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The Science Behind Your Chakras: What Are Chakras and How Many Are There?

What are chakras and how many are there? You've likely heard of these swirling whirlpools of energy in the body, but scientists are still figuring out how to study them to know if they are real.

Sara Novak
BySara Novak
Credit: Asmiana/Shutterstock

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According to the tradition of yoga and many New Age practices, the chakras are vital centers of energy that exist in all of us.

While these constantly spinning energy vortexes are not visible to the human eye, they’re thought to be essential to our ongoing development and health as human beings, says Karla Helbert, a licensed counselor, yoga therapist, and author of The Chakras in Grief and Trauma.

“I think of them as invisible energy organs, each one self-contained and having functions that impact all parts of the whole,” says Helbert.

If you're curious about the mystical realm of chakras, how many there are, and how to block them, you can learn more below about these energy centers and their potential for physical and spiritual wellness.

(Credit: Sudowoodo/Shutterstock)

Sudowoodo/Shutterstock

Chakras are believed to be energy centers, or points of spiritual power, in various traditional Indian spiritual and religious systems, particularly ...

  • Sara Novak

    Sara Novak

    Sara Novak is a science journalist and contributing writer for Discover Magazine, who covers new scientific research on the climate, mental health, and paleontology.

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