3: Action & Personal Power

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The Chakras

• Intro: Wheels of Fortune
• 1: Solid Ground
• 2: Sex, Creativity & Emotion
• 3: Action & Personal Power
• 4: Peace, Love & Understanding
• 5: Art & Communication
• 6: Belief & Imagination
• 7: Higher Ground
• Outro: Bodies in Motion

The Solar Plexus (or Third) Chakra (also known as the Power Chakra) is the home of your self esteem, will, vitality and personal power. It is associated with action, energy, personal choice, empowerment and transformation. If the Sacral Chakra governs the intimate, one-on-one relationships in your life, the Solar Plexus Chakra holds the key to your social relationships with groups and with people in general. A basic understanding of your Solar Plexus Chakra can shed valuable light on your career path and success with people and give you the information you need to increase your influence in these areas.

Sanskrit Name: Manipura, meaning ‘City of Jewels”

Color: Sun Yellow

Element: Fire

Gender Qualities: Male – Active

Location: Solar Plexus – right between the navel and the sternum

Main Themes: Your will, action, personal power, social and professional success.

Manipura - the Solar Plexus Chakra by Mirzolot2 via Wikimedia Commons

In Balance

If your Solar Plexus Chakra is balanced, you are probably a confident, sociable and energetic person with good self esteem and a positive outlook on the world. You have a genuine curiosity and interest in people and you are at ease in all kinds of social settings – this combination makes people want to be around you, so you are bound to be a popular addition to any group. You can be open, outgoing, and cheerful, yet you are also decisive and aware of presenting yourself in your best light. You believe in yourself and your abilities and you are willing to take risks and personal responsibility. You may be bold, intelligent and charismatic and enjoy great success in leadership positions, particularly in larger organizations where working with people is the primary activity. You may also be quite successful in any work that will allow you to use your influence with people, as an entrepreneur or in the arts, sales, journalism, politics or the nonprofit sector.

Out of Balance

If your Solar Plexus Chakra is overactive (compensating for another chakra that may be blocked), you may be ruled by your ambition and desires for wealth, fame, and social recognition. You may be overly concerned with your reputation and willing to use other people to get what you want. You may seek to boost your own position by cultivating power over others, rather than personal power. In your social and working relationships, this can lead to dominance, duplicity, bullying or constantly “poking fun” at others’ expense. You may be conceited, narcissistic, self-centered, and prone to perfectionism. As a manager of others, you can be intimidating, critical and overbearing. You demand a lot from those around you and you may have a lot of complaints about the people in your life and on the job as it seems like they are always letting you down. (“If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”) You may also be a relatively angry person, quick to judge and often expressing your opinions as cold, hard facts. You can be quite rigid and stubborn – all sharp corners and no curves – all reason and no feeling. You may have difficulty relaxing or slowing down even when you begin to experience consequences, such as strained or failed relationships, health concerns or problems at work.

If your Solar Plexus Chakra is temporarily blocked you probably have low energy, and are feeling tired, shaky, fearful, quiet, or withdrawn. You may feel confused, and have trouble making decisions or taking action. You may find yourself worrying about the future, fearing change and suddenly unwilling to take risks. You may also be taking life too seriously – missing out on the laughter and fun that would actually help this chakra open up again.

If the block is longer term, you may be lacking in confidence and have a nagging fear of failure. You don’t trust or believe in your own judgment and can’t help worrying about what others think of you. You may feel powerless and be unable to take responsibility, making excuses or blaming other people for your situation. You may also struggle with generalized anxiety, shame, low self esteem, depression and/or addictions. You may easily feel shunned, passed over, rejected or “less than” those around you and when you do, you have trouble “shaking it off.” You have trouble “fitting in” and you may spend a lot of time wondering why – perhaps resentful over not getting the recognition you feel you deserve. At its most extreme, you may become isolated, aloof and apathetic.

Some of the ways your Solar Plexus Chakra might show up in the different areas of your life:

Physical

The Solar Plexus Chakra governs the metabolism, digestion and physical energy levels. It is associated with the “core” of the body, and the pancreas, stomach, upper intestinal tract, liver, and gallbladder as well as the skin, the muscular system, and the face. Common physical indications of a blocked or malfunctioning Solar Plexus Chakra are ulcers, diabetes and hypoglycemia as well as all kinds of digestive issues including indigestion, heart burn, abdominal pain, gastritis, esophagitis, gallstones, excessive weight around the middle, loss of appetite and difficulty assimilating nutrients. Also skin problems – such as eczema or dermatitis, often caused by poor digestion – fatigue, lethargy, addictions to stimulants (such as caffeine), slouching or hunched over posture and always feeling cold.

Emotional

The Solar Plexus Chakra processes our raw emotions, like anger, frustration, and intuitive “gut feelings.” It is here that you sense threats in the environment and pick up on the emotions of others, possibly misinterpreting them as your own. Even if you don’t know how to articulate these vague, yet persistent “knowings” in the pit of your stomach, over time we usually learn to respect and honor them. You may also feel suppressed emotions in your “gut” – say, when someone criticizes you or when you are so nervous that you develop a stomachache.

The Solar Plexus Chakra is also responsible for self-control, so if it’s blocked, you may be emotionally volatile, confusing others and making them uneasy around you. Or you may block your emotions altogether, allowing yourself to feel and express only superficial or negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, panic or worry. You may be overly serious and tense – insensitive to the needs of others and even hostile, at times. Suppressed anger often takes the form of depression or any number of physical problems if it goes on too long, and anger is one of the key emotional issues for blocked Solar Plexus Chakras.

Mental

A healthy third chakra enables you to take action, and to be decisive, disciplined and organized. Your ability to differentiate and to sort, categorize, arrange and plan things comes from this energy. If this chakra is open and healthy, your house is probably in order. If excessive, you may be accused of being “anal” in your attention to physical detail.

It is also the area where your ego, self image and self worth live – including the way you choose to present yourself, your skills, intelligence and qualifications. Your beliefs about what you can and cannot do, your sense of power to achieve and transform things, and your receptivity to change, all come from this chakra. It will also play a role in how you see yourself in terms of your role at work and in the family – mainly in terms of how much power you have in relationship to others in the group and how much freedom to be yourself. Blocks in this area may also involve issues with the father, with feeling criticized or unable to “measure up” as a child.

Spiritual

Spiritually, the gifts of this chakra are centered around the freedom of choice and authenticity that are yours when you know you can truly be yourself in the world. You have learned well how to manage physical survival (in the first chakra) and emotional intimacy (in the second chakra) and now you are taking those skills into the wider social arena to act upon your desires and to carve your own path in life. If your Solar Plexus Chakra is blocked, you can be closed to spiritual energies. You may fear change and not allow yourself to hope that things will get better, thinking you are protecting yourself from the pain that will come if they don’t. Afraid to take risks or to open yourself up to your own possibilities and potentials, you may fail to live your own truth and to be who you are really meant to be.

Exercises

If you feel you have an overactive Solar Plexus Chakra, it is overcompensating for another chakra that is not as active as it needs to be. The best course of action is to determine which chakras need strengthening, and try some of the exercises listed for those.

If you need to strengthen (or open) the Solar Plexus Chakra, try the following:

• Breathe: Breathe into your diaphragm. Stand (or sit) up straight. Watch your stomach rise and fall as you breathe deeply. Feel the tip of your nose as the breath goes into your body and as you exhale, let the tension leave your body and mind. Rub your stomach and feel the energy radiating from your solar plexus. Try some yoga breathing techniques. As often as possible, try to relieve stress in the moment by simply becoming aware of your breathing.
• Visualize the Sun: Picture a vibrant, glowing yellow Sun in your solar plexus, radiating golden light throughout the body. Feel its warmth and energy. Focus on it for a moment, and as you do, watch it grow in brilliance and intensity. As you breathe into it, see how its rays light up every part of your body and mind until they shine through you – into your life and the world around you. This Sun represents your inner strength, your joy and your capacity to transform. Allow it to grow brighter and stronger each time you pay attention to it. You can also spend more time with the colors of the Sun – yellows and golds can be very therapeutic for this blocked chakra – try wearing a yellow scarf or piece of clothing or bring some yellow into your home. Sunflowers are great!
• Laugh! If you can work in some time to see a comedy, or a live comedian, great! If not, fine… Just begin to laugh. You don’t need a reason. Laughing will remind you how to laugh and this will open up the third chakra beautifully. Even if you don’t feel it at first, just keep going. Laughter is infectious. Pretty soon you can’t remember how it started because you’re ROFL. Try to work in a deep belly laugh by the time you’re done. (Tip: It’s even more perfect to do this with a friend… try it and see what I mean!)
• Get moving: The third chakra is all about physical energy, action and movement. Get your energy moving any way you can. Most importantly, do it right now, – don’t hurt yourself, keep it within a range that you know is healthy for you – but wake up that chakra! You can jog, do crunches, yell, beat up a pillow (especially if you have some blocked anger in there somewhere), jump up and down, do the Twist – whatever it takes to stir those energies up and get them moving again. The key is: you just have to move. Extra benefits if you can pay attention to your core while you do it – even walking through the grocery store. Turn up the music and dance while you’re doing the dishes. Just keep it moving…

**Important: All of the information on this web site is for general and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Energy healing and clearing promotes balance and a sense of general wellbeing, relieves stress and supports the body’s natural ability to heal. It is widely recognized as a valuable and effective complement to conventional medical care. Please contact a professional healthcare provider if you believe you may have a medical or psychological condition that requires treatment.

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