What scientific evidence is there for Chakras?

[forests]

I have studied the idea of auras for some time and there have been a handful of scientists who have evidence for the existence of the aura or "biofield". However the idea of a Chakra existing seems to have no evidence whatsoever, no scientists have wanted to touch in this area.

I can not find one scientist who has tried to prove the existence of a Chakra. The idea of a Chakra appears to be a Hindu religious teaching, later the Theosophists picked up on it such as Charles Leadbeater and other occultists.

Basically does anyone know of any scientists who have any evidence for the existence of Chakras?

[dotster]

I have somewhere saved on my computer a dissertation written by a French doctor concerning the crown chakra (aka the halo shown in many old religious paintings) but there seems to be very little if any scientific evidence on this subject, whether due to lack of proper experiments/understanding or maybe lack of proper equipment who knows. I wouldn't put too much faith in having the scientific community prove or disprove these types of things though. Most scientists wouldn't even take the idea of those kinds of experiments seriously in the first place.

My advice to you would be to start doing some meditation and energy work if you don't already and prove or disprove it to yourself. When you rely on outside sources to determine your own truths and fallacies things tend to get all jumbled up and you end up becoming dependent on having reality defined for you by an outside force. Look for your own truth, and during your search keep an eye out for the "proofs" of others, but only for your own personal contemplation. Don't take anything of this nature for fact OR fiction unless you can prove it to yourself.

My own personal experience with chakras is pretty limited, though I have had a few experiences with certain areas associated with certain chakras while doing energy work. Very strong vibrations in the root chakra area occasionally during meditation, and sometimes I get the same feeling in the heart area. Sometimes I get a tingling all over my scalp, and also in the space between the eyebrows (6th chakra) and if I concentrate on the tingling between my eyebrows the tingling changes into a very strong sensation of pressure between the eyes. That's about all I've experienced though. Try it for yourself and see if you discover anything.

All the best,
dotster

[Ident]

This might be of interest to you...

http://www.qim2011.org/papers/2011_Prog_C_RTable_Papers/29_Ristovski_RTable_Paper.pdf

[urshebear]

I have actually been thinking about this exact question this week.

[Stookie_]

Dotster has good advice.
And that was an interesting read Ident. Thanks for sharing.

My 2 cents: Chakras aren't physical so science can't find them. If they could study chakras, then they would be able to study the etheric/astral as well. Not that it won't happen in the future.

I find that once you discover it to be truth for yourself, it doesn't matter what science or anyone else says.

[CFTraveler]

Nice paper, Ident.  I enjoyed it very much.

[urshebear]

My mum is a beauty therapist and she had to study chakras as part of her degree as it relates to massage. I found it interesting that even though there is a lack of scientific evidence, chakras are still recognised even in a community that is not necessarily "spiritual"

Do chakra colours relate to a persons aura?

[majour ka]

My mum is a beauty therapist and she had to study chakras as part of her degree as it relates to massage. I found it interesting that even though there is a lack of scientific evidence, chakras are still recognised even in a community that is not necessarily "spiritual"

Do chakra colours relate to a persons aura?

Yes that is interesting, but it also depends on from which system the massage is based upon. Yes the chakras do relate to the Aura.

Forests mentions them being a Hindu teaching, which is true from a yoga point of view especially, but remember there are many peopel who can see them and that is where the knowledge of them stems from.
I know a lady who can even see them on people even when watching TV.  she does skype readings and can read your charkras and auric field over skype and shes very very good. I See auras and have seen chakras but to see them over skype or on TV is pretty amazing !

[Cincy_Joe]

From what I gather, Chakras as just energy centers that are attached to nerve clusters around the body. The biggest Chakras go along the spine, while the smaller ones are distributed at the hands, feet, and eyes to name a few. The ethric/astral body are attached to the physical by means of what I can only call "attractive resonance". EM (electromagnetic) field detectors can only get inferred information from the Chakras by how the nerve clusters react cause the EM detector work just on a physical level.

I think I'm on the right track......thoughts?

[forests]

Thanks for that paper, I just read it. Basically when it comes to science of the Chakras this is what they said:

all chakra teachings, obviously belong to the domain of metascience (metaphysics). It means that they are based on revealed truths, which are necessarily expressed by an symbolic and metaphoric language.

The paper points out Chakras are metaphysical in nature and can not be scientifically proven, tested or detected as they are non-physical in nature. "There is no way to interpret scientifically the parts doctrinal teaching, which operates with non-physical entities."

We may aswell believe in giant flying invisible clowns then. This stuff is just a belief, not a "revealed truth" all religious teachings are  pointless they have no empirical foundation, no basis in reality. As mentioned if the Chakra existed then we should be able to detect it, so far there seems to be no scientific evidence not even scientific speculation on what its properties may be .. just "non-physical". Note how the aura or "biofield" in scientific terms has been tested by a handful of scientists and proven to be electromagnetic in nature ie it has physical properties - there is no such thing as a non-physical entity, even such things such as ghosts, apparitions etc etc are probably electromagnetic in origin or formed of some kind of matter and there is a deal of research that is testing this.

The new age folk may want to believe chakras exist, but until we have some scientific evidence, no point in believing in it. I will continue to search for a physical explanation, perhaps somewhere some obscure scientist has identified the nature or properties of chakras. 

[Volgerle]

Maybe there is a conceptual flaw in your way of questioning: Is it really the phenomena that must be explained in "physical" ways, like the skeptics want to have it according to their BELIEF SYSTEM, or is it science and its epistemological methods that must change?

Just because "they" (not all, but sciene "mainstream") still say that "non-physical" does not exist (for them) or at least is not the subject of their research, does not mean that it isn't the basis of reality or of paranormal leak-throughs into physical reality, which many of us believe it is (and some scientists too). What is the boundary between physical and non-physical anyway? We need theories that encompass physical / non-physical altogether, or better: get rid of this limiting terminology (based on belief) altogether.

We need a T.O.E. that explains everything and really EVERY ... THING ... and NO-THING. 

This is what science cannot do in its nowaday's state. Skeptics like that as it allows them to keep up their faith in a materialistic world. As they only want to "see" things that are "proven scientifically" as they view it in their close-minded fashion. They stay in the black box for all their life.

Most people here on forums like these are more evolved. They (the experiencers, but also some more scientifically oriented people) do not need "proof" as it is still defined by a very limited epistemological approach termed the "scientific method" which is in many cases rather pseudo-scientific.

One of the scientists who delves into a bigger TOE encompassing physical and non-physical existense is. T. Campbell. You might want to watch one of his lectures here. He has the advantage of not just being an experienced practical nuclear physicist but also an experiencer of altered states of consciousness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxECb7zcQhQ

But every TOE has its limits, of course. I think that even open-minded science will still need some decades or even centuries to figure it all out, if it happens at all here in this dimension.

Here's by the way sth about energy fields, I have not yet watched it but it was recommended on other forums like these, so I link it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W45AkDHnsQ&list=PL7AABF420109E78C4

You might also want to watch some of today's science's biases towards the enquiry towards "psi", paranormal and also energy fields / chakras. This is a lecture by a renowned and respected parapsychologist, Dean Radin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw_O9Qiwqew

Ok, enough, I'm out. 

[Ident]

If you can locate medical texts dating back to the 1940s and earlier you are likely to find that auras and the body's energy systems were accepted as part of the whole organism. I think Icke has commented that the removal of the acknowledgement of our metaphysical side is part of the conspiracy to keep us all, as a people, away from awareness. Of course, that's just his conjecture but the fact remains that auras are hard to locate in medical texts after the second world war.

Anyone who has read much on Edgar Cayce will be aware that doctors seemed to be entirely comfortable to consult with him, for him to go into trance for medical diagnoses and treatments.

As Galileo might have said, "Yet they still exist".

[forests]

If you can locate medical texts dating back to the 1940s and earlier you are likely to find that auras and the body's energy systems were accepted as part of the whole organism.

Sorry but this is totally wrong, I wish it was true, but it isnt! I have spent ages in libraries and online searching for the history of the aura, if we are talking about science and aura only a handful have ever taken the aura seriously. Kilner for example after publishing a book on the topic, the scientific community wanted nothing to do with him! It is very sad

[Stillwater]

My personal theory on chakras is that they are the major nerve ganglia. If you think it about it, it makes sense:

Root-Genital and Messentry nerves
Subnavel- adrenal nerve ganglia
Solar plexus- solar plexus (    ) , a MAJOR nerve center in body
Heart- cardiac nerve ganglia
Throat- the very sophisticated vocal nerves around larynx and pharynx
Third Eye- Frontal lobes
Crown- rest of parietal, occiptal, temporal lobes region

I say this also because the feelings I have felt relating to them, which mesh faily well with their metaphysical descriptions, always seem like a nerve buzzing to me. I have no doubt at all that I am experienceing something when I contemplate chakras, the effects are very intense. The third-eye center in particular can give a very intense and terrible, searing pain that feels like someone is trying to drive a marble directly into my forehead. If you experienced it, you would not doubt that there is a sensation associated with it. Now as I say, I fancy that what I am feeling is a stimulation of concentrated nerve centers; perhaps there is also a metaphysical component, but there is really no way for me to study that aspect or prove/disprove it, since there is no way to gather reliable data.

[Volgerle]

My personal theory on chakras is that they are the major nerve ganglia

Normally they are (metaphysically, of course  ) said to be interfacing (energetically) with the hormone system that has glands all over the body and especially where the main chakras are located (e.g. thymus - heart chakra, pineal gland - third eye chakra, etc.):



see also:
http://humanityhealing.net/2012/02/the-delicate-hormonal-web/
or:
http://www.heal-thyself.us/endocrine_glands.html