Seven, twelve, thirteen, 114: anyone who starts exploring chakras soon stumbles over very different numbers. Is seven just one option among many? Have you missed something if you only know the classical seven? Here we show where the numbers come from, what is behind the 12- and 13-chakra systems, what minor chakras in the hands and feet are, and why seven nevertheless remains the reliable starting point.

The seven main chakras at a glance

Before we turn to other numbers, it is worth a brief look at the system that almost everyone means when they talk about chakras. The Sanskrit word cakra means "wheel" or "circle". The yoga tradition imagines the chakras as rotating energy centres that lie like pearls on a string along the spine. Each is associated with a life theme, a colour, an element and a syllable.

You will find a detailed introduction to the meaning, colours and elements of all seven on our overview page The 7 Chakras. For the question of how many there are, one detail is enough here, and it is easily overlooked: strictly speaking, the seventh chakra in the classical texts is not in the body at all, but above or at the top of the head. That explains why some sources speak of "six chakras and the lotus above them". With that, we are already in the middle of the history of the seven.

Where does the number seven come from?

Many people regard the seven-chakra system as a fixed, ancient quantity. In fact, it is the result of a long development. The idea of subtle centres in the body has appeared in the Indian tradition for over a thousand years, above all in the tantric schools. There, however, the number was not fixed. Depending on the school, the teacher and the path of practice, the texts described different numbers of centres in different places, because they were meant as signposts for a particular meditation practice, not as a general anatomy.

The text of 1577

The model we know today goes back mainly to one text: the Ṣaṭcakranirūpaṇa, the "Description of the Six Chakras", written in 1577 by the Bengali scholar Pūrṇānanda. It describes six centres along the spine, from Muladhara to Ajna, and above them the thousand-petalled lotus Sahasrara at the crown. Together they make up the seven that appear in almost every book and course today. Each centre is depicted there in detail: with a number of lotus petals, a syllable, an element, a shape and a deity.

How the seven came to the West

This text became known in the West through the book The Serpent Power, which the British jurist John Woodroffe published in 1919 under the name Arthur Avalon. It translated and commented on the Ṣaṭcakranirūpaṇa and for decades became the most important source on chakras in Europe and America. In this way, one model out of many became the standard. Later came Western additions that now seem self-evident: the rainbow colours (which only date from the 20th century) and the association with glands and psychological themes. You can read more about the history of the colours in our article on chakra colours.

Why the seven has prevailed

There are several reasons why this particular model has endured. It is clearly structured, well described and easy to relate to your own body: from the bottom to the top, from the ground to the sky, from the physical to the spiritual. The seven themes, from stability to openness, form an arc that many people recognise from their own lives. And the number seven is, in many cultures, a number of completeness anyway, from the seven days of the week to the seven colours of the rainbow. That makes the system memorable without making it arbitrary.

Who counts how many chakras? The different counts compared

Lay the numbers side by side and you quickly notice that they contradict each other less than it first appears. Most systems describe the same axis from the pelvis to the crown, but set different emphases. The following overview shows the most important counts without pitting them against each other.

The overview shows the pattern: those who count fewer concentrate on a few points for a particular practice. Those who count more add to the familiar, mostly outwards, above the head and beneath the feet. The axis in the middle, from the pelvis to the crown, remains in all systems. That is why the seven main chakras are something like the common language into which the other models can be translated.

12 or 13 chakras: the new era chakras

In German-speaking countries, the extended systems are often encountered under the name "new era chakras" or "new age chakras". These are teachings from Western spirituality of recent decades that do not aim to replace the seven-chakra system but to extend it. They assume that, alongside the centres in the body, there are others outside it that connect a person with the earth and with something greater.

The typical additions

• Earth star chakra: about a hand's breadth beneath the feet. Theme: anchoring, connection to the earth. It is often understood as an extension of the root chakra.
• High heart (thymus chakra): between the heart and the throat. Theme: compassion that reaches beyond the personal.
• Soul star chakra: about a hand's breadth above the head. Theme: connection to what many call the soul or higher self.
• Stellar gateway and further centres: even further above the head. This is where the descriptions diverge most.

Why sometimes 12, sometimes 13?

These systems are not uniform. Some authors count the high heart, others do not. Some add a further centre at the back of the head or a "centre of the middle". Depending on this, a system of 12 or 13 chakras emerges, sometimes even more. The colours, too, are described differently in these teachings, often lighter and more pastel than in the classical rainbow. We have compiled which colours are named in the section chakra colours of the new era.

Important for putting this into context: the new era chakras have no source in the classical tantric or yogic texts. That does not make them worthless. Many people find a coherent picture in them. It simply means that they should be read as a modern development and not as "lost knowledge" that the tradition overlooked.

"The traditional chakra teaching works with seven chakras, and that is exactly what we take up. Customers also ask us about further chakras. We are working on that for the future, but with the seven chakras you are definitely perfectly equipped."

Minor chakras: hands, feet and more

Alongside the main chakras and the new era chakras, a third term appears: minor chakras, also called secondary chakras. These are smaller centres that many modern teachings locate at the joints and limbs. The best known are the chakras in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Depending on the source, knees, elbows, shoulders or the groin are added. Some books name 21 minor chakras, others speak of countless small points.

Hand chakras: giving and receiving

The hand chakras play a major role above all in Reiki and other forms of Western energy work, where the hands are laid on. Thematically, they are associated with giving and receiving: with our hands we touch, hold and shape. Many people know the feeling that the palms become warm or tingle during meditation, and interpret it in this sense. In the classical texts on the seven chakras, the hand chakras do not appear.

Foot chakras: grounding from below

The foot chakras are regarded as a connection to the ground and are usually thought of in close association with the root chakra. Walking barefoot, standing consciously or walking slowly with attention on the soles of the feet are practices that, in many teachings, start right here. If you would like to try this, you will find simple grounding exercises in the article Opening and balancing the chakras.

Do minor chakras play a role in sleep?

We hear this question again and again, precisely because hands and feet constantly change position in bed. Our honest answer: we have no experience of our own with this and therefore claim nothing. The chakra axis on which the AURIPURA® mattress is oriented is that of the seven main chakras along the torso. The energy rods are arranged according to a standardised body measurement so that, for as many people as possible, they lie at the place where the tradition locates the respective chakra. Hands and feet lie outside this axis.

The chakra map: all centres at a glance

The graphic shows where the different systems locate their centres. The seven main chakras, which appear in all modern models, are shown in colour. The new era additions above the head, between the heart and the throat and beneath the feet are outlined in grey. The minor chakras in the hands and feet are drawn small and pale.

The map makes something else clear: almost all additional centres lie outside the axis or at its ends. The middle, that is, the line from the pelvis to the crown, is occupied in the same way in all systems. Anyone exploring chakras therefore almost always begins here. If you would like to see what the symbols and lotus shapes of the seven main chakras look like, you will find them in our article on chakra symbols.

Which count suits me?

The many numbers are not a problem as long as you do not treat them as a competition. It is not about which system is "right". Chakras can be neither measured nor counted like bones or organs. They are images with which people have been ordering their inner experience for centuries. A good image is one you can do something with. This orientation helps you get started:

• Just starting out? Stay with the seven main chakras. They are the best described, and for each one you will find colours, stones, syllables and exercises.
• Do you practise yoga or meditation? Here too, the seven are the common language. Many teachers also work with a few areas of focus, such as the heart and throat.
• Do grounding and connection particularly appeal to you? Then the earth star and soul star chakras can be an interesting additional image, as extensions of the root and crown chakras.
• Do you practise Reiki or energy work with the hands? There, the hand chakras play a role of their own. The foundation nevertheless remains the axis of the seven.
• Do the numbers confuse you? Then that is a good sign to return to the core. Seven centres, seven themes, one path from the bottom to the top.

If you start with the seven, you miss nothing. On the contrary: all other systems presuppose them. A lovely way to get to know the seven is an evening round through all the chakras. Our chakra meditation for all 7 chakras guides you through step by step and fits well into the last minutes before falling asleep.

Why AURIPURA® works with seven rods

When we developed the AURIPURA® chakra mattress, the question of the number came right at the start. The answer was clear to us: we orient ourselves on the traditional chakra teaching and therefore on the seven main chakras. They are the common core of all systems, the teachings agree on their position along the spine, and it is exactly on this line that we lie every night.

Each of the seven AURIPURA® energy rods contains the traditional stone of its chakra: red jasper for the root, carnelian for the sacral chakra, tiger's eye for the solar plexus, green jade for the heart, chalcedony for the throat, lapis lazuli for the third eye and clear quartz for the crown. Why exactly these stones is explained in our article on chakra stones.

The rods are arranged according to a standardised body measurement so that, for as many people as possible, they lie where the tradition locates the chakras. They can be removed and reinserted individually. Each chakra has its fixed place in the sequence from bottom to top.

And the other chakras?

Customers do indeed ask us about the new era chakras. We take the question seriously and are working on ideas for future editions. For now, the following applies: with the seven main chakras, the system is complete in the sense of the tradition on which it is based. Anyone who wants to go deeper later builds on exactly this foundation.

Eight hours on the chakra axis

Many people attend chakra sessions, courses or seminars to engage more intensively with their chakras, and often invest several hundred euros in doing so. That can be very enriching. But it usually remains a matter of individual appointments. The night, by contrast, comes every day: for around eight hours at a stretch we lie in one place, with the spine exactly on the line where the tradition locates the seven chakras.

"Just imagine the concept: a mattress of extremely high quality, combined with the ancient chakra teaching in a single product. You lie on the same energy stones for eight hours every night, day after day. For me, restful sleep and the feeling of recharging with new energy belong together in exactly this way."

We do not promise that the mattress heals or changes anything. What we can say is that for many of our customers, going to bed becomes a conscious ritual as a result. Trying it out is risk-free: you can try the Serenity Mattress with all seven energy rods for 100 nights. If you would like to keep your existing mattress, you can complement it with the Serenity Topper. How a chakra mattress works in principle is explained in our chakra mattress guide.

→ Find your AURIPURA® sleep system

What chakra teaching is and what it is not

For all the fascination, a clear perspective is important. Chakras are a traditional spiritual concept and cannot be demonstrated anatomically. That is why there is no "objectively correct" number either. The different systems are different maps of the same inner terrain. If you sleep badly for a prolonged period, feel exhausted for weeks or have physical complaints, you should seek medical advice first. Chakra practice can accompany well-being, but it does not replace treatment.

The 7 chakras in detail

For each of the seven main chakras there is a detailed article covering meaning, colour and symbolism:

Frequently asked questions: how many chakras are there?

How many chakras are there?

The common system recognises seven main chakras from the root to the crown chakra. Older traditions often count four, five or six, modern teachings 12 or 13, and depending on the teaching there are also minor chakras. There is no single correct number; seven is the common point of reference.

Why are there exactly 7 chakras?

The seven goes back mainly to the text Ṣaṭcakranirūpaṇa of 1577: six chakras along the spine and the thousand-petalled lotus at the crown. Through Arthur Avalon's translation (1919), the model became the standard in the West.

What are the 12 chakras?

A modern extension of the seven: for example the earth star chakra beneath the feet, the high heart between the heart and the throat, the soul star above the head and further centres above that. Without a basis in the classical texts; the assignments differ depending on the teaching.

What are the new era chakras?

This is what the 12- and 13-chakra systems of modern spiritual teachings are called in German-speaking countries. They adopt the classical seven, often describe their colours as lighter and add centres above the head and beneath the feet.

Are there chakras in the hands and feet?

Many modern teachings, such as Reiki, describe minor chakras in the palms and the soles of the feet. In the classical texts on the seven chakras they do not appear. They are associated with giving and receiving and with grounding.

How many chakras should you start with?

With the seven main chakras. They are included in all modern systems and are the best described. Anyone who knows them will also find their way around extended systems.

Further reading

• The 7 Chakras: Meaning, Colours and Overview — Our overview page on all seven main chakras.
• Chakra Colours and Their Meaning — With the colours of the new era and the history of the rainbow scheme.
• Chakra Symbols and Their Meaning — Lotus petals, shapes and syllables of the seven chakras.
• Opening and Balancing the Chakras — Gentle practices for everyday life, including grounding through the feet.