18/09/2026
The 7 stations of the Nafs in Sufi psychology and the 7 chakras in yogic tradition are often mapped together in South Asian Sufi literature, especially in Bengal and Punjab where Sufis drew on ta***ic yogic models of the body. Think of it as two languages describing the same inner ascent — one rooted in Islamic mysticism, the other in yogic anatomy.
Here’s the alignment most commonly used in Sufi-Yogic synthesis:
The Pyramid of the 7 Nafs vs. The 7 Chakras
Nafs al-Ammarah – The Commanding Self
Base of the pyramid, animalistic desires, ego-driven
→ Muladhara Chakra (Root) — Located at the base of the spine. Governs survival, primal instincts, and grounding. This is the “baseline center of the ego and biological drives” in Sufi teaching.
Nafs al-Lawwamah – The Self-Reproaching Self
Awakening conscience, recognizing faults
→ Svadhisthana Chakra (Sacral) — Below the navel. Governs emotions, creativity, and movement. Sufis place Latifa-e-Nafs here too, beneath the navel.
Nafs al-Mulhimah – The Inspired Self
Receiving intuition and inspiration
→ Manipura Chakra (Solar Plexus) — Upper abdomen. Governs willpower, personal power, and inner fire. This is where the self starts moving from reaction to conscious choice.
Nafs al-Mutma’innah – The Tranquil Self
Attaining inner peace and balance
→ Anahata Chakra (Heart) — Center of the chest. This mirrors Latifa-e-Qalb, the spiritual heart that perceives divine transmission and emits a yellow light. In Sufism, this is where purification of the Qalb allows the Ruh to shine.
Nafs al-Radiyya – The Contented Self
Acceptance and surrender to Divine Will
→ Vishuddha Chakra (Throat) — Governs expression and truth. In Sufi maps this aligns with Latifa-e-Sirr, the “secret” center that perceives divine mysteries with a white light.
Nafs al-Mardiyya – The Pleasing Self
Soul becomes pleasing to God, dressed in Divine love
→ Ajna Chakra (Third Eye) — Between the brows. Governs insight and inner seeing. This corresponds to Latifa-e-Khafi, the “hidden” center that decodes cosmic realities.
Nafs al-Safiyya – The Pure Self
Complete surrender, reflection of the Divine reality
→ Sahasrara Chakra (Crown) — Top of the head. This is union, annihilation of the ego in God. In Sufi terminology this is Latifa-e-Ana or Sultan-ul-Azkar in the brain, orchestrating the whole being into spiritual resonance.
---
How they’re the “same thing”
The Nafs journey is the purification of the ego-self so it stops leading and allows the Ruh — the divine spirit breathed into us — to lead.
The Chakra journey is the clearing of energetic blockages so universal energy can flow freely through the human body.
Sufi masters in the Chishti and other orders reframed the yogic chakras as Lataif — subtle spiritual centers — swapping out the Hindu deities associated with each chakra for angels and divine attributes. The pyramid structure you saw in the Rumi Center carousel is the Sufi “map of the soul”, while the chakra system is the yogic map of the body’s energy.
Both point to the same idea: the human is not stuck at the base. Through remembrance (dhikr in Sufism, meditation/breathwork in Yoga), the lower self is refined and the higher centers awaken until you realize your true nature — which Sufis call the Ruh, and yogis call the Atman or Divine Self.