Knowra Chakra Chakra A chakra is a subtle-body center described in some South Asian and Tibetan contemplative traditions. Its number, location, symbolism, and role vary across traditions and texts.
Subtle body : A body conceived as a network of subtle channels, centers, winds, or energies in contemplative traditions. Chakras are mapped within this nonphysical anatomy.
Chakra meditation : A contemplative practice that focuses attention on one or more chakras through imagery, breath, or mantra. It treats chakra locations as supports for focused practice.
Ṣaṭcakranirūpaṇa : A sixteenth-century Sanskrit text describing six chakras and the thousand-petaled lotus above them. Its chakra map strongly influenced later presentations of the system.
Seven-chakra system : A modern influential arrangement of seven centers along the body's midline, each associated with symbolic attributes. It is one specific scheme, not a universal template across traditions.
Nadi : A channel in subtle-body systems through which vital energy is said to move. Some chakra systems place centers at intersections of these channels.
Mantra : A syllable, word, or phrase repeated or contemplated in religious and meditative practice. Some chakra systems assign seed syllables to particular centers.
Pūrṇānanda : A Bengali tantric author traditionally associated with the Ṣaṭcakranirūpaṇa. His text became a major source for modern accounts of chakras.
Tibetan Buddhist subtle body : A tantric Buddhist model of channels, winds, and centers used in contemplative and yogic practice. Its center counts and functions differ from popular seven-chakra presentations.
Prana : Vital breath or life force described in Indian religious and philosophical traditions. Some accounts describe it as moving through channels and being organized around chakras.
Pranayama : Yogic practices for regulating breath through deliberate patterns of inhalation, exhalation, and retention. Breath regulation is used alongside chakra visualization in some practices.
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