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ISBN: 9781922785435
Originally pub lished in 2007 b y the Institute of  
Holistic Health Sciences , Mumbai, India
Second edition pub lished in 2019 b y Rockpool Pub lishing
This edition pub lished in 2023 b y Rockpool Pub lishing
Copyright text © Dr Ra vi Ratan and Dr Minoo Ra tan, 2019 
Copyright design © R ockpool Pub lishing, 2023 
Chakra wands image ( here) © Dr Ra vi Ratan, 2023
Design and typsetting b y Daniel P oole, Rockpool Pub lishing 
Edited by Lisa Macken
All rights r eserved. No part of this pub lication may be reproduced, stor ed in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in an y form or by any means, electronic, mec hanical, photocop ying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior written per mission of the pub lisher. OceanofPDF .comAbout the authors
Dr Ravi Ratan,
MSc, MBA, DSc
Dr Ravi Ratan, from Mumbai, India, is a
clinical aromatherapist who integrates
aromatherapy with manual lymphatic
drainage, emotional release and chakra
healing. Born into a Hindu Brahmin family,
he was brought up in Hindu spiritual
traditions and followed spiritual practices and rituals as part of his
upbringing . He has a lineage of doctors, teachers and healers in the family,
and was exposed to yoga and meditations early in his life with various
teachers and masters. He has incorporated all this learning into his
integrated healing practice . Dr Ravi achieved his Masters in Science (Zoology) and Masters in
Business Management in the late 1970s while quite young. He started his
career in administra tion, then moved on to start his own perfumery business
in India. While blending aromatic oils and products for perfumery, he
realised the healing potential of natural plant essential oils. He found
working with essential oils for health and healing more fulfilling, and shifted
his focus to aromatherapy. He developed his own range of aromatherapy
products for the skin and hair and general well-being in 1993, and started
sharing his knowledge of plant essential oils and their therapeutic effects
through his training workshops first in India and now worldwide. His
documented healing work with essential plant oils earned him a DSc(Medicina Alternativa) from the Open International University of
Alternative Medicine (recognised by the World Health Organization). Part
of that healing experience had been incorporated in his Handbook of
Aromatherapy (Institute of Holistic Health Sciences , 2006). Dr Ravi and his wife ha ve been associa ted with v arious spiritual teac hers
and masters from whom they received the knowledge and understanding of
the chakras, the chakra system and kriya yoga for chakra healing. Their
workshops on the chakras and chakra healing demystify the existence of the
chakras, the relevance of various attributes and the process of disease. They
have integrated chakra healing with aromatherapy, manual lymph drainage
and emotional release work. This book is an effort to share this
understanding with the w orld. Dr Minoo Ratan
MSc, BEd, PhD
Dr Minoo Ratan, the wife of Dr Ravi, is a life
coach, practising psycho-aromatherapist and
healer. In her psychotherapy practice she
integrates aromatherapy with lymph drainage
and chakra healing . Dr Minoo has a Masters in Psychology and specialisation in
occupational stress, besides a degree in education focusing on adolescent
stress. She started treating psychosomatic conditions using plant essential
oils in 1993. She submitted successful case studies as part of her research,
for which she was awarded her PhD by the Open International University
of Alternative Medicine. She is also a member of Bombay Psychology
Association and has been trained in advanced pranic healing withpsychotherapy and eye movement desensitisa tion and reprocessing (based
on the Shapir o School, USA) f or trauma management. Dr Minoo’s Mind Body Clinic is in Mumbai, India, where she provides
consultancy and counselling and life coaching for the management of
psychosomatic disorders as well as interpersonal problems. She also provides
healing treatments using aromatherapy, manual lymph drainage, chakra
therapy and pranic and spiritual healings. She has an association with
institutions such as Dr BMN College of Home Science and MMP Shah
College, both in Mumbai, as a counsellor , also conducting various training
workshops for students and other institutions on stress management, inner
grooming, chakra healing and medita tion and naam sankirtan y oga. Dr Minoo tra vels to the USA, Canada, the UK, Eur ope and A ustralia to
offer consultancy and treatments, as well as co-conducting training
workshops on integrated healing with aromatherapy, lymph drainage,
emotional release and chakra healing with Dr Ravi Ratan. They also use
healing cr ystals and wand therap y. For more information please visit www.aromatantra.com
OceanofPDF .comDedication
Guru Brahma
Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwaraiya
Guru Sakashat Per Brahma
Tasme Shri Guruveyah Namah
‘No spiritual progress is possible without the
guidance of the guru.’
This book is dedicated to our gurus. ‘Our first gurus [teachers] are our parents; during our upbringing our
parents and family elders give us sanskar, the basic values of life. Learning
comes to us through books, journals, television, the internet and social
media, which provide information and answers to our questions. When we
are open to learning everyone is our teacher, some we actively seek and
some we draw into our lives; when the seeker is ready, guru appears. Often
we learn simply by observing others even though they may be unaware of
that, so that even our students and clients are our teachers. Guru is not just
a physical bod y but is our guiding principle .’
— Om Shri Gurave Namaha
OceanofPDF .comContents
About the authors
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
1.The chakra system
Nature and consciousness
2 Energy
Energy metabolism
The seven layers of the human energy field
3 Tantra
Gunas
The five elements
Nadis
Granthis
Vayus
The senses
4 Nervous and endocrine systems
Glands of the endocrine system
5 Lymphatic system6 Chakra aspects and symbols
7 Chakra numbers and planets
8 Chakra attributes
Muladhara (base root)
Swadhisthana (sacral)
Manipura (solar plexus)
Anahata (heart)
Vishuddhi (throat)
Ajna (third eye)
Sahasrara (crown)
9 Chakra healing
Yoga
Mudras
Meditation
Chanting
Sound
Aromatherapy
Crystals
Reflexology
Energy healing
Colour therapy
10The last word
GlossaryBibliography
OceanofPDF .comA c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s
This book couldn’t have been completed without the blessings and guidance
of our gurus. The universal guru (or the guiding principle) has been there for
all of us to guide us all the time; he is the one who moulds our thoughts and
perception, and gives ideas and knowledge. There are also gurus who are
embodied; in our case we have the grace of Shree Shivkrupanand Swami
and Dr Jayant Balaji Atha wale and man y more. The chakras are described in so many books, none of which give a
complete understanding. So many reference books, interactions and queries
with our gurus, students and clients has helped give us an understanding of
the subject, f or which there still isn’t any authentic litera ture. The subject of chakras covers all aspects of our lives, physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual. The process of growing up is in fact a journey
through the chakras for a child. During the process of growing he or she goes
through various phases of life, during which a particular chakra will be
dominant and play a definite role in the development of physical and
physiological organs and emotional development. Today we are more aware
of the external world and the gadgets we use, but not so much aware of the
way our own bodies work and how they process feelings and emotions. Tantra highlights those aspects of life such as breath and movement of
energies, which medical science doesn’t delve into but which the fields of
yoga and Ayurveda give a lot of importance to . The authors were blessed to have been born in the Hindu tradition and
into a spiritual family. Our universal guru ensured we received guidance not
only from our personal gurus but that we were also exposed to modern and
scientific aspects related to the subject of chakras through our interactionswith friends and students and feedback from our associates. John S.
Rogerson introduced us to the ISIS photo energy field imaging system,
which enabled us to authentica te our ener gy-healing r esults. We are thankful to our parents, whose guidance has helped us
throughout our lives. We are also thankful to our daughters Vartika and
Kartikeya for their help , interest and support in the completion of this book. OceanofPDF .comF o r e w o r d
The word ‘chakra’ has so much mysticism about it, and in recent times
more and more people have felt drawn to the subject. However, in the
absence of any authentic literature there are misconceptions about the role,
numbers and loca tions of the individual c hakras. Most of the kno wledge and
understanding about chakras has percolated down from various teachers,
sages and philosophers, and is contained in ancient Hindu texts such as the
Vedas and Upanishads and books on yoga and tantra. These all give
reference to the subject, but the information is available in bits and pieces
and is generally associated with particular attributes or practices rather than
providing the w hole pictur e.
The objective of this book is to offer maximum information and clarity
on the subject of chakras and their associated attributes and practices, not to
promote the Hindu religion. Since most of the information on the subject
has come from ancient Hindu traditions and rituals followed in tantra and
other spiritual practices, we have given references and explanations of those
as well as taking scientific and metaph ysical perspectives into considera tion. Often people vaguely refer to chakras as ‘energy centres on the body’
and then add their own understanding and vision of the role they play in
our lives. The medical community may not understand chakras unless the
practitioner has a spiritual inclination or background. In medical schools
studies are done on cadavers, which don’t have energy and vibrations so it is
beyond their scope. Chakras are the subject of living beings, because only
living beings ha ve vibrations and ener gy.We describe chakras as energy centres because they are the result of
energy metabolism in the body, representing the activity of our organs and
glands. Different spiritual and healing traditions talk of different numbers of
chakras: 7, 9, 12 or 14 and up to 108 chakras. The fact is, wherever there is
an energy activity a chakra is present. We have restricted the scope of this
book to the seven major chakras, as mentioned in kundalini tantra. These
seven are located on the torso and head, the parts of the body housing our
vital organs and glands. From a health perspective, understanding the
association of chakras with our organs and glands gives an insight into the
process of disease . We have discussed chakras from tantric, spiritual, metaphysical and
health perspectives. The focus of this book is not kundalini work or
promoting kundalini awakening practices, which should be done under the
guidance of a teacher with awakened kundalini. We are health practitioner s,
and our focus has been to create an understanding of the subject purely
from a health per spective. OceanofPDF .comI n t r o d u c t i o n
According to kundalini tantra the human body is composed of three layers,
which are also described as bodies. The first layer is the physical body, which
is enveloped by an energetic layer called the subtle body, while the outermost
layer enveloping both of these is known as our causal body. These bodies
function as the vehicle for the inner self or the soul. The latter two are
energetic layers or vibratory fields embod ying the under lying consciousness . Our physical body, the result of the sexual union of our parents, is the
one we normally experience and sustain with food. Our awareness within
this body constitutes the waking state of consciousness , and is made up of 16
components: five sensory organs (eyes/sight, ears/hearing , tongue/taste ,
skin/touch, nose/smell); five organs of action (feet, hands, rectum, genitals,
mouth); fiv e elements (earth, wa ter, air, fire, ether); and the mind. The energetic basis or pure form of the physical body is the subtle body,
sometimes called the aura; it is also composed of 16 components . Within the
subtle body exist the seven major chakras, which get fully activated with the
force of kundalini shakti. Finally, there is the more ethereal body known as
the causal body (karana sharira), the creative force behind the other two
bodies. In fact, the causal body forms an egg shape around the other two
bodies. These three bodies are linked with one another through the chakras,
or energy centres. ‘Chakra’ is a Sanskrit word that relates to a wheel; in tantric context this
term is used to describe the wheels of energy associated with our subtle
bodies. In ancient texts such as the Vedas and Upanishads , there is very little
reference to the term kundalini and chakras as most of the knowledge on this
subject had been passed on through guru-shisy a (teacher-disciple) lineage.Finding an authentic literature on the subject can be difficult, though there
has been r eference to chakras in tantric, y ogic and A yurvedic texts. Hindu philosophy attaches as much importance to the mind and the soul
as to the body. According to kundalini tantra we have a physical body and an
energy body. Chakras, the vortices of spinning energy, are the parts of our
energy bodies that are in continuous interplay with universal energy. Energy
is neutral and is shaped through our mental and emotional processes, the
expression of thoughts, speech and action. Though described as energy
centres of our bodies, our chakras represent the activity of organs and glands. They are actually the transfer points of our thoughts and emotions and the
physical functioning of specific organs and endocrine glands. When our
chakras are balanced w e feel grounded and centr ed, and ha ve self-discipline . According to Ayurveda, our health is the sum total of our lifestyle
practices. We have to find balance between our physical, nutritional,
mental/emotional and spiritual lifestyles. An imbalance in our lifestyles and
a lack of discipline lead to chakra imbalances and health issues. Ancient
teachings tell us that all human actions originate in the mind, thus our
mental/emotional state affects our energy levels. Prolonged mental and
emotional stress affects our energies in a negative way, lowers our immune
system and causes health issues. When our emotions are blocked our chakras
also become dull and sluggish, affecting the flow of energy; this can later
manifest as a disease of the organs and glands associated with the particular
chakras. In our healing practices , the main objectiv e is to assess the imbalance in a
person’s lifestyle to identify the cause of disease and help correct it with the
right practices . We are all aware that mental/emotional cir cumstances ha ve a
major influence on a per son’s health and find most imbalances and b lockages
coming from that area. We call it ‘mind over body’ or psychosomatics. Intoday’s world, a vast number of health practitioner s are working on restoring
health by healing the mind and emotions. Through counselling we try to
explain how greatly negative thoughts and emotions affect people, but
sometimes it’s difficult to change the thinking processes and temperament. There is still something beyond us that needs to be dealt with, and that is the
higher mind. This higher mind has to be worked on at a subtle level, which is
where living a spiritual lifestyle helps. All spiritual books and guides suggest
we are energy bodies and we are connected to the source, which is the
consciousness of God. From a spiritual perspective, chakras are best understood as levels of
discrimina tion, not morality. Tantra also associates gunas (levels of
consciousness) to chakras; the three gunas are known as tamas, rajas and
sattva. It is said that our physical bodies are the carriers of the soul or our
individual consciousness . Our individual consciousness came to this physical
body through the crown or sahasrara chakra and goes all the way down to
settle at the end of the spine as our kundalini shakti, activating the
muladhara or base root chakra. We have been born into a material world,
where everybody is largely chasing physical objects and desires as our
consciousness is stuck in this material world. There is so much more to life
than fame, fortune, status, authority and attachments to people and things. Pain comes to us through ignorance and being blind when experience tells us
something different. Impurities of the mind need to be understood from the
perspective of discrimina tion rather than morality. Impurities arise out of
greed, desire, self-gratification and self-interest; however, spiritual practices
will lead us to a path of righteousness and working beyond the self, which
helps raise our le vel of consciousness fr om our root chakra upwards. We often know much more about the outside world than we do about
our own being, about how the body, mind and spirit work in conjunction andhow we are affected by our mental and emotional states and temperament. In this book we cover various attributes associated with chakras and health,
and we also explain the process of disease. Chakra healing is a vibrational
healing that helps the mind, body and spirit. We can also use various healing
tools such as essential oils, crystals, yoga, chanting and meditation to
complement the ener gy work. As aromatherapists we are particular ly focused on essential oils, which
are also known as the pranas of the plant. Their high vibrations and
therapeutic benefits , combined with lymph drainage , have an amazing ability
to unblock, heal and balance chakras, so we have devoted an entire chapter
to explain how to utilise these tools to improve health or healing practice. Healing work is mainly intuitive, and we expect practitioner s to rely on their
intuition besides using the healing tool of their preference. The path of
healing and spirituality is fairly subjective and each individual’ s experience
will differ. We do not e xpect all r eaders to subscribe to or endor se our views . OceanofPDF .com1
The chakra system
A system is a comple x mechanism of interacting , interdependent components
forming an intricate whole. In a similar way, chakras are interdependent,
intricate and complica ted mechanisms of the bod y that should be under stood
as a complete system. Ayurveda and tantra associate various attributes to
each individual chakra, which affect chakras’ functioning at energetic and
physiological levels. To understand the proper functioning of the chakra
system we need to understand each attribute and its effect on chakras as well
as on the w hole being . From a health and healer’s perspective, chakras are the barometer of our
health. In different healing modalities or spiritual practices there could be a
variation in the numbers and location of the chakras; however, they may all
be correct from their understanding of major and minor chakras. According
to kundalini tantra there are seven major chakras located on our torsos and
heads representing the activity of vital organs and glands. These seven major
chakras are the focal point of this book. The activity and balance of our
chakras reflect the health of our organs and glands. While in modern
medicine cadavers are studied in order to understand health and disease, in
chakra healing we need to study living beings: their physical, nutritional,
mental and emotional life styles . To understand chakras, we need to understand human life and its
evolution. Evolution is a universal process; all life is evolving and humankind
is no exception. Life, creation and evolution are the stages in the unfolding of
consciousness . We as human beings are evolving, not only as individuals butalso as a race. The muladhara or base root chakra is our most fundamental
chakra; from here our process of evolution in this lifetime begins , culminating
at sahasrara — the cr own chakra. The muladhara chakra corresponds to the coccygeal plexus and is
located at the perineum (between the anus and the genitals), the spot that
touches the ground when we sit in the lotus position. As the name suggests
(mul: root; adhar: base), this chakra is the foundation of the physical body in
the realm of physical existence. During the process of spiritual evolution, a
person goes through animal consciousness and then on to be a real human. There are certain minor chakras from muladhara down to the heels that are
responsible for the development of animal and human instincts as well as
intellect. Muladhara is responsible for survival and maintenance of the
physical body, and besides being a source of physical energy it also regulates
all excretory functions .Located at the pubic area or at the lowest point of the spinal column,
corresponding to our sacral plexus of nerves, is the second major chakra,
known as swadhisthana or the sacral chakra. This chakra is the desire
centre of the body and the seat of emotions, hence it is responsible for
emotional balance, sexuality, procreation and the exchange of sexual energy,
and it also contr ols the unconscious in human beings . The third major chakra is manipura or the solar plexus chakra, in the
naval region. It corresponds to the solar plexus. Located in the V of the
ribcage below the diaphragm, it controls the entire process of digestion,
assimilation and temperature regulation in the body. This chakra is
responsible for mental power and self-will, and is associated with ourambitions towards money, power and authority; it is known to be the seat of
ego. The first three chakras take care of our basic needs, as described by
renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs. Only
after fulfilment of the basic needs can a person focus on self-actualisa tion. In
spiritual and tantric practices it is said that while we are stuck in the
mundane and struggling with the basic needs, kundalini keeps rising up to
the manipura chakra then returns to the muladhara (base root) chakra. However, once the kundalini crosses the astral bridge, which is an energetic
barrier between manipura and the anahata (heart) chakra, kundalini
movement is upwards only. This movement of kundalini is associated with
the evolution of consciousness . The anahata chakra is located at the centre of the chest, at the level of
the depression of the sternum. It corresponds to the cardiac plexus of nerves
and regulates the functioning of the heart, lungs, thymus gland, diaphragm
and other organs in this region of the body. This is the first chakra on the
path of self-actualisation and a stepping stone to spiritual growth. It is an
important chakra for all healers, denoting unconditional love and empathy
for all. Our vishuddhi or throat chakra is located in the deep of the throat and
corresponds to the cervical plexus of nerves. Responsible for communication
and self-expression, it regulates the entire thyroid complex, certain systems of
articulation and the upper pala te and epiglottis. Yogis and tantrics believe that the ajna, or third eye chakra, is located
between the brows in the forehead. It is the seat of the guru — our guiding
principle — and works as the command centre. It has complete control over
all the functions of a disciple’ s life.The aforesaid six chakras serve as triggers of energy to different parts of
the brain, and are channelled through various nadis (conduits of energy, or
prana). According to kundalini tantra there are two higher illuminated
centres, called bindu and sahasrara. The bindu is located at the top back of
the head and is where Hindu Brahmins keep a tuft of hair; this feeds the
optic nerve and is considered to be the seat of nectar or ama-kala, the true
philosopher’ s stone of immortality . The sahasrara is supreme, the seat of higher awareness; it is is located
slightly above the fontanelle. Considered to be the seventh major chakra,
sahasrara is our connection to higher consciousness , the point of culmination
of kundalini. During the process of evolution, sometimes our outer experiences get in
the way of our inner experiences . Known in Hindi as anubhuti, this inner
experience results from our spiritual practices and is very subjective, as each
seeker may get a different anubhuti in spite of carrying out the same spiritual
practice. When the chakras get activated through our spiritual practices our
values and perception of life also change, resulting in the improvement of the
quality of love, relationships and compassion. For a yogi, the world remains
the same but the perception of the world changes, resulting in sat-chit-anand,
a state of eternal peace and b liss within. Nature and consciousness
Our cosmos is the body of the Absolute (an essential attribute of God;
ultimate reality), the vessel through which the Absolute expresses itself. There
are two fundamental principles of the universe — nature and consciousness
— that are continuously interplaying in the cosmic drama of the universe. They are basically two sides of the same coin; they are yin and yang.Supreme consciousness is the masculine principle or purusha: it is all-
pervading, it is the sustainer and the only sign of divinity. Consciousness is
the ultimate, out of which and by whose power mind and matter proceed. The other aspect, nature, is the feminine principle (prakriti shakti); it is the
material form of the consciousness and is the one responsible for procreation. Consciousness , which exists in all forms of life, does not differentiate between
people or species . It is the v ery basis of cr eation, the po wer of evolution. The consciousn ess of a living being is conditioned by the matter that
makes up this body. As long as we have a physical body we participate in the
play of nature; that is maya, which is the illusionary world of desires: the
desires we chase, the material things we want for illusionary happiness. As
you fulfil one desire you will find you have another one, creating a vicious
cycle or a web. No incarnate body can be completely worldly or completely
spiritual. No matter what level of light or spirituality you attain, as long as
you are embodied you are not able to transcend your dark side. The
expression of shakti in the physical body is prana, the vital life force, which
keeps the bod y, mind and spirit w orking as a complete w hole. The ancient law of microcosm (part) and macrocosm (whole) explains
that there is no real difference between the vast external universe and the
limited internal universe of the human body, except that we as individuals
believe ourselves to be different. A human being is a living microcosm of the
universe, and the universe is a living macrocosm of a human being. Each
cosmos affects the other. Our universe affects us each moment, and each one
of us also influences the entire universe by our actions. Humankind, as
microcosm, contains within itself all the elements: mineral, vegetable and
animal kingdom (flora and fauna). Also, within plants is the potential of
human beings, and within human beings is the underlying energy structure
of plants. Life is rational, interdependent and interconnected, like anecosystem, for mutual nourishment and care. Independence and
individuality are myths of human origin: humankind cannot live without air;
air exists because of the planetary mass of the Earth: the Earth exists because
of the sun; the sun exists as part of the galaxy; the galaxy exists as part of the
macrocosm. In essence, both cosmic and individual consciousness are one. While the
power of cosmic consciousness , chiti shakti, identifies with the unmanifested
absolute, the power of individual consciousness , maya shakti, identifies with
the world and is the manifestation of the absolute. As individual
consciousness is a partial expression of cosmic consciousness , the two aspects
cannot exist without each other; there is a spark of the absolute in even the
densest of matter, which is why a rock is considered alive as it has vibrations. Similarly, in the highest state of consciousness there is a particle of maya or a
sense of individuality, because the physical form identifies with the material
world only. Once you understand the truth of the universe you forget your
own individuality and remember your true nature. The one exists in all and
all defines the one; unity and duality both exist simultaneously . Wherever
chiti shakti is displayed there is intelligence and sensation. Without it there is
ignorance and insensitivity . Our bodies are our soulmates, as they are the carriers of our souls. They
are like vessels, getting filled with the flow of consciousness . The chief centres
of consciousness in human beings are found in the cerebrospinal system, the
upper brain and hypothalam us; this is the first part of the body to be
developed after conception. After that our sahasrara or crown chakra opens. Individual consciousness flows in the body through the sahasrara chakra,
bringing with it a complete blueprint of our life. This blueprint is our destiny
in this lifetime. According to Hindu philosoph y, this destiny is based on the
karma of our past lives. When a person consults an astrologer, palmist ornumerologist they will try to analyse this blueprint to predict the person’s
destiny, although this destin y cannot be c hanged. From the cerebrospinal system, entire body form materialises. The spine
and spinal cord extend consciousness from the brain, the seat of highest
awareness (ajna or third eye chakra), to the coccyx, the pole of greatest
density (muladhara or base root chakra). This consciousness , which came
through the sahasrara (crown) chakra, flows all the way down, activating the
muladhara c hakra so tha t the physical bod y starts taking shape . Our individual consciousness , called our kundalini shakti, moves in
sushumna nadi, one of the major energy channels running parallel to the
spine. This energy is also our personal fragment of the cosmic power, for self-
identification, represented as our ego or I-ness or ahamkara. While
discrimina tion is the main characteristic of intellect, possessiveness is the
chief characteristic of ego and self-identifies with every cell of our body from
conception until dea th. Kundalini moves in us all, rising from the muladhara (base root) chakra
to the manipura (solar plexus) chakra and then going down. Since our lower
three chakras are associated with the fulfilment of basic needs for survival in
this material world, as long as our consciousness remains entrenched in the
mundane, which is the material world, our kundalini moves in the lower
three chakras. However, once we start detaching ourselves from the material things in
life and develop discretion, our spiritual awakening takes place and kundalini
moves beyond manipura to the anahata (heart) chakra, crossing the subtle
barrier called the astral bridge. Then its movement is only upwards. This
process is called kundalini awakening, and it represents the awakening of the
consciousness . This also triggers our spiritual awakening. Even if we leave
our physical body at that point and take rebirth, the kundalini starts itsjourney from that point onwards or from the chakra to which we have
already evolved. We do not remember our previous life nor do we have a
realisation about the state of our kundalini, but it is evident from the
existence of things such as child prodigies and xenoglossy, or the ability to
speak a language without ha ving learned it. The more we identify with our individuality and are attached to the
material things in life the more we are stuck in the lower chakras, living in
the world of maya. On the other hand, when we develop detachment and
identify less with our individual ity, our consciousness level changes and we
reflect more of the macrocosm, reflecting our chiti shakti. Maya shakti keeps
us awake to the world but asleep to the absolute, while chiti shakti keeps us
awake to the absolute a way from worldly matters. OceanofPDF .com2
Energy
Our universe is the interplay of both manifested and unmanifested energy,
thus creating a vibrational field. In fact, everything in this universe is energy. Scientifically speaking, matter, whether living or non-living , is made up of
atoms and molecules . Atoms have a nucleus made up of one or more protons
(with a positive charge) and a similar number of neutrons. One or more
electrons (with a negative charge) are bound to the nucleus. Here we are
talking about energy at its most basic level of existence. What differentiates
between things in this universe is the level of the energy and the vibrational
field. All forms are manifested energy mass. Human energy is also the
manifesta tion of universal energy; it can thus be defined as a luminous body
that surrounds and inter penetrates the ph ysical bod y. The concept of universal energy has been recognised and accepted
through the ages by all cultures; it is omnipresent and in continuous interplay
with human energy. Human energy represents our subtle body or the energy
body; it is also called the bio-plasmic body. Ancient Indian seers call this
energy prana, the basic constituent and source of all life. In Chinese
philosoph y it is called chi, while in Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical theosophy,
it is referred to as astral lights. All other spiritual and religious traditions
mention auric la yers that are depicted as light ar ound holy or e volved people. Christian religious paintings portray Jesus and other spiritual figures
surrounded by fields of light. An aura is that part of the energy field
associated with objects; when it is associated with the human body it is called
a human aura. Modern advances in science have made it easy for us tounderstand the whole concept of energy as we now have devices that can
measure energy and vibra tions and take aura pictur es. Many Western scientific minds believe that a universal energy pervades
all of nature, with records of this perceived energy being found in
Pythagorean literature as early as 500 BCE. As reported by 12th-centur y
scholars Boirac and Liébeault, human beings have an energy that can cause
an interaction with other humans, even at a distance. It is a well-known fact
that one person’s energy can have a healthful/positiv e or
unhealthful/neg ative effect on another mer ely by their presence. A photographic system to capture the human energy field was developed
by Semyon Kirlian in 1939. This system involved the photographing of
subjects in the presence of a high-frequency, high-voltage, low-amperage
electrical field and resulted in photos of human bodies enveloped in a
luminous aura. It could even photograph a similar luminous energy field
around fruits and vegetables and non-living things. In 1911, medical doctor
Walter Kilner reported seeing human energy through coloured screens and
filters. He described seeing a glowing mist around the whole body that
appeared in three layers: a 6 mm dark layer closest to the skin surrounded by
a 25 mm wide vaporous layer streaming perpendicular ly from the body, and
finally a delicate luminosity of around 15 cm in diameter. According to
Kilner, auras differ from subject to subject depending on age, sex, mental
ability and physical vitality. He was able to diagnose diseases via the variation
and patches in a pa tient’s aura. Over a period of time many scientists, doctors, psychiatrists and healers
have studied and experimented  with human energy fields using electronic
devices, medical instruments and even clairvoyance. By observing energy
patterns they are able to make a diagnosis of any physical, physiological and
mental ailments, thereby giving clear indications that the electromagneticand light emissions from human bodies are closely related to the person’s
health. One of the most significant works in this field had been carried out by Dr
Valerie Hunt, who conducted research that demonstra ted colour and
frequency correlations. In a series of experiments recording frequency and
wave patterns from different body parts, Dr Hunt and associates concluded
that the auric colour bands correlate with the same frequency wave pattern
as the chakras. Their research in February 1988 showed the following
colour/frequency cor relations (which are measured in hertz or Hz):
Colour Frequency band (Hz)
Blue 250-275, plus 1200
Green 250-475
Yellow 500-700
Orange 950-1050
Red 1000-1200
Violet 1000-2000, plus 300-400, 600-800
White 1100-2000
Dr Hunt also stated that the chakras’ frequencies follow exactly the same
colour patterns mentioned in tantric and metaphysical literatures. She
associated the chakras with these colour s:
◼ muladhara (base root) with r ed
◼ swadhisthana (sacral) with orange◼ manipura (solar plexus) with y ellow
◼ anahata (heart) with g reen
◼ vishuddhi (throat) with blue
◼ ajna (third eye) with violet
◼ sahasrara (crown) with w hite. Dr Hunt’s research explains that the frequencies and colour patterns
showing up in different chakras are the result of the physiological activity of
the organs associated with the chakras. For example, our muladhara or base
root chakra is associated with the organs of elimination, the gonads and the
physical body, and their energy frequency shows up as the colour red in the
auric field and so on. The activity in certain chakras sometimes triggers
increased activity in another, which again proves that the chakras are both
related and inter dependent. Dr Robert O. Becker, author of The Body Electric, documented human
body energy in terms of electrical frequency. Bruce Tainio of Tainio
Technology in Cheney, Washington, the first person to measure the
frequency of the human body and foods, developed a calibrated frequency
monitor in 1992 to determine the relationship between frequency and
disease. Measured in megahertz (MHz), he observed that a healthy body
typically has a frequency ranging from 62 to 78 MHz and that when the
frequency drops the immune system gets compromised. Below is a list of
frequency vibra tions:
Body part Frequency (MHz)
Genius brain 80-8
Brain 72-90Normal Brain 72
Human body 62-78
Human body from the neck up 72-78
Human body from the neck down 60-68
Thyroid and parathyroid glands 62-68
Thymus gland 65-68
Heart 67-70
Lungs 58-65
Liver 55-60
Pancreas 60-80
Colds and flu Begin at 57-60
Disease Begins at 58
Candida overgrowth Begins at 55
Receptive to Epstein Barr 52
Receptive to cancer 42
Death Begins at 25
Source: https://bit.ly/1OpcYNXOur energy vibrations can be affected by various factors, extrinsic and
intrinsic both. The e xtrinsic or external factors that can affect our health
and vibrations include the f ollowing. Our dwelling unit. Ancient Hindu philosoph y gives a lot of
importance to balancing the energies of our dwelling unit. The traditional
Hindu system of architecture known as vastu shastra provides guidelines for
designing an energetically balanced dwelling unit before construction. Vastu
shastra takes into account the four directions — east, west, north and south
— and the mo vement of the sun and its ener gies in different directions bef ore
assigning different areas of the unit for the main entrance, kitchen, bedroom,
toilets, prayer room and so on. It is recommended that as many doors and windows as possible be
positioned facing east or north-east, and that bodies of water be positioned in
the north or north-east. Prayer rooms or temples should face north-east,
called ishana, which is also the direction of Kubera, the lord of wealth.Today, the popular art of feng shui is useful to balance the energies of an
already existing dwelling unit. Geopathic stress. When there is an underground drain or river
beneath a dwelling it has a draining effect on the energies of the residents
and affects their health. Such locations should always be avoided when
constructing a dwelling. These days there are all sorts of man-made energy
stressors in urban areas such as mobile phone towers, concealed wiring and
plumbing and household g adgets. Polarity. According to vastu shastra our bodies are like magnets, since
all fluids in the body are biomagnetic in nature. The head represents the
North Pole and the feet represent the South Pole. It is common knowledge
that similar magnetic poles repel energies; therefore it is recommended that a
person should not sleep with the head towards north as this may cause a
disturbance in the energy flow in the body, resulting in broken sleep and
poor health. Numbers. There are hidden numerical patterns that serve as keys for
unlocking the secrets of the psyche. According to numerology, each number
is associated with a particular planet, and planetary influences affect our life
and also the chakras. For example, people having a birth or life path number
of 1 are ruled by the sun, which strengthens the manipura (solar plexus)
chakra and makes these people very ambitious in life. In the same way the
number 2 is ruled by the moon, which influences the swadhisthana (sacral)
chakra and in turn regulates our emotional balance. As a part of the
numerical pattern, certain numbers resonate well with us and certain
numbers do not; the science of n umerology is based on this fact. Geometry. In tantra practice, yantras are the tools used to balance
energy and vibrations. Yantras are geometrical representations of cosmic
energy that can be activated with mantras; they have the ability to createpositive vibrations, and have a balancing effect on our own energies and of
the energy of the ar ea in which they are placed. The intrinsic  factors that can affect our health arise out of our lifestyles
and lifestyle practices and include the f ollowing. Physical/nutritional lifestyle. Physical lifestyle goes hand in hand
with nutritional lifestyle. A healthy physical regimen is not only good for our
physical bodies but also helps our mental and emotional beings. There is a
lot of weight behind the maxim ‘You are what you eat’, as the food we eat
ultimately becomes us. Ayurveda gives a lot of importance to food and
nutrition, recommending a diet suitable to the particular body type as it
believes that most diseases origina te from our digestiv e system. Mental and emotional lifestyles. These play a major role in affecting
our health and vibrations: a single negative thought or emotional imbalance
induced by stress, anxiety or depression can cause a dip in the energy levels
of a person, up to 12 MHz, while an uplifting feeling such as enthusiasm or a
positive outcome giv es a positiv e charge and could raise the ener gy frequency
by up to 10 MHz. Even spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation can
increase energy levels by up to 15 MHz. In chronic or acute depression and anxiety, negative thought processes
can end up becoming an entrenched pattern, leading to a continuous drain
on energy. Prolonged levels of stress, anxiety, depression or unease not only
result in lowering body energy, they also affect our diet and assimilation of
food, compromising our immune system and allowing the process of disease
to set in. It has been observed that when energy starts dipping and goes
down to 58 MHz or lower, our immune system starts giving in and the
process of disease sets in, as in cases of all psychosomatic disorders. While
modern health practitioner s are still researching the association between
mental emotional conditions and various ailments such asheadaches/migraines, chronic aches and pains, menstrual imbalances, heart
problems and so on, the understanding of the chakra system and its
association with various organs and glands gives us insight into the effects of
different mental and emotional stresses on our health and the process of
disease. Energy metabolism
To maintain and sustain the ideal vibrational level of 62-78 MHz, we
supplement our physical energy through the foods we eat. Various foods
provide us with energy in frequencies from 0-40 MHz. The lowest energy, 0-
10 MHz, is from canned, refrigerated or preserved foods, which create
lethargy in the body and are classified as tamasic (low-vibration/low-
consciousness) food by Ayurveda. All modern foods, both vegetarian and
non-vegetarian, provide energy in the range of 10-20 MHz. They may look
good due to genetically modified fertilisers being fed to the plants but they
don’t have sufficient nutrients, which is why health-conscious people seek
organic or eco-harvested food products — which offer up to 30 MHz of
energy. The highest food energy of up to 40 MHz comes from living food
such as sprouts. Whether we bow down to our taste buds or choose our food consciously ,
once the food is tasted, chewed and swallowed we don’t have any control
over it: how much nutrients we draw from the food we eat and how much of
those nutrients will go to which organs of the body is not within our control. This process is driven by our body’s intelligence or the autonomous nervous
system, which ensures that the vital organs of the body are provided with
nutrients first. From the chakra perspective the manipura (solar plexus)
chakra is responsible for digestion and assimilation. The energy associatedwith this chakra is called samana vayu; ‘samana’ in Hindi is ‘balance’, so this
is the energy of balance and is responsible for the balanced distribution of
nutrients to dif ferent organs according to their r equirements. When we are not healthy physically, mentally or emotionally we either do
not eat well or absorb nutrients well. In either case, a deficiency or lack of
nutrients is then passed on to the skin and hair. It is important for our
survival that the vital organs get their required amount of nutrients. When
there is a deficiency the body’s intelligence cuts it from the skin, the largest
organ of the body; however, the health of the skin doesn’t threaten our
survival. Skin can always recover and become better when a person regains
health. Therefore the maxim that ‘skin is the mirror of health’ is indeed true. When we are not healthy physically, mentally or emotionally it is reflected in
the quality of the skin. Dull-looking skin, dark circles under the eyes, hair loss
and other skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis indicate an underlying
health condition and the str ess levels of the per son. Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. The food we consume is
converted to energy and is used to sustain the vital organs of the body. Each
organ requires a minimum amount of energy to work at its optimal level and
to then release processed energy out of the body. This processed energy
moves through the nadis (the channels of energy) and converges at the
chakras to be released from the body. The processed energy released from
the body forms a spiral, like a tornado on the surface of Earth, and envelops
the physical body. This is what shows up as the energetic layer in our subtle
body. The seven layers of the human energy
fieldChakras are energy vortices, points of exchange between individual and
universal energy. The energy vibrations released from various chakras
envelop the physical body, forming a layer around it, known as our subtle or
energy body. These energy vibrations from each chakra have varying
frequencies depending on the energy metabolism of individual organs, hence
they appear to form distinct layers. The seven chakra vibrations resonate
with the vibra tions of the se ven colours, like a rainbo w.
◼The first layer of the energy, closest to our physical body, is
associated with the muladhara (base root) chakra and is known as
our etheric bod y. It shows up as r ed in the ener gy field. ◼The second layer is associated with the swadhisthana (sacral) chakra
and is known as our emotional body. It shows up as orange in the
energy field. ◼The third layer is associated with the manipura (solar plexus) chakra
and is known as our mental body. It shows up as yellow in the
energy field. ◼The fourth layer of energy is associated with the anahata (heart)
chakra and is known as our astral body. It shows up as green in the
energy field. ◼The fifth layer is associated with the vishuddhi (throat) chakra and is
known as our etheric template body. It shows up as blue in the
energy field. ◼The sixth layer is associated with the ajna (third eye) chakra and is
known as our celestial body. It shows up as indigo in the energy
field. ◼These layers are all enveloped with the seventh layer, which isassociated with the sahasrara (crown) chakra and is known as our
causal or ketheric body. It shows up as violet, white or gold in
ascended master s.
The chakra/colour vibrations are not distinct layers, but are
intermingled in the energy field. When an aura picture is taken, the colour
dominant in the aura represents the dominant chakra at that moment. The
seven energetic layers together with the skeletal system and the skin make up
a total of nine layers. At the time of death the soul leaves the physical body
along with all of the ener gy layers. OceanofPDF .com3
Tantra
‘Kundalini is the biological basis of . . . genius.’ — Gopi
Krishna
There are many misconceptions about just what tantra is. It is not about
sensory gratifications or sex, nor it is a religion or a cult; it is a philosoph y. The word ‘tantra’ comprises two words: tanoti, meaning ‘expansion’; and
trayati, meaning ‘liberation’. Ayurveda and yoga are part of tantric
philosoph y, working together hand in hand and laying down a complete
system of practical understanding of human beings. The chakra system is a
part of the same philosoph y. Tantric practices incorporate yoga, breath work,
yantras and mantras . According to tantra, the range of our mental experiences can be
broadened with the help of the senses. Our mind can have an experience of
an object within the framework of time and space, or even beyond the
framework of time, space and object when the mind expands beyond its
defined boundaries. There is a release of energy and a shift in consciousness . This latent energy within all of us is described as our kundalini in tantra and
yoga. From the beginning of creation mankind has witnessed many
transcendental happenings: child geniuses, people with various supernatural,
psychic or intuitive abilities, able to read minds, make true predictions or
perform miracle healing . We all have different capabilities: the ability to write
highly inspiring poems, to create beautiful music or paintings, or anincredible intellect. Humankind came to understand that within every
individual there is a special form of energy that is dormant in most, evolving
in some and fully awakened in a few. This energy was originally named after
gods and goddesses , angels and the divine, while some called it prana shakti,
or rising consciousness . Ancient sages, yogis and tantrics recognised this dynamic force in human
bodies and ter med it kundalini shakti , the essential conscious power responsible
for human development and all life functions. It is also manifested in
personal development, non-or dinary states and spiritual transf ormation. The yogi Gopi Krishna described kundalini as being a biological
mechanism present in every human being. According to him, the human
cerebrospinal system is capable of an amazing activity that is yet to be
defined by science and can be accelerated through the disciplines of yoga
and meditation or by certain spiritual practices. The correct practice of
meditation carried on regularly for a sufficient duration of time tends to force
a normally silent region in the brain to an astonishing activity; in a state of
meditation a person connects with universal energies and is able to receive
cosmic vibrations. Tantra explains how under the direct influence of the
cosmic energies our brains, which are still in a state of organic evolution, are
able to expand psy chic abilities . Kundalini yoga considers the physical body to be a vessel filled with
consciousness . It considers that supreme consciousness represents the highest
possible manifesta tion of physical matter in this body. A kundalini
experience , considered from the viewpoint of individual transformation, is
said to be the path to enlightenment. The matter of the physical body is
transformed into subtle forces such as feeling, thinking, reasoning,
remembering , postulating and doubting. In this gradual process of evolutionthe psyche — suprasensor y or transcendental power — is the ultimate point
in human e volution. In spite of its conscious awakening, sometimes kundalini remains in one
of the higher chakras for many years or lifetimes. This blockage at a
particular chakra may sometimes result in a person realising certain psychic
powers (siddhis) associated with that chakra. Instead of understanding that
they are on a path of spiritual growth and need to work further to clear
karmic blocks for further ascension, sometimes the sadhaka (spiritual
practitioner) will start displaying this psychic power, thus nurturing their ego
and hindering their further spiritual jour ney. The awakening of kundalini and its ascension process through the
chakras is important for the evolution of mankind, as our present state of
mind is not capable of handling all of the aspects of life. The essence of our
relationships with people, the love and the hatred, is formed by our mental
states. Our agonies, pains and frustrations are not due to life circumstances
but more to our mental conditioning , temperaments and responses to life
situations. In his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali mentioned that all pains and sufferings arise
out of the modification of mind and from attachments to people and things. Possessiveness, jealousy and self-centredness are traits that arise when
consciousness gets stuck in the mundane. During the process of the
awakening of kundalini the mind is automatically stabilised and our
perception of the world changes. Though the world remains the same the
changed perception leads to a change of values in life, improving the quality
of love and relationships and enabling us to balance out the disappointments
and frustra tions. Kundalini awakening is the awakening of consciousness . Kundalini shakti
travels through sushumna nadi, activating all of the chakras on its way up, tobecome one with higher consciousness at the sahasrara (crown) chakra. At
that time the entire store of energy in man is unleashed, activating the higher
centres in the brain and enabling us to attain enlightenment. During this
process, the energy, which can be used to heal, transform and energise,
evolves into higher a wareness. There is a great deal of mysticism around the concept of kundalini, and
anybody who knows even a little about it wants their kundalini to be
awakened; if a large number of enlightened people were to appear in society
it would result in a transformation. Kundalini awakening cannot be the sole
objective of any spiritual practice; in fact, it is the by-product of all spiritual
practices, yoga or meditation and also our karma. It will happen only when
we are destined f or it. Gunas
The word ‘kundalini’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘kundal’, meaning a coil,
and is represented by a serpent coiled three and a half times and with its tail
in its mouth. The comparison of a serpent with kundalini comes from the
nature of its movement, which is spiralling and serpent-like. The three full
coils represent the three gunas or the three states of consciousness: waking,
sleeping and dreaming. These relate to the three types of experience:
subjective, sensual (objective) and no experience . The half-coiled tail in the
serpent’s mouth represents the ego . According to tantric and Ayurvedic texts the human body is composed of
five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether. An Ayurvedic practitioner
assesses the combination of these five elements, and according to the
dominance of certain elements categorises the body types into one of three
doshas: vatta, pitta and kapha. This is done mainly from a health perspectiveso that diet, exercise and even medication can be prescribed to correct the
imbalances . From a spiritual perspective, tantra describes the combination of
the five elements into three levels of consciousness , called gunas: tamas, rajas
and sattva. Our consciousness evolves from the lower to the higher chakras,
from gross to subtle or fr om tamas to sa ttva. Tamas Darkness, inertia, inactivity, materiality
Rajas Energy, action, change, movement
Sattva Harmony balance, joy, intelligence
Tamas obscures truth behind illusion. Associated with the muladhara
(base root) chakra, it is the lowest level of consciousness , where a human is
trying to evolve from animal consciousness just to fulfil the needs of the
physical body without discrimination. It represents grossness, inertia,
darkness, dullness and r esistance. Rajas embodies the principle of activity, representing energy, movement
of consciousness, turbulence, power and desire. Rajas is activity at the
conscious level, and involves movement from muladhara to manipura via
swadhisthana; it activates the desire centres of the body, causing
manifesta tions. Sattva, a higher level of consciousness , is light in nature. It is the
principle of sublimation, representing light, truth, perception, intelligence
and harmony. When kundalini moves from manipura to anahata and
upwards we become conscious of our words and actions, and let go of greed
and attachments. This shift of consciousness leads to spiritual a wakening. Tamas and sattva are two opposites of the same coin. In both a person
abandons the world of senses: evolving and merging into light in sattva, and
going down and mer ging into dar kness in tamas .The gunas can be compared to the three states of matter: solid, liquid
and gaseous. Water as an element serves as the best example, as it exists in all
three forms:
◼In its solid state as ice it represents grossness, inertia and immobility ,
which is described as being ‘tamasic’. When our consciousness is in
tamas it is eng rossed with fulfilling the needs of the ph ysical bod y. ◼When solid ice starts melting and flowing it is active, or ‘rajasic’; this
is when we start developing a certain amount of discrimina tion and
evolve to fulfil our needs with the rightful means . ◼With a further rise in heat water starts evaporating into steam,
leaving all the impurities behind. This is a process of sublimation
where conscious energy becomes pure, and is called sattva. In this
state we experience a transformation of consciousness , move beyond
greed and ego, feel detached from people and material things and
seek a life of truth. Each of the three gunas is present in us, never becoming separated from
each other; w hen one guna domina tes the other tw o become r ecessive. Like a
three-coloured strand braided together, at one time one colour appears most
dominant on the surface and at other times other colours are more visible. All three are always present, but sometimes one overlaps and hides the others
from view. When sattva dominates, rajas and tamas are pushed into
background; at that time all desires, attachments, confusion and ignorance
disappear, and all that remains is light and bliss. When rajas dominates there
is a great rush of energy and a strong will to undertake work, projects and
activities. When tamas dominates it makes a person self-centred and focused
on fulfilling their own needs by whatever means they can. They also try toimpose their whims, fancies and ideas on other people. Only when they start
thinking beyond themselves for their fellow beings, keeping the greater good
of society in mind, will their consciousness starts e volving. As long as we are embodied all three gunas are necessary, as they are
interdependent and help each other in the process of evolution and self-
development. In the process of bringing each other out, one guna serves as
the stepping stone for another: a thing that is stable and tamas-dominated is
provided motivation and activity by rajas, and that motion and activity help
in the process of realisation. Ultimately, we move to attain our true and
essential na ture, which is light or sa ttva. The natural flow of evolution is from subtle to gross. Ideas exist, first in a
person’s mind and then followed by activity, which will initiate a downward
flow of energy. This downward flow continues until the energy gets
entrapped in gross form. From sattva to rajas to tamas, this is the natural
course of evolution, although rajas can also be used to convert tamas back
into sattva. With the five sense organs and five organs of action —
feet/locomotion, hands/de xterity, rectum/excretion, genitals/r eproduction,
mouth/speec h — a person has the choice to either flow with gravity
downwards to tamas or rise thr ough activity up wards into sattva and light. The five elements
Ayurveda believes that we are the microcosm of the macrocosm, that
everything that exists outside the physical body — flora, fauna, minerals and
metals — also exists inside. The body, which has its oneness with the
universe, is composed of five elements (panch mahabhoot): earth, water, fire,
air and ether (or space). All of the five elements have psychological
correspondences tha t indicate the state of mind and the qualities of emotions .Each of the five elements is associated with our lower five chakras, as the
lower chakras are important for the physical plane of existence. The five
elements represent the finer qualities of matter: solid, liquid, radiant, gaseous
and ethereal. They delineate the five densities of all substances , all visible or
invisible matter in the univ erse. The three gunas are also associated with the five elements. Sattva,
consisting of clarity, is associated with ether; rajas, consisting of energy, with
fire; and tamas, consisting of inertia, with earth. Between sattva and rajas
flows the subtle but mobile element of air, and between rajas and tamas flows
the element of wa ter, combining mobility and inertia. The five elements constitute a continuum of energy, from its densest and
grossest vibrational level to the most subtle. At its lowest level vibrational
energy has substance (solidity), whereby atoms are compactly packed and
cohesively formed; that’s why it’s called dense and gross. This lowest level is
the earth element. When excited to a higher frequency the earth element
loses its solidity; the energy is less dense as the atoms are more dispersed and
free flowing. With a higher frequency the substance becomes fluid and is
called the water element. At this level the molecules of the fluid still retain
cohesiveness and form, although the form is that of the vessel holding the
fluid. As the level of vibrations keep increasing, heat and light are generated by
the accelerated motion; in this state the matter is less cohesive. Energy in this
form is quite radiant and is represented by the fire element. As the speed of
individual particles continues to accelerate all form is lost, heat and light are
no longer produced and any cohesiveness of the matter is dissipated. It is
now represented by air. Finally, when the matter has lost all tactile qualities and is perceptible to
humans only as sound, it has attained the most subtle vibration and isrepresented by ether. In this state the individual particles of the matter no
longer exist, but have rather vibra ted beyond the ma terial plane . Our physical or gross body represents the earth element, as Mother
Earth is a balance of minerals and metals in the same way our physical
bodies contain a balance of mineral and metals. Any imbalance of these
minerals and metals affects our health at the physical level. The source of
minerals and metals in the physical body is the food we eat, irrespective of
whether it is vegetarian or non-vegetarian. The muladhara (base root) chakra
is responsible for the gross/physical body, hence the earth element is
attributed to this c hakra. The universe is two-thirds water, in the same way two-thirds of our
bodies are composed of fluids represented by blood, lymph, saliva and so on. We are aware and it is also visible to us that the lunar cycles or moon phases
affect the water on Earth, causing high tides and low tides; in the same way,
moon phases affect the water in our body, although it is not visible but it can
be felt as emotional imbalance in sensitive people, especially the water signs. Therefore, the swadhisthana (sacral) chakra is responsible for our emotional
balance and is associa ted with our emotional bod y. The manipura (solar plexus) chakra is associated with the element of fire. Our bodies contain the energy of fire in three forms: body temperature,
which fluctuates in a narrow range, mental energy (bhoot agni) and digestive
fire (jathar agni). Solar energy also nourishes our body’s fire element with
vitamin D . Our breath represents the air element, with each breath providing us
with vital oxygen and sustaining us with vital pranas. This element is
associated with the anaha ta (heart) c hakra.
_OceanofPDF.com_Chakras_-_Dr_Ravi_Ratan.txt
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ISBN: 9781922785435
Originally pub lished in 2007 b y the Institute of  
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otherwise, without the prior written per mission of the pub lisher. OceanofPDF. comAbout the authors
Dr Ravi Ratan,
MSc, MBA, DSc
Dr Ravi Ratan, from Mumbai, India, is a
clinical aromatherapist who integrates
aromatherapy with manual lymphatic
drainage, emotional release and chakra
healing. Born into a Hindu Brahmin family,
he was brought up in Hindu spiritual
traditions and followed spiritual practices and rituals as part of his
upbringing. He has a lineage of doctors, teachers and healers in the family,
and was exposed to yoga and meditations early in his life with various
teachers and masters. He has incorporated all this learning into his
integrated healing practice. Dr Ravi achieved his Masters in Science (Zoology) and Masters in
Business Management in the late 1970s while quite young. He started his
career in administra tion, then moved on to start his own perfumery business
in India. While blending aromatic oils and products for perfumery, he
realised the healing potential of natural plant essential oils. He found
working with essential oils for health and healing more fulfilling, and shifted
his focus to aromatherapy. He developed his own range of aromatherapy
products for the skin and hair and general well-being in 1993, and started
sharing his knowledge of plant essential oils and their therapeutic effects
through his training workshops first in India and now worldwide. His
documented healing work with essential plant oils earned him a DSc(Medicina Alternativa) from the Open International University of
Alternative Medicine (recognised by the World Health Organization). Part
of that healing experience had been incorporated in his Handbook of
Aromatherapy (Institute of Holistic Health Sciences, 2006). Dr Ravi and his wife ha ve been associa ted with v arious spiritual teac hers
and masters from whom they received the knowledge and understanding of
the chakras, the chakra system and kriya yoga for chakra healing. Their
workshops on the chakras and chakra healing demystify the existence of the
chakras, the relevance of various attributes and the process of disease. They
have integrated chakra healing with aromatherapy, manual lymph drainage
and emotional release work. This book is an effort to share this
understanding with the w orld. Dr Minoo Ratan
MSc, BEd, PhD
Dr Minoo Ratan, the wife of Dr Ravi, is a life
coach, practising psycho-aromatherapist and
healer. In her psychotherapy practice she
integrates aromatherapy with lymph drainage
and chakra healing. Dr Minoo has a Masters in Psychology and specialisation in
occupational stress, besides a degree in education focusing on adolescent
stress. She started treating psychosomatic conditions using plant essential
oils in 1993. She submitted successful case studies as part of her research,
for which she was awarded her PhD by the Open International University
of Alternative Medicine. She is also a member of Bombay Psychology
Association and has been trained in advanced pranic healing withpsychotherapy and eye movement desensitisa tion and reprocessing (based
on the Shapir o School, USA) f or trauma management. Dr Minoo’s Mind Body Clinic is in Mumbai, India, where she provides
consultancy and counselling and life coaching for the management of
psychosomatic disorders as well as interpersonal problems. She also provides
healing treatments using aromatherapy, manual lymph drainage, chakra
therapy and pranic and spiritual healings. She has an association with
institutions such as Dr BMN College of Home Science and MMP Shah
College, both in Mumbai, as a counsellor, also conducting various training
workshops for students and other institutions on stress management, inner
grooming, chakra healing and medita tion and naam sankirtan y oga. Dr Minoo tra vels to the USA, Canada, the UK, Eur ope and A ustralia to
offer consultancy and treatments, as well as co-conducting training
workshops on integrated healing with aromatherapy, lymph drainage,
emotional release and chakra healing with Dr Ravi Ratan. They also use
healing cr ystals and wand therap y. For more information please visit www. aromatantra. com
OceanofPDF. comDedication
Guru Brahma
Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwaraiya
Guru Sakashat Per Brahma
Tasme Shri Guruveyah Namah
‘No spiritual progress is possible without the
guidance of the guru. ’
This book is dedicated to our gurus. ‘Our first gurus [teachers] are our parents; during our upbringing our
parents and family elders give us sanskar, the basic values of life. Learning
comes to us through books, journals, television, the internet and social
media, which provide information and answers to our questions. When we
are open to learning everyone is our teacher, some we actively seek and
some we draw into our lives; when the seeker is ready, guru appears. Often
we learn simply by observing others even though they may be unaware of
that, so that even our students and clients are our teachers. Guru is not just
a physical bod y but is our guiding principle. ’
— Om Shri Gurave Namaha
OceanofPDF. comContents
About the authors
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
1. The chakra system
Nature and consciousness
2 Energy
Energy metabolism
The seven layers of the human energy field
3 Tantra
Gunas
The five elements
Nadis
Granthis
Vayus
The senses
4 Nervous and endocrine systems
Glands of the endocrine system
5 Lymphatic system6 Chakra aspects and symbols
7 Chakra numbers and planets
8 Chakra attributes
Muladhara (base root)
Swadhisthana (sacral)
Manipura (solar plexus)
Anahata (heart)
Vishuddhi (throat)
Ajna (third eye)
Sahasrara (crown)
9 Chakra healing
Yoga
Mudras
Meditation
Chanting
Sound
Aromatherapy
Crystals
Reflexology
Energy healing
Colour therapy
10The last word
GlossaryBibliography
OceanofPDF. comA c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s
This book couldn’t have been completed without the blessings and guidance
of our gurus. The universal guru (or the guiding principle) has been there for
all of us to guide us all the time; he is the one who moulds our thoughts and
perception, and gives ideas and knowledge. There are also gurus who are
embodied; in our case we have the grace of Shree Shivkrupanand Swami
and Dr Jayant Balaji Atha wale and man y more. The chakras are described in so many books, none of which give a
complete understanding. So many reference books, interactions and queries
with our gurus, students and clients has helped give us an understanding of
the subject, f or which there still isn’t any authentic litera ture. The subject of chakras covers all aspects of our lives, physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual. The process of growing up is in fact a journey
through the chakras for a child. During the process of growing he or she goes
through various phases of life, during which a particular chakra will be
dominant and play a definite role in the development of physical and
physiological organs and emotional development. Today we are more aware
of the external world and the gadgets we use, but not so much aware of the
way our own bodies work and how they process feelings and emotions. Tantra highlights those aspects of life such as breath and movement of
energies, which medical science doesn’t delve into but which the fields of
yoga and Ayurveda give a lot of importance to. The authors were blessed to have been born in the Hindu tradition and
into a spiritual family. Our universal guru ensured we received guidance not
only from our personal gurus but that we were also exposed to modern and
scientific aspects related to the subject of chakras through our interactionswith friends and students and feedback from our associates. John S. Rogerson introduced us to the ISIS photo energy field imaging system,
which enabled us to authentica te our ener gy-healing r esults. We are thankful to our parents, whose guidance has helped us
throughout our lives. We are also thankful to our daughters Vartika and
Kartikeya for their help, interest and support in the completion of this book.
Dr. Ravi Ratan and Dr. Minoo Ratan
Who are the authors of this book?
The focus of this book is on providing a health perspective on the chakra system, not on promoting kundalini awakening practices.
What is the focus of the book?
The purpose of the book is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the chakra system and its association with health, as well as to demystify the concept of chakras and their attributes.
What is the purpose of the book?
The gunas (tamas, rajas, and sattva) are associated with the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) and are necessary for the functioning of the lower chakras, as they are interdependent and help in the process of evolution.
What is the significance of the gunas in the context of the chakra system?
The five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) are associated with the lower chakras and are necessary for the functioning of the body, as they are interdependent and help in the process of evolution.
What is the significance of the five elements in the context of the chakra system?