Chakras are, according to yogic philosophy, channels within the human body (nadis) through which vital energy (prana) circulates that nourishes organs and systems.
There are several different and independent routes through which this energy circulates. The chakras are the points where these energetic routes are closest to the surface of the body.
Imagine that the chakras are a lamp with an outlet on the side. They both indicate the amount of energy in that specific system and can be used to recharge the system's energy. There are many channels and a great divergence as to the exact number. Some lines claim to have 32, another 114 and still 88,000 - being accepted by all that the main ones are seven.
The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and means "wheel", "disc", "center" or "plexus". In this form they are perceived by seers as vortices (eddies) of vital energy, spirals spinning at high speed, vibrating at vital points in our body. The chakras are points of intersection between various planes and through them our etheric body manifests itself more intensely in the physical body.
The Vedas (5,000 BC) contain the oldest known chakras records. When they were written, Yoga already systematized the knowledge and energetic work of the chakras.
There are seven main chakras, arranged from the base of the spine to the top of the head and each corresponds to one of the seven main glands in the human body. Each of these chakras is in close correspondence with certain physical, mental, vital or spiritual functions. In a healthy body, all of these vortexes spin at great speed, allowing “prana” to flow upward through the endocrine system. But if one of these centers begins to slow down, the flow of energy is inhibited or blocked - resulting in aging or illness.
The chakras are connected to each other by a kind of main etheric tube (Nadi) called “Sushumna”, along the central axis of the human body, through which two other alternating channels “Ida” that leave the base of the spine to the left of Sushumna and "Pingala" on the right (in the woman these positions are inverted).
Nadis conduct and regulate “Prana” (yin and yang energies) in concentric spirals. These Nadis are the main ones, among thousands, that travel the entire body in all directions, meridian lines and points. For Hindus, Nadis are sacred, it is through "Sushumna" that the yogi leaves his physical body, comes into contact with the higher planes and brings the memory of his experiences to his physical brain.
The chakras are of an Etheric nature, but there are the astral chakras and the Mental body chakras.
Fonte: Espaço Holisticos e wikipedia
