🌈 “Chakra” is a term commonly used in ancient and spiritual traditions.
🤡 It’s also used sarcastically to poke fun at what seems like “wishful thinking” from spiritual practitioners.
🔬 In this article, we will explore on scholarly evidence on the science of chakras, and provide some colour to the commonly asked question: “Are chakras real?”
Let’s begin….
What Are Chakras?
⚡ In ancient traditions, chakras are “energy centres” in the body that are believed to regulate our life force energy.
🧠 There are 7 chakras, each located along the spine. The root chakra located near the tailbone, and the crown chakra located at the top of the head.
🌀 Chakras are often depicted as spinning wheels at these different points along the spine, each associated with a certain energy (photo below).
⚖️ It is said that chakras an become “blocked,” affecting our ability experience these energies and leading to complications in our physical health.
But how dependable is this information?
The Science: Are Chakras Real?
Here is an overview of the scientific evidence of chakras:
Evidence #1: Alignment with Nerve Plexuses
🪢 The locations of the seven major chakras align closely with major “nerve plexuses” — clusters of intersecting nerves in the body
👬 There are 6 major nerve plexuses along the spine, 5 of which correspond to the locations of the different chakras (source).
🤝 In fact, 2 of these plexuses are labelled in medical textbooks as the “sacral plexus” and the “solar plexus” — the same name as the chakras (source).
👀 Thus, many chakras match up with documented nerve structures in medical textbooks.
However, there are no nerve plexuses for the third eye or crown chakras, so this argument is incomplete, and not considered to be definitive proof of the existence of chakras
Evidence #2: Alignment with Major Endocrine Glands
👬 Unlike the nerve plexuses, all 7 chakras are linked with glands in the endocrine system — responsible for regulating our hormones and energetic state.
👀 Not only do the locations of the endocrine glands match that of the chakras… but each gland also matches the function of the corresponding chakra.
❤️ For example, the ovarian and testicular glands — located near the sacral chakra — are responsible for sexual energy and expression. (source)
🌳 The pineal gland — located near the third eye — is responsible for the awareness of what is happening in the outside world. (source)
🧠 And the pituitary gland — located near the crown chakra — is know as the “master gland” because it regulates all of the other glands. (source)
👀 This, the biological functions of each gland match the spiritual function of each chakra, described in the photo from section #1.
Despite strong correlations, this evidence is not considered to be definitive proof of the existence of chakras.
Evidence #3: Distinct Energy Measurements at Each Location:
🔌 The most notable attempt to measure chakras was by Dr. Valerie Hunt at UCLA in the 1970s, using electrodes to measure changes in the body's energy at chakra points.
⚡ Hunt found (1) that each chakra point emits a specific energy, and (2) that this energy had a higher frequency than non-chakra locations.
🧑🔬 These results were repeated in another study by Jalil et al (2015), finding measurable energetic changes at each of the chakra locations.
🔬 Again, despite strong correlations, this evidence is not considered to be definitive proof of the existence of chakras.
Conclusion: Potato Potato
🔬 Whether or not “chakras” exist, it’s true that we have nerve centres and hormone-releasing glands in the same locations.
❤️ And it’s true that these centres are responsible for regulating our mood, our energy, and the health of many of our vital organs.
🤷 Therefore, we assume that nurturing these areas can have some positive effect.
⚡ If you agree, here are 6 different ways you can support the health of your chakras / endocrine nerve plexuses.
7 Ways to Support Your Endocrine Nerve Plexuses
🧘♂️ Modalities for Each Energy Centre
There are specific breathwork patterns and yoga poses that correspond to each chakra. You can find a list of these practices here. As always, we invite you to modify these practices and find the combinations that best support your personal energetic system.
🎵 Sound Therapy
The work by Valerie Hunt showed that each chakra has a distinct energetic frequency. Using sound therapy (singing bowls, tuning forks, sound frequencies) you can help tune your chakras to their natural frequency.
🎨 Color Therapy
Each chakra has a different color, corresponding to the frequency of its energy. For example, the heart chakra was found to emit 300Hz energy, which matches the frequency of the color green on the ultraviolet light spectrum (source).
It is said that wearing certain colors can influence the support we give to each chakra. You can learn more about the color of each chakra here.
🌱 Aromatherapy
Similar to colors, it is said that different aromas can activate each energy centre. You can find a list of essential oils for each chakra here (Note: most of these essences are also available in Source Oil form).
👆 Tapping
Tapping is a profound way to modulate the flow of energy through our body. It can be considered like “personal acupuncture,” opening channels for more oxygen, electricity and neurotransmitters to flow through (source)
🤍 Mindful Movement
Mindful movement is a practice of connecting with your body and letting it move wherever it needs to go — often in untraditional motions.
These motions are a form of unfiltered self expression, and can move energy into new places in your body.
🌈 Quantum Combinations
Many of these practices can be combined for a multi-sensory experience. Consider dancing to some sound frequencies, while diffusing Source Oils and wearing a color of your choice.
Summary
🌀 Chakras are energy centres in the body that are believed to regulate our life force energy.
🔬 There is no conclusive evidence that chakras exist, but there are clusters of nerves at 5 of the 7 chakra points, and hormone-releasing glands at all of the 7 chakra points
⚡ Scientists have also observed measurable energetic changes at each of the chakra locations.
🤷 So, whether “chakras” exist, it is important that important life activity is happening at each of the chakra locations, and it can be helpful to nurture these parts of our body and bioelectric field.
🌱 There are practices that can support each energy centre, from breathwork to aromatherapy, to tapping, and more. We invite you to explore which practices energize you the most.
We hope these resources support you in experiencing life more fully.
Infinite love,
Void Space Technologies 💜
Explore Further
All the information in this blog was pulled from our weekly newsletter, where we share science-backed ways to enhance your body’s inner healing potential. Each newsletter can be read in less than 4 minutes, and you can subscribe using the link on the learn page 💜