The Cakras are the basis of your entire finite consciousness and experience of reality. By becoming acquainted with these essential spiritual modalities you are getting up close and personal with who you really are as a spiritual being. The Cakras integrate the divine self into the phenonema of your experience of self. They are your direct link to God and the heavenly realms. Here is a bonfide Cakra meditation, using the names of the Cakras as mantras, which they are. First, their pronunciation: Muladhara, said as moo la da ra Svadhisthana, said as swa deest sta na Manipura, said as ma nee poo ra Anahata, said as a na ha ta Vishuddi, said as vee shoo dee Ajna, said as aaa gnya Now, starting at the Muladhara at the very base of your pubic area, follow a path up the front of the body, the upper pubic, the savdhisthana, the navel, the Manipura, the center chest, the anahata, the throat, the vishuddi, and the forehead, the ajna. Now, recite the appropriate Cakra name at each appropriate location, in ascending order. Like this, Muladhara, Svadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddi, Ajna, Ajna, Ajna, then back down at the locations, Vishuddi, Anahata, Manipura, Svadhisthana and finally Muladhara. Move up and down the front of the body chanting these Cakra names at the locations, stopping at Ajna for a three word chant, then back down. Do about twelve rounds. you don't have to know anything about these centers, the names will resonate the Kundalini in each Cakra. If done as a steady practice, you will begin to notice an awareness develop at each Cakra. As this happens, insights into yourself and reality will come forth.
With as many meditative techniques there are floating around on this forum, you would think that more people would utilize this exercise. This mental Cakra technique is an actual ancient Kriya Yoga method that is very powerful and effective.
I've heard that the cakras are intrinsic to the body of the Kundalini. Does this mean that when a person is performing a cakra meditation such as this one that they are directly affecting or stimulating the Kundalini?
Even though the Cakras are intrinsic to actually being the body of the Kundalini proper, they perform a myriad of functions in relegating the ego consciousness that should be necessarily effected in order for Yogic proficiency to be approached, without the Kundalini Herself actually being stimulated into action. The Cakras contain all of the karmas that constitute what a person is to think and act, and these karmas need to be purged from their consciousness, in order for a Yoga Tantra Sadhana to effective in relegating higher states of consciousness to the practitioner. So this technique will expose the Yogins finite sense of self to an opening and releasing type of phenomenon, probably without any profound Kundalini arousal. People don't realize that actual Yoga, Yoga Tantra as it is properly known, is a purging type of discilpline. People have no idea what the ego is, and why what actually needs to be accomplished in the Yoga program in order for genuine states of realiztion to loom forth, is for the ego, which is actually a polluting screen on the face of an already pure consciousness, the be purified by technically negating its actual state. Simply put, the ego can't have states of genuine higher spiritual due to its nature of finite experiencing, and instead it must be negated as a state of the sense of self, what in Yoga is called finite consciousness sublimation. Purifying the Cakras with the above exercise initiates this process.
Usually when a person reads about the cakras there are all of these specific descriptions of the cakras, such as the color, the petals, what each does physically, or psychic propencities attributed to them, etc. How important is it to learn all of these specific attributes when approaching the cakras in a Yogic manner like we are talking about?
These details are not really that important at all. The Cakras are manifesting our ego consciousness second per second, so they are their own reality. What is necessary is their location in the body be known, so as to apply proper mental attention to them so as to make the connection between the mental prana in the ajna cakra as ones thought, and the actual cakra one is trying to focus on. This mental stimulation will awaken the cakra at the actual physical location in the body, as it is focused on with thought. Color, petal number, and all the other specifics are not necessary. Just the name and location, and the cakra will be affected enough to awaken.