Chakras

Chakras are nexes 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 and 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.

History
During the spring of 100 ASC Aang attempts, with Guru Pathik's help, to open his chakras so that he could enter and control the Avatar State at will. Pathik warns 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 opens the first six chakras. However, when Pathik tells Aang that opening the seventh would mean that he needed to forget 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 commends Aang for his choice later on, stating that it was not worth sacrificing love for the sake of power.



Nevertheless, when Aang and Katara are attacked by Azula, Zuko and the Dai Li, Aang desperately attempts opening the seventh chakra. He is able to enter the Avatar State briefly, but is knocked out of and wounded when Azula strikes him in the back with lightning. However, while he is 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 believes his seventh chakra is locked, and he is 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 frees 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 exhibits these emotions during the day before the planned Invasion of the Fire Nation, and he suffers sleep deprivation and paranoia as a result.

This may suggest that some of his chakras have become blocked again, and possibly explains why Aang is 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 is 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 remains 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 accepts 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 seems likely as during a healing session, Katara feels a great deal of locked up energy around Aang's wound, and when the scar impacts a rock in Aang's battle against Ozai, the state instantly re-activates. 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 uses 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.