Journey Through the Chakras- Svadhisthana or Sacral Chakra
The Sacral Chakra “ Svadhisthana”
This week we continue our journey through the chakras continuing with the 2nd chakra. This chakra is locate in the sacrum area, from just below your belly button to right above the base of your spine in the genital region. It is known as the dwelling place of the self and governs the aspects of creativity, sensuality & pleasure, zest for life, family and the creation of our personalities. Its development corresponds to ages 7- 14 when we are first starting to form our independence and personalities separate from our parents and also is when puberty takes place. It also relates to how we relate to our emotions as well as the emotions of others. It governs the reproductive organs, the lower GI tract and the lower portion of the spine. Its color is orange , and its chant is VAM.
Imbalances in the sacral chakra can be caused by repressed emotions. In know common refrains I heard growing up was “ I’ll give you a reason to cry” or “ suck it up, you’ll be fine” or “boys don’t cry”. These micro-repressions can build up over time and then later on can manifest in overreactions, aggression, codependency, addictive behaviors, excessive guilt or shame, low or hyper libido, lack of creativity, low self-esteem, back or kidney issues, and depression.
So, what can we do to bring it back into balance?
As most yoga practitioners know, emotions and tensions tend to build up in the pelvic area. That explains why there are so many hip opening poses in yoga. If you are not convinced, try it out for yourself and observe the difference in flexibility in your hip joints on a day you feel relaxed and positive, and on a day when you feel emotional and stressed. It is likely your flexibility has reduced significantly when you are in an emotional state of mind. By including some hip opening exercises in your yoga practice you do not only let go of physical tension, but you also release emotional blockages, stimulating and balancing your sacral chakra. Poses such as virbhdrasana (warrior 2), badakonasana (bound angle), utkata konasana (goddess pose), anjaneyasana (low lunge), gomukhasana (cow faced pose), upavistha konasana ( seated wide legged forward fold) and bhekasana (frog pose), as well as hip circles are all efficient ways to stimulate, open and balance the sacral chakra.
Off our mats , we can use mantras like “ I celebrate and accept my body”, “ I allow creativity and passion to flow through me”, or “ I am joyful to be me” in our daily meditation practice. We can also eat bright orange foods like oranges ( lol), carrots, sweet potatoes and even honey to help heal the sacral chakra. And, given that the element attached to the sacral chakra is water, we can connect to it with sea salt baths, drinking more water, or even going swimming. How lucky we are here in Key Largo to be able to just dip our toes in salt water every day!
Lastly, engaging in play, dancing, any creative art or even spending time with children, will allow us to reconnect to our inner child and creativity and reconnect us to the everyday joys in our lives.
So, this week’s assignment is to find one thing in your day that you can do just for you, just for fun and see what a difference it makes.
Until next week- see you on your mats,
Jessica