Chakras – a deeper understanding🔗

Strictly speaking, the chakras are not present in the physical body at all. They exist on the metaphysical plane, and link together our three shareeras or bodies.

The individual is made up of three shareeras - the physical or gross body (sthula sharira), the mental or subtle body (sukshma sharira) and the causal body (karana sharira).

While the five layers (body, breath, mind, intelligence and bliss layers) are categorized according to their functions, the three bodies are categorized according to the states of consciousness where they come into play.

Each of the shareeras or bodies is associated with a particular state of consciousness.

The physical body is the body we know in the waking state, which eats, speaks, moves about and so on. This is the only body we are really familiar with.

The mental body is that we use when we dream.

While our body is lying fast asleep in our bed at home, in our dream we may be traveling in another country.

How does this happen?

At this time, we are using the mental body to travel around! In the dream state, the mental body is as real and functional as the physical body in the waking state. We also use our mental body in the waking state to think, verbalize, visualize and so on.

The causal body is the one we use when we are in deep restful dream less sleep. It is made up of pure tamas (inertness). During our sleep cycle there are phases when the mind becomes dormant and there are no thoughts. This is the time when we experience the causal body.

These three bodies are not separate as we may think. They are tightly coupled. Consider two curved lines drawn on a piece of paper in such a way that they intersect at seven different points.

If one of the lines represent the physical body, the other line represents the subtle body and the paper represents the causal body, the seven points at which the physical and the subtle body meet the causal body are the locations of the seven chakras or energy centers.

So the seven chakras are present at the intersection of the physical, sub tle and the causal body.

Some recent research in aura photography has been able to even photo graph these energy centers.