Be Sati

I DO: Manipura Chakra

You are amazing.  You are energetic.  You are effective.  You can do it.  With mindful determination, you can do anything.  

Manipura Chakra, the lustrous gem, is located at the center of the body at the solar plexus.  Physically, it is the largest convergence of autonomic nerves in the torso.  Energetically, it is the fiery, soul-ar battery.  While the body processes food and nutrition, creating the vital energy for life, the third chakra is harmonizing your sense of self and personal power, giving you the get up that you need to go.

Manipura is the center of personal transformation.  When balanced, you are spontaneous, you take risks, you assert yourself with confidence and kindness.  You are warm and caring, and you move through life with the ease that comes from deep inner power.  Building upon the structural stability of Muladhara and the creative flow of Svadhisthana, harmony in Manipura establishes an environment where ideas become action.

An overcharged third chakra can lead you into an endless cycle of striving for power, recognition and status.  This leads to suspicion and an erosion of relationships, for you never know who might steal your throne.  Stress, high-blood pressure, and poor digestion are slowly eroding your strength from the inside out.  Take care because your fire will eventually burn out. 

A depleted Manipura Chakra manifests in low self-esteem, turning you into a victim that can be easily manipulated by others.  You seek fulfillment from external sources, drawing you into a roller coaster of hope, guilt and denial.    

Yoga postures that stimulate Manipura focus on warrior energy and the deep core to fire up your strength and stamina:  boat pose, sun salutations, and chair.  Lower-torso twists are also invigorating.  Passive backbends and cat/cow stretches can cool the fire.  

Pranayama to stoke the fire include Kapalabhati and Bhastrika.  Slow, diaphramatic breathing is calming.

I feel: Svadhisthana Chakra

You are a mighty river.   You flow through challenges when necessary, but you can just as easily find a new path.  You ride the waves of a rich and ever-changing life.  Tap into the watery energy of Svadhistana Chakra to cultivate resilience and adaptability.  

Translated to “one’s own abode,” Svadhistana is the origin of consciousness, creative energy, and intimacy - our inner home.  A sensuous, orange hue, the second chakra represents your emotional, sensorial and sexual health.  Physically, it symbolizes the reproductive organs, sense of taste and all things watery in the body.  Svadhistana resides at the sacrum, two fingers above the root — a potent position between the grounding First Chakra and the fiery Third Chakra.  

When balanced, Svadisthana helps you to ride life’s waves with grace and dignity.  Its fluid motion helps you to relate to change with interest and curiosity rather than resistance.  When you are open and receptive, you will find that life is much more pleasurable as you pause and enjoy what the world has to offer.  

A depleted second chakra results in fear of intimacy and resistance to change.  An overcharged Svadhistana drives emotional drama, poor boundaries, sexual addiction, and a never-ending quest for pleasure.  

To harmonize and balance Svadhistana, cultivate strength and flexibility in the hips, lower back, and lower abdomen.  Strengthening postures such as cobra and locust can stimulate the chakra.  To release it, try pigeon, hanumanasana, bound angle and wide leg folds. Particular potent for this chakra are yogi squat and goddess pose:  they each strengthen the legs (stimulating Muladhara) while opening Svadhistana.

On the energetic plane, connect your thumb and ring fingers while sitting in siddhasana, and let your voice ring, “VWAM.”  Center your attention on the swirling, orange disc as you breathe deeply into your lower abdomen.  

I AM: Muladhara Chakra

Connect to the Mula, the root, at the base of your spine.  Its luminous disc glows red, the color of ancient clay.  Chant “LAM” (laaaahm) as you lightly press your thumb and little finger together. Be aware of the obvious and subtle sensations percolating through your body.  You are here.  Right now.  This is you, in your body, and you are steady, steadfast, and stable.

The deep roots of a harmonious and balanced Muladhara Chakra give you the courage to rise up and meet the challenges of life with grace and dignity.  You take healthy risks because you know you have a place to land.  You feel nourished, receiving the Earth elements that you need to thrive.  You feel supported by and connected to others.

When Depleted…

When the Mula is depleted, you are fearful and unsure.  Your basic needs are not met.  You are disconnected from your body.  You seek attention and pleasure through the actions and whims of others.  Be careful — in this vulnerable state you are easily manipulated.  

When Overcharged…

With an overcharged Muladhara Chakra you are driven to aquire more and more material things, seeking pleasure and support from that which cannot last.  This leads to frustration and disappointment as you know on a deep level that objects cannot fulfill you.  Appearances matter most, and you are disconnected from your inner environment.  You are as stubborn and unyielding as a mountain.  Mountains have a way of erupting violently.

Yoga to Build Up a Depleted Muladhara

Focus on grounding postures that primarily fire up the feet, leg and thigh muscles.  Standing poses such as Warrior 1, Warrior 2 and Chair pose can reaffirm your footing on Earth and help you cultivate strength.  While in your standing poses, consider that your feet are suction cups grounding you to Earth.  They draw up energy into the legs and up to your core.  The feet and legs nourish the body like the roots of a tree. 

Yoga to Relax an Overcharged Muladhara

Stretch and lengthen the leg muscles, turning stone into malleable clay.  With toes curled under, sit back in hero pose.  Bend one knee at a time in downward-facing dog to release the calves.  Stretch the legs in standing or seated forward bends.  Reclined twists bring flexibility to the outside seam of the legs.  

Pranayama for Muladhara

Practicing deep, diaphragmatic breath can stimulate and harmonize Muladhara.  Visualize your inhalations flowing down to the base of the tailbone, fueling your root.  Follow the exhalations up to your heart center.  This imagery helps to draw awareness out of the thinking mind and into the primal intelligence of the body.  Listen closely to the messages the body reveals.  Cultivate a more holistic relationship to your whole being.