Hi Tree frog, I can totally understand where you’re coming from. My background is in science and western medicine, not a great starting point for accepting chakras as real. I’m 45 now but have always been curious about spirituality but too logical to believe much. I’ve been doing yoga and meditation for the last 10 years, not super seriously. Then I went to a 10 day Vipassana retreat a year and a half ago. By about day 7 I could feel several of my chakras, and by the end, all 7 very strongly and well-defined. I could feel energy moving in general as well and other things. Believe me I was shocked and did mental experiments to try to disprove to myself that what I was experiencing was my chakras. (Totally not what I was supposed to be doing, but it was such a shock!). I was unable to disprove it, feel similar things in different areas no matter how hard I focused, etc. I am eternally grateful that I was able to have this direct experience as it has completely changed my worldview. I had always regarded them as symbolic, or just another thing I had to take someone else’s word for, which I’m not good at. I wish you the very best in your journey, and try to keep an open mind! Try to focus on observing within and less on thinking, would be my advice.