Here are a list of them, their general meanings, the places in your body where they reside and a hint on why taking care of them, balancing them (like your checkbook), oops, don’t do that either? or giving them some time and attention is generally going to give you an energy boost, keep you from going down the ’sick and tired’ aisle at Walgreens and keep you from a general malaise in the beautiful spring weather!

So, your chakras de-mysitified and explained. I should also say that they are totally imagined, but, heck for 5,000 years, you had these guys and gals sitting around in caves really, really focusing on them, then growing to be, like 106 years young with no sign of tremendous effort, so….

Chakras, which range upward through the body from groin to top of the head, are energy centers of our consciousness. The word comes from the Sanskrit for “wheel” or “vortex.” Chakras function as pumps or valves, regulating the flow of energy through our bodies. They are not exactly physical, but, rather, aspects of consciousness that interact with the physical body through two major vehicles, the endocrine system and the nervous system. There are seven chakras, each associated with an endocrine gland and its functions, as well as a nerve cluster called a plexus. The seven chakras and their associations are as follows:

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* Root Chakra - material world security; sense of smell/nose; Element: earth/mother; Color: Red
* Abdominal Chakra - food and sex (bodily needs); communication; reproduction; sense of taste; Element: water; lumbar plexus; Color: Orange
* Solar Plexus Chakra - perceptions of power, control, or freedom; sense of sight; Element: fire; Color: Yellow
* Heart Chakra - relationships and love; sense of touch; Element: air; Color: Emerald Green
* Throat Chakra - expression, grace; sense of hearing and intuition; Element: ether; Color: Sky Blue
* Brow Chakra - spirituality/subconscious; this chakra, sometimes referred to as the Third Eye, controls the entire endocrine system which provides us with hormones and natural steroids, the glandular chemicals that control bodily functioning and growth; sense: “the Inner Sound,” the ability to hear which is a prerequisite to spiritual advancement;. Color: Indigo/Midnight Blue
* Crown Chakra - connectivity to the “father” concept (biological and divine), just as the Root Chakra evokes Mother Earth; sense of direction; Color: Violet.

**taken with courtesy from the ‘Gypsy Hands’ website.

Yoga is an aspect of ayurvedic health practices. Sanskrit for “union with the divine,” yoga is a discipline aiming toward a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility. In the West, this usually refers to the set of exercises practiced as part of this discipline. Different yogic disciplines emphasize different aspects or combinations of mind, body and spirit. By reaching and maintaining a variety of body positions (asanas) and the centering of the mind and breath in a meditative way, yoga practitioners increase body awareness, posture, flexibility and serenity.