Manipura - The Solar Plexus Chakra

From earth to fire, we now enter our third chakra: the Solar Plexus or Manipura. Manipura, in Sanskrit, means "lustrous gem", a radiant, glowing center that shines bright like the sun. The name Solar Plexus suggests that this is a fiery, solar chakra, responsible for bringing us light, warmth, energy, and power.

Chakras do not function separately from each other. They are interdependent planes of a unified field of consciousness. The first three chakras, Muladhara, Svadhisthana, and Manipura, represent a trinity of fundamental principles that govern our physical body and all matter.

The purpose of the third chakra is transformation. When we bring together matter and movement, we find that together it generates a third state: energy. This chakra transforms the passive elements of earth (first chakra) and water (second chakra) into dynamic energy and power.

It is the fire of our will that encourages us to break free from pre-established patterns and build new habits. It also keeps us from addictive habits or our expectations. By our will, we take challenging actions that lead us towards something new. As we take these actions and break old patterns, we overcome inertia, the initial task of this chakra, and we begin to transform.

The third chakra is also related to our metabolism, which is why the digestive system is an indicator of whether or not this chakra is healthy.

Large bellies can mean an obsession with being in a position of power, domination, and control, or just a selfish need to take up space. A weak, sunken abdomen shows fear of taking power, a retraction in the self, and dread of standing out. Excess weight indicates that the body is not properly metabolizing its food into energy.

The balance of this chakra can also be analyzed based on our relationship with fire. Are you always cold? Do you favor cold or hot liquids? Do you crave or avoid hot and spicy foods? Do you sweat easily, have fevers or chills? Is your temperament active and dynamic or slow and lethargic?

When we are not feeling confident and powerful, we withdraw and hold our actions in check to use one part of ourselves to repress another. This control demands energy but does not produce it. What generates the need to find it in stimulants, such as coffee, sweets, and energy drinks, that help us briefly, but eventually drain our vitality.

When we waste our vitality, we become a closed system. We wear us down further, rebelling against ourselves, with anger and self-criticism. Fire needs fuel to stay alive, and if we are not connected with our first two chakras - with our body and ground, our passions and pleasures - we have little fuel to keep it alive.

If we do not love ourselves, do not give us room to breathe, to explore, to make mistakes, then we have no air for the fire to burn. When we are not centered within ourselves, we see power as something outside of ourselves, rather than feeling it within.

You can continue your journey through the chakras, with this practice focused on the Manipura Chakra: