Chakra Locations And Kshetrams

And what is a kshetram and how do you even say that word?

And while we are translating Sanskrit (a language dead longer than Latin but still used as we can see here) the word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel, which refers to the rotating nature of the energy center that a chakra is.

So we have 5 kshetrams of 5 of the chakras which is just a fancy way of saying we have 5 places on our body that represent energy centers that are mostly on our spinal column.

But there are 7 chakras! The crown and root chakras have no Kshetram, they are where they are (though as with all things chakra, there’s some room for discussion).

There are in fact way more than 7 chakras, but that’s beyond the scope here, let’s see if we can get the seven common chakras down:

• Root chakra – located at the perineum is your physical chakra, the highest chakra in animals it deals with survival. It’s Sanskrit name is Mooladhara and means root of existence. Between the root and sacral chakra is where the Kundalini sleeps
• Sacral chakra – its kshetram is located around your pubic bone though I find the area above that to feel more connective if you are placing your hand there to focus your attention. It is in fact located at the tip of your spine, if you know what a coccyx is the sacral chakra is about a finger width above the bony tip on the inside (anterior) of the coccyx. It’s the sex chakra, though my interpretation of it is also the emotional chakra. It’s Sanskrit name is Swadisthana and means one’s own home.
• Solar Plexus chakra – its kshetram is located somewhere between your navel and your sternum. I tend to go with the divot of your solar plexus for the kshetram though it feels to me like the actual chakra is not directly behind this but a bit lower on the spine. It governs your metabolism and digestion but also is a center for your lower goal oriented thoughts. Its Sanskrit name is Manipuri which means city of jewels.
• The three previous chakras make up the physical, ego, linear time chakras and the next four consist of the spirtual chakras
• Heart chakra – the kshetram for the heart chakra is the center of your chest bone and the actual chakra is on the spine behind it. You can probably guess that this is the love chakra, as in universal love. It’s possibly the most important chakra and ultimately home of the awakened Kundalini energy. Its Sanskrit name is Anahata which can mean a sound made not by striking two objects but can be simply translated as unstruck sound or even more simply, pure.
• Throat chakra – the kshetram for this is not too far from the chakra and it can be located by finding the divot at the throat pit below the Adam’s apple and its chakra is just behind this on the spine. The throat chakra is use to send and receive vibration and thus is used for communication of all kinds of psychic energy like healing. Its Sanskrit name is Vishuddha and means exceptionally pure.
• Third Eye chakra – located traditionally on the forehead the kshetram is between the eyebrows and a little above. This is the energetic focal point for the actual chakra near the center of the head at the pituitary gland. It is generally known to govern intuition and is strongly linked to psychic vision (for example seeing auras). Its Sanskrit name is Ajna which translates to command.
• Crown chakra – though there is some debate that this is a chakra let’s run with it for now. There is no kshetram, it is located on the top of the head, though some place it a bit above your head I feel the energy center on top of my head fits the description well enough and the chakras above this can be dealt with in later for those interested in additional nuance and understanding of the subtle body. It is your connection to divinity and pure consciousness.

Bonus points:

• Bindu – on the top of the back of the head the Bindu chakra is where the soul enters the body and is the origin of individuality. It’s an important part of the Nada Sanchalana Kriya we use as preparation for some of the breathwork practices

Intermediate Chakra drawing practice – Sushumna Darshan