Here's how I experience and understand this subject:

In an ideal situation all the chakras are open and awake 24/7. It's the natural immortal state of being. The more active your chakras are more alive, energetic and awake you are. This is why I understand that some say that they should be partially closed at times. If you want to be unnoticed in a crowded place, it's better to hide some of your light. If your chakras are very open/awake you radiate a lot of light. Others will notice this and become attracted to you.  About sleeping: If your energy level is very high it's naturally difficult to sleep. Some people seems to be saying that sleep is not necessary when you are enlightened enough. But as far as you're not as enlightened your body really needs some rest and it's obviously wise thing to slow your energy down a bit when you're starting to sleep. At the same time it should be noted that as your energy levels rises you need less sleep.

How to keep chakras partially closed? You energize your chakras with your mind by placing thought into them. Less you place your thought into a chakra less energized it becomes. Chi-kung practitioners say that chi goes where the mind goes.

About the 3rd eye: I would advice to keep the 4th (pituitary) eye with the heart (thymus) center activated all the time instead, it will naturally activate the 3rd eye as a side effect.

It should be understood that your state of being affects those around you and this is why you should actually radiate love and life as a free gift to all, all the time. In case you care about happiness, health and well-being of other living things. Keeping the pituitary and thymus activated you will radiate love, light and life. It's the old "if your eye is healthy your body is full of light" thing that Jesus spoke about.

Only when you know you've mastered ur opening and closing of chakras at soft will; or else, this is actually not recommended. There are some exercises to close the chakra that is really important

Please can you tell me what are the exercises to close the chakras?

Interesting topic............

inregards to Chakras being opened/closed a bit of misuse of words   Chakras should be balanced....realigned.........there are different issues related to different levels within each Chakra..... Advanced Chakra work discusses the work of Peter Binder.....Three major Energetic systems........
Temporal, Existential and Foundational Systems.....

Temporal system only uses 5 Chakras from Solaris, Heart, Throat, Inner Eye Crown Chakras.......
The Dreaming Attention Center,
Past, Present , future Chakras,
Sense Objects Chakras-nose, eyes, ears, mouth.....

TEMPORAL CHAKRAS

SOLARIS

LEVEL ONE

Right Companion- The Solar Level One Right Companion generates a basic need for sex as a form of self-expression, and derives satisfaction and grounding from sexual activity.. If blocked it can lead to sexual repression, or frigidity and consequent feelings of anger and disconnectedness. If over-developed or unbalanced by a blockage of the left companion it can lead to sexual obsession............


The Heart Chakra..... if blocked can lead to hurting oneself on an emotional level, closing yourself to loving others........
                               if too stimulated can lead oneself to giving too much of self, recieving too much info through heart, recieving others hurts, truamas as own hurts, traumas.....and can be quite overwhelming.......

The third eye- if blocked can close yourself off to psychic abilties... if too stimulated can make things happen to fast....be open to Spirit, psychic vibanrations etc    overwhelming, tiring, draining.......

being grounded does not mean you are closed off, it means you are balanced........

Read beginners Guide to Chakras by David Pond... or Doreen Virtues Chakra clearing...........

There are also many other Chakra books available ........for meditations to work with your Chakras........CD's are also available  by Doreen Virtue, Artemis, Toni Salerno, Simonette Vaja........and many others........

Something to start with............

"sit quietly or lie, close eyes.......breathe slowly inhale, exhale................feel each part of your body begin to relax............
then begin by seeing your Root Chakra. see the colour.... see the ball spinning........now deepen the colour, see it turning bright red.........

Sacral Chakra- Bright Orange

Solar Plexus- Yellow

Heart- Green

Throat- blue

Third Eye- Violet

Crown- White

Once all Chakras are bright in colour.........visualize all Chakras become balanced  do not close off the Chakras completely.......
bring them down to their balanced state.... collect all the xtra energy and bring it through your hands to a ball between your hands.........hold it, transmute it to a purple colour........then bring it above your heads and flick it into the Universe  "for the good of all, so mote it be!"

Then surround yourself with white and golden light.............

Hope helps.........

besides dowsing or kirlain how do you know whether they are open or closed and by how much ?

Phoenix Morgan