As a so called 'hippie', it has been brought to my attention through my studies that many ideals are thought to be foolish due to the type of people who believe them. So, as a hippie who is also a neuroscience and chemistry major, I plan to prove many people wrong. The first ideal I wanted to touch on is the ideal of chakras.
What exactly are these you may ask? Well, originating in Indian culture,the word chakra means "wheel". The idea of chakras is that each of the main seven chakras affects different parts of our lives in a full circle kind of way, hence the name wheel. Within the human body, all actions are controlled by nerves, which stem from the spinal cord. There are five main nerve bundles located within the spinal cord.
Each chakra corresponds with a different nerve bundle, and this is where the whole hippie meets science becomes a full circle. If we are to look at the spinal cord, and what each different section contributes to the body, chakras begin to make a lot more sense.
Starting at the base with the red chakra, named the root chakra, correlates with L5-S5 vertebrae. The root chakra is the base of the energy flow. It is to represent the connection a person can have to the environment they are in.
The second chakra would be the orange Sacral chakra. This chakra is located by the sacral plexus, which is also the nerves that are connected to the reproductive organs and kidneys. Which makes sense that this chakra affects sexuality and water regulation.
Thirdly is the solar plexus chakra, which is yellow, and you guessed it, located in the solar plexus (fancy name for nerve bundle). The essence of the third chakra is energy and power, so digestion being the main benefactor is a strong example of energy, since that is what digestion does. It creates energy out of consumption.
The green chakra is the heart chakra, which makes sense due to its location. This chakra tends to lean more on a spiritual aspect of love and being balanced within both the spiritual and physical world. Nonetheless, it is the center of the body and the energy released can effect those center organs.
The fifth chakra, the throat chakra, is really the last to have a spinal chord impact. Located by the throat, this turquoise chakra is what really impacts the ideals of communication, since the nerves from these vertebrae affect the thyroid. Communication and thyroid my seem to have nothing in common, but remember the idea of chakra is only within the body. The thyroid's job is to keep the entire body on track and communicating with each other, which we call metabolism.
The sixth chakra is located in the brain, and instead of being affected by nerves, the pineal gland affects this one. For the turquoise third eye chakra, it is located behind third ventricle of the brain. The pineal gland is considered the "third eye" due to the fact that it is an eye into the functionality of the body and keeps it in rhythm.
Lastly we have the violet crown chakra. The pituitary glad is what the chakra revolves around. The crown chakra is meant for enlightenment and spiritual development, which is why it is not fully located in the human body. The crown chakra is fully indulged within the brains complex functions, which is still not fully understood.
If the science behind this idea is too much, or you still don't believe in the idea of chakra here is another idea. In the field of psychology, we have Maslow's Hierarchy. The newly revised hierarchy consists of seven different stages: physiological, safety, belonging, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization and transcendence. Eerily the ideas that Maslow has about people correlates closely to the old Indian practice of chakras.
Enjoy the knowledge.
