Understanding Manipura Chakra

Get to know our third chakra the Manipura

I taught a Manipura Chakra class last Sunday. It's something I do twice a year, focusing on a different chakra per class.

So whether you know something or nothing at all about chakras, I thought about sharing some aspects of the Manipura (Solar Plexus) chakra with you. All these notes come from what I was talking about during class.

We could say that we have two "bodies", one physical, one energetic. Our chakras are part of our "energetic body." You can't see them or touch them, and if you were to open the body you wouldn't be able to find them, but they exist. Everything in this world is energy, you don't need to be able to touch it to feel it. 

There are many, many chakras throughout the body, but there are 7 main ones. I have listed all of them further down the post but now....

Let's talk about the Manipura Chakra

Manipura/Solar Plexus Chakra.

Color: Yellow.

Element: Fire.

Affirmation: I can.

Location: 5cm above the navel.

Characteristics: Our personality, self-esteem, sense of worth and power.

Developmental stage: 18 months to 4 years.

Demon: Shame.

This one is one of my favorites. The Manipura Chakra is in charge of your power, self-esteem, and sense of worth and well, who wouldn't want those to be awakened to find our personal power.

This chakra transforms what you wish or desire (sacral chakra) into action. That's where your power (think about its element, fire) and self-esteem help this happen.

Your Manipura chakra is related to your "gut feeling." You can feel in your belly when something is exciting, the "butterfly" feeling. You can also feel it on your belly when you are nervous or lacking confidence. And you can get that gut feeling when your intuition tells you that something is not right, or maybe when something is the right thing to do.

As all the chakras, the Manipura can be out of balance, in balance or there could have an excess of energy on it.

• Out of balance: Might have difficulty making things happen and trusting when you have to offer.

• In balance: Confidence, being able to start and finish things, good self-esteem, competent, warm personality, healthy ego.

• Excess: Need to be right all the time, too critical, unhealthy ego. 

As all the seven chakras, the Manipura can heal. Some healing practices for this chakra involve physical activities (light up the fire) starting a yoga practice or any other exercise that gets your body moving. Willing to challenge your self (starting that project you want to work towards) and getting out of the comfort zone (try something new!). 

Waking up the fire, light up your power

As you think about your Manipura chakra, all you have to think about is waking up and lighting up your power, think about the color yellow and the fire element. Power is not developed by holding to security, that keeps your fire low, but choosing a challenge makes your fire grow, do something that challenges you. 

Fire is the spark that ignites and transforms "will" into action, without fire, we standstill. To heal ourselves, we need to regain our personal power. As I mentioned before this chakra develops somewhere from 18 months to 4 years. During that stage, our parents are constantly trying to make us well behaved. 

As children, we were rewarded for doing what we were "supposed to do" and sometimes punished when we didn't comply. So we slowly learned to obey and shatter our will. But to heal our Manipura chakra, we need to regain control of our will. How do you make something happen? If you want to make any effective change, you need to exercise your will.

Reclaiming your self-esteem

When our self-esteem is high, we are confident, the fire is burning, the power is there. When low, we find our selves full of doubts and we become still, all those plans and things we want to do just won't happen, the fire dissipates. We all need ego, at least in a balanced way, for a person with a healthy amount of ego it's ok to make mistakes because their self-esteem can take care of that.

Self-esteem develops from trial and error, as we go out, take risks, succeed and fail. We are not going to be right all the time, there will be mistakes, but as long as we take the results of our actions from a place of power, then our self-esteem will grow, learn from those moments and move forward.

Shame, the demon

Shame is the antithesis of self-esteem. Then greater the shame, the less we feel powerful and the harder it is for our ego to form.

Is there something that makes you feel ashamed? Where is it coming from? Does it come from your childhood? Was it imposed by your parents or society? Or is it something you did? Only by diving deep on that feeling and digging into it can you start to get rid of it.

Healing your third Chakra, activate Manipura

• Give up being safe and accept that there might be criticism, challenge, rejection or failure, it's ok.
• Attack the shame demon. Shut up all the side voices on your head. 
  
• Build a healthy ego.
  

The Seven Chakras

Muladhara/Root Chakra.

Color: Red.

Element: Earth.

Affirmation: I'm safe.

Location: Base of the spine. 

Characteristics: How safe and secure we feel, our sense of survival and the fight or flight response.

Developmental stage: Birth to 12 months.

Demon: Fear.

Svadisthana/Sacral Chakra.

Color: Orange.

Element: Water.

Affirmation: I'm passionate.

Location: 5cm below the navel.

Characteristics: Relationship with others, pleasure, creativity.

Developmental stage: 6 months to 2 years.

Demon: Guilt.

Manipura/Solar Plexus Chakra.

Color: Yellow.

Element: Fire.

Affirmation: I can.

Location: 5cm above the navel.

Characteristics: Our personality, self-esteem, sense of worth and power.

Developmental stage: 18 months to 4 years.

Demon: Shame.

Anahata/Heart Chakra.

Color: Green.

Element: Air.

Affirmation: I'm loved.

Location: At heart hight.

Characteristics: Love to oneself, compassion, worth. 

Developmental stage: 4 to 7 years.

Demon: Grief.

Vishudda/Throat Chakra.

Color: Blue.

Element: Sound.

Affirmation: I speak my truth.

Location: Throat.

Characteristics: Finding our genuine and authentic voice.

Developmental stage: 7 to 12 years.

Demon: Lies.

Ajna/Third Eye Chakra.

Color: Indigo.

Element: Light.

Affirmation: I am intuitive.

Location: Third eye.

Characteristics: Intuition, mind, ideas.

Developmental stage: Adolescence

Demon: Delusion.

Sahasrara/Crown Chakra.

Color: Violet/white.

Element: No element.

Affirmation: I am connected to the universe.

Location: Crown of the head.

Characteristics: Connection to the divine, spirituality.

Developmental stage: Early adulthood and after.

Demon: Attachment.

These are just some take-outs from what I was teaching, there are many more aspects and ways to work, heal our chakras and activate your personal power, but we all start somewhere.

Reclaim your power, you can.