What are Chakras?

The word chakra (or as it is spelled in Sanskrit - çakra - with the c pronounced as ch) means wheel, and originally referred to a chariot wheel. Later it became associated with the term "wheel of light" which is the modern usage of the word.

The seven chakras were first described nearly 2600 years ago, in the ancient sacred texts known as the Upanishads.

Most of the current Western knowledge of the chakras comes from an English translation of Sanskrit texts from the 10th and 16th centuries.

It is interesting to note that the seven energy centers described so long ago actually have a basis in anatomy, they correspond to five main nerve ganglia of the spinal column and two areas of the brain (upper and lower). So in effect, they truly are "energy centers"!