Kundalini Chakras: 8 Chakra System
Written by
Chaitanya PrabhuOverview
In Kundalini Yoga, even though the Chakras are not fully awakened, they are always manifesting themselves. Whether it is the sex drive (muladhara or root chakra) or emotions (anahata or heart chakra), our Chakras are constantly driving our existence. Since these manifestations lie in the domain of the Occult, we can't comprehend them nor articulate them. It is not a religion nor is it science; but there is another perspective to the Occult: that which is felt but cannot be put into words.
Note: While people talk about six Chakras or seven Chakras, I don't wish to indulge in useless academic debates. Here, I have presented 8 main Chakras.
For some people, these feelings are subtle and mysterious, for others, it may be a practical fact (an Occult factor disguised as mundane fact), and still others it may be a confusing energy flow. (I see red, but I'm feeling blue!) In each human being, Chakra manifestation is unique so we can't have a common language for it. Wittgenstein has stated that we can't have a private language. However, in Tantra, it's quite clear that different parts of the body communicate with each other albeit not in a way that can be put into words.
Non-Linguistic Communication
Let's look at this in another way: the physical body is communicating with itself but only those messages that go through the language-processing part of the brain get interpreted into words and so they enter our awareness. I need to tell myself that I'm hungry to realize that I'm hungry even though I may have been feeling hungry for a while.
Due to the abstract nature of the Chakras, different yogic and tantric traditions use different symbols and diagrams, but the most popular is the use of lotus blossoms. The Lotus Flower symbolizes the enlightened existence. Though it is rooted in the mud (our primordial past or our modern materialism), the stalk is firm and flexible, living through the currents of water (vagaries of life) and finally reaching out to the sun, blossoming in resplendent glory (awakening).
As a symbol, the lotus is quite significant: It represents our progress from the primordial mud to the stagnant water we live in, to the multi-dimensional and multi-faceted greater consciousness of the petals. In this manner, different Chakras are depicted as different colored lotuses having different numbers of petals.
Specific Locations of the Chakras
There are no specific locations of the Chakras! Each Chakra occupies a general region of the physical body and may be linked only symbolically to a body part. However, for purposes of chakra meditation a specific location on the body's surface is designated as the Chakra itself:
- Mooladhara (First Chakra; root chakra): Area between the anus and scrotum/vagina.
- Swadhisthana (Second Chakra; sacral chakra): Area between the genitals and the navel.
- Manipura (Third Chakra; navel chakra): The navel.
- Anahata (Fourth Chakra; solar plexus chakra): The sternum.
- Vishuddhi (Fifth Chakra; throat chakra): The throat.
- Ajna (Sixth Chakra; third-eye chakra): Between the eyebrows.
- Bindu (Seventh Chakra; nectar chakra): Back of the head where most people have a ponytail.
- Sahasrara (Highest Chakra or Crown Chakra): Top of the head.
Chakras & Cognitive Neuroscience
The chakra system describes a vertical axis of consciousness — from survival at the base to transcendence at the crown. Neuroscience independently discovered a strikingly parallel architecture: the neuroaxis organizes from primitive brainstem reflexes (survival) through limbic emotional processing up to cortical abstraction and integration. Both systems describe a bottom-up hierarchy where lower centers must be regulated before higher functions can emerge stably. The convergence is not metaphorical — it reflects the actual structure of the embodied nervous system.
| Chakra | Tantric Function | Neuroscience Parallel | Key Researcher / Model | Core Concept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muladhara | Survival, grounding, safety, excretory/sexual instinct | Dorsal & ventral vagus nerve / autonomic survival states | Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory | The vagus nerve regulates three physiological states: social engagement (ventral), fight-flight (sympathetic), and shutdown (dorsal). Muladhara stability corresponds to ventral vagal dominance. |
| Swadhisthana | Sexuality, creativity, emotional fluidity, pleasure | Hypothalamus / limbic reward circuitry | James Olds, dopamine reward system; Helen Fisher, romantic love neurocircuitry | The hypothalamus governs sexual behavior, hormonal cycles, and emotional drives. Dopaminergic reward pathways map onto the tantric concept of "flowing energy" (apana vayu). |
| Manipura | Personal will, digestion of experience, confidence, metabolism | Enteric nervous system / gut-brain axis | Michael Gershon; Emeran Mayer, Mind-Gut Connection | The "second brain" contains 500 million neurons and produces 90% of the body's serotonin. Gut feelings are real neurocognitive events, not metaphors. |
| Anahata | Unconditional love, compassion, emotional balance, breath | Cardiac neural network / heart-brain coherence | HeartMath Institute (Rollin McCraty); Barbara Fredrickson, love micro-moments | The heart contains 40,000 neurons that influence emotional processing. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a biomarker of autonomic resilience and social-emotional capacity. |
| Vishuddhi | Purification, authentic expression, communication, truth | Broca's area / vocalization network / laryngeal motor cortex | Noam Chomsky, universal grammar; Hickok & Poeppel, dual-stream model | Speech production involves a distributed network from motor cortex to larynx. "Vishuddhi" — purification — corresponds to the brain's filtering of raw thought into articulate speech. |
| Ajna | Inner vision, intuition, discernment, command of mind | Prefrontal cortex / dorsal attention network / executive control | Michael Posner & Steven Petersen; Adele Diamond, executive functions | The dorsal attention network governs top-down, goal-directed attention. The PFC enables metacognition — thinking about thinking — which is the neural equivalent of "commanding the mind." |
| Bindu | Nectar of immortality, visual processing, subtle chemistry | Pineal gland / melatonin regulation / photoreceptive non-visual pathways | Descartes; David Klein, melatonin synthesis; Berson, intrinsically photosensitive RGCs | The pineal gland produces melatonin and regulates circadian rhythm. It is photosensitive via indirect pathways. Historically called the "seat of the soul," it sits anatomically near the Bindu point. |
| Sahasrara | Supreme consciousness, unity, transcendence of identity | Whole-brain gamma synchrony / non-local integration | Antoine Lutz & Richard Davidson; Andrew Newberg, neurotheology; Giulio Tononi, IIT | Long-term meditators show sustained gamma oscillations (30-100 Hz) across distant brain regions during open awareness. This "binding" of neural activity correlates with reports of non-dual unity. |
Convergence: Why Both Systems Describe the Same Axis
The tantric chakra model and the neuroscientific neuroaxis are not merely analogous — they are two descriptions of the same embodied reality, observed through different methods. Tantra used direct meditative observation over thousands of years, mapping subtle sensations and energy flows. Neuroscience uses electrodes, imaging, and lesion studies, mapping electrical and chemical events. Both arrived at a vertical, hierarchical model because that is how the human organism is actually organized.
Both systems agree on a critical principle: lower centers must be stabilized before higher ones can function properly. In Polyvagal Theory, a person stuck in dorsal vagal shutdown (freeze) cannot access the social engagement system. In chakra theory, a blocked Muladhara prevents energy from reaching Anahata. In Maslow's hierarchy, safety needs must be met before self-actualization. In developmental psychology, secure attachment in infancy predicts executive function in adulthood. The pattern is universal because it reflects biological reality.
Both systems also agree that consciousness is modifiable through practice. Neuroscience documents neuroplasticity — the brain rewires itself based on experience. Tantra documents shaktipata and gradual awakening — the subtle body reorganizes itself based on practice. Long-term meditators show increased cortical thickness in attention regions, reduced amygdala reactivity, and enhanced interhemispheric connectivity. These are not mystical claims; they are findings published in peer-reviewed journals like NeuroImage, PNAS, and Psychosomatic Medicine.
Divergence: Energy vs. Electrons
Where the two systems part ways is in their ontology. Neuroscience is materialist: consciousness is an emergent property of neural activity. No brain, no mind. Tantra is panpsychist or panprotopsychist: consciousness is the fundamental substrate of reality; the brain is an instrument that localizes and limits it, not the source that generates it. In neuroscience, if the brain dies, consciousness ends. In Tantra, if the brain dies, the object of consciousness (this body, this personality) dissolves, but pure awareness (Turiya) remains unchanged.
Their goals also diverge sharply. Neuroscience aims at understanding, diagnosis, and treatment — restoring normal functioning, managing pathology, optimizing cognition. Tantra aims at radical transformation — not returning to a baseline but transcending the baseline entirely. A neuroscientist might study meditation to reduce anxiety; a tantrik practices meditation to dissolve the sense of a separate self and merge into supreme consciousness. One optimizes the human; the other transcends the human.
For the householder yogi, the practical synthesis is clear: use neuroscience for diagnostics, trauma processing, and understanding your biological baseline. Use the chakra system for systematic spiritual development, energetic hygiene, and direct experience of consciousness at multiple levels. The two are complementary instruments in the same laboratory — the laboratory of your own body-mind. Ignore either, and your practice remains one-dimensional.
The Obstacles to Awakening
The Sanskrit word Granthi means knot or doubt. It can also be translated as a particularly difficult knot to unravel. Granthis are the knots that bind us... They are psychological barriers to liberation (Moksha) and prevent prana from its path along sushumna nadi. The three Granthis are as follows:
- Brahma granthi functions in the region of mooladhara chakra and it signifies attachment to materialism and existential pursuits of vulgar pleasures. It represents laziness and other Tamasic qualities.
- Vishnu granthi operates in the region of anahata chakra and represents excessive emotional attachment. It represents Rajasic qualities such as ambition and domination.
- Rudra granthi functions in the region of ajna chakra. (Rudra is another name for Shiva) It is associated with egoism and egotism. In other words, it is over-identification with the super-ego.
The reason these granthis are given the names of the Hindu trinity is to demonstrate how powerful they can be to surmount. It also shows how easy it is to be fooled into accepting those qualities as virtues!
Root of Awakening
Mooladhara is the most fundamental, basic Chakra from where we commence our development, and sahasrara is where our development is completed. As we travel on this spiritual journey towards sahasrara, our daily life will be viewed differently and our insights into ourselves will become deeper (especially through in meditation). A simple example is that you will start remembering things from many years ago - things that you will feel were impossible to have remained stored in our memory. This will make you realize how powerful our brain can be.
Mooladhara is considered the first stage of evolution after becoming human and the last stage in the awakening of animals. Similarly, sahasrara is the last stage of awakening for humans and the first stage for super-intelligent creatures (gods and aliens?). Let's not forget that Tantra means expansion of consciousness (Tanoti: to expand; trayate: to liberate). Tantra does not stop us from acquiring ever-increasing degrees of intelligence and consciousness.
There are several other chakras below mooladhara, the lowest being patala (lowest level in the animal world). Similarly, above sahasrara there are other Chakras which signify the greater divine consciousness (aliens?). The upward journey passes through tamasic, rajasic, and sattvic phases - and a reverse journey is also possible! It's often stated in interpretations of tantric literature that the reverse journey is not possible. This may have been true at a time when we didn't have so many options for physical pleasures: from fast food to designer drugs.
In today's world, even without any addictions, humans have all the opportunities to devolve and perhaps even enter the animal chakras through sheer lethargy.
Spontaneous Awakening
Chakra development and awakening is no longer spontaneous because we are no longer exposed to the elements. Our environment has been stabilized through concrete houses, piped water and gas, weather control systems, and the Internet. We are isolated from nature but connected only through chat and email. For lack of any natural bodily stimulation, we have lost our ability to experience a spontaneous awakening. Occasionally it succeeds and goes to swadhisthana or even manipura simply to return to mooladhara. To ensure that Shakti goes past manipura to anahata, one has to put in the effort.
Chakra Activation Sequence: A Practical Guide
The following sequence is designed for the householder yogi — someone with a job, family, and limited time. It progresses through the eight chakras in ascending order, but with an important caveat: you cannot force the higher chakras open. You can only prepare the ground through the lower ones and invite the energy to rise. Each phase includes specific techniques, durations, and safety notes. The guide is interactive: mark steps complete as you practice, track your progress through the 40-day mandal, and follow the built-in safety protocols.
The phases are grouped into four pairs: Foundation (Muladhara + Swadhisthana), Empowerment (Manipura + Anahata), Expression (Vishuddhi + Ajna), and Transcendence (Bindu + Sahasrara). Each pair works as a unit — the lower chakra in the pair stabilizes, the upper one expands. Do not rush. The nervous system integrates change slowly. A forced awakening is not an awakening; it is a trauma.
Muladhara & Swadhisthana — Grounding & Fluidity
The ascent of Kundalini begins in the root. Without a stable Muladhara, energy cannot rise safely. The Foundation phase establishes physical grounding, pelvic awareness, and emotional fluidity. These two chakras govern survival, sexuality, and the basic sense of "I am in a body."
Suggested 40-Day Mandal Cycle
A traditional tantric mandal is 40 days of uninterrupted practice. Here is a chakra-specific progression:
- Days 1–10: Foundation only. Master Muladhara and Swadhisthana before moving upward.
- Days 11–20: Add Empowerment. Practice Foundation + Manipura/Anahata together.
- Days 21–30: Add Expression. Full sequence through Ajna, but do not force Vishuddhi or Ajna if lower chakras feel blocked.
- Days 31–40: Full sequence including Transcendence. Bindu and Sahasrara are not "practiced" — they are surrendered into.
If you miss a day, restart from day one. The mandal requires continuity to rewire the nervous system.
Safety & Contraindications
- If you experience dizziness, nausea, or emotional overwhelm during any practice, stop immediately and return to simple breath awareness.
- Agni Breath (Breath of Fire) is contraindicated during pregnancy, menstruation, high blood pressure, or glaucoma.
- Khechari Mudra should not be forced. If the tongue cannot reach the soft palate, simply rest the tip behind the upper front teeth.
- Shambhavi Mudra (eye rolling) should be gentle. Stop if you feel eye strain or headache.
- Chakra work is cumulative. Do not skip the Foundation phase to rush toward Sahasrara — this is how energetic imbalances occur.
For a gentler entry point, begin with Pranayama and basic meditation before attempting the full activation sequence.
Knowledge of the Mystics
Mystics can feel the pain of sensation of any other creature on earth because they have raised and expanded their consciousness to such a great extent that every other creature is merely an extension of their own body. The 36 Shaiva Tattvas explain this beautifully by positing us (body and mind) in a sea of consciousness that connects all creatures and objects. In that sense, we become a part of that continuous reality. It dawns on us that we are not separate from reality, not isolated from any object and that our consciousness is undifferentiated from the infiniteness of space-time. You may want to delude yourself into thinking this way.
You may argue that this is fantastic! But that is exactly the point! Wouldn't you prefer to believe in this than in some "guy in the sky" who delivers justice and your daily bread?!
© 2024 by Chaitanya Prabhu (tiahc2@gmail.com)