The chakras are vortexes of energy which radiate the colors of the rainbow. In their unified state they blend into one white light. This unifying point is referred to as the seventh chakra, a major energy vortex that contains the others within it. On the other side of the prism are the component energies, colors and frequencies, which make up the “real” world in which we live. These vibrational vortexes become the “energy centers” along the spine that are referred to as the Shat Chakras (the six body chakras) in the yoga system.  In the age-old system of the chakras the various rates of vibration were known to behave as different energies, each creating and manifesting unique characteristics.  In modern times, colors are known to be different frequencies of vibrating electromagnetic energy. Research in quantum physics has led to the concept of various “forces” working in balance to create the building blocks of the perceived physical world. The forces at play (or working) at the sub-atomic level are also the energies that manifest on a greater scale throughout the universe and can likewise be found within our bodies.  This energetic power is known as prakriti in the Sanskrit language.

The Basic Chakra Energies
The Ancient Mystics of most cultures have always considered our perceived “reality” to be a mere appearance. Understanding the energy from which the apparent forms were made was the goal of life, and brought the student to a state of enlightenment. With this perspective in mind, this book will explain some of the basic theories and techniques used by these ancient cultures to obtain greater insight into the energetic foundations of manifest reality. Each vortex of energy contributes specific characteristics to the life-forms we view on Earth. What appears to our eyes as real, does so because we cannot see the substance out of which it is made without a powerful microscope. If you look at your hand through an electron microscope, you no longer see a hand but rather a sea of vibrant dots that are quite far apart from each other. Although mostly empty space, your hand looks quite solid without magnification from the microscope. Underneath the appearance we find the energy force which creates the illusion of solid matter, a gravitational type of force that holds the parts of the atom together - if I may use such an antiquated term as the “atom.”  In yoga this force creates the first element, earth, and is called Muladhara Chakra.1 The second manifestation of the energy is a weaker, cohesive force that holds the atoms together in combinations such as H2O. It is a more flexible arrangement that can be changed, as in chemical reactions, and moved, as in fluids. This is the character of the second element— water, which corresponds to the Swadhistana Chakra. The third form of energy comes as fire, a force that sparks change and transformation in the more solid “reality.” This solar power is the radiant part of nature that we see and feel as light and heat.  It manifests the third element, fire, which expresses itself as Manipura Chakra. The next phenomenon of energy is a gentler force, not easily seen or felt, that pushes apart the molecules in the air we breathe.  Although much subtler than the other forces, it does take up space, as when it fills up our lungs or a balloon. This is the fourth element, air, manifested in Anahata Chakra. The fifth energy, even more subtle, cannot be seen or touched, tasted or smelled, but it can be heard. It is the energy of vibration, the force that makes and spreads sound outward at a thousand kilometers per hour, and that which spreads light waves across the universe (at the speed of light of course). This vibratory force makes up the fifth element, ether, (which could more appropriately be called electromagnetism in this century), and relates to Vishuddha Chakra.

In fact it can be very misleading to refer to the elements by their English translations. The very word “element” is not even appropriate. Western cultures have mistakenly assumed since medieval times that these elements were physical entities. Science in its development had proven that there were many more elements in the physical constitution of the universe; now science is coming full circle to see that all of these physical elements are made up of a more fundamental energy in different quantities and configurations. While modern science is grappling with how many types of energy there are, the oldest science has always maintained there are only six essential manifestations of energy. These came to be known as “the elements” to the Greeks, and from Greece to later Europe, but somewhere along the line the understanding that these were elemental forces was lost. As alchemists became chemists, they really started looking for physical elements, whereas the forces never were physical. They were originally an explanation of the energies that make up reality and they still are. Besides the five that came to be highlighted in the European aristocracy, there was one more element that was important in the East—the element of mind. The materialists who were looking for solid evidence of these elements must have discarded this one. Even now the medical or scientific community does not consider it as anything tangible or real. Yet, as one of the forces we have been discussing, it is the magnetic energy which permeates everything. It may not be perceivable to our senses, but today we cannot deny it exists because this magnetic power is now the base of our technology.  It is referred to as the sixth chakra, Ajna Chakra. 

Text taken from the Chakra Yoga Teachers Manual by David Goulet.