Like in physical body there is an interlacing of several nerves, arteries and veins that center is called plexus and these plexuses are pampiniform, cervical, brachial, coccygeal, lumbar, sacral, cardiac, esophageal, hepatic, pharyngeal, pulmonary, lingual, prostatic, etc. Similarly, there are plexuses or centers of vital forces in the subtle naadis, they are known as chakras. Chakras are in the astral body which have corresponding centers in the spinal and the nerve plexuses in the gross body. Each chakra has control and function over a particular center in the gross body. These cannot be seen in the gross body.
There are six important chakras- muladhara (at the base of spinal column- between the origin of the reproductive organ and the anus), swadhishtana (at the root of the reproductive organ – between muladhara and manipura chakras), manipura (at the navel region), anahata (heart region), vishuddha (at base of the throat) and ajna (in the forehead space between the two eyebrows). The Sahsarara chakra is the chief one which is at the top – crown of the head.
Each chakra has its own petals (and therefore shape), element of panch-mahabhoota, colour, deity, symbolic animal, siddhi and control over the respective organ/system of the gross body.
To activate the chakras, there are biz mantras - lam (chanting it while focussing on mooladhara chakra) , vam ( chanting it while focussing on swadhishtana chakra), ram ( chanting it while focussing on manipura chakra), yam ( chanting it while focussing on anahata chakra), ham (chanting it while focussing on vishuddhi chakra), om (chanting it while focussing on ajna chakra) like this - lammmmm - on mooladhara chakra, lammmmmm vammmmm on swadhishthana chakra, lammmmmm vammmmm rammmmm on manipura chakra, lammmmm vammmmm rammmmm yammmmm on anahata chakra, then lammmmm vammmmmm rammmmmm yammmmmm hammmmmmm on vishuddhi chakra, lammmmm vammmmmm rammmmmm yammmmmm hammmmmmm ommmmmmmmmmm on ajna chakra.
