Chakra or energy center is a term used in Pranic healing, an ancient Hindu system of energy healing. Prana means life energy. Aura is another terminology traced to Pranic healing. Aura is a non-physical body that consists of energy, which exists along with our physical body. The aura that covers our body is said to have seven layers pertaining to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of an individual as manifested by energy.
Studying the color and thickness of auras gives ideas on the state of health of individuals. Six colors are associated with aura and interpreted into six personalities. These colors are all present in an individual but one or two are more pronounced.
- Green: Ambitious achiever
- Blue: Spiritual peacemaker
- White: Unconventional chameleon
- Red: Activist
- Orange: Creative communicator
- Violet: Psychic
Although Tantra is popularly associated with the practice of sex and spirituality, it is another method of energy healing. It comes from the word tan which means to spread or expand. The concept of connectedness is a recurring theme in Tantric writings on sex and spirituality. As a method of healing, spirituality and sex figure prominently. It is presupposed that the union of two people can reach spiritual levels during orgasm, which removes the body and mind from collected impurities. These impurities, being negative energies, can in turn manifest as physical illnesses.
Unlike Puranic and Tantric healings, which have Hindu origins, Reiki originated from Japan. It is relatively younger than Pranic and Tantric healings having been rediscovered in the early 1900s. Reiki stands for universal energy, an energy brought forth by higher intelligence. Students of Reiki are taught how to tap this energy to heal physical, emotional, and mental illnesses.
Although Pranic, Tantra, and Reiki are all systems of energy healing, they differ in the type of energy tapped for healing: life energy, sexual energy, and universal energy respectively. The concepts of the connectedness of mind, body, and spirit; the connection of individuals to all living and nonliving things around them and to the universe; and how energy impacts physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being are some of the salient similarities of these three healing methods.