From roots to radiance: The chakra journey in work and life

Greetings everyone, so we understood chakras from the perspective of their essential theory as well as the scientific perspective. It clearly convinced me of something, that while every chakra is important, evolution from the lower to the higher chakras is critical to find meaning in life.

Just like Maslow’s Hierarchy, there isn’t a standard route we follow in this evolutionary process. Some people may go through the conventional path – from lower order physical/security /confidence needs to higher order traits – pure love & compassion, truthfulness, self-awareness and oneness with the universe.

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, linked the chakra system to psychological development. He saw them as symbolic representations of psychological states of consciousness. He drew parallels between the lower chakras and basic human instincts and the higher chakras and advanced states of consciousness, such as self-realization.

Let us first look at the hierarchy of the chakras:

The Lower Chakras

The lower chakras are connected to our physical existence, survival instincts, and emotional foundation. They ground us in the material world and relate to our most basic needs and desires.

Root Chakra (Muladhara): Survival, stability, and physical security

Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana): Emotions, creativity, and sexuality

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura): Personal power, confidence, and ambition

The Bridge

Heart Chakra (Anahata): Love, compassion, and balance

The Higher Chakras

Throat Chakra (Vishuddha): Communication, truth, and self-expression

Third Eye Chakra (Ajna): Intuition, insight, and wisdom

Crown Chakra (Sahasrara): Spirituality, enlightenment, and unity with the cosmos

Chakras in your personal life

On closer analysis, the chakra system reveals a fascinating journey of growth and self-expansion. The lower chakras—Root, Sacral, and Solar Plexus—are deeply connected to the ego self. These are dominant during the early stages of life when you focus on survival, building a career, achieving success, indulging in life's pleasures, and seeking social recognition.

In my personal experience, family serves as the first stage of moving beyond the ego. For the first time, your focus shifts from personal needs to the collective welfare of loved ones. This is where the heart chakra (Anahata) comes into play. It acts as a bridge between the lower, ego-driven chakras and the higher, consciousness-driven chakras. The activation of this chakra symbolizes a shift toward love, empathy, and the ability to prioritize others’ needs alongside your own.

The higher chakras—Throat, Third Eye, and Crown—represent the realms of intuition, wisdom, and universal connection. Activating these centers requires consciously transcending ego-based motivations and embracing larger goals.

In your personal life, the Throat Chakra is activated when you begin to communicate your truth authentically and align your words with your values. For instance, speaking up for a cause you deeply believe in or inspiring others with your vision. Now you are expressing your own truth rather than following society!

During family conflicts, the ability to calmly and truthfully express feelings and listen actively helps maintain harmony. For instance, resolving a teenager’s frustration by openly discussing their aspirations instead of imposing decisions. When parents share life lessons with their children in a meaningful and empowering way, encouraging curiosity and dialogue, it creates a lasting impact. The teenager has the right to lash out, you know better!

The Third Eye Chakra opens as you cultivate intuition and self-awareness. In personal life, this might manifest as the point where you start reflecting on what truly matters to you rather than just following societal expectations. For example, you decide to switch careers because you realize your current job, though prestigious, isn’t aligned with your passions or values. You begin practicing mindfulness or journaling, not just as a routine but as a way to gain clarity on your inner desires and thought patterns. You trust your gut instinct more, whether it’s about making a big decision, choosing relationships, or navigating life’s uncertainties.

The Crown Chakra, on the other hand, represents a profound connection to something larger than yourself. You may volunteer for a cause that aligns with your values, like mentoring underprivileged children or participating in environmental conservation efforts. Feeling a sense of flow and harmony while creating something meaningful—a piece of art, a project that helps others, or a heartfelt contribution to your community. It becomes so much more than personal gain! It could also mean embracing gratitude and a sense of unity with the world around you—recognizing that your actions, however small, contribute to a bigger picture.

Family members go beyond their individual desires to support one another's spiritual or personal growth. Parents inspire children to find their purpose and pursue it without fear of failure. Every member feels connected, not just as individuals, but as part of something greater, creating an environment of love, understanding, and shared growth.

Chakras in your career

In an organizational setting, evolving your chakras mirrors the journey from being an individual contributor who is looking to outshine everyone, to becoming a leader responsible for a team’s growth and well-being. When you are a leader, you are not just about high performance. Leaders need to ensure overall well being of their teams and also ensure that cross-departmental synergies are not compromised.

The Throat Chakra comes alive when leaders use their voice to empower and inspire. But that requires an authenticity, which cannot be faked. Think of a manager who steps up during a crisis, clearly communicating the plan to the team while ensuring everyone feels heard and valued. It could be a team leader advocating for their employees’ well-being, such as fighting for flexible working hours or better resources. Or a CEO delivering a heartfelt speech about the company’s journey, connecting emotionally with employees and stakeholders, and rallying them around a shared vision.

The Third Eye Chakra is activated when leaders rely on insight and foresight. It’s when they see the bigger picture and make strategic decisions to future-proof the organization. Think of a startup founder pivoting their business model after recognizing shifts in consumer behavior or technological trends. Or a chief executive investing in AI or sustainability practices early, anticipating that these will be key drivers of the industry’s future.

The Crown Chakra represents the ultimate alignment of organizational purpose with societal or global good. This occurs when leaders prioritize meaningful impact over just profits. A company like Patagonia, which embeds environmental activism into its business model, proving that purpose and profitability can coexist.

An organization launching initiatives that contribute to society, such as offering scholarships, creating eco-friendly products, or addressing social inequalities is a sign of evolved leadership. Not as an investment in good PR, but out of genuine concern for society.

But the ultimate manifestation of the crown chakra to me is succession planning. Leaders have to realise that ultimately, the organisation has to survive beyond them. Succession planning is a profound leadership responsibility that involves activating multiple chakras, as it integrates self-expression, foresight, and a higher purpose. Leaders must identify and nurture potential successors while transparently conveying their vision to key stakeholders, which means a strong throat chakra.

Effective succession planning requires foresight to anticipate the organization’s future needs and challenges. Leaders must also intuitively identify talent capable of driving the mission forward. A founder who, years before retirement, begins building a leadership pipeline, understanding the skills and qualities needed to thrive in a changing business environment. His or her crown chakra is highly active. A good example is Infosys, where the founders smoothly transitioned leadership. Each of them became a CEO before passing on the baton to new talent.

Succession planning reflects the leader’s desire to ensure the organization’s success beyond their tenure, prioritizing a purpose larger than themselves. Leaders like Ratan Tata step back gracefully while ensuring the organization is equipped to thrive under new leadership, fostering a culture of resilience and sustainability.

There may be some of us who are automatically aligned to higher states, without having to even go through the lower ones. Think of a guru like Adi Shankara, who was attracted to the life of a sanyasi since early childhood. Or Mother Teresa, who is quite a classic example as we do not know her as anything other than a self actualised soul. Then there are those of us who may not even escape the lower states throughout their life. Yoga practitioners link the three lower chakras to earthly existence, while the higher ones have less to do with the physical plane.

In the words of Osho, if life and its possibilities are akin to a large mansion, such people never enter the mansion (or higher states), instead they spend all their life at the porch. The porch is vital as an entry point, but that does not mean we have to stay there, right? To add to that, chakra balancing is considered a very potent technique for mental, physical and emotional healing.

Through conscious awareness, you can understand your present state of evolution in life, and where your weaknesses lie. Are you destined to be aligned to some chakras and not to the others? Is this really under your control? Many chakra healers and spiritual traditions suggest that working consciously with the chakras can accelerate personal and spiritual evolution. Instead of waiting for natural life processes to unfold, they propose that deliberate practices can lead to an "ascension" through higher chakras, resulting in greater self-awareness, emotional balance, and spiritual enlightenment. Let's discuss this in the next edition.

Article authored with inputs from ChatGPT