Irene 
Hey there tribe!
Hope you had a wonderful week! This week, we’re shifting our focus to our third chakra, the Solar Plexus Chakra!
Take in a deep breath, drop those shoulders down and away from those ears, and leggo!
Solar Plexus Chakra
- Sanskrit Name: Manipura
- Location: Just above the navel but below the chest
- Color: Yellow
- Element: Fire
- Sound/Mantra: RAM
- Lotus Petals: 10
Our third chakra represents our sense of self and identity: our self-worth, self-confidence, self-esteem, ego, motivation, and personal power. Ever get butterflies or feel that pit feeling in your stomach? Say hello to the Solar Plexus Chakra! Since this chakra’s element is fire, this translates to igniting your energy, willpower, stamina, and that “get ‘er done” attitude. Since this chakra also represents our metabolism, it relates to the food that we eat that gives our bodies the energy needed to function. So, the Sacral Chakra is here to remind us, you are what you eat.
Ask yourself:
- Are you fueling your body with the right foods to give your body the energy and motivation it needs to be focused and determined?
– OR –
- Are you feeding your body with the wrong foods that make you feel tired, unmotivated, and in turn, cause you to lack self-confidence?
When your Manipura is balanced, you may feel you have self-respect, self-love, and self-compassion. You may feel confident, powerful, empowered, motivated, and like you can’t be stopped. You may start trusting your gut instinct more and acting on those feelings. Speaking of gut, your digestion and metabolism may be running smoothly as well. Overall, you’ll feel like the sky’s the limit.
When your Solar Plexus Chakra is blocked, you could be feeling angry, anxious, insecure, unworthy, lack confidence, unmotivated, fatigued, and have low self-esteem. Your inner critic may be louder than normal and relentless. You may also feel no sense of purpose and could feel a constant fear of rejection. Other signs of imbalance include:
- Poor digestion
- Chronic Fatigue
- Pancreas and gallbladder issues
- Liver problems
- Low metabolism
Overactive signs include feeling power-hungry, domineering, perfectionist, and critical.
This chakra is important to our sense of self. Because of this, we are likely to experience an imbalance here at one time or another, especially as we experience different events in our lives. Here are some simple tips on how to balance this chakra:
- Core work – planks, sit-ups, and crunches…oh my! Our Sacral Chakra is located in the center of our body, so you’ll need a strong core to burn through any self-limiting beliefs!
- Spend time around fire – meditate with candles, sit by a bonfire, get out in the sunlight. Allow this warm light to calm and energize you.
- Make friends with your inner critic – this one may be a toughy, and can take some work. Make a list of all the ways you judge yourself. This may include things you don’t like about yourself and when you judge yourself harshly. Maybe it’s physical traits, behaviors, weaknesses, etc. Then imagine yourself as a teen and tell your past self that they are perfect, just as they are. Then thank your inner critic for protecting you and acknowledge that you no longer need protection.
- Try a mirror-gazing exercise – this may seem a little weird, but trust me, it’ll be worth it! Stand in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eyes and say the following to yourself out loud, over and over. Each time you say the words, get louder each time:
- I AM enough.
- I AM worthy.
- I AM capable.
- I AM powerful.
This may be uncomfortable at first, but don’t let it stop you. The louder you get, the more comfortable you’ll feel.
A lot of the times you hear “don’t try this at home”, but this is one of those cases where you may want to do this at home.
- See yellow – envision your Solar Plexus Chakra glowing with a beautiful yellow light. Wear yellow to help with seeing more yellow in your day!
- Eat yellow – another option is eating yellow foods that are associated with this chakra! Yellow peppers, yellow lentils, bananas, yellow squash, oats, spelt, grains, ginger, turmeric, and corn are great options!
- Establish a healing affirmation – choose one of these healing affirmations that resonate with you to use in your yoga practice and/or in your daily life. These affirmations can help manifest what you may need out of balancing your Solar Plexus Chakra.
- I am confident in all that I do.
- I respect myself at all times.
- I act with courage and strength.
- I deserve a wonderful life.
- My existence is powerful.
- I believe in myself.
- I am authentic.
- I am worthy.
- I am enough.
- I am strong.
- I love myself and my body.
- The fire within me burns through all of my fears.
For those of you that might be journaling, below are the Solar Plexus Chakra prompts. Choose one (or all) to write about!
Journal Prompts:
- I feel worthy when I…
- Three steps I can take toward my goals despite my insecurities…
- My ego wants me to believe…
- What are your current goals? Have you had these same goals for a long time? What goals have you successfully achieved in the past year?
- What makes me unique?
- What is my first memory of achievement? Describe the sights, sounds, and smells. Describe the feelings that you have attached to that memory.
- When growing up, did your friends/family say/do things that damaged your self-esteem? Or were they positive and encouraging? How does that influence your life now?
How are you feeling?
What state do you think your Solar Plexus Chakra is in? Blocked? Unblocked? Balanced?
Is any of this resonating with you? Do I need to back off on the woo-woo? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and I look forward to seeing you on the mat! 😊
Peace, love & light,
Irene
P.S. If you haven’t received this week’s calendar invite for our Wednesday yoga practice, email me at irenicjourney[at]gmail[dot]com!
Chakra Series Links:
