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A chakra (from the sanskrit, "wheel, circle") is an energy node in the human body as taught in Hinduism and its spiritual systems of Yoga and in some related cultures. According to these systems, the human body has seven major chakras and countless minor ones. The seven main chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra is associated with a certain color, multiple specific functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element, and other distinguishing characteristics. The chakras vitalise the physical body and are associated with interactions of both a physical and mental nature. The chakras are loci of life energy, or prana, which flows among them along pathways called nadis.
The following sets forth some distinguishing characteristics of each chakra:
| chakra | color | primary functions | associated element |
| Root chakra | red | instinct, sexual energy | earth |
| Navel chakra (Hara) | orange | emotion | water |
| Solar plexus chakra | yellow | intellect | fire |
| Heart/lung chakra | emerald green or pink | devotion, love, compassion, healing | air |
| Throat chakra | blue | speech, self-expression | ether |
| Third eye | indigo | intuition, ESP | time |
| Crown chakra (just above the head) | violet; may assume color of dominant chakra | connection to god | space |
The earliest known mention of chakras is found in the later Upanishads, including specifically the Brahma Upanishad and the Yogatattva Upanishad. These vedic models were adapted in Tibetan Buddhism as Vajrayana theory, and in the Tantric Shakta theory of chakras.
Chakrology is a neologism sometimes employed by Alternative Medicine practitioners or esoteric philosophers for the study of chakras. There are many different chakrologies, some of them based on ancient Indian Hindu Tantric esoteric traditions, New Age interpretations, or Western occult analyses, as well as ancient Greek and Christian references. Croatian esoteric philosopher and physicist Muladhara
It is alleged by modern mystics that in Hesychasm, the centres of prayer were points of concentration or meditation on the body to be used during the hesychastic prayer, comparable to the Tantric chakras and similar doctrines in Tibetan Buddhism. This terminology, however, is not used in Orthodox Christianity and is not part of Hesychasm as practiced within the Orthodox Churches.
Hesychasm specifies four centres:
This compares notably with Tibetan Buddhism, in which the sequence of centres is very similar, beginning with the eyebrows and going down to the heart, which symbolizes the highest consciousness.
Traditional Chinese medicine also relies on a similar model of the human body as an energy system.
The New Age movement has led to an increased interest in the West regarding chakras.
Supporters of the notion of chakras explain the lack of confirmation of their existence in Western medical science by noting that current technology is not capable of measuring life energy or chakras.
The Danish author and musician Peter Kjaerulff in his book, The Ringbearers Diary describes the chakras in great detail, including the reasons for their appearance and their exact functions. Shortly put, the seven chakra's reflect how the unified conscioussness of man (the immortal human being / the soul), is divided to manage different aspects of earthly life (body / instinct / vital energy / deeper emotions / communication / having an overview of life / contact to God). The chakra's are placed on an intermediate layer which lies between the spirit and the earthly body.
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