Energy, Science and a Healthy Dose of Curiosity.

I've spent the past few months quietly writing something very close to my heart. It's still finding its way into the world, so I'm not quite ready to tell you everything yet. Actually, I'm not ready to tell you anything yet... lol.

But I am going to tell you that I've already received some very lovely, positive feedback from my friend Lisa. And Lisa isn't even a dog person. She's a full-on, 100% cat person.

Lisa is also my elocution teacher—you know, the person who helps me reduce my accent. She's incredibly knowledgeable, well-read, and knows sooo many words, so I asked her to help me with the book. You know, to find the right word, the right expression... so I don't sound too foreign. You've probably gathered by now that the book is dog-related and written in English.

Anyway, every couple of weeks I read to Lisa what I've written. She corrects my pronunciation, suggests better wording when needed, and we have fun. She's like my first editor.

In my book, I briefly mention the heart chakra in dogs. You know, the energy centre. Even if you're not into this "stuff", you've probably heard of chakras.

What chakras are ... and what they aren't.

The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and literally means "wheel" or "disk". The concept first appeared in ancient Indian spiritual traditions over 2,500 years ago, although its roots are probably much older.

In yogic philosophy, chakras are described as centres through which life force energy—called prana—flows.

What I found fascinating was that ancient texts didn't even agree on the number of chakras. Some described five, some six, others seven. It was probably modern Western culture that settled on the now familiar system of seven chakras, running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.

Chakras don't describe organs. Ancient yogis never tried to do that. Instead, they were describing human experience.

And I'm sure that even without knowing anything about chakras, you've experienced things like this:

Butterflies—or that strange floating feeling—around your solar plexus, the area associated with confidence, when you've asked yourself, Am I enough?

Have you ever felt your heart swelling in your chest when it was overflowing with love? Giving it. Receiving it. In that moment, your heart chakra felt so real.

Or a lump in your throat when you couldn't speak, couldn't express yourself? The throat chakra is associated with truth and self-expression.

I'm not going to describe them all, but you get the point.

There are places in our bodies where large concentrations of nerves, endocrine glands, or electrical activity overlap surprisingly well with the traditional locations of the chakras. Whether that's coincidence or something more meaningful is an open question, and I'm not trying to answer it.

And whether you believe in chakras or not, our bodies are constantly talking to us. We feel butterflies before a big decision, a lump in our throat when words won't come. We feel heaviness in our chest after heartbreak or when grieving. Maybe that's energy. Maybe it's our nervous system. Maybe it's both.

Perhaps chakras are simply another language for something we've always known—that our bodies whisper long before our minds begin to understand. 

Back to my book... and dogs.

In one chapter, I mention that when I keep my hand on a dog—for example, while drying one—I often naturally place it on the upper chest, roughly between the front legs. That's where the heart chakra is said to be.

Funny enough, I'd been doing that for years before I'd ever heard about chakras. Was my intuition always that good?

Animal chakras

Ancient Indian texts don't specifically describe chakra systems in dogs. The idea of animal chakras is actually much more recent. Modern animal communicators, Reiki practitioners, and holistic veterinarians generally believe that dogs share the same seven primary energy centres, with some even proposing an eighth "bond chakra" connected to their relationship with humans.

Again, this isn't scientifically established. Yet. But when you work closely with animals, it's an interesting and useful framework for observing behaviour. For example, the heart chakra is often associated with affection, trust, bonding, compassion, and unconditional love.

And isn't trust and bonding exactly what we all hope to build with the animals we work with?

How about cats?

As I mentioned, Lisa is definitely a cat person.

The morning after one of our book-reading sessions, where we'd also talked about chakras, I received this message from her:

"Hi, Jitka, I just had to tell you this. Early this morning Kit Marlowe sat on me, on his side, completely relaxed. I went to stroke his tummy and he wrapped his back legs around my arm, so I knew he wanted me to carry on. Then, remembering what you'd said yesterday, I placed my left hand on his upper chest where I thought his heart chakra would be. He purred, stretched with pleasure, completely relaxed, and stayed there while I rubbed his tummy... for HALF AN HOUR! I had the clock right in front of me. I honestly think it was because my other hand was on his heart chakra. Thank you SO much for sharing that with me. You are a cat guru!! xx"

I absolutely loved her message. My own heart chakra bloomed with gratitude... and laughter.

We had a good laugh afterwards about the "cat guru" bit, and agreed it could be a great title for another book one day.

Sure... I'm a cat guru. I've had two cats for just over two years now! Yay!

But you get my point.

Whether you believe in chakras as ancient energy centres or simply as a beautiful way of describing our emotional experiences, I think there's something worth exploring there.

Especially when it comes to the extraordinary connection we share with animals.

Maybe the question isn't whether chakras are real. Maybe the question is whether they help us pay a little more attention—to ourselves, to our dogs, and to the quiet connections that are so easy to overlook. 

Have you ever experienced something that felt like a chakra moment—with yourself or with one of your animals?

Jitka Križo Averis xx