Solar Plexus Chakra

The solar plexus chakra, also known as Manipura, controls our sense of self-worth and self-confidence, as well as providing us with the willpower to make decisions and feel empowered.

If this energy center becomes unbalanced, you could find yourself involved in toxic relationships or struggle to discover your true self. Furthermore, you could experience digestive issues or chronic stress.

Sense Of Self

The solar plexus chakra represents those parts of our consciousness related to perceptions of power, control and freedom. When healthy, this chakra enables us to feel secure within ourselves while communicating our needs and desires, and finding fulfillment both individually and through relationships with others.

If the solar plexus is blocked, you may struggle with having enough energy to get out of bed each morning, or to complete your tasks. Defensiveness or resentment may arise in relationships.  You could find it hard to take risks or assert your power, especially at work.

Yellow is thought to promote confidence and personal power, making it the go-to color for visualizing solar plexus energy at your navel, such as visualizing a sphere of yellow energy in this way. You may also practice Manipura mudra by interlacing fingers together and pointing tips toward each other.

Sense Of Purpose

An important component of achieving solar plexus chakra balance is developing a sense of purpose. This ties in to our personal consciousness or ego level, as well as perceptions we hold about power, control and freedom.  How easy it is for us to express ourselves within society.

When our solar plexus chakra is misaligned, we may lack a strong sense of purpose and find it hard to feel powerful or confident in everyday situations. Relationships may restrict who we can truly be, or make communicating needs difficult for others.  Additionally, when this chakra is out of balance it can result in digestive problems, high blood pressure, and suppressed anger which could eventually lead to chronic conditions.

One effective way of activating and healing this chakra is through practicing Hakini Mudra or Sun or Self-Loving pose in yoga. For this pose, sit comfortably with legs crossed over each other with right hand resting on base of spine and left hand cradling ribcage.  Breathe deeply through nose, then mouth; repeat this breathing pattern 5-10 times to activate solar plexus chakra and enhance your ability to put forth ideas, goals, and values into world.

Sense Of Digestive Function

The solar plexus chakra is linked with digestion and feelings of power, self-worth, personal identity and individual will. When this energy center is healthy and balanced, you are confident in yourself and sharing your unique gifts with the world. When blocked or out-of-balanced however, you may experience impulsive behavior or digestive issues which lead to digestive upset.

This chakra represents fire element and yellow color. Your solar plexus chakra connects with organs like the stomach, gall bladder and pancreas that reside in your abdominal region, as well as being an emotional and mental stability center. Because it is controlled by sunlight it’s important that you spend time outdoors, as well as consume foods which support this area of your body.

If you find that your chakras are misaligning, yoga and meditation may help to improve your mood. Reiki practitioners or crystal healing such as yellow quartz, yellow calcite or yellow tourmaline may also be effective at discharging negative energy. Start making these changes part of your regular routine slowly until they become integrated.  Over time, you should see positive effects of balancing this chakra on your self-esteem, motivation and relationships with others.

Sense Of Community

The Solar Plexus Chakra represents our gut intuition. When functioning well, this chakra can help us present ourselves more assertively and find our sense of personal power. Furthermore, its control determines our interactions with others such as friends, lovers and family.  When functioning poorly, however, this could lead to feelings of anxiety, depression and helplessness, resulting in feelings that leave us powerless to change anything about ourselves, or the world at large.

As soon as a chakra begins misfiring for you, it’s essential that you recognize it so you can take the necessary steps to heal it. There are various methods available to you for doing just this including meditation, breathing exercises, yoga poses (known as asanas), balanced eating habits and repeating positive affirmations statements.

Locate this area about two inches below your belly button for easy access. Sit back, relax your muscles, close your eyes, and imagine a glowing yellow or golden light rising from its center of your stomach. Additionally, these techniques may be combined with mantra or mudra (hand gestures used in yoga practices) to bolster inner strength.

Try simple yet effective yoga poses like the Bow Pose, Boat Pose, Lion Pose and Seated Spinal Twist to help heal this chakra. Each pose strengthens core muscle, improves digestion and stimulates energy into this center of energy.

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