Energy, Chakras and Christianity: What Does the Bible Say?
As a yoga teacher who is also a follower of Christ, I often find myself wading into unknown territory. While preparing for my next online Christian Yoga Studies course, Energy and chakras: a Biblical perspective, I found very little research. Instead, I found a whole lot of questions… Are chakras in the Bible? What does the Bible say about chakras? Is there a relationship between the Holy Spirit and chakras? What religion are chakras?
In this post, learn the basics of energy and chakras as we explore the relationship between energy, chakras, and Christianity. Want to learn more about Christianity and chakras? Get your FREE Jesus and chakras tool-kit sent straight to your inbox. Sign up here.
What is energy?
In order to understand energy and the chakras, we must first take a moment to learn about the subtle body. Tias Little in his book, Yoga and the Subtle Body describes the subtle body as “that which is fine, delicate, and infinitesimally small such as an atomic particle”. The subtle body is the aspect of our being which cannot be seen by the naked eye. Composed of various layers called koshas, the subtle body is thought to hold our life force or vital energy. This vital energy flows in a complex loop resembling rivers and streams weaving through, around, and beyond the physical body. Where these streams and rivers of energy collide, a chakra is found.
What are chakras?
So what is chakra anyway? Chakra (pronounced with a hard “ch” like chia) is a Sanskrit word most often translated as “spinning wheel”. It does not refer to an actual physical structure in the body. Instead, it refers to a swirl of energy created by energetic intersections within the subtle body.
Many traditions have taught about these energy centers thus making for many different chakra systems. The system most popular in the West is the seven chakra system which became popular in the 16th century. (The Real Story on the Chakras by Chris Wallace).
In this modernized chakra system, each chakra is associated with a major endocrine gland and a major nerve plexus. The energy found in each chakra is thought to affect the systems that the glands and the nerves control. If the energy in a chakra becomes unbalanced, it can manifest as disease.
Where did chakras originate? What religion are chakras?
What religion does “chakra” come from? Is there a “chakras” bible? There are many cultures and traditions that have an energetic model of medicine. Thus, there is not one authoritative text on energy or the chakras, but many. Most of these teachings have their historical origins in the East and have been explained primarily through an Eastern worldview. It is for this reason, many Christians have written these concepts off as occult or new age (or what I like to refer to as “woo woo”).
Beth Hovis writes in It’s not new, It’s true: Chakra and Christianity,
“One thing that many Christians have against chakras is the teaching of opening up and balancing our beings beginning at the root because the Hindu religion is part of the teaching…For our safety, God tells us not to worship Him the way that the other nations worship their gods. And I am not telling you to ignore His warnings.”
I agree that Christians must be discerning when dealing with concepts that were birthed through another culture and worldview. However, I also believe that we should not be too quick to dismiss the wisdom found in these teachings. We should take care not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater” as the saying goes. (For more, read my previous blog, Christianity & Chakras: Separating the Baby from the Bathwater.)
Chakras and their meaning for health?
When exploring the concept of energy held in our subtle bodies, we find an ancient model of medicine that has been utilized effectively in the East for thousands of years. By becoming educated about the chakra system, we discover a potentially powerful means for balancing the nervous and endocrine systems. It also offers a new tool for establishing vitality in the body and mind.
People often ask how to unblock chakras or how to align chakras. A better question might be how can we balance the energy moving through the chakras? Traditional yogic teachings about chakras primarily used meditation and prayer as the way to balance energy in the chakras. Modern, Western teachings, such as Anodea Judith’s books, associate each chakra with certain bodily glands and functions. Check out the books Wheels of Life and Eastern Body, Western Mind. These teachings also associate chakras with certain elements, colors, minerals, specific herbs and foods. They are even associated with various emotional, psychological, and spiritual states of being. Today, these are tools used in balancing the energy which flows through each chakra center.
Christianity and Chakras
Now you may be wondering about the relationship between Christianity and chakras, or the 7 chakras and God. You may be asking, are the 7 chakras in Bible? How do the chakras and the bible relate? What about the Holy Spirit and chakras?
There is no direct mention of the chakras in the Bible. While this might seem like a cause for concern, it is important to note that electricity, viruses, hormones, ultraviolet rays, or even “the Trinity” cannot be found in the Bible either!
This illustrates the point that to consider something invalid, or evil, simply because there is not a direct Biblical reference is a weak argument. It’s also a slippery slope to walk. The Bible is the Word of God. It was given to his people to teach us about who God is, what He has done, and what He is doing. It also shares what He promises to do in the world. We must consider that the Bible was never intended to be an exhaustive text describing the intricacies of God’s Creation.
So while we do not see energy or chakras explicitly described in the Bible, we can see these concepts in several places of Scripture. For one example, the “breath of life” which gives life to all things points to the vital life force or the life giving energy described in many energy medicine models. (Genesis 2:7)
What are the dangers of chakras?
There are valid reasons for the controversy around the topic of chakras and Christianity. If you google these subjects, you find numerous teachings from various world-views ranging from Hindu to New Age. While evidence is growing which points to the physical benefits of energy work in the body, the question of spiritual safety still lingers for many Christians.
Most Christians have an all or nothing approach with topics like energy and chakras; embracing it all and calling it good, or rejecting everything and considering it evil. But these subjects (and others like it) are complex and require that Christians practice discernment when dealing with concepts that were birthed through another culture and worldview.
As previously mentioned, the chakras were originally described in traditional yogic texts as focal points for meditation invoking the healing energies of the “divine” in the body. This sounds harmless until we realize that the divine included gods and goddesses of the Hindu mythologies and Christians are commanded to worship the Biblical God alone! (Exodus 20:1-3 & 34:14; Luke 4:8)
Are energy & chakras spiritually safe for Christians?
Father Thomas Ryan points out an important consideration about energy and the chakras in his writings. He reminds us that all of God’s Creation can be used for good or for evil according to man’s will when he writes,
“Whether this (energy awakening) is for good or evil is another question all together… awakening may or may not bring about a deeper union with God, for union with God is effected through love and surrender and not simply through increased consciousness or awareness. The awakening experience can help one to bring greater energies into the service of love, but free will continues, and with it the possibility of misusing the considerable powers released for selfish motives.”
Christians are cautioned to practice discernment any time that we are dealing with the spirit realm. The Bible teaches “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We are told not to fear but to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Timothy 1:7; & 1 John 4:1).
In order to do this, we must practice discernment and first be knowledgeable about our faith and sacred text, the Bible. Only when we are knowledgeable about what we believe to be true, are we able to recognize something as untrue. We also must remember that Christians are meant to a spiritual people. We have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit through Christ. That means that we are called to be Spirit-led people as we follow Jesus in this world.
So… if we believe that ALL things were made by God for God’s purposes, then we can consider:
How can energy be used for God’s purposes according to his design?
How might the healing power of Jesus be found as we journey through the chakras with Christ?
The chakras have traditionally been utilized as focal points for meditation. The intention is to invite divine energy into different points in the subtle body. What would it mean to invite the healing presence, the healing energy, of Jesus into our bodies? As we explore energy, Christianity, and chakras, and what it means to Journey through the chakras with Christ, we might just find a system of health that offers potential for healing on the physical, mental, AND spiritual levels and we may experience the healing found in Jesus Christ in new and powerful ways!
Ready to learn more about chakras from a Christian perspective? Grab your spot in my online course: Energy & chakras: a Biblical perspective, get your FREE Jesus & chakras tool-kit, or check out my card deck, Journeying through the chakras with Christ and get started learning today!
