How Chakras Work & How Chakra Spins?

On your spiritual journey, you've probably come across the chakra system. The term chakra is derived from Sanskrit (a holy Hindu language) and it literally means "wheel of light."

In our bodies, there are seven main chakras, or energy centers, each of which has its characteristics and links to various aspects of our being:

1. Root Chakra - located at the perineum.
2. Sacral Chakra - located at the sacrum.
3. Solar Plexus Chakra - located at the solar plexus.
4. Heart Chakra - located at the chest.
5. Throat Chakra - located at the throat.
6. Third Eye Chakra - located at the forehead.
7. Crown Chakra - located at the top of the head.

Chakras are important energetic points that determine the body and mind's health.

Just like the brain regulates the physical, mental and intellectual activities of the nerve cells, chakras tap into the prana energy that is present in all living organisms.

According to Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain beliefs, the seven chakras represent how energy flows through us in a metaphysical sense.

But how do the chakras actually generate this energy and how do we maintain a healthy flow of energy in our body? 

Let's dive a bit deeper into this topic and see if we can find an answer to these fascinating questions!

How Does Chakra Work?

Chakras are usually portrayed as lotus flowers or vivid vortexes of energy that perpetually spin at varying speeds like wheels.

The spin of a chakra is a complicated interplay that allows energy to be converted from subtle to tangible and vice versa.

Chakras are similar to actual organs in the body. They are formed of energy, they have essential duties to perform and interact with other organs like cogs and wheels in a machine.

However, the job of a chakra goes beyond what may be found in a specific job description of a physical organ.

Each chakra oversees a field of your body and a series of emotional and mental matters and emphasizes parts of your unique spiritual identity.

How Does Chakra Spin?

People who can see the energies that are invisible to the human eye describe chakra as a swiftly spinning wheel of light, moving so quickly that we would experience it as a blur if it was visible.

Chakras can spin in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction:

• When chakras rotate clockwise, they release energy from our bodies into the space around us.
• When chakras spin counterclockwise, they draw energy from our external environment towards us.

The frequency of our chakra's vibration dictates the direction of our energy flow as it either draws energy into or releases it from our body.

If we slowed the chakra's rapid movement, we would perceive it as a whirlpool with spinning vortexes inside of it.

Each of the main seven chakras has a various amount of these vortexes. The vortexes would resemble the curled petals of a lotus flower if we stopped the activity of a given chakra.

This is one of the main reasons why ancient East Indian gurus compared chakras to lotus flowers and assigned each one a specific number of petals.

Lotus petals are an expression of each chakra vibratory frequency:

• Root Chakra symbol has 4 petals
• Sacral Chakra symbol has 6 petals
• Solar Plexus Chakra symbol has 10 petals
• Heart Chakra symbol has 12 petals
• Throat Chakra symbol has 16 petals
• Third Eye Chakra symbol has 2 petals
• Crown Chakra symbol has 1,000 petals

If you want to learn more about the meaning of each chakra symbol, check out Chakra Symbols Meaning article on our blog.

How Does Chakra Energy Flow?

Chakras function as gateways via which subtle energies and information from higher levels of existence (such as the astral or causal plane) are channeled to us.

They function as regulators and transformers, absorbing, integrating, and transmitting pranic life-force energy to the subtle body.

The chakras then transport this information and energy through the Nadis and Meridians, which run throughout the body like a river with an intricate irrigation system.

Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna are the three major Nadis, and they are all connected to the seven fundamental chakras that run down our spine.

The central energy channel (known as Nadi Sushuma) that passes through our spinal cord aligns all seven major chakras.

How Does Color Affect Chakra Spin?

Let’s have a quick look at each of your chakras and their color correspondence in order:

1. Root Chakra | Muladhara – Red Color
2. Sacral Chakra | Svadhishthana – Orange Color
3. Solar Plexus Chakra | Manipura – Yellow Color
4. Heart Chakra | Anahata – Green Color
5. Throat Chakra | Vishuddha – Light Blue / Turquoise Color
6. Third Eye Chakra | Ajna – Dark Blue or Indigo Color
7.  Crown Chakra | Sahasrara – Violet or White Color

Perhaps you've noticed that these are the seven colors of the rainbow.

When you examine these seven colors closely, you'll see that they always appear in the same order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Within your energetic body, each of the seven chakra colors appears in the same sequence.

This color arrangement is known as the spectrum of white light, and it spans from 700 nanometers (red) to 400 nanometers (violet).

Each color has a distinct wavelength.

Surprisingly, your chakra spinning rates correspond to the same wavelength frequencies:

• The root chakra spins at the slowest speed.
• The crown chakra has the highest frequency of vibration.

If you are interested in the topic of chakra colors, check out our comprehensive Chakra Colors & Their Meanings post on our blog. 

What Happens If Chakras Are Not Spinning?

If any of your chakras are not spinning, your health and well-being might be at risk. A chakra blockage can result in bodily or emotional strain, as well as illness. 

An inconsistent spin movement may also signal a problem. Chakra blockages typically occur in one of three ways. The function of a chakra might be:

• Underactive - there isn't enough energy going in and out of it.
• Overactive - causing an excessive amount of energy to flow in and out of that chakra.
• Closed - There is no energy moving in and out of the chakra.

When your chakras get blocked or do not spin properly, energy can become stuck, you may feel sluggish, and you may experience some physical problems.

Would you like to learn how to keep your chakras healthy and remove any harmful, energetic blockages from your subtle body? 
Check out our thorough Chakra Healing Guide, where we describe in detail 9 easy ways to unblock your chakras.