on the chakras as the seats of goddesses. The central practice is the Shri Chakra (a geometric diagram) and the rising of the kundalini through the six chakras to the Sahasrara, where the goddess and the supreme consciousness unite.

The Modern Integrative School: This is the eclectic blend found in most yoga studios. It draws from Judith’s psychology, Leadbeater’s colors, and the basic framework of the seven chakras. It adds elements from healing modalities: crystals (garnet for root, carnelian for sacral, etc.), essential oils, sound therapy (singing bowls tuned to chakra frequencies), and yoga asanas.

Major Chakra Schools Compared

Each school has its own logic. We at Le Grand Grimoire do not favor one over the other. We present them as tools. The practitioner should choose the system that resonates with their own experience and their goals.

Key Texts, Figures, and Traditions

Texts (dated)

  • Shat-Chakra-Nirupana (16th century) by Purnananda Swami. The foundational text of the seven-chakra system. Available in English translation as part of The Serpent Power.
  • The Serpent Power (1919) by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe). The translation that introduced the chakras to the West. Includes the original Sanskrit, commentary, and diagrams.
  • The Chakras (1927) by C. W. Leadbeater. The Theosophical reinterpretation that popularized the rainbow associations and the idea of chakras as visible to clairvoyants.
  • Wheels of Life (1987) by Anodea Judith. The modern psychological integration. The most widely used chakra textbook in the West.
  • Chakra Yoga (2002) by Anodea Judith. A practical guide to asanas for each chakra.
  • The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation (translated by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, 1954) includes references to the Tibetan chakra system.

Figures

  • Purnananda Swami (1526–?): Bengali tantric scholar. His work is the source of the classical model.
  • Sir John Woodroffe (1865–1936): British judge, scholar of Tantra, author as Arthur Avalon. His work gave the West a solid textual foundation.
  • C. W. Leadbeater (1854–1934): Theosophist, clairvoyant, author. His system is the most visually influential.
  • Anodea Judith (born 1947): American therapist, yoga teacher, author. She made the chakras accessible to the therapeutic and self-help community.
  • Harish Johari (1934–1999): Indian scholar and artist, author of Chakras: Energy Centers of Transformation (1987). He provided detailed color and sound associations based on the tantric tradition.

Traditions

  • Kundalini Yoga (as taught by Yogi Bhajan from 1968): A modern system that uses kriyas (sets of exercises) to activate the chakras and raise kundalini.
  • Tantric Shaivism (Kashmir): The philosophical background of the chakra system, where the chakras are stages in the manifestation of consciousness.
  • Sri Vidya Tantra: A South Indian tradition that uses the Shri Chakra and the chakras as the body of the goddess.

Essential Terms: A Compact Glossary

TermOne-Line Definition
Chakra (चक्र)A wheel or vortex of energy located along the spine, associated with a specific life domain.
Nadi (नाडी)A subtle energy channel; 72,000 nadis are said to exist, with Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna being the primary.
Kundalini (कुण्डलिनी)The dormant spiritual energy coiled at the base of the spine, symbolically depicted as a serpent.
Muladhara (मूलाधार)The root chakra, located at the perineum, associated with survival and earth.
Svadhisthana (स्वाधिष्ठान)The sacral chakra, located below the navel, associated with sexuality and water.
Manipura (मणिपूर)The solar plexus chakra, at the navel, associated with will and fire.
Anahata (अनाहत)The heart chakra, at the center of the chest, associated with love and air.
Vishuddha (विशुद्ध)The throat chakra, at the throat, associated with communication and ether.
Ajna (आज्ञा)The third eye chakra, between the eyebrows, associated with intuition and light.
Sahasrara (सहस्रार)The crown chakra, at the top of the head, the thousand-petaled lotus of pure consciousness.
Prana (प्राण)The vital life force that flows through the nadis and chakras.
Granthi (ग्रन्थि)A “knot” or block in the subtle body, usually located at the root, heart, and forehead.
Bija Mantra (बीज मन्त्र)A seed syllable (e.g., Lam, Vam, Ram) used to activate each chakra.

How the Tradition Is Practiced Today

The chakra tradition is practiced today in the meditation, the yoga, and the energy work. The meditation works with the centers in sequence: the attention held at each chakra, the color and the sound of the center — the bija mantra, the seed syllable such as Lam for the root and Om for the crown — the breath directed to the point. The yoga works with the postures that open the centers: the hip openers for the root, the heart openers for the heart, the inversions for the crown. The energy work — the Reiki, the healing, the bodywork — treats the chakras as the points of the assessment and the balance. The practices are not mutually exclusive: many practitioners move between the meditation, the yoga, and the energy work, and the tradition is the family of the methods that work with the seven centers.

How to Work with Your Chakras: Four Core Practices

The practice of chakra work is not a single thing. It is a landscape of methods, from the solitary meditator in a cold room to the group yoga class with singing bowls and crystals. Here is what it looks like, concretely, as it is done.

The Sitting Practice. The practitioner finds a quiet space. They sit on a cushion or a blanket, legs crossed, spine straight. They take a few breaths to settle. Then they begin to move their awareness up the spine, starting at the root. They may touch each corresponding point on the body: the perineum, the lower belly, the navel, the heart, the throat, the forehead, the crown. At each point, they pause and breathe. They visualize the color of the chakra: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. They may whisper the bija mantra. They do not force anything. The goal is to feel the subtle sensation: a warmth, a vibration, a pulse. If a chakra feels numb or painful, they stay longer. This is a daily practice for many, taking 10 to 30 minutes.

The Yoga Practice. In a typical chakra-oriented yoga class, the teacher sequences poses to target each chakra in order. For root chakra, standing poses and grounding poses like Mountain or Garland. For sacral, hip openers like Pigeon. For solar plexus, core work and breath of fire. For heart, chest openers like Cobra. For throat, neck stretches and shoulder stand. For third eye, forward folds and child’s pose. For crown, headstand or seated meditation. The teacher may play a singing bowl tuned to the frequency of each chakra (e.g., 396 Hz for root, 417 Hz for sacral, etc.). The room smells of sandalwood or sage.

The Healing Session. A practitioner lies on a mat, fully clothed. The healer places their hands a few inches above the body, scanning the chakras. They may feel heat, cold, tingling, or a sense of emptiness. They then use crystals: a red jasper for the root, a carnelian for the sacral, a citrine for the solar plexus, a green aventurine for the heart, a blue lapis for the throat, an amethyst for the third eye, and a clear quartz for the crown. The crystals are placed on the corresponding points. The healer may also use tuning forks, essential oils, or reiki. The session lasts about an hour. The client often reports feeling lighter, more centered, or emotionally released.

The Sound Practice. The practitioner chants the bija mantras aloud, one for each chakra, moving from root to crown. The chanting is done in a monotone, holding each note for several breaths. The vibration of the sound is felt in the body, Lam in the pelvis, Vam in the lower belly, Ram at the navel, Yam in the chest, Ham in the throat, Om in the forehead. The crown chakra is received in silence. This practice is ancient and direct. It requires no props, no special clothes, no belief. It is simply the body and the voice.

These practices are not mutually exclusive. Many practitioners combine them. The key is regularity. A single session can clear a temporary blockage, but the chakras respond to consistent attention. They are like a garden: they need daily tending, not a single heroic effort.

Common Misconceptions About the Chakra System

The common error is treating the chakras as the fixed anatomical facts — the seven organs of the body, located, measured, and corrected like the physical systems. The chakras are the subtle centers, and the tradition itself describes them as the functional and the symbolic — the points where the energies meet, mapped through the correspondences. Another error is the flattening of the system — the seven colors and the seven meanings of the popular culture, the chakras as the simple psychological types. The classical system is richer: the deities, the elements, the syllables, the stages of the practice, the whole apparatus of the tantric tradition. And a persistent error: the chakras are not the exclusive property of the New Age; they are the ancient system of the Indian tradition, and the modern reading is one layer of a deep inheritance.

Common Misconceptions About Chakras

The chakra system has become so popular that it has accumulated a thick layer of misunderstanding. Here are the most common errors, corrected.

Misconception 1: Chakras are physical organs. They are not. You cannot dissect a body and find a chakra. They are subtle energy centers, perceptible to the trained inner sense but not to the scalpel. This does not make them unreal. It means they belong to a different order of reality, the subtle body, not the gross body.

Misconception 2: You can permanently “open” a chakra. No. The chakras are not gates that stay open once forced. They are dynamic. They open and close in response to your state of being, your health, your emotions, your environment. A healthy chakra is not “open” all the time; it is flexible, spinning at the right speed for the situation. The goal is not to blast the chakras open, but to restore their natural, rhythmic function.

Misconception 3: The seven chakras are the only ones. The classical system mentions minor chakras (such as the spleen chakra, the knees, the soles of the feet). The Tibetan system uses five, not seven. The tradition itself is not dogmatic about the number. The seven-chakra model is the most widely taught, but it is a map, not the territory.

Misconception 4: Chakras are only for spiritual people. They are not. Every human being has a subtle body, whether they believe in it or not. The chakras function regardless of belief. People who have never heard of chakras still experience their effects when they feel “off” after a stressful month or “light” after a good yoga class. The chakra system is a description of a universal human experience, not a religious doctrine.

Misconception 5: The rainbow color system is ancient. It is not. As we noted, the association of the seven chakras with the seven rainbow colors is a 20th-century innovation from C. W. Leadbeater. The classical texts specify colors for some chakras (e.g., red for root, yellow for solar plexus), but they do not use the rainbow sequence. This does not make the rainbow system wrong. It makes it modern. Use it if it works, but know its lineage.

FAQ

How many chakras are there in the human body? The most common system teaches seven primary chakras along the spine, but the classical texts describe many minor chakras, and other traditions (such as Tibetan Buddhism) use five or six. The seven-chakra model is the standard for Western practice.

What does it mean when a chakra is “blocked”? A blocked chakra means the energy is not flowing freely through that center. It can manifest as physical symptoms (pain, tension), emotional issues (fear, anger, numbness), or life problems (financial struggle, relationship difficulty). The blockage is usually a response to trauma, stress, or chronic patterns of thought and behavior.

What is kundalini, and is it dangerous? Kundalini is the latent spiritual energy at the base of the spine. When awakened, it rises through the chakras, potentially causing intense physical and emotional sensations. It can be dangerous if forced or rushed without proper preparation. Traditional tantric texts emphasize spiritual discipline, purification, and the guidance of a qualified teacher. The modern practice of kundalini yoga is generally safe when taught by a certified instructor.

Do I need to believe in chakras for them to work? No. The chakras are a map of the subtle body, not a belief system. You can practice the techniques (breathing, visualization, yoga) without believing in anything, and they will still have an effect on your body and mind. The system works because it is based on observable human experience, not faith.

Where to Go Next

This hub has given you the framework. The next step is to go deeper into the practical work. The chakras are not a theory to memorize. They are a body to inhabit.

We recommend starting with the guide on how to know if your chakras are blocked, it walks you through the signs and symptoms of each chakra, helping you identify where your attention is needed. Read it here: Chakras Blocked Chakras: How to Know if Your Chakras Are Blocked, Signs to Watch For.

Then, move to the step-by-step clearing practice: Chakras Blocked Chakras: How to Clear Your Chakras for Beginners, A Step by Step Guide.

For a deeper understanding of what causes blockages in the first place, read: Chakras Blocked Chakras: Understanding Blocked Chakras Symptoms and Causes.

The chakra system is a living tradition. It has been shaped by centuries of practice, debate, and adaptation. At Le Grand Grimoire, we honor that depth. We invite you to explore, to practice, and to find your own relationship with the spinning wheels of light within you.