How To Open Your Solar Plexus Chakra

The solar plexus (Manipura) chakra is the 3rd energy point of the spiritual body, associated with self-belief, self-confidence, personal growth, transformation, and self-development.

The solar plexus forms the foundation for spiritual growth by taking care of aspects of material existence. It’s not possible to grow spiritually without healing (opening and balancing) the solar plexus chakra.

Solar plexus chakra is located approximately two inches above the belly button, and ‘it is associated with our identity or the ego.’ It is the center of our self-esteem and willpower. It is represented by yellow color and has fire as its element.

If you suffer from high anxiety, healing the solar plexus chakra is what you should work on.

A balanced chakra means that the life-force energy (prana) flowing through it is optimal. A low energy flow indicates an underactive chakra, whereas a high energy flow indicates an overactive chakra. Both of these scenarios are bad. A fully balanced chakra is associated with good physical and mental health and overall wellbeing.

The energy flow begins at the Root (Muladhara) Chakra, passes through the Sacral (Svadhishthana) Chakra, and subsequently reaches the Solar Plexus before moving further towards higher chakras. It’s important to work on our chakras in the same order, respectively.

For example, if you feel that either your root chakra or sacral is blocked, you should first work on these before attempting to heal the solar plexus chakra.

Signs of Blockage in the Solar Plexus Chakra

People with blocked solar plexus chakra have a very pessimistic view of life; they are highly critical of people in authoritative and leadership positions.

They feel unworthy, have high sensitivity, keep low expectations, and keep accepting other people’s abuse to reinforce their pre-existing belief that they are the victims. It is an indication of low self-esteem. They’re stuck in a rut they can’t get out of.

But how do we know if our solar plexus chakra is blocked? Here are some of the symptoms of an underactive (low energy flow) solar plexus chakra:

• Lack of confidence.
• Inability to make decisions.
• You feel incapable of resolving your issues yourself.
• You feel like a victim.

Symptoms of an overactive solar plexus chakra are as follows:

• You keep a stubborn attitude.
• You feel the need to control others.
• You often get angry and aggressive.
• You easily pass judgment on other people.
• You have poor eating habits.

Some of the physical health problems related to blocked solar plexus chakra are:

• Anxiety
• Hypertension
• Fatigue
• Laziness
• Issues with the digestive tract
• Frequent gas and constipation
• Issues with the lower part of the body, such as gall bladder and liver
• Diabetes
• Overweight and obesity

How to Open the Solar Plexus Chakra?

Some of the ways to heal the solar plexus energy center are as follows.

Workout Everyday

Our bodies have been designed to sweat. That’s one of the ways we keep our bodily processes working. By working out, we release a hormone called endorphins, which gives the feeling of pleasure.

Exercises like jogging, running, squatting, push-ups, and weight training engage our core muscles to keep the solar plexus from accumulating excessive energy that causes laziness or other serious health problems.

It doesn’t have to be a strenuous workout. Brisk walking or doing slow steady-state-cardio is good enough. Don’t stress yourself too much, but at the same time, get out of your comfort zone and push yourself a little.

Practice yoga and breathing exercises

Practicing solar plexus yoga and breathing exercises such as ‘breath of fire’ (also known as kapalbhati pranayam) is extremely helpful. Some of the yoga poses that help in harnessing the energy of the solar plexus is as follows:

• The child’s pose (Balasana)
• The corpse pose (Shavasana)
• The plank pose (Phalakasana)
• The bow pose (Dhanurasana)
• Warrior I pose (Virabhadrasana I)

Practice Self-Love (Taking care of yourself)

When it comes to balancing any of your chakras, the very first thing I recommend is making positive changes to your lifestyle and forming good mindful habits. Exercising your willpower a little every day is one of the best ways to balance your solar plexus chakra. Relax, go for walks outdoors, eat healthy, practice mindfulness & meditation, and socialize with like-minded people.

Practice Meditation Everyday

If you feel confused and don’t know where to get started with solar plexus chakra healing – start practicing meditation. Meditation helps in the flow of energy and heals the affected chakras.

Simple meditation practice is to sit in a cross-legged position on a mat (or on a chair if you feel uncomfortable), keep your spine straight, and close your eyes. Now imagine a yellow-colored glowing ball three inches below the rib cage and radiating energy outwards in the whole body.

Do deep breathing as you do the visualization and feel the flow of energy in that particular area. Doing this for about 10 to 15 minutes every day is good enough to get started. You can increase the time as and when you start progressing.

Take Help of Healing Crystals

If you feel that your energy is stuck and that you are not making any progress, you can benefit from healing crystals.

You can either hold the crystal in your hand while meditating, carry one in your purse, or wear it as a necklace or a bracelet. Just make sure that the crystals are somewhere around you.

You can even place a collection of these crystals in your living room (or garden) to get rid of the negative energies. Here I’m listing some of the most well-known crystals that help in healing the solar plexus chakra.

Some of the solar plexus chakra crystals are as follows:

• Tiger’s Eye.
• Citrine.
• Yellow Calcite.

Practice Affirmations

Practicing solar plexus chakra affirmations is an excellent way of harnessing the positive energy flow. Some of the affirmations are as follows:

• I’m strong and courageous.
• I’m capable of achieving my desires in life.
• I’m a confident person.
• I don’t shy from expressing myself fully.
• I’m authentic with people.

Avoid Negative Environment

While you are healing yourself, you must associate with people who encourage and uplift you in your endeavors. Avoid mixing up with people who like to spend time gossiping and criticizing others.

When your solar plexus chakra starts balancing, you realize that you have the power of choice and to take action based on that choice.

You will clearly see the people who transmit negative energies to your aura, and you will have the strength to avoid them completely and not get affected by their negativity.

Practice Gratitude

We are always in so much hurry in our daily lives that we don’t stop for even a minute to acknowledge the love flowing all around us. Nature has given us so much love in the form of food, water, sunlight, air, and all the other essential elements to support life on this planet.

Practicing gratitude speeds up the healing process and increases the energy flow through our spiritual body. Feelings of love and compassion towards all beings and things clear out all of the negativity within us. We start seeing this world in a new light.

Conclusion

It’s important to understand that blockage in the solar plexus chakra will not allow the life-force energy to move up to chakras related to higher spiritual progress.

The spiritual journey of humans involves transcending the barriers of the physical material world and realizing the “higher self.” Healing your spiritual chakras is the beginning of this ‘awakening.’

Disclaimer: I’m not a Kundalini Yoga teacher or energy healer. The chakra balancing methods mentioned above are only for informational purposes.

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