Chakras

First of all what are they?  A Chakra is an energy center in the  body and there are 8 main ones.  Chakras are not only energy centers but they are in constant movement they  are swirling vortexes of energy. The word Chakra comes from the Sanskrit word meaning wheels.  How open or closed these  energy centers are  effects your  Kundalini energy- or what we like to call our Divine Potential.  Lets back up some.  And take a min to  review the chart.  Start at  #1 and read a bit about each  energy center.

There are 8 major energy centers in the body and each energy center is responsible for certain types of energy and is associated with certain  feelings. Yes the  diagram only shows 7 the 8 th is your aura and your aura is affected by all the chakras and how they are interacting with each other.  Your aura which combines the effects of the other seven chakras can often be seen by others and is another post on its own- some day I might get around to writing one.  The chakras  and their swirling motion  tie the spiritual body, and physical body, and ethereal bodies together. They transfer spiritual information back and forth to and from your physical body and are centers where energy flows.  Remember that  swirling vortexes are powerful forms of energy. Think of  Hurricanes, tornadoes,and maelstroms for a visual reference. Just like these environmental vortexes, energy is constantly being pulled in and emitted out in  a circular motion internally through each chakra.  

The  first three chakras  deal with the basic needs of life and the physical needs of the body.  In the LDS world we would call this living as the natural man focusing only on  physical things that bring  pleasure, power, and posterity. In KY (Kundalini Yoga)  we call this  the lower triangle.  Lets talk about the upper triangle now. The chakras in the upper triangle  are 5, 6, 7  they accumulate, create, and refine the energy, and deal with more spiritual things.  Someone who lives in the upper triangle (think of  a wise man  who spends his days meditating in a cave, or people who devote ALL their time and energy to spiritual things) we consider them to be very enlightened and intuitive but they live in this triangle so they lack balance.
On to  the 4th chakra  or the heart center. The Heart Center  is the balancing point in the body between the flow of the upper energies of the Spiritual things or the Heavens and the lower energies that stem from the natural man or the energies of the Earth. A balancing of the energy in all the chakras  will meet here at the heart. 

When  man partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil there was more than just a physical detachment from God. Man's consciousness  fell as well.  In stead of being like god and balanced and spiritually minded  we fell to the lower triangle making us natural men and carnal minded. Lets read Mosiah  16 :3-5   

3 For they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, subjecting themselves to the devil.

 4 Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state.

 5 But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God.

So this isnt a good thing. We need to rise up and over come the natural man. Mosiah 3:19  

Knowing that energy attracts like energy its important to raise your vibration- raise your  kunidalini energy up the Chakras or Raise your divine potential  by putting off the natural man.  Here is a good  quote that  says  it better than I could. 

This relationship between behavior and your dominant chakra is key because energy acts like a magnet. We constantly attract vibrations to ourselves that are on the same wavelength as the chakras from which we are operating. Kundalini Yoga allows the kundalini energy to rise, balancing and coordinating all of the chakras.
Kundalini Yoga does not force the kundalini to rise; it prepares the body to allow it to rise so that you can experience your higher consciousness. When this balance of the chakras occurs, you become empowered; you are able to be a compassionate, conscious, and capable human being.
Yogi Bhajan taught about the functions and attributes of the eight major chakras so that we could understand and transform ourselves via the practice of Kundalini Yoga.
[From Kundalini Yoga: The Flow of Eternal Power by Shakti Parwha Kaur and The KRI Aquarian Teacher Training Level 1 Manual]

So when we tap in to our divine potential and divine energy we become  more Christ like. Pay attention to the word Energy its all over in the Scriptures if you are looking for it. "All energy of heart."  it is interesting  to me that when the word is used  it often corresponds to  the correct chakra. energy of heart- love and concern for children and others.  Or this one  " I did speak unto my people,and did urge them with great energy" here he is using the energy of his throat speaking words to convince others to  fight for freedom.
It should be our  goal to find a Good balance and to live in the heart chakra. We can come up  for spiritual highs but we cant live there or we wont be able to live this life as it was meant to be lived.  We can  spend time doing Earthly things- hey its part of life- but we cant live there or we will miss the spiritual experiences we are are meant to have in this life. So to live life to its fullest we  must seek a balance we must raise up from the natural man and shake yourself from the dust of the earth and become a saint - full of LOVE.   Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled (GR purified) from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  Or in other words let us  be pure in heart  cleaned from evil minds and have a clean body free from the dust of the earth.

For more reading  check these helpful sites out
Chakras
The Eight Major Chakras
Yogi Bhajan Lecture: Living in Love
The Chakras and the Two Trees in The Garden of Eden
Chakra Center