Recently, I was listening to a podcast by a well-known energy medicine teacher discussing the chakra system she uses in her work. As I listened, I found myself wondering where these systems originated and how they evolved over time. The deeper I explored, the more I realized there is no single universally accepted chakra model.
Different spiritual traditions describe different numbers and arrangements of chakras. Buddhism commonly references four primary chakras. Hindu traditions generally describe seven. Some Tantric systems identify many more. Mystical traditions such as Sufism and Kabbalah have also described energetic centers extending beyond the physical body. In addition to these differences, various systems organize the chakras differently, with some moving from the base of the body upward and others beginning from higher states of consciousness downward.
This diversity raises an important question: What exactly are chakras?
As someone who has studied yoga philosophy since childhood and later became a chiropractor with interests in functional neurology and modern physics, I find myself approaching this question from both spiritual and scientific perspectives. I grew up in a family where conversations about spirituality, consciousness, and philosophy were part of everyday life. At the same time, my clinical training taught me to look closely at anatomy, physiology, and the measurable systems of the body.
When I encounter conflicting spiritual explanations, I do not necessarily need science to validate them completely. However, I do look for points where the physical body and human experience intersect with these ideas in meaningful ways.
The Science
Living organisms generate measurable electrical activity. The nervous system communicates through electrochemical signaling. Brain waves can be measured. Emotional states alter physiology, hormone production, heart rate variability, breathing patterns, and autonomic nervous system activity. In other words, thoughts and emotions are not purely abstract experiences; they are reflected physically throughout the body.
At the most basic level, all matter is composed of atoms and subatomic particles carrying electrical charge. Modern physics demonstrates that matter and energy are deeply interconnected, even if spiritual concepts of “energy” are not always equivalent to scientifically measurable electromagnetic energy. Still, the overlap between physical processes and subjective human experience invites important questions about how ancient systems may have interpreted the relationship between body, mind, and consciousness.
Historically, chakra systems emerged as symbolic frameworks intended to explain human experience and the relationship between individuals and the divine. Over time, those frameworks evolved alongside culture, religion, philosophy, and medicine. Ancient societies often explained illness and emotional suffering through spiritual or elemental theories. Modern medicine instead examines cells, organs, hormones, and neurological systems. Yet both approaches are ultimately attempts to understand the same human experience from different perspectives.
For me, the most compelling intersection between chakra theory and modern anatomy lies within the nervous system.
The nervous system serves as the body’s communication network, carrying signals between the brain and the body while continuously responding to both internal and external stimuli. It regulates movement, sensation, stress responses, emotional processing, and countless unconscious physiological functions necessary for survival.
Within the peripheral nervous system are several major nerve plexuses. A plexus is a network of intersecting nerves that functions as a communication center for a particular region of the body. The major plexuses include the cervical, brachial, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses, as well as the celiac, or “solar,” plexus associated with autonomic regulation in the abdomen.
Within the central nervous system are two additional plexuses composed of vascular tissue, nerve fibers, and specialized supporting cells. The first is the choroid plexus, a structure located within the brain’s ventricular system that produces cerebrospinal fluid, helping protect and regulate the brain’s internal environment. The second is the hypothalamic-pituitary complex, a neuroendocrine communication center that plays a central role in maintaining homeostasis by regulating hormone production, stress responses, metabolism, temperature, sleep cycles, and other essential autonomic functions.
Although these structures differ anatomically from the peripheral nerve plexuses, they function as critical communication and regulatory centers within the brain. Their locations and functions correspond intriguingly with the traditional placement of the third eye and crown chakras within the seven-chakra system.
What is interesting is how closely these neurological centers correspond anatomically to the locations traditionally associated with the seven-chakra system.
The Chakras
Root Chakra
Associated Anatomy: Coccygeal and lower sacral plexuses
Functions: Pelvic floor function, elimination, lower limb innervation, basic survival responses
Functions: Pelvic floor function, elimination, lower limb innervation, basic survival responses
The root chakra is traditionally associated with grounding, safety, survival, and physical stability. Anatomically, the coccygeal and lower sacral nerves regulate many of the body’s most foundational physical functions. Dysregulation in this region can affect mobility, elimination, and autonomic stability, all of which influence a person’s sense of physical security and embodiment.
Sacral Chakra
Associated Anatomy: Sacral plexus
Functions: Reproductive organs, bladder function, sexuality, emotional processing
Functions: Reproductive organs, bladder function, sexuality, emotional processing
The sacral chakra is often connected to creativity, intimacy, pleasure, and emotional flow. The sacral plexus innervates many pelvic and reproductive structures, making the relationship between this region and themes of creation, reproduction, and emotional experience understandable from both symbolic and physiological perspectives.
Solar Plexus Chakra
Associated Anatomy: Celiac (solar) plexus
Functions: Digestion, adrenal activation, autonomic nervous system regulation
Functions: Digestion, adrenal activation, autonomic nervous system regulation
The solar plexus chakra is commonly associated with identity, personal power, confidence, and self-determination. The celiac plexus contains extensive autonomic nerve networks that regulate digestive and stress-related processes. Emotional experiences such as fear, anxiety, and empowerment are frequently experienced viscerally in this region, reinforcing the close relationship between emotional state and autonomic physiology.
Heart Chakra
Associated Anatomy: Cardiac plexus
Functions: Cardiovascular and respiratory regulation, autonomic balance
Functions: Cardiovascular and respiratory regulation, autonomic balance
Traditionally associated with love, compassion, grief, and connection, the heart chakra corresponds closely with systems heavily influenced by autonomic nervous system activity. Research on heart rate variability and vagal tone demonstrates measurable relationships between emotional regulation, stress resilience, and cardiovascular function. The heart is not merely symbolic in emotional experience; it is physiologically responsive to it.
Throat Chakra
Associated Anatomy: Cervical plexus and associated neural pathways
Functions: Speech, swallowing, respiration, communication between brain and body
Functions: Speech, swallowing, respiration, communication between brain and body
The throat chakra is associated with communication, self-expression, and authenticity. Neurologically, this region contains complex pathways involved in vocalization, breathing, swallowing, and sensory integration. The vagus nerve also travels through this region, connecting emotional regulation, autonomic function, and physiological state.
Third Eye Chakra
Associated Anatomy: Choroid plexus and surrounding midbrain structures
Functions: Cerebrospinal fluid production, sensory integration, internal regulation
Functions: Cerebrospinal fluid production, sensory integration, internal regulation
The third eye chakra is traditionally associated with intuition, insight, and perception. While ancient traditions lacked modern neuroimaging technology, many identified this region as central to awareness and consciousness. Structures near the center of the brain play important roles in regulating internal environments, integrating sensory information, and coordinating neurological processes essential for perception.
Crown Chakra
Associated Anatomy: Hypothalamic-pituitary axis
Functions: Hormonal regulation, homeostasis, systemic integration
Functions: Hormonal regulation, homeostasis, systemic integration
The crown chakra is often described as representing higher consciousness, spiritual connection, and transcendence. Physiologically, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland serve as major regulatory centers coordinating endocrine function, stress responses, circadian rhythms, and systemic balance throughout the body. In many ways, this region acts as a central integrator between mind and body.
The Connection
None of this definitively proves that chakras are literal anatomical structures. Ancient spiritual traditions were not practicing modern neuroscience in the way we understand it today. However, it is possible that humans across cultures observed consistent relationships between emotional states, bodily sensations, consciousness, and physical regions of the body, then developed symbolic systems to describe those observations.
Perhaps chakras are best understood not as physical objects, but as conceptual maps describing the interaction between physiology, emotion, awareness, and human experience.
As scientific understanding continues to evolve, we may find that ancient spiritual systems and modern neuroscience are not opposing explanations, but different languages attempting to describe many of the same phenomena from different perspectives.
For me, this possibility does not diminish either science or spirituality. Instead, it invites a more integrated understanding of what it means to be human.
If this article resonated with you, you’re invited to stay connected. I share integrative insights, nervous system practices, and grounded reflections to support sustainable growth — in health, work, and daily life.
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