Chakras

Chakras are nexuses of metaphysical or biophysical energy within the body. There are seven chakras, each situated at a different location in the body, albeit all located on a central vertical axis.

Each chakra has a purpose and deals with a different emotion. As such, each chakra can be opened and closed depending on a given individual's state of mind. When a chakra is open, energy is free to flow about the body. On the contrary, energy flow is restricted when a chakra is sealed.

Though the flow of energy, otherwise known as chi, within the body is mentioned many times, chakras were not introduced until Avatar Aang's encounter with Guru Pathik at the Eastern Air Temple.

Guru Pathik used a series of connected pools as an analogy to the concept of chakras. The pools (representing the chakras) were connected by waterfalls and channels, and were initially blocked by algae or muck (representing an individual's own emotional debris). Due to this, the water (representing energy) stagnated and could no longer pass through the channels. When the clogs of algae were removed (symbolizing the opening of the chakras), it allowed the water to flow through the channels again, streaming through each pool, fresh and clear.

Chakras
Chakras listed in the order that Pathik told Aang to unlock.

History
During the spring of 100 ASC, Aang attempted, with Guru Pathik's help, to open his chakras so that he could enter and control the Avatar State at will. Pathik warned Aang that the process of opening the chakras cannot be halted once it is begun - it had to be completed or Aang would not be able to enter the Avatar State at all.

Albeit challenging, Aang successfully opened the first six chakras. However, when Pathik told Aang that opening the seventh would mean that he needed to "let go" of his love for Katara, he refused to do so. His subsequent choice of earthly attachments over cosmic energy eventually blocks his chakras, preventing him from entering the Avatar State. Iroh commended Aang for his choice later on, stating that it was not worth sacrificing love for the sake of power.



Nevertheless, when Aang and Katara were attacked by Azula, Zuko and the Dai Li, Aang desperately attempted at opening the seventh chakra. He was able to enter the Avatar State briefly, but was knocked out of it and gravely wounded when Azula struck him in the back with lightning. However, while he was able to access the state for that brief moment, his feelings for Katara remained intact, thus making it unclear if he was able to unlock the chakra. Following this, Aang believed his seventh chakra was locked, and he was unable to enter the Avatar State at all. This may have stemmed from some partial memory of Avatar Yangchen informing him that his ability to enter the state had been disrupted. Although Aang supposedly freed himself of fear, guilt, shame and similar emotions, he continues to display them during his journey around the Fire Nation, most prominently after his awakening from a deep sleep in which he felt that he failed the world. He also exhibited these emotions during the day before the planned Invasion of the Fire Nation, and he suffered sleep deprivation and paranoia as a result.

This may suggest that some of his chakras have become blocked again, and possibly explains why Aang was still able to pursue Katara. However, it may still be possible to love someone without locking the seventh chakra, as evidenced by the fact that both Avatar Kuruk and Avatar Roku have demonstrated that it is possible to love even while having mastered the Avatar State. Kuruk loved Ummi and Roku loved Ta Min, yet both Avatars were Fully Realized. It is entirely possible, however, that they never opened their chakras at all, as Avatar Yangchen clearly stated that detaching one's soul from the world, which was the main objective of opening the chakras in the first place, was something the Avatar could never do. If this was the case, it is unclear how they gained mastery of the state, though it is possible that the process works differently for an Avatar given their duty to the world.



Aang remained unable to use the Avatar State throughout the entirety of his travels in the Fire Nation archipelago, although he regains it during his battle with Ozai. Even after unlocking his seventh chakra, his relationship with Katara remains strong. This might be because opening the seventh chakra involved Aang specifically sacrificing his earthly attachments, which would not necessarily mean giving up love. If this was indeed the case, opening his seventh chakra allowed Aang to continue on to a successful relationship, as he had shed the attachments that could have caused major problems in said relationship. However, it is also possible that, given the chakra releases cosmic energy, the block may have been caused by his own inability to see past his love for her to his greater duty to the world, which he willingly accepted during the Battle at Wulong Forest, thus removing the block.

It is unclear if Aang unlocked the final chakra prior to being struck by Azula's lightning. It seemed likely as during a healing session, Katara felt a great deal of locked up energy around Aang's wound, and when the scar impacted a rock in Aang's battle against Ozai, the state instantly re-activates. This suggests that the chakras may have somehow been blocked physically, and that the resulting inability to access the Avatar State may not have been his fault at all. It is possible though that Aang did not properly master the state, as throughout the fight, his eyes and tattoos were glowing as they would when the state is used reflexively. He only gains full power by sheer force of will when he stops himself from killing Ozai, for when he used the state to put out several forest fires, the glow is only momentary and not constant.

Connections

 * In real life, the concept of chakras originated in ancient India, and forms the basis of many philosophical, spiritual and religious systems.
 * The chakra points, specifically where they are located, what they refer to and what they are blocked by are somewhat the same according to chakra charts. This is likely where the creators received inspiration for the concept.

Trivia

 * In Hinduism, the second chakra is located in or near the sexual and reproductive organs, as it is related to pleasure. Due to this fact, it is the one chakra whose location is not stated in the show's dialogue.
 * Combustion Man's third eye is located where the Light Chakra would be, at the center of the forehead between his two eyes. While the location makes his abilities quite powerful, it later proves to be his undoing, as the chakra was blocked after being impacted first by a pebble from Toph's pebble in The Runaway, then the killing blow resulted from Sokka's boomerang in The Western Air Temple.