Chakra Series Part 3: Manipura

Hello, beauties!

I’m back with the third installment of our 7-part chakra series! Today I’ll be going over the Manipura Chakra, which is a source of internal empowerment that manages our self-esteem, “warrior energy”, as well as our transformational abilities. Meaning “lustrous gem”, this chakra covers the area between our navel and breastbone.

Identifying a Blocked Chakra

Most commonly associated with feelings of personal power and independence, the Manipura holds considerable sway over our ability to assert ourselves in the world around us. It is important to understand and be on the lookout for energetic blockages related to the solar plexus chakra. According to a leading chakra resource, common identifying symptoms or behaviors may look like:

• Excessive control and authority over your environment and people
• Or the opposite in case of deficiency or blocked energy: Feeling of helplessness, irresponsibility
• Being obsessed with minute details, seeing life through a filter of plus and minuses while losing sight of the whole picture
• Being manipulative
• Misusing your power
• Lack of clear direction, lack of purpose or ambition
• Making plans or having a lot of ideas without finding efficient ways to realize them

Opening Your Solar Plexus Chakra

Understanding which of your chakras is out of balance is the key to keeping them in alignment. Because our bodies are in perpetual shifts between balance and imbalance, determining a root cause may be difficult. If the symptom seems apparent in only one portion of your body, that may be easier to detect, but this is often not the case. Developing a deep understanding of your mind and body is an essential part of keeping the chakras in alignment.

In order to open, or unblock, the solar plexus chakra, it may be helpful to practice yoga poses that bring heat to the solar plexus region. This would include poses such as Navasana (boat pose), Matsyandrasana (seated spinal twist), or the warrior pose. The mantra vocalization for the Manipura is ‘ram’, and chanting this may help to open and realign the chakra.

Additional options to activate the solar plexus energy include gem work - yellow or gold, since they are the color of the chakra. This type of work may deliver energy to the spleen, liver, pancreas, and stomach. Yellow topaz, golden yellow labradorite, and tiger-eye gems will work to enhance your sense of personal power and may help with chakra healing if you are suffering from low self-esteem.

Next Steps

In tomorrow’s article, I’ll cover the next chakra you’ll want to familiarize yourself with: the heart chakra. Expect to see all seven of the chakras covered in the coming days - and remember to check out our Instagram series which incorporates yoga into a greater understanding of our bodies, chakras, and overall balance.

Love,

Natalie