The chakra system is often described—sometimes dogmatically—as an ancient, thousands-of-years-old practice. In truth, while chakras are mentioned in ancient texts like the Upanishads, they are not explored in the detailed, emotionally layered, and color-coded fashion most of us are familiar with in modern yoga classes.
For example, the Shandilya Upanishad and the Yoga Kundalini Upanishad make brief references to chakras, describing them more as energetic centers or lotuses located along the spine. However, there is no extensive dialogue around emotions, anatomy, life stages, or rainbow-colored associations. The more poetic and psycho-emotional language that we often hear today is largely the result of modern interpretations, including the work of thinkers like Anodea Judith, who writes:
“I define chakras as organizational centers for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of life energy.”
This doesn’t diminish the value of the chakra system we teach today—but it’s essential to understand where it comes from and to give credit where it is due. Much of what we know and teach is a blend of Tantric philosophy, Theosophy, Western psychology, and modern yoga pedagogy.
As someone who was trained to theme classes around the chakras, I see this system not just as a tool for class design but as an incredibly powerful throughline—a framework to understand ourselves, our students, and the interplay between energy, body, and consciousness.
At Inlet Yoga, the chakra system we most often reference is the widely adopted seven-chakra model, aligned along the sushumna nadi, from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. That said, we also acknowledge that different systems reference more or fewer chakras depending on the context and purpose of the practice.
Interweaving the Elements, Doshas, Koshas, and Vayus, Chakra System
When we frame this model in relation to the five elements, it becomes even more layered:
- Muladhara (root) – Earth (Kapha)
- Svadhisthana (sacral) – Water (Kapha)
- Manipura (solar plexus) – Fire (Pitta)
- Anahata (heart) – Air (Vata)
- Vishuddha (throat) – Ether/Air (Vata)
- Ajna (third eye) – Space (Vata)
- Sahasrara (crown) – Beyond element/form (Space/Pure Consciousness)
This elemental relationship can also help us better understand life stages:
- Kapha governs the early years,
- Pitta governs adulthood and productivity,
- Vata governs elderhood and dissolution.
From here, we may map the koshas—layers of being—onto the ascending order of chakras:
- Annamaya kosha (physical body) → Root
- Pranamaya kosha (energy body) → Sacral to solar
- Manomaya kosha (mental/emotional body) → Heart and throat
- Vijnanamaya kosha (wisdom body) → Third eye
- Anandamaya kosha (bliss body) → Crown
Similarly, the pancha vayus (five movements of prana) circulate and awaken these energy centers, keeping the system balanced and responsive.
Ultimately, the chakra system is a mirror—a lens through which we explore energy, personality, experience, and even cosmology. It is not meant to be taken as static dogma, but rather a dynamic, integrative model. As teachers and practitioners, our work is to continually listen: to our students, to our practice, and to the wisdom traditions we draw from.
We teach our students to “take their practice to the mat,” but also to take their experiences into life—to explore how energy moves not just in asana but in relationships, choices, transitions, and creativity. The modern chakra system, then, becomes less about rigid doctrine and more about embodied insight.
