Balancing Your Personal Expression With Your Solar Plexus Chakra

Now that spring has sprung all around us, most of us are excited to be in nature, hiking or travelling to various sites surrounded by water and beautiful blossomed flowers. Spring leaves behind the inward tendencies of winter and propels us to expand into the external world with our personal projects, creative ambitions and outdoor adventures. This movement reaches a climax in summer when the days are hot, sunny and long, and where we engage in life with excitement, passion and fervor.

How we express and assert ourselves reveals a great deal about our level of confidence and strength, which is found in our solar plexus, the third chakra. This chakra, named Manipura in Sanskrit meaning city of jewels, is located between the navel and the sternum and represents our personal power, identity, and ego.

It embodies our will and intellectual abilities. It exercises our self-esteem, self-discipline and responsibility. It really is the fire that burns in our belly and as such, is symbolized by the element of fire. It is the prana or chi energy that propels us forward to take action assertively. It is represented by the Sun, so our power radiates out with purpose, energy, direction and joy. The color of this chakra is yellow and is sometimes shown with a tinge of red characterizing this fiery energy. It governs the digestive system, liver, gallbladder, and adrenal glands.

When it is balanced it means that we can gather the energy and power to believe in our dreams and, backed with poise and vision, to manifest them into reality.

Some Key Signals That Your Solar Plexus May Have Imbalances

Your personal power is not power over someone. Instead, you have the self-mastery of your thoughts and emotions while having the courage to take the appropriate action in any scenario that presents itself. It can become blocked if someone criticizes or demoralizes you, by significant stress or emotional shock, or by sudden changes, disappointments or setbacks that prevent you from moving forward.

When it is over-active:

• Excess control of others & your environment
• Judgmental & critical
• Manipulative or Abusing Power
• Emotionally demanding, aggressive or rigid

When it is under-active:

• Low self-esteem or self-worth
• Unable to see the big picture
• Lack of motivation, direction and purpose
• Feeling like a victim with emotional outbursts

Photo credit: http://www.meditationrelaxclub.com/chakra-101-chakra-meditation-for-beginners/

Healing the Solar Plexus

There are many ways we can balance our third chakra to develop the self-confidence we need to achieve our goals. The easiest way to start is by setting small goals with an action plan that you can progressively follow. The expression “fake it till you make it” focuses the mind and emotions to take action until you embody the energy fully. Some activities that help develop this:

• Kundalini yoga
• Dance  
• Exercise
• Standing upright  
• Making eye contact
• Smiling & dressing sharp

Eating Nutritious Foods & Liquids

Our diet will give our body the fuel it needs to physically strengthen us while helping our digestive system process foods, thoughts and emotions:

• Yellow peppers and corn
• Pineapples and bananas
• Brown rice and bread & wholegrain cereal
• Chamomile & Peppermint Tea

Affirmations to Strengthen the 3rd Chakra 

These affirmations can be amplified with your hand over your sternum:

“I am confident in all that I do.”

“I am strong and courageous”

“I am worthy.”

“I am in control of how I respond to situations.”

‘I am able to set boundaries in a loving manner.”

“I can achieve anything I desire.”

Using Crystals Therapy

Placing these crystals over the solar plexus will help to strengthen it: Tiger’s Eye, Yellow Tourmaline, Amber and Citrine. Make sure to clean your crystals in salt and water or by smudging them. Please check the method for cleaning each type as some crystals dislike water.

photo source: https://pin.it/y5iz3sbx33fgfk

Sound Therapy

Chanting Ram in the E note while imagining a bright yellow sun around this area.

Meditation to Strengthen Your Willpower and Confidence:

Focusing on these key elements will definitely strengthen your willpower and confidence, which enables you to direct your life and succeed in all that you do. Once you feel more in control of your life, you will radiate your inner light with joy and warmth to those around you. You will also become more conscious of what elements block it, so you can notice when you fall out of balance and  use these techniques to restore equilibrium. When it’s balanced, you are able to speak with conviction, affirm your desires and execute your dreams with passion and cheerfulness rather than arrogance. Now that summer is unfolding, we hope these tools will help you expand yourself in all ways by stepping into your power with enthusiasm.

If you feel like working on your heart chakra, you can read our article, a yoga routine to open your heart chakra or the root chakra entitled, a healing guide to open your root chakra. Tune in and follow your body to find out which chakra needs realignment!

References:

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-96/Solar-Plexus-Chakra-Healing-For-Beginners.html

http://www.chakras.info/solar-plexus-chakra/

http://www.thelawofattraction.com/solar-plexus-chakra-healing/

http://www.oneworldhealing.net/chakra-healing/manipura-balancing-the-solar-plexus-chakra/

https://blog.mindvalley.com/solar-plexus-chakra/

http://www.oneworldhealing.net/chakra-healing/manipura-balancing-the-solar-plexus-chakra/