A Map of the Vrittis: Navigating the Emotions of the Chakras.

The Practice of the Silent Observer

To balance the chakras, we must learn to sit with our emotions without being swept away by the spinning vortex of the Vritti. Using the Chakra Maps below, locate the physical sensation of the emotion in your body—whether it is the heat of anger or the expansive glow of joy. If the feeling is heavy, simply withdraw from the “story” or the reason why you feel this way and watch the energy as a neutral observer; held in this steady gaze, the heavy energy naturally begins to thin out and evaporate like mist under the morning sun. However, if the emotion is positive, such as Love or Happiness, focus your full attention upon it; you will find that by observing these “high-vibration” states, they grow stronger and more radiant, eventually settling into the clear, blissful stillness of Samādhi.

— The Essence of Nirodha —

Music is the expression of harmonies within the universe. It is interesting to consider that every vritti or emotion has a sound or vibration. Sound produces form and form produces colour.

In Hindu culture Brahman (the Absolute) is the background of all these changing feelings.

Each chakra has a specific set of vrittis traditionally assigned to it

  1. Vrittis are Mental Modifications: Vrittis are fundamental mental and emotional states that colour our experience. They are not isolated to a single chakra but can manifest and be experienced through various energetic centres.
  2. Chakras as Processing Centres: Chakras are essentially energetic processing centres. When a vritti—a mental or emotional habit—aligns with a specific chakra, it means that chakra is the primary energetic location where that particular mental or emotional tendency is expressed, purified, and transformed.
  3. Cross-Chakra Influence: An imbalance in one chakra can manifest vrittis associated with other chakras. For example, fear (Muladhara vritti) can certainly lead to anxiety (Cinta, a Lalana vritti).

Muladhara – Root Chakra

Simplified diagram of the four-petaled Muladhara (Root) Chakra wheel showing its directional orientations.

    Muladhara — Core Attributes

    The physical and elemental expressions of this centre:

    • The Four Sacred Vibrations: va, śa, ṣa, sa (the seed sounds of the four petals)
    • The Element: Earth (Prithvi), traditionally symbolized by a solid yellow square
    • The Physical Quality: Cohesion (the force of attraction that holds matter together)
    • The Sensory Gateway: The sense of smell (our most primal, instinctual sense)
    “Muladhara is the seat of our basic life functions. It houses our desires and our ability to overcome personal challenges and to rise above desire. The energy of this chakra is expressed through the four petals, which govern three basic aspects of the human experience.”

    The Four Petals & Aspects of Mūlādhāra

    The four petals govern the essential modifications of mind (vrittis), mapping directly to four specific types of primal bliss.

    Highest Bliss
    Innate Bliss
    Heroic Bliss
    Bliss of Union

    1. The Four Basic Instincts

    The animal urges we must master to find stability:

    • Food: Sustenance and physical health.
    • Sleep: Rest and the subconscious.
    • Self-Preservation: The “fear of death” and the need for safety.
    • Reproduction: The drive to create and continue life.

    2. The Four Aims of Human Life

    How we direct our energy as we grow:

    • Pleasure and Desire
    • Worldly Resources and Security
    • Duty, Ethics, and Spiritual Alignment
    • Absolute Liberation and Freedom

    3. The Four Functions of the Psyche

    The internal tools we use to process the world:

    • Sensory Processing Mind
    • Higher Intellect and Discrimination
    • Storehouse of Memories and Consciousness
    • Ego or Self-Identity

    Svadhishthana – Sacral Chakra

    Svadhishthana — Core Attributes

    The physical and elemental expressions of this centre:

    • The Six Sacred Vibrations (Bija Mantras): ba · bha · ma · ya · ra · la
    • The Core Element: Water, traditionally associated with a silver crescent moon.
    • The Energetic Action: Contraction (drawing inward).
    • The Sensory Gateway: The sense of taste and the capacity to experience flavor.
    Line drawing diagram of the six-petaled Svadhishthana (Sacral) Chakra wheel showing its directional Sanskrit seed sounds.
    The traditional six-petaled arrangement of the Sacral center (Svadhishthana), mapping its foundational vibrations.

    Svadhishthana — The Six Petals

    • Emotional Numbness / Stupor
    • Over-Indulgence
    • Deep Distrust
    • Fear of Ruin / Destruction
    • Disdain & Arrogance
    • Cruelty & Coldness

    Manipura – Naval Chakra

    Manipura — Core Attributes

    The physical and elemental expressions of this centre:

    • The Ten Sacred Vibrations (Bija Mantras): da · dha · na · ta · tha · dd · dha · na · pa · pha
    • The Core Element: Fire (Agni tattva), traditionally symbolized by a red triangle.
    • The Energetic Action: Expansion producing heat.
    • The Sensory Gateway: Stimulates the sight, sense of colour and form.

      Manipura — The Ten Petals

      • Shame / Bashfulness
      • Slandering / Gossiping
      • Jealousy / Envy
      • Laziness / Lethargy
      • Sadness / Melancholy
      • Passion
      • Thirst for Pleasure
      • Attachment to Objects / Spiritual Ignorance
      • Hatred / Aversion
      • Fear
      As we move from the Anāhata (12 emotions) to the Viśuddha (16 sounds) and finally to the Ājñā (2 petals), we are moving closer to that “Stillness” (Nirodha)

      Anahata – Heart Chakra

      Anahata — Core Attributes

      The physical and elemental expressions of this centre:

      • The Twelve Sacred Vibrations (Bija Mantras): ka · kha · ga · gha · nna · ca · cha · ja · jha · nnya · tta · ththa
      • The Core Element: Air (Vayu tattva), traditionally symbolized by a smoke-grey or green six-pointed star (shatkona).
      • The Energetic Action: Running in all directions / Locomotion.
      • The Sensory Gateway: The sense of touch and tactile awareness.

        Anahata — The Twelve Petals

        • Hope
        • Thoughtfulness, Anxiety*
        • Effort
        • Possessiveness, Fondness
        • Arrogance, Vanity
        • Discrimination
        • Languor
        • Conceit, Egoism, Pride
        • Covetousness, Avarice
        • Duplicity, Hypocrisy
        • Indecision, Argumentativeness
        • Regret, Burning Misery**

        * Anxiety often “leaks” from the heart up into the Lalana, the secret chakra above the heart.

        ** This is the burning misery of the past, which is why we use the Observer to let it evaporate.

        Vishuddha – Throat Chakra

          Vishuddha — Core Attributes

          The physical and elemental expressions of this centre:

          • The Sixteen Sacred Vibrations (Bija Mantras): a · ā · i · ī · u · ū · ṛ · ṝ · l̥ · l̥̄ · e · ai · o · au · aṃ · aḥ These are not just letters; they are considered the 16 phases or potential abilities of the human being.
          • The Core Element: Space (Akasha tattva), traditionally symbolized by a black egg (or a white circle enclosing a crescent).
          • The Energetic Action: Vibration / Resonation.
          • The Sensory Gateway: The sense of hearing and auditory awareness.

          Vishuddha — The Sixteen Petals

          • A (अ) — Represents the beginning of sound, purity.
          • Ā (आ) — Extension of sound, clear expression.
          • I (इ) — Inner awareness, receptivity.
          • Ī (ई) — Deep inner wisdom, clarity of thought.
          • U (उ) — Upward movement of energy, creation.
          • Ū (ऊ) — Fullness of expression, expansion.
          • Ṛ (ऋ) — Rhythm, order, balance.
          • Ṝ (ॠ) — Deep rhythm, cosmic order.
          • L̥ (ऌ) — Lightness, subtlety.
          • L̥̄ (ॡ) — Deep subtlety.
          • E (ए) — Union, merging of sounds.
          • Ai (ऐ) — Wisdom, knowledge, insight.
          • O (ओ) — Wholeness, completeness.
          • Au (औ) — Cosmic sound, universal vibration.
          • Aṃ (अं) — Nasal sound, resonance, connection to the subtle.
          • Aḥ (अः) — Aspiration, exhalation, release.

          Ajina – third eye chakra

          Ajna — Core Attributes

          “Ajna is the screen of the mind where all sensory information and thoughts are witnessed by the Silent Observer.”

          • The Two Sacred Vibrations (Bija Mantras): ham · kṣam
          • The Core Element: Mind (Manas tattva) — transcending the physical elements, traditionally symbolized by a translucent or white circle.
          • The Energetic Action: Illumination / Inner vision.
          • The Sensory Gateway: The “Sixth Sense” (Manas) — the faculty of the mind that coordinates all other senses and accesses direct intuition.

          Ajna — The Two Petals

          • Ham (हं) / Apara: Secular knowledge, directing the lower vrittis towards mundane enjoyments.
          • Kasham (क्षं) / Para: Spiritual knowledge, elevating the lower vrittis towards spiritual enjoyments.

          The Alchemy of Emotional Digestion

          While in the stillness of meditation, turn your internal gaze toward the raw vibration of the emotion you are experiencing. Acceptance is the first flame; by simply sitting with the feeling and allowing yourself to fully inhabit it, you begin the process of integration. Though the sensation may feel intense or uncomfortable, remain anchored in the knowledge that you are safe and that a purely emotional response possesses no power to physically harm you. By consciously releasing the “story” or the mental narrative that created the feeling, you allow the energy to be fully processed and digested by your awareness. When the internal work is complete and the energy has been fully met, the emotion will naturally lose its form and evaporate into peace.

          — Embracing the Formless Peace —

          Plutchick’s Modern Wheel of Emotions 1980

          Modern psychology, such as Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, provides a contemporary map for the very same ‘mental whirlpools’ described by the ancient Tantric masters thousands of years ago.

          A colorful, flower-shaped diagram of Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions showing the relationship between primary emotions like joy, trust, fear, and anger, used to illustrate the Vrittis in the Chakra system.
          Modern psychology meets ancient wisdom: Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions serves as a contemporary map for the same mental fluctuations (Vrittis) described in the traditional Chakra systems.

          The Choice: Healing vs. Identity

          The Silent Observer (Healing) The Trauma Identity (Stuck)
          Views emotion as a temporary Vritti (whirlpool) that can be stilled. Views the trauma as a permanent, defining personality trait.
          Focuses on the physical sensation in the body to “digest” the energy. Focuses on the story and the mental narrative to justify the feeling.
          Allows the energy to evaporate into the peace of Bliss. Refuels the energy by constantly reliving and retelling the drama.
          “We are the sky; the trauma is merely the passing storm.”

          The Deep Dive Index

          Select a Chakra below to explore the specific Vrittis and healing practices for that energy center.

          “By knowing the whirlpool, we find the center.”