Many people describe the chakras as unseen energy centres situated along the spinal column starting from the base of the pelvis up through to the top of the head. Together they form an energy system that feeds the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies in us all.

Each chakra is a vortex of energy that spins in and out of its centre at a different speed or vibration as it channels energy from the Universal Life Force. The associated colours indicate the vibrational speed of each chakra, with red being the slowest and violet, the fastest: Most teachings agree on seven major chakras and associated colours:

Major Chakras and Associated Colours

Crown - 7th Chakra (Top of Head)

Third Eye - 6th Chakra (Centre of forehead)

Throat - 5th Chakra (Bottom of neck)

Heart - 4th Chakra (Centre of chest)

Solar Plexus - 3rd Chakra (Between rib cage and naval)

Sacral - 2nd Chakra (Below the naval)

Root - 1st Chakra (Above the pubic bone)

The following is an extract from 'The Chakra - Handbook' written by Shalila Sharamon and Bodo J. Baginski and published by Lotus Light.

The Function and Purpose of the Chakras
Traditional writing mention 88,000 chakras. This means that there is scarcely a minute area of the human body which is not a sensitive organ for the reception, transformation and transferral of energies. 

Most of these chakras are extremely small and only have a minor role to play in the energy system. Only approximately 40 secondary chakras can be considered significant. The most important of these are located in the area of the spleen, back of the neck, the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.

The seven major chakras, which are located along a central, vertical axis along the front of the body, are of such relevance for the functioning of the most important and fundamental aspects of the human body, mind and soul.... 

The true seat of the seven main chakras is in the ethereal body. They resemble funnel-shaped blossoms, each possessing a different number of petals, which is why they are often referred to as lotus blossoms in the East.

The petals of the blossoms represent nadis, or energy channels, through which energy is able to flow into the chakras, where it is then conveyed to the subtle bodies. The number of petals, or nadis, ranges from four at the root chakra to nearly a
thousand at the crown.

From the deepest point at the center of each chakra blossom, a stem-like channel extends to the spine and merges with it, connecting the chakras with the most important energy channel, the sushumma, which rises up within the spine to the top of the head.

The chakras are constantly in a state of rotation. This is why they are called 'chakra', which in Sanskrit means 'wheel'. It is their rotating which attracts energy and draws it in or gives it off, depending on the direction of the rotation. The chakras rotate either to the right (clockwise) or to the left, depending on sex, thus enabling the energies of man and woman to complement each other. This is because the chakras that turn to the right in a man rotate in the opposite direction in a woman, and vice versa.

Every clockwise rotation is primarily male, or, in accordance with Chinese teaching, Yang, in nature, meaning that it represents willpower and activity as well the more negative characteristics of aggression and force. Every counterclockwise rotation is female or Yin in nature, and represents receptiveness and agreement, as well as the more negative characteristic of weakness.

The direction in which a chakra rotates varies from chakra to chakra. The male root chakra, for example, rotates to the right, expressing the characteristics of the center in the sense of conquering and mastering, both materially and sexually, while the female root chakra rotates to the left, making women more receptive for the stimulating and life-giving power of the earth flowing through the root center.

In the second chakra the portents change: the woman's chakra now rotates to the right, indicating greater activity in the expression of emotions, while the man's second chakra turns to the felt, indicating a tendency to receive on an emotional level or frequently remain passive. And so it continues: the rotations alternative, thus shaping men and women in different ways and leading to supplementation of energies in very area of life.

Knowledge of the rotational direction of the chakras can play a role in several forms of therapy. When using aromatherapy, for instance, you may wish to apply fragrances in circular movement corresponding to the chakra, or, if you are working with gemstones, you can again follow the direction of the energy center in question.