What Is a Chakra? A Beginner’s Guide to the 7 Energy Centers
- Christine Tavolacci
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Have you ever been in a guided meditation, yoga class, or energy healing session where someone says, “Focus on your heart chakra,” and you think… okay, but what is a chakra?
Let’s start there.
This is an introductory look at what chakras are and how they function. It’s a foundation — the beginning of a deeper exploration of the chakra system and the energetic body.
watch the full video here ⤵️
What Is a Chakra?
A simple, practical definition:
Chakras are energy centers in the body that store, receive, and transmit life force energy.
They are part of the energetic body, which exists in parallel to the physical body.
Most often, we talk about the seven main chakras aligned along the spine. But there are also many smaller energy centers throughout the body — in the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, the elbows, and more.
Personally, I don’t love the term “major” and “minor,” because they’re all important. You might think of them instead as larger and smaller energy centers.
The seven main chakras are a powerful place to begin becoming familiar with your energy. Each one regulates specific aspects of your human experience.
The Origin of the Word “Chakra”
The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and means “wheel” or “disc.” The chakra system has its roots in Hinduism.
Today, many people use the term “chakra” because it provides a shared language.
Sometimes I prefer the phrase energy center, especially in healing or reading sessions. But right now, “chakra” gives us a more universal frame of reference.
It’s also important to acknowledge that many cultures recognize energy centers in the body. Variations of these systems appear in Chinese traditions, African traditions, First Nations teachings, European esoteric systems, and more. Different cultures may describe them differently — but we’re all looking at the same human energy system through slightly different windows.
The Seven Main Chakras and What They Regulate
If you memorize one thing about chakras, let it be this: What energy and information each one regulates.
This knowledge is foundational for self-healing — and essential if you are a practitioner working in different healing modalities.
1. Root Chakra (Base of the Spine)
Regulates:
Survival
Physical health and vitality
Safety and stability
Your ability to thrive on Earth - providing for yourself and any dependents
2. Sacral Chakra (Below the Navel)
Regulates:
Emotions
Sexual expression
Creativity
3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Above the Navel)
Regulates:
Ego (in all its forms)
Boundaries
Competition
Career and how you show up in the world
4. Heart Chakra (Center of the Chest)
Regulates:
Relationships of all kinds
Love
Connection, giving & receiving
5. Throat Chakra (Throat Area)
Regulates:
Communication (verbal and nonverbal) with humans, animals, plants, and spirit
Expression of truth
6. Third Eye Chakra (Center of the Head)
Regulates:
Perception
Worldview
Clairvoyance
How you interpret reality
7. Crown Chakra (Top of the Head)
Regulates:
Knowingness
Divine wisdom
Spiritual connection and understanding
Chakras and the Physical Body
Chakras are part of the energetic body, but they connect strongly to the physical body — particularly through the endocrine system.
Each main chakra corresponds to a gland:
Root → Reproductive glands
Sacral → Adrenal glands
Solar Plexus → Pancreas
Heart → Thymus
Throat → Thyroid
Third Eye → Pineal gland
Crown → Pituitary gland
If you’re experiencing a health issue related to one of these glands, it can be helpful to explore the corresponding chakra. It’s not always cut and dry, but what happens energetically affects the physical body — and what happens physically influences the energetic body.
They are in constant conversation.
Why Are Chakras the Colors of the Rainbow?
You’ve probably seen the classic image: chakras arranged in rainbow colors from red at the base to violet at the crown.
Chakras are always spinning. If you’re alive, they’re spinning — whether optimally or not.
They spin at different rates. From bottom to top, the chakras move from slower to faster vibration. Red is the slowest visible color frequency; violet is the fastest.
The rainbow depiction reflects this vibrational progression:
Root → Red (slowest)
Crown → Violet (fastest)
However, when reading the energy of the chakras — your own or someone else’s — you may perceive different colors or imagery. That doesn’t automatically mean something is “wrong.” Energy perception varies.
Just as people looking out different windows see the same landscape from unique angles, we each perceive energy through our own lens.
The most important thing is spending time in meditation and becoming familiar with your own "language of color".
Deepening Your Understanding
The best way to understand chakras is not just intellectually — but experientially.
Meditation, awareness practices, and energy work help you cultivate direct understanding.
If you want to explore further, two books I especially appreciate are:
Your Aura and Your Chakras by Karla McLaren
Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith
Both offer deeper insight into the chakra system and practical tools for working with it.
Chakras are not abstract concepts. They are living, dynamic aspects of your energetic anatomy.
The more you understand what each energy center regulates — and the more time you spend noticing your own energy — the more empowered you become on your self-healing journey and in your life.
explore this chakra balancing meditation ⤵️
➡️ If you want to learn how to read the energy of the chakras for yourself and others, check out my comprehensive six-month training, Intuitive Freedom.
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