As far as I know, modern science has yet to actually prove that chakras exist. We can’t see them in the same way we can see brain wave patterns on an MRI brain scan. But skeptics could say the very same about God! Like His existence, even if we can’t always tangibly see Him, we know He is real by the effects He has on our world; we know a tree by its fruit (Matthew 7:20).
What are Chakras?
In meditative practice, chakras are a series of seven points in the body flowing along the Central Nervous System that correspond to different areas of your mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Today, they’re usually understood to relate somewhat symbolically to their location. Here are 5 that will be most relevant to Christians:
- The ‘head’ chakra is a center of energy that’s best associated with intellectual knowledge.
- The ‘throat’ chakra is best associated with speech and communication.
- The ‘heart’ chakra has to do with one’s willingness and ability to care for ourselves and others.
- The ‘stomach’ chakra is best known for wisdom (i.e. following your ‘gut’ instincts, or your intuition).
- The ‘root’ chakra is best known for your innermost identity, your desires, and so on.
Are Chakras Biblical?
Strictly speaking, no. The Bible (most notably, the New Testament) doesn’t speak on this topic, largely because the practice from which the philosophy on chakras originates wouldn’t come about for another few hundred centuries.
But to conclude that since chakras aren’t in the Bible, therefore Christians should dismiss them, would be a categorical mistake! The Bible doesn’t discuss many things, such as Christian hip-hop, policies on gun control, dating, nuclear weapons, the Internet, and many more. But it does discuss spiritual topics like mysticism (Acts 8) and idol-worship (Isaiah 44), when we understand God’s character and reconcile it with His immutability, we can prayerfully, earnestly, and wisely ask Him (James 1:5-7), “How should we use this energy source within us? Should we use it at all?”
What is Chakra Balancing?
Imagine you have seven plates in front of you that you have to balance all at once. At first, they’re spinning in perfect unison. After a few seconds, one plate begins to wobble while the other six continue to rotate. You’ve got to keep that one plate from falling. A moment later, two more plates start to wobble, and you re-adjust those, and on and on it goes.
Chakra balancing is a lot like balancing plates. A healthy ‘throat’ chakra means that you’re well-spoken, a great communicator, and able to hold your tongue when needed. But having an unattended ‘heart’ chakra at the same time could mean that while you speak well, you don’t have others best interests at heart (literally).
What Happens If I Don’t Do It?
Without incorporating chakra balancing into your regular prayer times, here are a few examples of some undesirable personality traits you may notice about yourself:
- A healthy ‘head’ chakra could mean you have a lot of knowledge, but with a blocked ‘throat’ chakra, you struggle to communicate your ideas. This could likely have been the root (no pun intended) cause of one of Paul’s frustrations with himself (2 Corinthians 11:6).
- A healthy ‘stomach’ chakra could mean you are wise, perhaps even prudent, but without a balanced ‘head’ chakra, you could be a bit too slow to respond to life’s circumstances. You may miss opportunities, even if you know they’re good for you (Proverbs 6:10).
- A healthy ‘root’ chakra means that you’re confident in your identity in Christ. You fear God, and not others in the world (Hebrews 13:6). You’re confident, yet vulnerable to a point where you can be open with others. But without a healthy ‘heart’ chakra, you could allow yourself to be taken advantage of (Matthew 7:6).
These are just a few examples. You could probably intuit many others with a basic understanding of symbolic placement of the chakras.
Without chakra balancing, as I mentioned before, you may notice that certain aspects of your personality are conflicting. This practice isn’t about making you into a god (John 10:34; Psalm 82:6). It’s about making you a better, wholly (not holy) balanced person.
Try it for Yourself!
Would you be open to trying to tap into these chakras in your routine prayer time? You don’t have to say anything different than you normally do. All you need to do is place your hand on your head, throat, heart, stomach, or place them in your lap during your prayer time with the Lord. Pick only one of them, and try this for a few days, and see if you notice a difference. You may notice a healthy change in energy respective to the location of that chakra.
This is not you ‘manifesting’ anything (which is not a Biblical practice), and it’s not God being a genie. It’s simply balancing the places of energy within your body to allow the Spirit to move more freely. Think of it like unblocking a traffic jam.
Does this help to explain some of your personality quirks? Try it out for a few days, and comment below with any changes you notice!
