Rethinking the Chakras: What Most people don’t know yet.

Introduction

The idea of “the” chakra system is a myth. What we actually have are dozens of systems, each emerging from different streams of Indian Tantrik traditions between roughly 600 and 1300 CE.

In early Tantrik yoga (not to be confused with neo-Tantra or Kundalini yoga of the West), the chakras weren’t universal anatomy. They were part of ritual maps—used for visualization, mantra placement (nyāsa), and inner alchemy. These maps were lineage-specific, practice-specific, and goal-specific.

Examples include:

Five-chakra systems: used in Shaiva Siddhānta for elemental purification
Six-chakra systems: as found in the Ṣaṭ-chakra-nirūpaṇa (1577)
Nine, ten, twelve, and twenty-one chakra systems: seen in Kaula and Śākta texts
Tibetan five-chakra system: aligned with the Five Dhyani Buddhas

The energy body (sūkṣma-śarīra) was never fixed—it was fluid, responsive to practice. Think of it less as a biological map and more like a mandala you step into for specific internal transformations.

The Seven-Chakra Model? It’s Relatively Recent

Most yoga practitioners in the West base their understanding on the seven-chakra system. But here’s the truth: that system comes from a single 16th-century Sanskrit text, the Ṣaṭ-chakra-nirūpaṇa by Pūrṇānanda Yati. Its English translation—by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon) in 1918—heavily influenced early 20th-century occultists like C.W. Leadbeater and later, Anodea Judith.

And that’s where things changed.

Judith’s Wheels of Life (1990) became the definitive chakra book in the West—but it’s not a traditional yogic text. It blends Jungian psychology, Theosophy, and a host of symbolic systems from outside India—Tarot, Kabbalah, Christian angelology, and more.

To be fair, that’s not necessarily bad. It just means the system you’re learning probably reflects Western esotericism more than Sanskrit tantra.

Chakras Weren’t Descriptive, They Were Prescriptive

This is a key point—and one that completely shifts how we view the chakras.

In the original Sanskrit texts, chakras weren’t described like scientific facts. They were instructions. Prescriptive technologies. The texts didn’t say, “This is what a chakra is.” They said, “Visualize a red lotus with four petals at the base of your body; place the LAM sound on it; install a deity here.”

Why?

Because these texts were ritual manuals. The goal wasn’t self-help or personality balancing—it was liberation, siddhi (mystical attainment), or deity union. Chakra systems were visualized, built, energized, and dismantled within the meditative process.

They were never meant to be universal, static truths. They were dynamic tools.

The Psychological Interpretations Are Entirely Western

Ever heard that the root chakra is about “safety” or the throat chakra is about “speaking your truth”? That’s not ancient yoga. That’s Carl Jung.

Jung, and later transpersonal psychologists, were fascinated by the symbolic structure of chakra systems. They saw parallels with developmental stages, archetypes, and individuation processes. This psychological framework caught on like wildfire, especially in post-1960s spiritual counterculture.

It’s powerful, yes. But let’s be clear: it’s not found in pre-modern Sanskrit sources.

Nothing in the Ṣaṭ-chakra-nirūpaṇa or any Tantrik text associates chakras with trauma healing, repressed emotion, glandular function, or self-esteem. Those are contemporary constructs. Useful, maybe. Ancient, no.

The Bīja Mantras Are Elemental, Not “Chakra Sounds”

Let’s clear up one of the most common confusions.

The syllables LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM, HAM, and OM are not the intrinsic sounds of the chakras. They are the seed syllables (bīja mantras) of the five great elements (mahābhūtas)—Earth, Water, Fire, Air/Wind, and Space/Aether.

LAM = Earth
VAM = Water
RAM = Fire
YAM = Wind
HAM = Space
OM = Supreme Consciousness

In many systems, these elements are installed into different chakras. In the popular seven-chakra model, Earth is installed in mūlādhāra (root), Water in svādhiṣṭhāna (sacral), and so on. But this isn’t universal.

In fact, some Saiddhāntika texts place Earth in the heart. That changes everything. Want to bring more groundedness to your relationships? Try working with LAM at the heart—not just “YAM.” That’s not heresy—it’s lineage-specific practice.

Chakras as Maps for Nyāsa (Mantra & Deity Placement)

Here’s the real deal behind most traditional chakra diagrams.

The petals on each lotus? They’re not just pretty graphics. They represent the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, placed around the periphery. The core of the lotus usually houses:

A bīja mantra (seed sound)
A devatā (deity or deity aspect)
An elemental shape (like a square, crescent, or triangle)

This is all part of nyāsa—the yogic ritual of “placing” vibrational forces within the subtle body. It’s not casual visualization; it’s mantra-deity installation through precise internal practice.

Without Sanskrit understanding or initiation, most modern practitioners simply don’t have the tools for this. And that’s okay. But we should at least acknowledge it—rather than pretending we’re practicing something ancient when we’re not.

What About Tibetan Chakra Systems?

Tibetan Vajrayāna Buddhism preserves its own esoteric anatomy, which overlaps with Indian tantra but diverges significantly in method and symbolism. Many lineages use five chakras aligned with the Five Dhyani Buddhas and their female consorts, the Five Wisdom Mothers. This is just one of the many systems.

For example:

Secret Chakra (base): Amoghasiddhi / Green Tara – HRI
Navel Chakra: Ratnasambhava / Mamaki – TRAM
Heart Chakra: Akshobhya / Buddhalochana – HUNG
Throat Chakra: Amitabha / Pandaravasini – AH
Crown Chakra: Vairochana / White Tara – OM

Each center corresponds not just to a sound, but to color, geometric form, wisdom type, and mandala structure. The practice isn’t interpretive—it’s precise, transmitted, and ritualized.

So… Should We Throw Away the Modern Chakra System?

Not necessarily.

Modern chakra systems have helped millions of people feel empowered, reflective, and connected to themselves. They’re often more accessible than original Sanskrit-based methods, especially for people without linguistic or cultural training.

But let’s hold two truths:

The modern chakra model is mostly Western in structure.
The original chakra models were part of precise, contextualized, sacred technologies.

Neither is “wrong.” But they’re not the same. And mixing them without acknowledgment creates confusion—especially for teachers and healers who want to honor the roots of what they share.

What Now? Working with Energy in a More Informed Way

Here’s what you can do:

Stop saying “this is how chakras are.” Say: “this is one way to work with chakras.”
Learn where your model comes from. Read Judith and Bühnemann. Read Jung and Woodroffe. Know what lens you’re using.
Choose your system consciously. Want psychological support? Use the modern system. Want ritual depth? Study a lineage.
Don’t over-symbolize. Not every gland or trauma maps neatly onto a lotus.
Stay curious. That’s the real yoga.

Final Thought: Complexity Isn’t the Enemy—Oversimplification Is

The yogic tradition isn’t a unified field. It’s a library, a tapestry, a song sung in many keys. When we flatten it into a single narrative, we lose both richness and accuracy.

The chakras aren’t rainbow buttons or biohacks. They’re maps for a journey inward. Some are poetic, some precise. Some are old. Some are new. Some light you up. Others challenge you to grow.

And maybe that’s the whole point.