What are the 7 Chakras in the human body according to Hindu yoga?
The seven chakras are energy centers along the spine described in the Yoga Upanishads (particularly Yoga Chudamani and Shandilya Upanishad) and elaborated in Tantric texts like the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana. From base to crown they are: Muladhara (Root, base of spine) — survival, grounding, element Earth; Svadhishthana (Sacral, below navel) — creativity, emotions, element Water; Manipura (Solar Plexus, above navel) — willpower, confidence, element Fire; Anahata (Heart, center of chest) — love, compassion, element Air; Vishuddha (Throat) — communication, truth, element Ether; Ajna (Third Eye, between eyebrows) — intuition, wisdom, beyond elements; Sahasrara (Crown, top of head) — divine consciousness, moksha. Each chakra has a specific bija mantra (LAM, VAM, RAM, YAM, HAM, OM, silence), a presiding deity (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Isha, Sadashiva, Shambhu, Paramashiva), a specific number of lotus petals (4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 2, 1000), and associated physical organs and psychological functions.