The Chakras & the map vs. the terrain

Auf Deutsch: Die Chakras & Die Karte vs. das Land

There’s something so beautiful — and at times confusing — about working with systems like the chakras. They offer us a language for the invisible, a structure for the subtle, and an entry point into deeper connection with ourselves.

But here’s the thing: the chakra system, like all systems, is a map. And as with all maps, it’s not the same as the actual terrain.

In this blog, I want to share a little context about where the chakra system comes from, how it’s evolved, and why it’s important not to confuse the map with your lived experience. Because ultimately —

you are the terrain.

This blogpost is a summary of the video that you can find on Unfold under the category “Beyond the Shape”

The word chakra comes from Sanskrit. It’s rooted in the verb chri, which means to move or to turn. A chakra is often translated as a wheel or vortex — symbolizing rotation, motion, and cyclical energy.

In yogic and tantric traditions, chakras are described as energy centers located along the sushumna nadi — the central channel of the subtle body. Each chakra is said to govern certain physical, emotional, and spiritual functions, and together they form a kind of inner landscape.

There’s a common assumption that the chakra system is a core part of ancient yoga. But the reality is more nuanced. The 7-chakra system that many of us know today is not one universal truth — it's a synthesis of many teachings across time, lineage, and culture.

Early Mentions in the Vedas (1500–500 BCE)

• The Vedas are some of the oldest sacred texts in the Indian tradition.

• They reference energy channels (nadis) and centers of power in the body — but these references are more poetic than systematic.

• A structured chakra system is not presented in the Vedas as we know it today.

Development in Tantric Texts (1000–1600 CE)

• The chakra system developed more fully in Tantric texts, not in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

• Key texts like the Shat-Chakra-Nirupana describe chakras as lotus-like energy centers, each associated with specific sounds (mantras), deities, and elements.

• These systems were meant to support spiritual awakening and deeper energetic work.

Variation Across Lineages

Here’s something important to understand:

There is no single, unified chakra system.

• Some traditions describe five chakras, others six, seven, or even more than ten.

• These systems were shaped by the lineage, the purpose of the practice, and the personal experience of the teacher.

• What we now call “the chakra system” is really many systems layered over time.

The version of the chakra system that most of us learn today — with seven rainbow-colored energy centers, linked to emotional states and endocrine glands — is actually a modern creation. While it draws from ancient sources, it has been significantly shaped by Western thinkers and New Age teachers, especially throughout the 20th century. One of the key figures in this translation was Sir John Woodroffe (also known as Arthur Avalon), who translated and interpreted Tantric texts into English, helping bring these ideas into Western awareness. Psychologist Carl Jung also played a major role in this evolution, weaving the chakra model into his work on archetypes and the unconscious mind. Over time, modern spiritual teachers and writers continued to develop the system, adding layers such as the rainbow color associations (which are not found in the original texts), connections to sound and crystal healing, and various emotional and psychological frameworks.

What this created is a kind of blended map — part spiritual, part energetic, part psychological. And again, this doesn’t make the system less meaningful. But it does ask us to remember: what we’re working with is a map — not the terrain itself.

🗺 The Map vs. The Terrain

In yoga and many wisdom traditions, maps are created from direct experience. Someone, somewhere, felt something deeply within their body and being. They explored it, named it, described it — and in doing so, they gave us a map. A way to begin our own inner exploration. But that map is not the experience itself.

Texts and teachings can point to the experience — but they are not the experience.

The chakra system is one such map. So is the kosha model, the nadi system, and even most alignment cues in yoga asana.

In my own practice, I used to study these systems and then try to recreate what they described. But often, I wouldn’t feel what the text said I was supposed to feel. And it left me wondering... Am I doing it wrong?

What I eventually realized was this: I was looking for answers outside of myself. I was trying to recreate someone else’s experience, rather than listening to my own. This is where the real shift happened for me.

You are not here to copy a map..

You are here to live in your own body, to explore your own terrain — with curiosity, with reverence, and with trust.

So yes, use the map. Study it. Let it guide and inspire you.
But if your experience doesn’t match it?
That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It means you’re listening.

Let me rephrase that:
Your experience will most likely be different.
Because you are different. We all are.

So whether we’re exploring chakras, yogic philosophy, or simply how a pose feels in our body on a particular day — the practice is this:

Trust your inner reference system. Let your experience matter. Use the map, but stay loyal to your terrain.

There is a whole spectrum of truths people are living and feeling — all equally valid, all beautifully diverse. What you are presented with in any system is not the ultimate truth. It's simply someone else’s truth.

And your truth is worth listening to.