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chakra

According to kundalini yoga, a chakra (pronounced chuckrah and meaning wheel or circle in Sanskrit) is a center of prana or energy. It is said that there are several of these that begin at the base of the spine and end at the top of the head. Kundalini yoga uses physical postures and concentration to increase and focus prana to make union with the Absolute.

In theosophy, the chakras are said to reside in the astral body.

New Age gurus think chakras have colors and give rise to auras that reveal one's spiritual and physical health, as well as one's karma. The "third eye," or chakra known as ajna, is thought to be the way to ESP.

The alleged energy of the chakras is not scientifically measurable, though some have tried to connect the chakras with physical organs such as the pineal gland and the thymus.

See also acupuncture, aura therapy, crystal power, Kirlian photography, magical thinking, and zenreiki.

further reading

Energy Healing: Looking in All the Wrong Places by Robert Todd Carroll

Last updated 20-Dec-2015

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